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Written by Vijay Pattni
Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man might have crawled all over it first, but now"s your chance to pore over Audi"s flagship product: ladies and gentlemen, meet the brand-new Audi A8.And right off the bat, let us get to the not-so-small matter of frickin" LASERS. Audi is debuting its AI traffic jam pilot for its S-Class rival, which allows the A8 to drive, on its own, in slow-moving traffic at up to 37.3mph. Accelerating, braking, steering the lot. A front camera, radar sensors and those pesky lasers allow the car to scan its surroundings.A Tesla (or Volvo XC90, BMW 5-Series etc) can pretty much drive itself in traffic, but you have to monitor it. In the Audi you just press a button, and where applicable, the new A8 will allow you to indulge in whatever it is you do in a car when not actually driving. Sweating nervously and eyeballing the car in front, no doubt. This is the difference between level two and level three autonomy, fact fans. Pity you can"t get it right away, though. Audi says law-permitting, the system will be available in Germany in 2019.Want to actually, y"know, drive the thing? Audi promises "unshakable stability". There"s all-wheel-steering, and active suspension that works with permanent four-wheel-drive (a particular Audi 4WD phrase escapes us for the moment) and can raise or lower individual wheels using electric actuators. We"re promised such flexibility allows it to be both a luggzury saloon and a circuit-bashing hot-shoe, thanks to less roll angles. And we"re all about the roll angles. The much vaunted 48v electrical system now the primary electric system in all A8s is the energy source.The other energy sources however, are the ones that"ll no doubt pique your interest. From launch, there"ll be a pair of 3.0-litre V6 turbos: one petrol, with 340hp, or a diesel one with less (286hp). You probably don"t want either of these, because a pair of V8s are also on offer a diesel 4.0-litre with 435hp, or a petrol TFSI with 460hp. You don"t want those, either.
Date written: 11 Jul 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 8444
Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man might have crawled all over it first, but now"s your chance to pore over Audi"s flagship product: ladies and gentlemen, meet the brand-new Audi A8.And right off the bat, let us get to the not-so-small matter of frickin" LASERS. Audi is debuting its AI traffic jam pilot for its S-Class rival, which allows the A8 to drive, on its own, in slow-moving traffic at up to 37.3mph. Accelerating, braking, steering the lot. A front camera, radar sensors and those pesky lasers allow the car to scan its surroundings.A Tesla (or Volvo XC90, BMW 5-Series etc) can pretty much drive itself in traffic, but you have to monitor it. In the Audi you just press a button, and where applicable, the new A8 will allow you to indulge in whatever it is you do in a car when not actually driving. Sweating nervously and eyeballing the car in front, no doubt. This is the difference between level two and level three autonomy, fact fans. Pity you can"t get it right away, though. Audi says law-permitting, the system will be available in Germany in 2019.Want to actually, y"know, drive the thing? Audi promises "unshakable stability". There"s all-wheel-steering, and active suspension that works with permanent four-wheel-drive (a particular Audi 4WD phrase escapes us for the moment) and can raise or lower individual wheels using electric actuators. We"re promised such flexibility allows it to be both a luggzury saloon and a circuit-bashing hot-shoe, thanks to less roll angles. And we"re all about the roll angles. The much vaunted 48v electrical system now the primary electric system in all A8s is the energy source.The other energy sources however, are the ones that"ll no doubt pique your interest. From launch, there"ll be a pair of 3.0-litre V6 turbos: one petrol, with 340hp, or a diesel one with less (286hp). You probably don"t want either of these, because a pair of V8s are also on offer a diesel 4.0-litre with 435hp, or a petrol TFSI with 460hp. You don"t want those, either.
Date written: 11 Jul 2017
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 8444
