Tuesday 11th March 2025

Audi S8 (D4) | PH Private Area

Like your Audi saloons fast, large and very discreet? Don't forget the last (and now bargain-priced) S8...

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The Audi configurator is a strange website right now. There are seemingly dozens of A6 variants, including the new electric version, the new petrol version, the old petrol and diesels, the plug-in hybrids, the fast ones… it’s complicated. Before even thinking about the A5 your brain will still think is an A4, a host of electric e-trons that you’d forgotten about (SQ6 Sportback, anyone?) and a Nurburgring record-breaking SUV. If it’s possible to have too much choice, it’s on Audi’s website right now. 

Yet lurking towards the bottom of the ‘Models’ page is an old favourite: the Audi S8. Still a fairly subtle, super luxurious ‘bahnstormer, the kind of four-door saloon that would pass most folk by and which don’t really exist anymore. Probably the S8 as it is won’t live much longer, given the move away from cars of this ilk. Or the fact that the class below, the AMG E-Classes, BMW M5s and S-badged Audi A6s (all 30 of them) are now so huge to make anything more unnecessary. 

Even at £114,000, it’s hard not to look on the S8 fondly as an easy-to-understand fast Audi in an otherwise confusing line-up. But you needn’t spend six figures to get an A8 that looks the business and is powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with more than 500hp - because there’s the old one for that. The D4 era of S8 is already fading into history; after all, it isn’t the latest and greatest, and nor is it as iconic as the original or as mad as the V10. But for a compelling mix of new fast Audi and old fast Audi, there’s surely a lot going for it. 

Look inside this one, for starters. As a 2016 S8, there’s all the kit and more anyone could possibly want - 22-way adjustable seats, surround cameras, ambient lighting - plus the most glorious Nutmeg Brown leather, but also proper dials, buttons and knobs. Sure, it’s busy, but we all know by now how much more satisfying a switch is than furiously prodding at a screen. And how good do those dials look?

The PHer selling this one searched long and hard for this spec, and the effort has paid off: clear glass instead of tints and silver instead of black accents work really nicely with the grey paint and that incredible leather. There’s barely a mark to be seen, there are four Goodyears on the wheels, and it’s going to be serviced ahead of sale. This year’s MOT is flawless. 

It’s a heck of a lot of Audi S8 for £25k, basically. It’s half the price of any D5 version on PH right now, and the spec is way more interesting and desirable than the usual blacks and whites. Showing just 43k as well, there’ll be a huge amount more mile munching to come. With up to 30mpg possible, so the seller says. Which you certainly won’t be getting in the V10. 

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SPECIFICATION | AUDI S8

Engine: 3,993cc, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: 8-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 520@5,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 449@1,700-5,500rpm
MPG: 30.1
CO2: 216g/km
Year registered: 2016
Recorded mileage: 43,000
Price new: £80,735 (2015
Yours for: £25,995

See the original advert

[sidesauce]

A few years ago, I hired one of these in Stuttgart for a long weekend - drove it to Metzingen and back a couple times during my stay there.

What an absolute weapon - quiet, comfortable and a very, very nice place to spend time in on the autobahn.

[fantheman80]

very nice...but looks lowered? Or they all like that Guv

[Gordon Hill]

Yes please

[The Pistonsdead]

Such a lot of car for the money. But even more I reckon on keeping her running..

[Yahonza]

That's a lot of car and quite low mileage.
So what is wrong with it?

[sidesauce]

fantheman80 said:

very nice...but looks lowered? Or they all like that Guv

Air suspension.

[kambites]

Yahonza said:

So what is wrong with it?

What's wrong with it is that it's a nine year-old luxury barge with a big petrol engine. Such cars are hardly renowned for their strong residuals. Considering the type of car, I'm surprised it's not cheaper, but I guess with inflation having run rampant in the last nine years the residuals aren't quite as strong as they look.

It's a lovely thing, but the cross-over between those willing to buy a nine-year-old car and those willing to pay the running costs of an S8 probably wont be very big.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 11th March 18:44

[Latifisnc]

I know it's not the same interaction - but all I can think of is Ronin whenever I see any of these wonderful machines.

[howardhughes]

What a machine. Just amazing. As with cars of this calibre when you buy cars like these you are buying the maintenance costs too. I dred to imagine...

[JonPH]

Always thought these were a car you could buy new and keep 10-15 years. Great engine and quattro, although boot wasn't that big from memory.

The styling on this version of the S8 looks a bit aftermarket bodykit though.

[vanman1936]

Had one briefly recently

- large
- powerful
- relatively composed, if inert, handling for the size
- smooth / quiet
- luxurious
- elegant
- feels solid / well built

Replaced it with an E63S (2017) as a good value one came up (very characterful / impressive car), otherwise would have kept the S8 for a while….real battleship of a car and a lovely place to cover distance in.

[disco666]

kambites said:

Yahonza said:

So what is wrong with it?

What's wrong with it is that it's a nine year-old luxury barge with a big petrol engine. Such cars are hardly renowned for their strong residuals. Considering the type of car, I'm surprised it's not cheaper, but I guess with inflation having run rampant in the last nine years the residuals aren't quite as strong as they look.

It's a lovely thing, but the cross-over between those willing to buy a nine-year-old car and those willing to pay the running costs of an S8 probably wont be very big.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 11th March 18:44

Exactly.
Compare it with a similar Mercedes, Jaguar or BMW and you'll find the same sort of residuals- in fact I would guess this would be slightly better.
I like this, and if I wasn't doing many miles in it I'd give it a go, although the XJR would be my first choice.

[ducnick]

From a time when Audi made quality interiors. A time long since past sadly.

[oobster]

I've been keeping my eye on S8's for a while now, I'd ideally like a 'Plus' (there are currently only two on Autotrader) and it would need to be, for me, the Daytona Grey of this car but with a dark interior.

These also seem to be fairly rare with heated steering wheels and that is a feature that I am loath to be without.

[josh00mac]

I’m always looking at these in the classifieds. Shame 90% of Audi buyers seem to choose grey. Am I right in saying it is essentially RS6 running gear?

Rowdy exhaust on this one totally miss the point IMO.

[vaud]

oobster said:

I've been keeping my eye on S8's for a while now, I'd ideally like a 'Plus' (there are currently only two on Autotrader) and it would need to be, for me, the Daytona Grey of this car but with a dark interior.

These also seem to be fairly rare with heated steering wheels and that is a feature that I am loath to be without.

I think you can have them retrofitted.

[pSyCoSiS]

Yes, I really like this and I love that interior - much more interesting than the usual black or grey.

Personally, I would go for an S63 or 760Li for this outlay.

[dunnoreally]

The interior doesn't look as nice in the photos as I'd expect it to, somehow. It's not bad at all, just lacking a certain je ne sais quoi I expect from top spec barges. Like, if you'd told me that was the inside of a top spec A4 I'd have believed it.

Maybe once you sit in it there's fit and finish and quality of materials that the pics don't capture though, and those seats certainly do look comfy.

[ninepoint2]

I was under strict instructions from the "financial controller" last year to reduce the number of cars so I reluctantly sold my D2 S8, C6 RS6 Avant and Maserati GranTurismo. I replaced them with one of these, and I love it, it’s a wonderful thing, so comfortable and very quick, even quicker than the RS6 I think. It doesn’t attract the same admiring comments as the D2 and Maserati did, but that “stealth” feature of it is one of the attractions.

Picture of the D2 and D4 together, for the adenoidal pedantic brigade they were not on the same plates, just a BluTack job for the pics

Edited by ninepoint2 on Tuesday 11th March 21:25

[J4CKO]

dunnoreally said:

The interior doesn't look as nice in the photos as I'd expect it to, somehow. It's not bad at all, just lacking a certain je ne sais quoi I expect from top spec barges. Like, if you'd told me that was the inside of a top spec A4 I'd have believed it.

Maybe once you sit in it there's fit and finish and quality of materials that the pics don't capture though, and those seats certainly do look comfy.

The pics often dont capture how nice these kind of barges are inside, said it on another thread recently that the quality doesnt shine through as much in most photos, but if it looks alright in the pictures it will always be better in person, conversely if it looks rough, it will likely be worse in person.

Thats a lovely example, its not that much more to pay than for a same year, similar miles S3, to buy anyway.