New Car in the Family...2005 Audi A8 [56k lookout]
07-15-05, 03:20 PM
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New Car in the Family...2005 Audi A8 [56k lookout]
It was time for my mom to move out of her 2004 CLK500 because 2 doors was just not cutting it anymore. She had her heart set on a CLS500, but due to me being 6'4" and not being anywhere close to fitting in the back, I persuaded her to look around and see what else there was to offer. BMW isn't her stlye, the S class is overpriced, and the LS is gonna be all new in the next two years so Audi was the only logical decision for us.
So yesterday after a wait more than a week longer than we were told, we came home with our 2005 A8, standard wheel base. We chose an '05 because we were not fans of the upcoming '06 A8 with the new "big-mouth" grille, and we went with the standard wheelbase because she could not justify the several thousands more for the rear seat room when it is already such a vast improvement over the CLK.
The car is Akoya Silver Metallic, which is a beautiful metallic silver with a little hint of blue in it under direct sunlight over platinum leather. Beyond the standard AWD, NAV, and Bi-xenon headlamps, it has the cold weather package, convenience package, heated/cooled/massage front seats and heated rear seats, XM sattelite radio, and automatic trunk and door closers. Our model came with the optional 19-inch 12-spoke wheels which do an excellent job of filling out the wheel wells, and in my opinion are a must on a car this size.
It moves effortlessly with 335hp coupled with a 6 speed transmission and Quattro AWD, and while the engine note is smooth, it really can sound sporty if opened up a little. This is certainly a tell-tale sign of the 5 valve per cylinder heads. The 4.2L V8 is fed by a dry-sump lubrication system allowing for its all aluminum structure to be mounted lower within the all aluminum frame, encapsulated in the all aluminum body. Did I mention this car is made of aluminum? Stopping is done just as smoothly with big brakes all around and nice LED tail lamps in the rear.
The biggest question I know most will have is what impression I got of MMI. To be honest, it is nowhere as bad as I thought it would be after having some seat time with an iDrive equipped 7-series. Although not as intuitive as a gamut of buttons, it is warranted, as it is possible to fine tune almost any feature of the car through the interface. Opposed to many combo systems I've been able to play around with, the Audi's is certainly the most detailed, finished off with representative colors and attractive maps, icons, and screen transitions. The problem I see the most is getting my mom to understand because I know that she is not as easily adapted to these things as I am.
Another excellent feature the car has is the ability to employ ambient lighting throughout the car as well as the outside. Ambient lighting through the extensive use of LED's can be found in door handle pulls (both inside and out), foot wells, within the door panel recesses, overhead, and like the LS430, on the underside of the side-view mirrors to watch for puddles. I'm not sure if the LED color varies from car to car, but ours is a cool blue that matches the interior and exterior. Also, at night, the interior looks like a jet cockpit with everything backlit, mostly in red, and the ability for the screen to be stowed away if too bright for night-time driving.
Pictures:
The Nav screen arises from the wood piece high center once the ignition is on.
You can see some of the blue in this picture.
Fairly big brakes for stock.
More detailed pics available upon request.
James
So yesterday after a wait more than a week longer than we were told, we came home with our 2005 A8, standard wheel base. We chose an '05 because we were not fans of the upcoming '06 A8 with the new "big-mouth" grille, and we went with the standard wheelbase because she could not justify the several thousands more for the rear seat room when it is already such a vast improvement over the CLK.
The car is Akoya Silver Metallic, which is a beautiful metallic silver with a little hint of blue in it under direct sunlight over platinum leather. Beyond the standard AWD, NAV, and Bi-xenon headlamps, it has the cold weather package, convenience package, heated/cooled/massage front seats and heated rear seats, XM sattelite radio, and automatic trunk and door closers. Our model came with the optional 19-inch 12-spoke wheels which do an excellent job of filling out the wheel wells, and in my opinion are a must on a car this size.
It moves effortlessly with 335hp coupled with a 6 speed transmission and Quattro AWD, and while the engine note is smooth, it really can sound sporty if opened up a little. This is certainly a tell-tale sign of the 5 valve per cylinder heads. The 4.2L V8 is fed by a dry-sump lubrication system allowing for its all aluminum structure to be mounted lower within the all aluminum frame, encapsulated in the all aluminum body. Did I mention this car is made of aluminum? Stopping is done just as smoothly with big brakes all around and nice LED tail lamps in the rear.
The biggest question I know most will have is what impression I got of MMI. To be honest, it is nowhere as bad as I thought it would be after having some seat time with an iDrive equipped 7-series. Although not as intuitive as a gamut of buttons, it is warranted, as it is possible to fine tune almost any feature of the car through the interface. Opposed to many combo systems I've been able to play around with, the Audi's is certainly the most detailed, finished off with representative colors and attractive maps, icons, and screen transitions. The problem I see the most is getting my mom to understand because I know that she is not as easily adapted to these things as I am.
Another excellent feature the car has is the ability to employ ambient lighting throughout the car as well as the outside. Ambient lighting through the extensive use of LED's can be found in door handle pulls (both inside and out), foot wells, within the door panel recesses, overhead, and like the LS430, on the underside of the side-view mirrors to watch for puddles. I'm not sure if the LED color varies from car to car, but ours is a cool blue that matches the interior and exterior. Also, at night, the interior looks like a jet cockpit with everything backlit, mostly in red, and the ability for the screen to be stowed away if too bright for night-time driving.
Pictures:
The Nav screen arises from the wood piece high center once the ignition is on.
You can see some of the blue in this picture.
Fairly big brakes for stock.
More detailed pics available upon request.
James
07-15-05, 03:29 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jul 2005
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excellent choice...those cars are svelte. sooo elegant when moving slowly or quickly, this car truly has a presence on the road.
I told my wife that will be my old man car when i get older.
I told my wife that will be my old man car when i get older.
07-15-05, 09:00 PM
#11
Lexus Test Driver
audi has come a long way with their cars, i feel that they have a real nice lineup now, and i seriously love the A8, my head turns everytime i see on on the road, the car is just that alluring to me, congrats on the car, thats hot!
07-15-05, 10:46 PM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
Very nice car. The A-8 is my favorite sub 100K large luxury sedan. I am surprised the A-8 does not sell better considering it is less expensive then its rivals yet is the better overall package in my opinion. I think I have only seen 2 on the road. I remember listening to Howard Stern a few years ago and he was debating what new car to get and everyone was telling him to get the new A-8. Where it says CD/TV on the button near the shift gate/IMI controller, does the A-8 have a built in TV tuner? Is it very expensive to insure. I would imagine a all aluminum expensive luxury car would cost a fortune to insure.