Money and Power: 2005 Audi A8 L W12

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Follow-Up Test: 2005 Audi A8 L W12

Money and Power
By Scott Oldham
Date posted: 06-27-2005

The 2005 Audi A8 L W12 is many things. It's large. It's expensive. It's fast and it's comfortable. It's also stylish, technologically advanced and even sexy. But most of all, the Audi A8 W12 is reason enough for people to talk to you.

Most tell you they like your car and move on. An abundance of others ask what the W is for. But we heard all sorts of stuff. One misguided soul asked if it was the new bi-turbo, obviously confusing the Audi A8 with the Bentley Flying Spur. Another jughead wanted to know if it belonged to Donald Trump. We said yes. And one acutely sad individual chased us down in traffic just to yell over, "Hey, Boy George called. He wants his steering wheel back." He, of course, looked to be over 9 feet tall and was driving a Miata.

After that encounter, we now know why they're called strangers. But the constant reactions to this car are justified. Essentially a fully loaded A8 L (the L stands for long wheelbase), but with 120 more horsepower, the A8 L W12 is as impressive as you would expect Audi's flagship to be. It's special. Inside and out.

What Does the W Stand for?
Audi does things differently ? always has. If BMW and Mercedes-Benz zig, Audi zags, usually for the better. This time the zag takes the form of a unique engine design. The top-of-the-line BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class sport V12 engines. So what does Audi do? It designs a W12.

Instead of having two banks of six inline cylinders like a traditional V12 design, the 12-cylinder bores in the W12 engine are also split into two banks of six. But the bores aren't exactly inline, instead they're staggered to save space. It's the result of joining two narrow-angle, 15-degree V6 engines together at the crankshaft at a 72-degree angle, and Audi says the design's advantages are stronger rigidity, shorter length and shorter height as compared to conventional V12s. Audi also says those smaller dimensions of the 6.0-liter engine left enough room for the company's designers to fit Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive system.

The engine is rated at 450 hp at 6,200 rpm and 428 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm, which is impressive until you look up specs on the 12-cylinder Mercedes. The Mercedes S600 is powered by a 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V12 rated at 493 hp at 5,000 rpm and 590 lb-ft of torque at 1,800 rpm. And if that's not enough, Benz also offers the S65 AMG powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 rated at 604 hp at 5,500 rpm and, you might want to sit down for this, 738 lb-ft of torque at 2,000 rpm.

The normally aspirated 6.0-liter V12 in the BMW 760Li is a pussycat by comparison. It's rated at only 438 hp at 6,000 rpm and 444 lb-ft of torque at 3,950 rpm.

Drivetrain to Die For
The Dubya's power is routed through a supremely smooth six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. It can be manually manipulated with a console-mounted shifter or paddles mounted to the steering wheel, but we rarely found the need to bother.

Left alone, the tranny always seems to be in the right gear, and it clicks off full-throttle upshifts just as the big engine reaches its 6,250-rpm redline. One tester, however, felt downshifts should be easier to come by. "The engine has bags of power, but the six-speed is too skittish about kicking down on the highway," he wrote in the car's logbook. "After I bury my foot into the floorboard, it's always wait, wait, Millennium Falcon."

At the test track, that automatic combines with the A8's all-wheel drive and 19-inch Pirelli P6 tires to produce the world's most boring launches, but the car is quick. We measured 0-to-60-mph performance at 5.8 seconds, and the quarter-mile at 13.8 seconds at 102 mph. Remarkable performance for a 4,700-pound car.

Fuel mileage is also impressive. We averaged over 19 mpg, and Audi has fitted the A8 L W12 with a massive 23.8-gallon fuel tank, which gives it a highway range of almost 500 miles.

Power at a Price
Twelve cylinders have never come cheap, and the A8 L W12 continues that tradition. Base price is $117,400. And believe it or not, you still have to pay extra for full leather upholstery, adaptive cruise control, a solar sunroof and satellite radio. These options, a stiff gas guzzler tax and a destination charge brought our test car's sticker price to $126,320.

If that number doesn't give you the sweats, two other extra-cost extras are available: a personal refrigerator for $1,500, and 20-inch nine-spoke wheels with performance tires for $2 grand. We suggest you order them or risk ridicule at the next country club cotillion.

Good Dynamics
Even without the optional fridge, the A8 L W12 appointments are hard to complain about. This car coddles its occupants in supreme comfort and surrounds them in artful design, meticulous construction and the latest gadgetry. Its interior is also incredibly quiet. We once parked the A8 2 feet from a catastrophically loud diesel generator and were oblivious to it until we opened a door.

Still, as the Audi successfully isolates you from the harsh outside world, it allows you to interact with it at the same time. Audi understands that its customers, even its most wealthy customers, want to feel the road and enjoy the drive, so the A8 L W12 never feels stodgy like many six-figure cars tend to. Its steering has life and its air suspension, even in the softest setting of its four, has a sporting edge.

"Though massive, it feels tuned for a sporting attitude," one editor wrote in the A8's logbook. "It's pretty light on its feet, not too isolated and happy to be tossed around." And that athleticism was proven at the test track, where the Audi ran through the slalom at 61.3 mph.

Its brakes, however, drew some criticism. Despite decent stopping distances (123 feet from 60 mph) and good fade resistance, they lack initial bite on the street and are hampered by long pedal travel.

Worth the Cash
Although the Audi's sticker price is shocking, after a week in the A8's 16-way adjustable seats, it actually seems justified. This is as good as cars get.

One editor put it best when he said, "The Audi appeals to me more than the 7 Series or the S-Class. I just feel at home in it."

Home indeed.

[Raza]

It's also got a smaller trunk than my Passat!