kwilkins

In a previous post I said the D4 would be my next car, and I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to place an order for the 2012 model.

Underneath the category of “no car is perfect” I’ll share the few things I would change in this otherwise amazing car.

Listed in order of importance to me:

More power. The A8 has a nice engine and good performance, but I’d love just a bit more. I know the S8 is coming for that, but it will likely be out of my price range and I don’t need the suggested 500+ HP. With the A8 I’d love to have an engine with just north of 400 HP and more importantly the same for torque. Something along the lines of what’s in the BMW 750i and 550i.

An easier way to select drive settings. Using the MMI **** to change drive settings (comfort, auto, dynamic, individual) takes too long and requires switching from the nav screen to the car screen and then “gently” turning the MMI **** while watching the screen to be sure you selected the setting you want, and then pressing down to activate. At times I’d like to quickly switch to dynamic while taking a corner and then switch back to auto. BMW handles this in a far more elegant and functional way. They have a rocker switch just to the left of the gear select, push up or down to instantly switch to another selection. You can go from comfort to sport with two taps of a button without ever taking your eyes off the road. At the very least I’d like to see the A8 be able to switch drive settings from the steering wheel controls.

Softer seats. I appreciate the numerous ways you can adjust the 22 way comfort seats, and I loved the massage function. However; the cushions were firmer than I like and after about 4 hours in the car my butt was getting a bit sore. This is probably a subjective preference and some may like the firmer seats, I’d go for more cushion.

Distracting black gloss strip. Just outside the drivers window in-between the side view mirror and the front portion of the window there is a glossy black strip the catches the reflection of the yellow lane markers on the road. I would often see yellow flashes in my peripheral vision and mistake it for the blind spot detection lights. It was distracting, has anyone else noticed this.

I should say that I only drove the car 3 times. Once for 15 minutes with a salesperson, once for 45 minutes on my own, and once for a day where I probably drove around 7 hours in total. So, I don’t have significant drive time with the A8.

All of these things are really just “wish-list” stuff and measured against the greatness of the A8 are actually not concerning at all.

I’m interested to hear comments back from A8 owners on the items I listed any others you have.

Ken

doctorharrison

1). B and C pillars are too thick (but I do appreciate the safety provided) and obstruct rearward and side-rearward view.

2). No sim card slot when it's been available in Europe for many(!) months.

3). Slight lag upon acceleration.

4). The trunk IS TOO D@MN SMALL!

jetinder

1) Agree about the B & C pillars, way too obstructive

2) Less creaky door cards

3) A faster and more reliable MMI system (I get sick of waiting up to a minute after starting before I can enter a destination).

4) Agree about the boot being too small ... anyone seen the D2 boot recently? Or the new A6? They are huge.

Nice to haves or things that should be in the next generation car...

5) A diesel hybrid. Even a 3 litre, but 4.2 please :-)

6) Voice entry for online destination searches (think it's on the new A6/7)

7) Natural language voice entry e.g <click> I want to go to Heathrow airport.

8) Google streetview & traffic

9) Splitview MMI screen (I believe it's a licensing issue .. or it was last year)

10) Cameras around the car e.g for when reversing and looking at the sides for traffic to overcome point 1.

11) Ceramic brake option.

12) Cooling within the wooden gearshift option (you'll see when it warms up a bit!).


Jet

blsching

slimmer rear headrests; presently too much of a trade-off of visibility, just to match them with the front ones.