Discussion
Went to an Audi Launch on Saturday in an A8. It belongs to a friend and it's his third in fairly rapid succession. It runs on the Audi Air Suspension system and with the exception of one of his A8s being a long wheel base version the ride on the other two is very poor for a luxury car. As a piece of engineering it is remarkable with grip, traction and braking like I've never encountered before - certainly a vast improvement on his 7 series but the ride is lacking. In Comfort mode it's perfect until it hits a pothole and you then feel as if you've driven over a land mine. It's difficult to relax in as you know that at any moment the serenity is about to be shattered. At low speeds the tyres vibrate over uneven surfaces and this is equally annoying. The long wheel base version is vastly better for unknown reasons and has a much more compliant ride in Dynamic than the SWB does in comfort.
At the launch we went out in an R8 V10 Spyder - same road, same day, same conditions and same driver. Aside from the terrifying performance the stand out feature was the ride - absolutely brilliant ! No vibration, no crashing, no jolting - firm certainly but amazingly compliant and so much more comforting than the A8.
That's the waffle and now the question: So if the Magnetic Ride is this excellent, why isn't fitted to the A8 as standard or even offered ?
At the launch we went out in an R8 V10 Spyder - same road, same day, same conditions and same driver. Aside from the terrifying performance the stand out feature was the ride - absolutely brilliant ! No vibration, no crashing, no jolting - firm certainly but amazingly compliant and so much more comforting than the A8.
That's the waffle and now the question: So if the Magnetic Ride is this excellent, why isn't fitted to the A8 as standard or even offered ?
Edited by cologne2792 on Tuesday 14th October 20:10
unpc said:
I've come to the conclusion that Audi seem to know nothing about ride and handling but occasionally get lucky sometimes. There seems to no consistency at all. I have no answers on the actual question though.
It's actually a very good answer and I think you have the situation pegged !Maybe because Audi designed and set up the suspension for the A8 and Lamborghini did all the groundwork for the R8?
Joking aside I have noticed the same thing with the A8, the ride is totally unacceptable for what is trying to be a luxury car. I can see why they seem to sell so few in comparison to the S-Class and even 7 Series.
Joking aside I have noticed the same thing with the A8, the ride is totally unacceptable for what is trying to be a luxury car. I can see why they seem to sell so few in comparison to the S-Class and even 7 Series.
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