Charlie Gage

I have a 2006 A8L Sport 4.2L. I've done some livability upgrades like CarPlay (feels like a new car now). I love this car. My heart rate drops when I get in it. It's a joy to drive, comfortable beyond belief, and a great highway cruiser. I travel a lot by car for work. It was pristine until my daughter did minor damage in two areas. I have fixed them up but it's no longer perfect and now my Son is learning to drive.

I'm considering giving the 06 to my son to learn on and moving to a D4 or D5. For those of you that made the switch, what are your impressions? Is it as comfortable? Is it as reliable? Etc etc...

I bought the car from my parents, who bought a 2019 supercharged A6. My father seriously regrets the purchase and keeps trying to sell me the A6 to get another A8. I have driven the A6 and even as a 13 year newer car, i'd take the A8 any day...

Jlaw1260

As good a time as any to jump back in the pool and re-up after being off the board for yeeears. First joined Audiworld some 20 years ago when I bought a used D2 2001 S8 after owning my first Audi, an Audi 5000. And yes, Ronin had something to do with that purchase (-; Since then, I've purchased (all used with less than 40K miles) another D2 (a 2003 S8), a D3 2007 A8L, a D3 2008 A8, a D4 2012 A8L with the last of the venerable 4.2s, and a D4 2013 A8Lwith the then new epic 4,0. I just purchased an immaculate D4 2016 S8 Plus a week ago with a whopping 34K on the odo. I drove a couple D5 A8Ls first and came away singing Joe Walsh's "I'm an Analog Guy Living in a Digital World..." With all due respect to D5 owners, I found the D5 floaty, boaty and disengaged. Felt like an S class which is not a surprise nor a compliment in my book since it's now a porker. It felt and looked much bigger than my D4s and the grill made me want to look to see if there was any krill in that gaping maw. I'll tell you how I really feel after a martini or two, and your mileage may vary as they say,,,

Reliability wise, I've never had an aftermarket warranty and have successfully rolled the dice for 20 years on all my cars. Easy decision this time as even the finance dude laughed at $10K for the S8 quote. I've had to deal with the usual front end issues endemic to these cars, but keep coming back as they strike an excellent balance between luxury and sport. Easy to say now in the honeymoon stage, but my D4 S8 Plus is an epic BAMF worthy of an ode or two. Really liked the other D4 A8Ls I've had as well. They have a softer ride with 20s and a longer wheel base, which you may prefer. I loved my D3s which were a bit smaller, but the D4 is the apex of the line for me, inside and out. The 4.0 in whatever version D4 you get is kick *** and a big step up from the D3 4.2. On the other side of the D4, see my above comments on the D5, which IMO has crossed the Rubicon. Anyway, drive some nice used D4 A8Ls. You'll love one of them I'm sure, and you can pick up an end of cycle D4 A8L cherry with low miles for around $35K which will be twice the car of your dad's A6. Or, since life is short, spend $10K more and treat yourself to a slightly used $135K D4 S8 diamond...just make sure you don't tell dad that even then, you still paid less than he did.

2turbos4rings

The D3 is better in some important metrics, more comfortable seats, more refined feeling and sounding interior, a bit quieter on the road. The D3 is easily the looker between my D3 W12 and my D4 W12. I’m still surprised every time I look at them parked together how much better designed the D3 is.

The D4 lacks in feeling of solidity vs D3 but it is definitely more tech laden. Not much of it is important but some is: better massage, better fuel economy, better audio and better adaptive cruise. I also like the pano roof as well but the rest is honestly gimmicks, you decide whether those are important or not. The 4.0T is not the reliable choice and it’s less enjoyable around town than the 4.2. The TDI and W12 are great choices for driveability and reliability. Skip the 3.0 gas and 4.0T

If you’re considering a D5 then I recommend driving it to see how you feel. A lot of the austere bank vault of the D2 and D3 has returned and if you’re not interested in driving spiritedly you’ll like the road manners a lot more than the D4 and the hybrid drive makes even the V6 a better car around town

Do not be tempted by the A6, anything but a well optioned C8 A6 would be a downgrade from your D3 A8

Paladin-S8

FTFY.

A8L_New_England

.
Aside from the well-known issues, a late model 4.0T is as or more reliable than a 10+ year old 4.2, and is anecdotally less likely to develop intake carbonization than the TDI and W12. Better fuel economy, to boot. YMMV
.
This bit about the twin turbo being less enjoyable to drive than its NA brethren... I grew up driving big-blocks, so I get the torque on demand concept. Electric cars are even better At this point, I've been driving forced induction so long that my brain has fully adapted to the "turbo lag" or whatever the criticism is of this style power plant. It's a small price to pay for the availability of more power, and the practicality of upgrading this platform to beyond what is available with the other engines.
.
No umbrage intended, but it needed to be said
.

Striker2237

The 4.0 still has carbon issues, it just masks them very well and you can address them with meth injection as a cleaning agent and power add. The W12 even with 100k miles and zero maintenance other than oil/brake fluid really just has no issues, the carbon buildup is almost unnoticeable and even with that you can clean it in car easily....easier than ANY other D4 engine actually.

It's more powerful for sure with the S8 version being the obvious heavy hitter with extreme power when modified etc etc....

I still prefer the W12, it's not apparent until you drive it vs a 4.0 side by side just how much lag and jumpy shifting the 4.0 cars actually have. Plus it can still hold even against a non-S8 4.0 with a tune and does better past 100 due to the altered gearing and no heat soak.

I just could not reconcile the choppy mess that the 4.0tt is when off boost and when driven gently. It keeps trying to hit boost and always feels like a rabid animal wanting to be unleashed, the W12 is a perfect 1:1 reaction to what you ask it to do in all situations. It also simply doesn't need to shift as much

I was going to get an S8 originally but decided to get the true luxury version instead and for my speed needs an entirely different car that is much faster than what an S8 can ever do.

Mike911A8

I have owned both a D3 and a D4.

the D3 was a 2007 SWB with the Sport option, and I really liked it. That year was the first year for the DFI 4.2 engine. But it was the Sport option that really made the car special: it gave you a more sporty suspension, special sport/comfort seats, which are probably the best I have ever experienced, and paddle shifters, which I used a lot.

i test drove a new D4 SWB that still had the 4.2 engine, which I have always liked, and it was generally a good drive, but the leather was a down grade from the standard Valcona leather in my D3. I thought the exterior of the D3 looked better than the D4; I didn’t like the creases in the side bodywork. At that time I pretty much made up my mind to skip the D4 version entirely , keep my D3 as long as possible, and wait for the D5 to eventually come along. But the D5 release seemed to drag on, and I happened to be at the dealer for some other reason, and I made a low ball offer for their last remaining build slot for a D4 S8 Plus—and they accepted my offer! So I became the owner of one of the last D4’s to go down the assembly line. I ordered it in Moonlight Blue, in part because that color tended to mask the unsightly exterior styling. And I ordered the Audi Design interior, which got me into seats as good as my D3 had.

To try and answer your question, well , it’s tougher to answer than I thought. I think the SWB D3 is a special car; lighter, comfortable , good looking and agile. My D4 is different; the power is intoxicating, it has a particular presence , and I have come to see it as beautiful in every aspect.

Mike

A8L_New_England

.
This is the first time I've heard anyone accuse the 4.0tt being such a horror to drive. I don't sense any of that between the two I've had. Maybe I just got lucky
.

Striker2237

Drive a W12 and get back to me. Makes the 4.0 feel like a V6 does next to a high end V8

My biggest complaint is the on/off nature of the boost threshold, you can't build up smoothly or have a gliding roll into power. It just "hits", great when you want to be aggressive but annoying when you want to be as smooth as possible and slow/calm

LaserSVT

Ive had:
2007 A8L 4.2
2008 A8 4.2
2008 A8L 4.2
2007 S8
2013 S8
2014 S8

I like the TPMS system better in the D3. Also the Bose stereo in the D3 is WAY better than the D4s. Everything on the D3 was cheaper and easier to work on. That being said there is nothing I like on the D3 over the D4 but do love both cars. I would like a 08/09 4.2 short wheel base daily actually.