Picked up my S8 over the weekend...thoughts and impressions
08-22-2016, 12:17 PM
#1
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Picked up my S8 over the weekend...thoughts and impressions
I had been searching for awhile. I finally found a 2014 Silver S8 located at a dealership in St. Louis (I live in Knoxville). Went back and forth with them because twice they told me it had sold to someone else. But that kept falling through for some reason or another. Thursday the salesguy called me back and said that it had fallen through again and asked if I still wanted to buy it. I put down a deposit and we agreed on the value of my tradein. Fortunately I didn't have a lot going on over the weekend, so I asked my 11 year old if she wanted to take a road trip, and off we went Saturday morning to St. Louis.
I was fully expecting some sort of bait-and-switch on the car, just based on the way everything had gone to that point. I was also fully prepared to walk out and drive away in my old car. But I didn't have to worry...the S8 was in great shape. I got to the dealership a couple of hours before closing time and the whole transaction went smoothly. The next morning we got up, visited the St. Louis arch (my daughter had never been) then hit the road for the 500 mile drive home.
The car is incredible. I came from a Porsche 997.2 C4S, so I was used to power and responsiveness. But the S8 warps your perception of reality. It cruises at 90+mph the way other cars handle 50-60mph. And it accelerates from 80-100 without even thinking about it. I still have a lot to learn about all the features and technology, but I like the seats, especially for a long drive. I'm 6'5", and finding comfortable seats can be a challenge. My kids are excited that the rear seats are heated. The one complaint that I have from the initial ride back is the TPMS alerts. I was cruising along the highway and suddenly I got a "Low Pressure" alert. It advised me to check the tire pressures. So I pulled into a gas station. I usually keep a tire pressure gauge in my car, but had removed it from my previous car so that there would be fewer things to have to transfer between vehicles. I went into the gas station and bought a cheapo pressure gauge and checked the tires. None of them were visibly low. It turns out that both driver's side tires were about 10lbs above both the passenger side tires. I adjusted them to all be the same and reset the system. But my complaint is this: I really wish that a car like this told you what the pressures in each tire are. Or, at the very least, it told you which specific tire was low. Right now the message amounts to "One of your tires is low. You're on your own to figure out which one!" If I hadn't been able to find pressure gauge I would have been out of luck. But lesson learned: once I got home I put one in the car.
Details on the car:
Silver
Gray interior
Driver Assist Package
Cold Weather Package
Night Vision Assist
B&O
Rear Seat Entertainment
CPO
Audicare
24k miles
Here are a couple of pics I took at the dealership Saturday. I've already removed the front plate (TN doesn't require them). Traded in Porsche is in the background.
I was fully expecting some sort of bait-and-switch on the car, just based on the way everything had gone to that point. I was also fully prepared to walk out and drive away in my old car. But I didn't have to worry...the S8 was in great shape. I got to the dealership a couple of hours before closing time and the whole transaction went smoothly. The next morning we got up, visited the St. Louis arch (my daughter had never been) then hit the road for the 500 mile drive home.
The car is incredible. I came from a Porsche 997.2 C4S, so I was used to power and responsiveness. But the S8 warps your perception of reality. It cruises at 90+mph the way other cars handle 50-60mph. And it accelerates from 80-100 without even thinking about it. I still have a lot to learn about all the features and technology, but I like the seats, especially for a long drive. I'm 6'5", and finding comfortable seats can be a challenge. My kids are excited that the rear seats are heated. The one complaint that I have from the initial ride back is the TPMS alerts. I was cruising along the highway and suddenly I got a "Low Pressure" alert. It advised me to check the tire pressures. So I pulled into a gas station. I usually keep a tire pressure gauge in my car, but had removed it from my previous car so that there would be fewer things to have to transfer between vehicles. I went into the gas station and bought a cheapo pressure gauge and checked the tires. None of them were visibly low. It turns out that both driver's side tires were about 10lbs above both the passenger side tires. I adjusted them to all be the same and reset the system. But my complaint is this: I really wish that a car like this told you what the pressures in each tire are. Or, at the very least, it told you which specific tire was low. Right now the message amounts to "One of your tires is low. You're on your own to figure out which one!" If I hadn't been able to find pressure gauge I would have been out of luck. But lesson learned: once I got home I put one in the car.
Details on the car:
Silver
Gray interior
Driver Assist Package
Cold Weather Package
Night Vision Assist
B&O
Rear Seat Entertainment
CPO
Audicare
24k miles
Here are a couple of pics I took at the dealership Saturday. I've already removed the front plate (TN doesn't require them). Traded in Porsche is in the background.
08-22-2016, 12:39 PM
#3
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Thanks!
Yeah, the extra power of the S8 Plus is definitely alluring. However, I made the mistake of checking APR's website. The gains you can get with their ECU tune are incredible. Although I'll be waiting until my warranty is closer to being expired before doing all that stuff.
Yeah, the extra power of the S8 Plus is definitely alluring. However, I made the mistake of checking APR's website. The gains you can get with their ECU tune are incredible. Although I'll be waiting until my warranty is closer to being expired before doing all that stuff.
08-22-2016, 06:33 PM
#5
Agree on the tire pressure. Really liked in my 997.2 C2S being able to look and see what each individual tire pressure was.
The acceleration and comfort on the highway is really incredible though.
Have fun.
The acceleration and comfort on the highway is really incredible though.
Have fun.
08-22-2016, 10:43 PM
#6
AudiWorld Super User
D3 had in wheel sensors and full display. Stripped out in D4 though. Audi bought me a new set of sensors right at tail end of CPO on that one, and they basically fail every 6 years. If you have winters it gets pricy to keep them all up over the years. I think Plus may actually have it given high possible speeds involved and no 155 governor relevance in Europe.
BTW, on the 21's try going to lower end of pressures in manual. Forget the door sticker, which is always the high max load setting now. I was not a fan of the 21's and ride did not feel quite sorted--after 10 years and 100K miles in a 450HP instant torque all the time D3 W12. Pressure setting lower down helped, but switch to the lowest weight OE 20's took out 9 pounds per corner and helped ride quality and general feel. BTW, I never could find a weight of the wheels in your pic. If you ever pull one off, put it on a scale and let me know (plus fitted tire brand).
Yep, power is silly fast. On W12 I learned to no longer rely on running starts passing on two lane roads where I could easily pass 90 or 95 if not watching going past. On S8 I had to learn not just not to use any running start (just go out cold and punch), but also to back off by time I even got beside other vehicle. Speed just runs away in almost blink of eye and totally sedate inside as you light the turbos big time.
BTW, on the 21's try going to lower end of pressures in manual. Forget the door sticker, which is always the high max load setting now. I was not a fan of the 21's and ride did not feel quite sorted--after 10 years and 100K miles in a 450HP instant torque all the time D3 W12. Pressure setting lower down helped, but switch to the lowest weight OE 20's took out 9 pounds per corner and helped ride quality and general feel. BTW, I never could find a weight of the wheels in your pic. If you ever pull one off, put it on a scale and let me know (plus fitted tire brand).
Yep, power is silly fast. On W12 I learned to no longer rely on running starts passing on two lane roads where I could easily pass 90 or 95 if not watching going past. On S8 I had to learn not just not to use any running start (just go out cold and punch), but also to back off by time I even got beside other vehicle. Speed just runs away in almost blink of eye and totally sedate inside as you light the turbos big time.
Last edited by MP4.2+6.0; 08-22-2016 at 10:50 PM.
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10-19-2016, 03:10 PM
#8
I had been searching for awhile. I finally found a 2014 Silver S8 located at a dealership in St. Louis (I live in Knoxville). Went back and forth with them because twice they told me it had sold to someone else. But that kept falling through for some reason or another. Thursday the salesguy called me back and said that it had fallen through again and asked if I still wanted to buy it. I put down a deposit and we agreed on the value of my tradein. Fortunately I didn't have a lot going on over the weekend, so I asked my 11 year old if she wanted to take a road trip, and off we went Saturday morning to St. Louis.
I was fully expecting some sort of bait-and-switch on the car, just based on the way everything had gone to that point. I was also fully prepared to walk out and drive away in my old car. But I didn't have to worry...the S8 was in great shape. I got to the dealership a couple of hours before closing time and the whole transaction went smoothly. The next morning we got up, visited the St. Louis arch (my daughter had never been) then hit the road for the 500 mile drive home.
The car is incredible. I came from a Porsche 997.2 C4S, so I was used to power and responsiveness. But the S8 warps your perception of reality. It cruises at 90+mph the way other cars handle 50-60mph. And it accelerates from 80-100 without even thinking about it. I still have a lot to learn about all the features and technology, but I like the seats, especially for a long drive. I'm 6'5", and finding comfortable seats can be a challenge. My kids are excited that the rear seats are heated. The one complaint that I have from the initial ride back is the TPMS alerts. I was cruising along the highway and suddenly I got a "Low Pressure" alert. It advised me to check the tire pressures. So I pulled into a gas station. I usually keep a tire pressure gauge in my car, but had removed it from my previous car so that there would be fewer things to have to transfer between vehicles. I went into the gas station and bought a cheapo pressure gauge and checked the tires. None of them were visibly low. It turns out that both driver's side tires were about 10lbs above both the passenger side tires. I adjusted them to all be the same and reset the system. But my complaint is this: I really wish that a car like this told you what the pressures in each tire are. Or, at the very least, it told you which specific tire was low. Right now the message amounts to "One of your tires is low. You're on your own to figure out which one!" If I hadn't been able to find pressure gauge I would have been out of luck. But lesson learned: once I got home I put one in the car.
Details on the car:
Silver
Gray interior
Driver Assist Package
Cold Weather Package
Night Vision Assist
B&O
Rear Seat Entertainment
CPO
Audicare
24k miles
Here are a couple of pics I took at the dealership Saturday. I've already removed the front plate (TN doesn't require them). Traded in Porsche is in the background.
I was fully expecting some sort of bait-and-switch on the car, just based on the way everything had gone to that point. I was also fully prepared to walk out and drive away in my old car. But I didn't have to worry...the S8 was in great shape. I got to the dealership a couple of hours before closing time and the whole transaction went smoothly. The next morning we got up, visited the St. Louis arch (my daughter had never been) then hit the road for the 500 mile drive home.
The car is incredible. I came from a Porsche 997.2 C4S, so I was used to power and responsiveness. But the S8 warps your perception of reality. It cruises at 90+mph the way other cars handle 50-60mph. And it accelerates from 80-100 without even thinking about it. I still have a lot to learn about all the features and technology, but I like the seats, especially for a long drive. I'm 6'5", and finding comfortable seats can be a challenge. My kids are excited that the rear seats are heated. The one complaint that I have from the initial ride back is the TPMS alerts. I was cruising along the highway and suddenly I got a "Low Pressure" alert. It advised me to check the tire pressures. So I pulled into a gas station. I usually keep a tire pressure gauge in my car, but had removed it from my previous car so that there would be fewer things to have to transfer between vehicles. I went into the gas station and bought a cheapo pressure gauge and checked the tires. None of them were visibly low. It turns out that both driver's side tires were about 10lbs above both the passenger side tires. I adjusted them to all be the same and reset the system. But my complaint is this: I really wish that a car like this told you what the pressures in each tire are. Or, at the very least, it told you which specific tire was low. Right now the message amounts to "One of your tires is low. You're on your own to figure out which one!" If I hadn't been able to find pressure gauge I would have been out of luck. But lesson learned: once I got home I put one in the car.
Details on the car:
Silver
Gray interior
Driver Assist Package
Cold Weather Package
Night Vision Assist
B&O
Rear Seat Entertainment
CPO
Audicare
24k miles
Here are a couple of pics I took at the dealership Saturday. I've already removed the front plate (TN doesn't require them). Traded in Porsche is in the background.
10-21-2016, 05:48 PM
#9
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Join Date: Oct 2015
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Sounds like a great adventure to bring one back from St Louis, but I'm curious...did you ask Harper Audi to find one for you? They have been willing to track cars down for me in the past. I did not buy my last one from them, either, but they have been super with service. Enjoy that beast of a car!
