MP4.2+6.0

P.S. For D3 era A8/S8 vs. most similar age S's, one obvious word: quattro

born_slippy

holy crap that s6 is hideous, at least with the original black wheels it wouldn't be .. no it'd still be horrible.

for me the Audi is about inconspicuousness. it's top of its class, it may not have the most bells and whistles of its day, but it holds its own. people who know what it is appreciate it, and everyone else is a blur. i don't need folks to gawk at my ride, otherwise i'd drive a purple s6.

tztony

Hi Everyone. I'm a newbie to the site/forum and decided to weigh in on this topic.
I own a 2005 A8L 4.2 and a 2008 S 550 w/ P02 Pkg.
In my opinion the Audi is a pure enthusiasts ride, while the MB is more of a luxury/statement making vehicle.
If the issue is pure performance the Audi wins hands down.
I love them both and drive them for totally different missions.

BTW: The site is fantastic with so many highly knowledgeable Audi purists.
Glad to be a member......

Mister Bally

Here's why not; the large Mercedes are known as "Old man cars" by Germans. I work with a dozen German expats and they drive Audi's, VW's and <choke> BMW's.

Brozee

Here in Michigan at least, and I don't mean offense; but for the most part mercedes are for people looking for an image, not to enjoy their car. That and almost all the friends or people I know that own a Merc are the albanian crowd, plus i like the Audi scene more than that of the nose in the air merc groups

ltooz_a6_a8_q7

-In 89 my father drove 300SE and the car was like a tank - solid with soft rides but the seats lacked support and it's really tiring on the long trip.
-When the square body came out - He traded it in for a 92 S320 - The car was huge and heavy - but high quality. They couldn't give the car away - I remembered sticker price was $73k, with hold back and discount, we got it for $58k - Drove for 1.5 year with 14k miles - sold it for $55k - the least loss we ever encountered.
-My father never knew what an Audi was and when the business slowed down - No more Mercedes.
-In 2000's, my friends bought S series and found themselves parking on the freeways waiting for tow trucks which never happened before with older S'. The quality wasn't there.
-I've always been leasing and buying Audi from 100s to A6 and I loved them - Audi quality has gotten better while others diminished.
-S class today are designed like Toyota IMO. Not very good looking or stand out as prestigious cars. I don't know if the quality is getting better than the early 2000's.

After I tried the 98 A8, I would not drive anything less than A8 now. Since the gas is going to $4-5 soon - I'm thinking about Electric or Hybrid sedan when my 06 A8L is disposed. But after I read <a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/12760020/1/audi-15-a8-is-a-868-mile-range-tesla-killer-and-diesel-is-the-secret.html">this article about 2015 Audi A8L</a>. I may not have to discount Audi A8 in the future after all.

To me A8L's are the best disposable luxury cars... Buy them, use them, enjoy them, and dispose them... It costs to drive a nice car and it seems to me A8L's cost the least to own, IMO.

Cheers,

Louis