Audi A5

Casey Williams, www.car-data.com

Think about this for a fun time. Let’s get a high-powered purebred sport coupe and drive it intothe worst storm of a Michigan winter. There will be lots of ice, deep snow, semi trucks sprayingsalt residue, and crazy lunatics in 4×4 trucks who discover the limits of adhesion by way of centermedians and guardrails. Sound fun? Probably not, but the Audi A5 proved to be a snow blower beyondreproach during my drive to the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

It wouldn’t be my first wintry drive to Detroit. In college, my grandmother threatened to neverlet me go again after a long night on the road in my Geo Spectrum. I knew this year would be arepeat when 45 minutes North of Indianapolis, a Buick Park Avenue did a full-out pirouette acrosstwo lanes, a median, two more lanes, barely missing a salt truck, and nose-dived down a hill intothe woods. Had I been driving a number of distinguished domestic sport coupes, I would haveimmediately sought refuge at the nearest Motel 6 and waited out the wrath of Mother Nature inwarmth and safety.

However, in the A5, the Quattro all-wheel-drive system and electronic stability control weredoing such a good job that I didn’t realize the gravity of low friction until I let off the gas andgave the systems a chance to re-adjust with a quick flick. I almost wet my pants when the Buickwent a-blitz, but settled into the safety net provided by Audi. Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakesworked just as well on the slick roads as they do when bringing the car down from triple digits inthe dry.

Closest I came to biting it came while dusting a semi truck in the passing lane with 4′ of snowand drifted a little too far to the left. As stability control grabbed my bum, I put power to thewheels, let the Quattro system sort things out, and steered back to my lane with heart a-beating.

Interior trim and forms are as elegant and luxurious as a suite at the Beverly Hilton.Navigation worked flawlessly, audio sounded great, and Sirius Satellite radio was a great travelingcompanion to relieve my driving stress. Real wood warms the space and contrasts with the high-techbarrage coming from the multi-function display screen that manages navigation, audio, and climatesystems. Sirius Satellite Radio and 10-speakers kept me company during the drive; Bluetooth phoneconnectivity and a rear backing camera delivered me in touch and safe. Heated leather seats smelledlike Heaven and warmed like Hell. Way cool, the display screen shows a faux dial as you set theseat temperature.

Just as I was dealing with the slick roadways, the windshield began to get its own coat.De-icing the steeply angled window by putting the defroster on high eventually scooted the ice.However, the 6-position heated seats roasted me. And, when I turned the climate system back to’Auto’ and ‘70′, the air-conditioner came on! In an ice storm. Then, the apparently undefeatablerain-sensing wipers couldn’t tell the difference between a sheet of ice on the windshield andMonsoon rains. To make peace with the weather and electronic wizards, I eventually turned off thewipers and used the one-flip swipe mode to manage frizzle and road mist. No other car would havedone any better.

It’s a shame that salt and snow blotted out the car’s stunningly beautiful body and exteriordesign that is equal parts bank vault German and British elegance. From the rear and front, the caris as exotic as an R8, but from the side could be mistaken for a Bentley Continental. LED headlampsand taillamps, as well as adaptive headlamps, illuminate with the voracity of summer sunshine.

While in Detroit, the weather finally gave me a break and melted enough snow off the road toallow some fun. It was pure joy to step into the A5’s 265-horsepower DOHC 3.2-litre V6 engine,paddle shift the six-speed automatic transmission, and claw pavement with all four wheels. I drovethe hyper-powered S5 over the summer and found it to be a handful during anything but full-outstorming. Totally different, the A5 is docile around town, but steps up when called. The suspensionis stiff, steering is quick, and brakes grab’just as an exclusive GT should. Fuel economy rates areasonable 18/27-MPG city/hwy.

An Audi A5 many not be completely beyond reproach. It definitely needs snow tires ‘ the lowprofile tread did well, but often felt like they would have preferred a nice long dry highwayinstead of Michigan’s January. I almost snipped a concrete wall on a ramp near downtown when theyrefused to grab. Rear passengers are advised to seek an A4 instead. I’m just glad I wasn’t drivingthe hard-charging S5 ‘ or so many muscle cars that would have been in three ditches past Sundayalongside the Buick Park Avenue. Few coupes can claim to be so much during the worst. Price astested came to $48,300, making the A5 competitive with the BMW 3-Series Coupe, Mercedes CLK,Infiniti G37, and Hyundai Genesis Coupe.

2008 Audi A8

By Chris Jackson www.car-data.com

Sleek lines. Broad, real wood consoles and buttery-smooth Valcona leather.

Soft LED ambient lighting. My passengers noticed right away that the 2008 Audi A8 was somethingspecial, even before the navigation screen powered itself up out of the dash and the pop-up Bang& Olufsen tweeters rose out of the instrument panel to offer concert-grade sound.

After all of that, I don’t think anyone even noticed how the thing drove, which is too bad; theymissed the best part of this big Audi’s show.

The fact that my auto-illiterate friends immediately noticed that the

A8 was something special is significant, however, especially in light of cars like the LexusLS600hL and Cadillac XLR which rolled through largely unnoticed in spite of their high-dollarappointments and window stickers.

The A8 feels like old money, no small feat for a manufacturer that’s not British, and itsconfident brand of luxury is evident even to non-car people, at least from the inside.

“Old money” means “comfortable money” as well, so the A8 doesn’t feel the need to show off atthe curb. The styling is reserved for a six- figure vehicle; the expensive bits are mostlyunderneath, and at a glance the A8 looks like little more than a stretched A6. The Audi- neutralstyling is set apart by flashy twenty-inch wheels and a large- framed grille with bolder verticalbars that dips into the bumper line like that of the R8 and other high-performance Audis.

Taillights are LED units, and turn signal repeaters are located in the side view mirrors.

Inside, the A8 is bank-vault solid and library-silent. It’ll only hold four passengers, butthat just ensures that each of them can be properly cared for, with heated and cooled 16-wayadjustable front seats, vanity mirrors with a magnifying feature, four-zone climate control,reclining rear seats, and even a massage function for the front seats. The large consoles aretrimmed with wood front and rear. The advanced Bang & Olufsen sound system, a $6300 option, isone of the most visually exciting ones out there, with tweeter units that rise out of the dash whenthe car is started. The presentation is of course only the icing on the fantastic sound quality.

The Multi-Media Interface (MMI) information screen flips up out of the dash, where it’sprotected by a matching wood cover when the A8 is idle. Of the multi-disciplined infotainmentsystems available in many high-end German cars, Audi’s MMI’s turn-and-push knob and simple functionkeys make it the easiest to use, and possibly the most intuitive. On the road, the A8’s availableLane Assist and Side Assist systems warn of vehicles traveling in the car’s blind spots with ayellow light in the side-view mirrors. A power trunk lid and rear sun shades are must-haves inthis class, and the A8 has them.

The 6.0 liter W12 engine provides 450 horsepower, because there’s not much point in spendingthis much money for a car that can’t get out of its own way. On the road, the A8 flies like aground-bound corporate jet, accelerating with very little drama or effort. When competitors likethe Lexus LS600hL are feeling like they’re working hard, the A8 just ghosts quietly along withoutfanfare. Like many large German sedans, this car is at home on the freeway. The unique W layoutof the engine results in a very compact and strong power plant. A six-speed automatic transmissionwith Tiptronic manual-shift function is standard, as is all-wheel drive. It is an Audi, after all.

Handling is confident, and the A8 reacts like a car much smaller than it is.

The four-link front, trapezoidal link rear suspension is coupled with fully pneumatic struts.The adaptive air suspension has been upgraded, to improve this big car’s response. The ride isfantastic, even on Detroit’s Berlin-circa-1945-like roads, as the A8 is better able to filter outthe smaller imperfections in the road.

Larger, car-eating potholes are easily dodged thanks to improved variable ratio power steeringwith better road feel and

responsiveness. Big-calipered anti-lock brakes bring this almost

4800-pound car down from speed in a hurry, but without much fanfare or drama thanks to theintegrated stability control. Everything about the A8 is confident and relaxed.

There aren’t too many ways to spend six figures on a luxury sedan, so the A8 has to stand out inan already impressive crowd. It doesn’t have the crowd-stopping looks of a Bentley or a big BMW,or the overt technological wizardry of a Lexus, but Audi does put on a very satisfying show. It’sarguably easier to live with than those cars as well, providing over-the-top luxury features in apackage that’s not too precious to drive on lowly errands. Whether you’re driving or being driven,the A8 is a good way to spend $140,000 on four- passenger luxury. A8 prices start at $120,100;after adding the Bang & Olufsen sound system, leather appointments, adaptive cruise control,gas guzzler tax and Audi Lane Assist, my tester stickered for $140,425.

Specifications:
All specs are for the Audi A8
Length: 204.4 in.
Width: 74.6 in.
Height: 57.3 in.
Wheelbase: 121.0 in.
Curb weight: 4729 lb.
Cargo space:14.6 cu.ft.
Base price: $120,100
Price as tested: $140,425
Engine: 6.0 liter DOHCW12
Drivetrain: six-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Horsepower: 450 @ 6200
Torque:428 @ 4000-4700
Fuel capacity: 23.8 gal.
Est. mileage: 13/19