Ngerstman

Hi all. I'm new to the forum and never owned an Audi, been a Mercedes e550 owner. Need a car for my condo in Miami area. Considering various options. Test drove a Mercedes s550 but it was too boaty and too big. Considering new e43 as well, won't buy new e class with standard 4 cylinder engine. Considering 2014 s8. Anything I should know? What's the good, the bad and the ugly? I noticed that it has 21 inch rims, is the ride too firm or harsh over rough roads or is the suspension adjustability flexible enough. How's reliability on the s8? The s8 might fit my needs being a super luxury car with great fit and finish, great power, comfortable ride, not too huge, etc. I'd consider an a8 but almost all are the longer wheel base which I don't need and I like the power. Thanks. Regards. Ned.

andrewmr

Ned,

Too harsh, is too subjective as what I find acceptable is not necessarily what you will find acceptable.

I live in PA and the roads are not the best and I find the 21's just fine with all but the worst sections of repaired roads.

You can elect to soften up the suspension when you want the absolute best ride and then stiffen it up when you want to play.

You could always use the 21's up and then go to 20's when you need to replace the tires.

Ngerstman

Love New Hope, I live in Warren NJ. Does it get any better than a martini at Karla's? I would imagine there are some who do go to 21 inch rims, but not too many. I thought I read somewhere that there is a dynamic setting for the suspension that is kind of all purpose and responds to road conditions? What year s8 do you own and have you had any issues? In thumbing through the threads I've noticed some speaking of engine vibrations at 1000 and 3000 rpm. Are you a long time Audi driver, do you love the car? I'm also wondering about buying an s8 in what I believe is the last year of current model. Thanks. Regards. Ned.

andrewmr

Hello Ned,

Yeah, we make it over to New Hope once a month (in nice weather) or so. It's a great place to have drinks and dinner and people watch.

There are a few settings.... not sure how they all work as I just leave mine in dynamic.

The only issue I've had is the motor for the deflector that goes up and down when the sunroof is open.

I am not a long time Audi owner, but I plan to be.

Yes, I really do like/love the car. If I had to have one car for the rest of my life it would be this one.

Do it. You'll take a bath on the depreciation, but your kids don't mind you spending their inheritance :-) In all seriousness, they are that nice a car. I sometimes wish I had waited for a 2015 as I like the new style lights and the HUD.



Mike

Uber.8

I had similar concerns when contemplating my S8 purchase. As it developed, the 21s are quite satisfactory overall. I run with 36psi tire pressure all around which is somewhat more comfortable than the 40+ factory recommendation.

MP4.2+6.0

Having changed the 21's back to 20's, actually nothing OP mentioned strikes me as reasons to be worried. Maybe less worrying for that matter with plusher and flat straight road stereotypes. My issue with them was their very porky weight and how it interacts with vehicle dynamics at speed and like 6 tenths up. For everyday suburban, urban or boulevard type quasi straight line use, all fine, and at margin 21's (at 35 profile) do look sharp against rest of S8 "look." Air ride can handle it; from prior experience I would say worth a good two profile notches as against conventional steel springs over struts (35-->40-->45). Maybe stiffer S8 makes it one notch instead of two of offsetting smoothness, but then very well composed. My older C5 4.2 on 40's that were quite aggressive in their day could not keep up with the 35 series ride and smoothness (or sporty feel for that matter) of even the last gen D3, and D4 is really gen 3 of system if you count the early C5 A6 allroad implementation.

Given the other cars you mention (especially E class) and not needing LWB, you could also look at S6 and S7. Nice cars, recently updated for midlife and will be on current model run longer; less expensive new to new or equivalent used, unless you go to a more basic (and still nice) A8 where it gets closer. But, at end not up to the really fine fit and finish level of a well equipped D4/S8. Still intra-Audi comparo might be new S6 or 7 against a recent but used S8.

tehjeebus

The ride in the S8 on 21" wheels is not too harsh in the least. The car is the quietest that I've ever been in. I always keep the air suspension on the firmest setting and haven't had any issues.

Ngerstman

Appreciate the feedback from everyone. I'm looking forward to test driving a 2014 I have my eye on with 24,000 miles, a bit higher then I would like but not terrible. I haven't bought a used luxury car in a very long time. Do you know if most dealerships will provide me with warranty service and a loaner car if not purchased from the dealer? I'm assuming they still want my lucrative service business. What in part is attracting me to the s8 is the fact it's on the shorter wheelbase which is fine with me, more than big enough, I'm not sitting in the back seat. It's still 202 inches long. Does it drive like a smaller vehicle? Thanks. Regards. Ned.

Jack88

I never had a problem getting a loaner from my dealer, even though I bought the car private party. I wouldn't worry about the mileage, that's still a brand new car, more or less. The S8 drives like a large car in parking lots, and shrinks as you pick up speed. It's quite a neat trick only the German's have mastered, and of the large sedans, only my old XJR was close to as good as my A8 was at it.

MP4.2+6.0

Service may vary by area, but here in SF Bay Area the dealers dont seem to care. The majority of Audis I have bought over the years get serviced for warranty work at the same place even though they come from a lot of others. Neither current Audi I have comes from my preferred servicing dealer. They want the business and as long as your style is decent and they in turn do decent work, you can build a productive relationship if the advisor doesn't turn over. Honestly, same experience with other brands in area too--Toyotas, Chryslers, etc. The now gone Mercury place would even take the Fords as long as it was a sister car to one they sold.

Loaners are std. practice for a good # of years now. If anything, it goes more by pecking order of car you have. So anything D series gets more attention, at least in my personal experience relative to C's I used to own, at same dealership. The Q5 goes fine, but I play off the D3/D4 connections I already built up.

D3 W12/LWB was a big car. S8 doesn't feel as big; closer to my A6 4.2 but very different league 15 years later performance and handling wise, Does feel bigger than my wife's Q5 though for whatever reason, which is actually pretty close to recent A6 generations sizing. It is objectively a big car; parking in a tight condo garage there is definitely a difference from Q5, in part w/ longer overhangs on both ends. May take another cycle of back and forth to get into the same space as it would w/ Q5. LWB would be really hard with the next 5 inches. But again, way different leagues of fit and finish, drivetrain smoothness, interiors, etc.