LeX2K

It's amazing how much importance some put into 0-60 times and discount almost everything else that actually makes owning and driving a car enjoyable. A Toyota 86 beats a Hellcat around the track, the Hellcat has 500 more horsepower.

SW17LS

Exactly, it's just not that important in the class.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

yup, it's why rolls royce, used to at least, describe its engine power as 'adequate'.

with luxury it's about having a feeling of effortlessness, ease of operation, refinement, style, not burnouts, although an S63 and some others brings those too.

Rhambler

Well, the S550 can hit 60 in under 4.5 seconds, a legitimate 4.5 seconds. The new S560 can probably smash there even faster.

I wouldn't call the Mercedes unrefined.

When you're paying that much money, you expect a lot more of everything and the Germans offer it.

Toys4RJill

I think the new LS500 is going to do very well against the competition in the segment. This new A8 looks pretty boring, the two things it has going for it are the W12 engine and the fact that it has gone back to touchscreen. Compared to the Lexus, which is a more interesting in the styling on the inside and outside.

Mr. Burns

Yeah and Audi's V6 will be mounted almost entirely in front of the front axle.



Those proportions are killer. It doesn't look like a prestige car at all.

peteharvey

Yes, in the old days, both the engine and clutch/torque converter was mounted in front of the front axle.
Nowadays, only the engine is mounted in front of the front axle, while the clutch/torque converter and gearbox are both mounted behind the front axle.

Old:





New:

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

Ohh this is very nice! Like the rear and interior, but I have mix feeling about touch controls because I'm OCD on finger prints. Other than that, I like this new one, good alternative besides S class. Now I wanna see what's the new S8 will look like and it will push 650hp!

pman6

The Lincoln of german cars.

I like that they're bringing back touch screens. Capacitive touch. Not that stuttering resistive touch of the old days.

Your turn, mercedes.

Gorilla glass, microfiber cloth, wipe. Done.

When I use nav, I don't even look at the screen while driving. I listen to the voice directions.
so a lower placement, like in my ancient 3GS, is just fine.

SW17LS

I don't even use the voice guidance on the nav, so I prefer the higher placement.

chromedome

The problem with the A8 is that it looks like a supersized A6. That's always been the problem with Audi and BMW using cookie-cutter designs for their bread and butter sedans. The A7 doesn't look like the A5 and the 6 Gran Coupe is one of the most beautiful designs around,, it these cars are all coupes.

Rhambler

Yeah they do look alike, but there's really no mistaking them imo. The A8 is huge in real life. The LWB is 207 inches. The size makes it unmistakable. You just have to see one in real life, which is a hard thing to do since they are so rare.

This newer one is even longer at almost 209 inches. The new SWB, which won't be sold here unless it's the S, is 204 inches, almost the same length as the LS 460L.

BMWs kind of always had this similarity and Mercedes now as well. The Audi just seems more similar because maybe the styling is so conservative to begin with.

But, they do look really nice in person. I looked at all of them when I was at the dealer getting my car. What seems sterile and land looks really sharp in person.

SW17LS

You mean you saw this new A8 at your dealer before it was even released to the world? Incredible dealer

Rhambler

Yeah I saw the new one...

I was talking about the current one. Come on now, is that hard to comprehend?

SW17LS

Of course you only saw the old one.

What the old one looks like in person doesn't have any bearing on what the new one looks like in person. Nobody has yet seen it in person.