RE: New Audi S8 To Get 520bhp Twin-Turbo V8
RE: New Audi S8 To Get 520bhp Twin-Turbo V8
Thursday 31st March 2011

New Audi S8 To Get 520bhp Twin-Turbo V8

No V10, but twin turbos and plenty of poke for 2012 S8


Not an S8, yesterday
Not an S8, yesterday
Next year's Audi S8 looks likely to get a 520bhp twin-turbo V8. The 4.0-litre lump will put Ingolstadt's super-saloon on a par with similarly priced rivals from Mercedes and Jaguar in both power and cylinder count.

As is the trend with such cars, Audi is dropping the Lamborghini-derived, naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 motor in favour of a forced-induction V8.

There is no doubt that the new V8 will drink considerably less fuel and chuck out less CO2 than the previous V10, and the lazier torque characteristics of a turbo'd V8 is more likely to suit Audi's perceived customer base. With both the Merc S63 AMG and Jag's supercharged XJ Supersports featuring V8s, the new hot version of Audi's luxo-barge will also fall into line with its main rivals

With the S8 expected to be considerably cheaper than the S63 AMG and broadly similar to the supercharged Jag XJ (around £90k), the big Audi is likely to have a market advantage over its competitors, providing slightly more 'bang for your buck' than Stuttgart or Coventry.

Previous S8s have disappointed dynamically, combining a harsh ride with disappointing cornering characteristics. The latest Audi A8 has the ability to ride rather well, however, so the jury remains out as to whether Audi can make a big fast car ride and handle with the aplomb of its rivals.

But then big Audis have often sold well despite disappointing dynamics. So whether or not it is a key point remains to be seen.

Author
Discussion

Remagel2507

Original Poster:

1,456 posts

218 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
Would be nice to see what this one is gonna be like in terms of sales - have hardly seen any 'genuine' ones since they went on sale

petrolveins

1,783 posts

199 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
Oh yes, the current A8 is just a little too soft looking for my liking, if the S8 looks anything like I hope it does I will be very happy, especially with all that power smile

wackojacko

8,581 posts

216 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
Power to weight is now increased to 52/ton hehe


In all seriousness I do like the big german execs.

Civpilot

6,254 posts

266 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
It looks very depressed though...

Audi S8 yesterday...

epom

14,477 posts

187 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
hahaha...

Dr G

15,878 posts

268 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
Harsh ride? When?

Press 'car' then select 'comfort'. Tada!

Beardy10

25,230 posts

201 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
I don't know why Audi bother with the S8.....Merc obviously have their AMG models which sell well but somehow it seems to sit better with their brand....big powerful "lazy" cars seem to be more Merc than Audi or BMW. BMW obviously don't think an M/// 7 series is worth spending the R&D money on.

Mermaid

21,492 posts

197 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
I quite like the S8 concept, and all we need is Ronin 2 to get interest in this model.

ludicrous speed

959 posts

220 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
"Not an S8, yesterday"

shhh no one would have known any different

AlpinaB5s

159 posts

185 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
Beardy10 said:
BMW obviously don't think an M/// 7 series is worth spending the R&D money on.
Nope, but Alpina do


FishFace

3,790 posts

234 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
Now that is pretty.

Gatefold

339 posts

219 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
FishFace said:
Now that is pretty.
Yes, pity about the car wink

y2blade

56,289 posts

241 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
excellent news, I prefered the V8 over the newer V10 variant.

nouze

853 posts

203 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
AlpinaB5s said:
Nope, but Alpina do

Sorry, I fail to understand what's so great about Alpina tuned beemers.

Varsity

90 posts

209 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
We have an S8 V10, with a full Miltek, special!

Esseesse

9,027 posts

234 months

Wednesday 30th March 2011
quotequote all
nouze said:
Sorry, I fail to understand what's so great about Alpina tuned beemers.
Neither do I. They put horrid wheels and splitters on all of them. Shame.

Lord_Colin

73 posts

220 months

Thursday 31st March 2011
quotequote all
I drive the S8 with the V10 for 2 years know. Compare to Mercs or BMW, the handling (if you like the sporty driving style) is way better than in any of its competitors. Corner speed is very impressive, especialy with the rigth tires on it!
With a sport exhaust and a chip for 500 Euros, i get close to 500bhp. The V10 sound just great and even the fuel consumption is not that bad as some say.
and i still think, the car looks great

AKA8

1,844 posts

253 months

Thursday 31st March 2011
quotequote all
Isn't the whole point of Audi A8s and even S8s to not look as flashy as competitors from AMG, Alpina etc? That's one of the big reasons I went for an A8 - the last model was nowhere near as ostentatious as S Classes or 7 Series. The new one is unfortunately a bit more obvious. Makes replacing mine even more difficult.

AlpinaB5s

159 posts

185 months

Thursday 31st March 2011
quotequote all
Esseesse said:
nouze said:
Sorry, I fail to understand what's so great about Alpina tuned beemers.
Neither do I. They put horrid wheels and splitters on all of them. Shame.
Horrid wheels and splitters? Whilst I can't agree with you there these are the signature aesthetics of the Alpina. They are clearly not to everyones taste. What alpina do to a BMW is a lot deeper than just aesthetics. Generally on the running gear front the spec includes new g-box, suspension, exhaust systems and ECU tuning. With the occasional addition of a supercharger or bigger turbos. Interior wise you usually get a large quantity of the usual BMW optional extras fitted to the Alpina as standard (the D3 being the exception and widely accepted as poverty spec).

Maybe a little research is required to better form your opinions?

goldblum

10,272 posts

193 months

Thursday 31st March 2011
quotequote all
I have an S8 V10,and before that a tuned C5 RS6.

The S8 would be almost perfect with a V8 and twin turbos,the extra torque and lazy engine/turbo combination would suit it so much better.

Thought about a Milltek on mine..but the performance increase is negligible and I've paid for double glazing!