Christian Gordon

Hello D3 forum! I posted a simillar thread in the b6 S4 section because I'm basically trying to pick between a S4 Cabriolet 4.2 and a D3 A8L. I will be buying another vehicle before the next Michigan winter and I want AWD and good build quality and a bit of luxury. So naturally I want an Audi. I've read the sticky in this forum and lurked for a while so I'm aware of the cost of ownership and maintenance. I'm posting this looking for owner experience info. Everyone here seems pretty happy with their cars long term and that's important to me because I want my next purchase to be with me at least 3- 5 years. So for my questions...

Is a D3 A8L fun to drive? In a sporting manner I mean. I don't intend to abuse the car but I do like strong bursts of acceleration and exploring grip limits every once in a while. Will one of these cars support that behavior?

As for the Ride, I'm aware these cars have an adaptive air suspension system (one of the big things drawing me to it). I'm guessing the ride changes based on setting selected, cushy in comfort/ standard mode? Sporty in dynamic? I'm aware Dynamic lowers the car about an inch, but does it also stiffen the suspension?

How's the MPG on these cars? I'm guessing its about mid teens in the city, low 20's on the expressway? Of course mpg will depend on driving behavior and vehicle condition but has anyone topped 25 mpg highway cruising?

I appreciate any input in advance. Oh I'm also particulaty interested in the 2005 and 2006 models for my budget.

the_duke

I have a 2005 and love it. It's not ridiculously fast but it's pretty quick. Living in rural MT means most of our roads are curvy and hilly. I think the A8L performs very well considering its size and weight. I also have a 2004 A6 and it will out corner the A8 but not by much. Dynamic mode in the A8 does firm up the suspension some. I usually see 15-18 mpg in town and 20-24 on the highway. Great car for long trips. We have no problem jumping in the car and driving 7-8 hours nonstop.

I'm sure you're aware that 2005-2006 are timing belt motors. My car didn't come with a service history so I did the timing service soon after purchase. The car had about 130k miles on the odometer. The timing had been done at least once in the past and everything looked good. It cost me around $500 for the tools and parts. I did the work myself. Something to keep in mind when shopping for a car.

Also you'll want to decide what options are important to you. My car has adaptive cruise control and I love it. I also like the ventilated seats. 2005's don't have bluetooth phone or AMI. I really wish I had those options. Some 2006 cars will have Bluetooth phone and AMI. But some won't. Not sure if those things are important to you but something to keep in mind. It seems like every car ad for an A8 says "loaded!" but that's not always the case.

Christian Gordon

Thank your very much for this! Yea the cooled seats and adaptive cruise do sound great, I know the cooled seats is a buttin on the climate control, how could I check for adaptive cruise?
My main interest in these cars is I really want something I wont easily get bored with and will be basically a tank in snow (with decent tires of course). These cars seem to be very well equipped and the MMI system sounds very interesting. Just for added info from me, I did drive one 2004 A8L that was one of the more basic models and an 2008 S6 V10. The A8L kinda felt smaller when I drove it. The S6 was almost scary fast.

Christian Gordon

And I do also plan on doing a great majority of my own maintenance. Removing the front bumper to change lightbulbs seems a bit dumb to me (It's the same with my current car, 03 Cadillac CTS) but eh, it is what it is lol.

Jack88

Adaptive cruise is spotted either by looking at the stalk for the cruise control and seeing the adjustments for following distance, or looking at the lower part of the grill for the square that houses the sensor, as seen here:



It's not a terribly common option on the D3's, but it does exist. AMI and bluetooth can be retrofitted to a car that did not originally come with it and is a common modification. The A8 handles plenty well to be fun, and isn't much behind the S4's you are looking at in a straight line. The A8 does this magical thing where it feels smaller the faster you drive it. I recommend you test drive both cars, and see what you think.

Christian Gordon

Thanks a ton Jack88 that picture is great. I've experinced a little of the magic you described. It was very alluring. I guess my mind its pushing me towards the A8L but my heart wants the excitement of the converible S4 lol. Can anyone chime in on over all ride quality in the different modes? Only refernce I have there is a Car and Driver review of the 04 model saying it was kinda jittery.

Jack88

Can't say I'd ever call the A8 jittery. Maybe with low profile tires...

Junius

I don't know who said 2005's don't come with Bluetooth but mine does. While not being outrageously fast, the 4.2 definitely brings this 2 ton beast up to speed pretty quick with a nice throaty tone. It drives more sportier than let's say a Jaguar XJ or S-Class of the same generation. Just watch out for the timing belt/thermostat, air suspension, and oil cooler leakage. If you do your own maintenance, own a VAGcom, and find a good Audi/VW specialist mechanic, the car should be more than manageable. Also, be careful of drink spills around the MMI system, which can lead to expensive repair. As far as gas mileage goes, I usually get 18/19 city and 23-25 highway if I drive sensibly. Be mindful that the 4.2 in the s4 cabriolet is known for timing chain problems, which require engine removal for repair. So I would say that the 4.2 in the A8 is much more reliable and robust.

Mike911A8

You asked if you would get bored with the A8; I have owned my 2007 for nearly ten years and I always look forward to driving it. In fact, I recently did a little looking for a replacement because I thought ten years was enough, looked at a Panamera and a D4 A8L, but I liked my D3 more and I'm going to keep it indefinitely.



As for ride quality, C & D is full of crap if they think it is jerky. Ride quality is a dream in my opinion, and I leave mine in dynamic mode all of the time. Just took a 400 mile trip to NYC and back over all sorts of road quality and it couldn't have been better.

If you come across a 2007 and up, give it a look because there won't be the timing belt issue. I'm partial to the short wheel base model because I think it's a little more nimble, and there's still plenty of room.

Another thing which will never get boring on the D3 A8 is the beauty and quality of the interior; you'll never get tired of that.

Good luck, Mike

MiMitch

If you're on the west side of MI and need a hand looking, let me know, I can be available to run a VCDS scan most week nights and have a pretty good handle on what to look for on the D3 A8 when looking at a new one. Having had a couple D3 A8s now, I can say they defiantly feel smaller the faster you go, it didnt feel slow until I test drove a Merc bi turbo V12 for Jack88 2 days ago.....