Why is the A8 so heavy?
10-06-2002, 06:48 PM
#1
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Why is the A8 so heavy?
Hello,
Much is made of how the A8 is all aluminum and how that makes the
car much light. What I would like to know is why the car is so heavy?
According to specs for 2000 model year the following cars weigh:
Audi A8: 4068
MB S500: 4133
BMW 740: 4255
Lexus LS400: 3890
Infiniti Q45: 4043
Jag XJ8: 3946
Audi A6 4.2: 4024
I know the Audi has quattro, so there is some extra weight there,
but still, the A6 is lighter (although smaller). The Audi is only
65 lbs. lighter than the S500!
Why is the Audi so heavy?
Thanks,
Barry
Much is made of how the A8 is all aluminum and how that makes the
car much light. What I would like to know is why the car is so heavy?
According to specs for 2000 model year the following cars weigh:
Audi A8: 4068
MB S500: 4133
BMW 740: 4255
Lexus LS400: 3890
Infiniti Q45: 4043
Jag XJ8: 3946
Audi A6 4.2: 4024
I know the Audi has quattro, so there is some extra weight there,
but still, the A6 is lighter (although smaller). The Audi is only
65 lbs. lighter than the S500!
Why is the Audi so heavy?
Thanks,
Barry
10-06-2002, 08:56 PM
#2
The equivalent Mercedes was the old slab sided car. 4650 lbs for the S420.
Most of the other cars are built much more lightly. Check out fit and finish between average 4 year old examples. I think you will find the A8 still as tightly screwed together as the day it was built - unlike some of the others. The A8 was the last old fashioned coach built car other than Rolls and Bentley. For a long time, the A8 was the only large luxury car in this class to get a double 5 star crash rating.
QTR does add approx 300lbs.
QTR does add approx 300lbs.
10-06-2002, 09:45 PM
#3
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Is it really heavy?
.
I've always wondered and have been meaning to get my S8 on scales (for about a year now). The Road & Track Road Test Annual 2002 has a comparison of "Five-Star Sedans", where they report
Curb weights,
Audi S8 -- 3815 lb
BMW 740i -- 4275 lb
S55 AMG -- 4110 lb
Test weights,
Audi S8 -- 3990 lb
BMW 740i -- 4450 lb
S55 AMG -- 4270 lb
Does Audi report vehicle weight with two passengers? Audi also specs the FWD A4 as 200 lb heavier than the A4 Quattro. Compared to RWD, Quattro would add a bit less, but it would bring the curb weight of a RWD S8 down to near 3600 lb!
Though there's always room for improvement, but if R&T is right ... not so heavy after all.
I've always wondered and have been meaning to get my S8 on scales (for about a year now). The Road & Track Road Test Annual 2002 has a comparison of "Five-Star Sedans", where they report
Curb weights,
Audi S8 -- 3815 lb
BMW 740i -- 4275 lb
S55 AMG -- 4110 lb
Test weights,
Audi S8 -- 3990 lb
BMW 740i -- 4450 lb
S55 AMG -- 4270 lb
Does Audi report vehicle weight with two passengers? Audi also specs the FWD A4 as 200 lb heavier than the A4 Quattro. Compared to RWD, Quattro would add a bit less, but it would bring the curb weight of a RWD S8 down to near 3600 lb!
Though there's always room for improvement, but if R&T is right ... not so heavy after all.
10-07-2002, 05:01 AM
#4
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That's basically it. All that luxury adds weight.
Although the aluminium body is light, all the aircon, power seats, electronics and other comfort elements like the masses of soundproofing and deadening material all add weight.
Look under the hood of an A/S8. There's a thick pad of material under there. Look under the front footwell mats. There's a seperate removable carpet panel with about 1" of thick foam underneath it. This kind of build quality is everywhere in the car.
You could probably strip a lot of weight from the A8 platform, but then it wouldn't feel like an Audi.
Look under the hood of an A/S8. There's a thick pad of material under there. Look under the front footwell mats. There's a seperate removable carpet panel with about 1" of thick foam underneath it. This kind of build quality is everywhere in the car.
You could probably strip a lot of weight from the A8 platform, but then it wouldn't feel like an Audi.
10-08-2002, 05:48 PM
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Forget the weight- it's the stiffness they should be selling..
The thing I noticed right off when I first drove an a8 is the stiffness of the whole car- it was like the time I first rode a mountain bike with an aluminum frame after having had a steel one for years.
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