This car premiered in the move 'Ronin', with the first generation Audi S8 tearing through the streets of Europe and on gravel back roads. The car showed that it was capable of carrying 5 people comfortably while being able to outrun the police and run down the bad guys (side effect may include motion sickness).
The S8 became the new flagship for the Audi fleet when it was release in 1996, replacing the Audi V8 (creative model name). It became available in 1999 for the US initially with the 4.2L 4-valve V8 which output 335 hp, but this was quickly upgraded to the 5-valve variant which had 355 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. In Europe the standard transmission was a 6-speed manual, but with our luck, we only had a 5-speed automatic, both of which sent power through the proven Quattro all-wheel drive system. Besides the engine, the S8 also had upgrades to the suspension, sports seats, heated rear seats and a slather of cosmetic tweaks compared to the base A8.
The second generation S8 came out in 2005 and had a trick up its sleeve...In 1998, Lamborghini had inquired Audi about using their 4.2L V8 and Quattro system in their upcoming "Baby Diablo" project, but this got put on hold when they instead struck a deal and Audi bought Lamborghini for $110 million dollars. Instead of just settling with the V8 for this new project, Audi used the same architecture, but added 2 more cylinders. This 5.0L V10 ended up being the heart of the new Lamborghini Gallardo, but they made sure to not let all the engine development go to waste. It also found a home in this second gen S8. Displacement was bumped up to 5.2L to accommodate its more refined lifestyle in the flagship Audi. Power output was 444 hp and 398 lb-ft, which traded faster engine speeds for more bottom end torque compared to its adopted Italian brother.
The third gen S8 arrived in 2012 and was another big refresh to the appearance, as well as the engine. It is the sign of a good engine when Audi, BMW and Mercedes Benz all end up using essentially the same idea. The 4.0L V8 biturbo is currently used by all the main German manufacturers, which is also the same architecture that was used in the DTM race series. All three companies spent a lot of time developing a race engine that turned out it was ideal for road use as well. Good thing the only restriction for road use is what you can get by with for emissions. The Gen3 S8 outputs 513 hp and 479 ft-lbs, but the fun didn't stop there. While there isn't an 'RS8' trim like some of the smaller Audi models, they do have the 'S8 Plus' package, which boosted power to 597 hp and 516 lb-ft. Along with this potent engine that is able to shut down cylinders and run as a V4, carbon ceramic brakes were available to match all the carbon fiber trim you could get your hands on.
Upcoming will be the the fourth gen S8, It is fairly similar to the previous one, except it is now paired with a 48v hybrid system. German car manufacturers have recently been shifting their focus to developing electric vehicles, so we will get very little engine development from them in the future. Having around 600 hp from an engine is not such a bad place to be though...
When looking for these in the used car market, you can expect to pay under $10K for a Gen1, $15-20K for Gen2 under 100K miles, and around $45-50K for the S8 Plus.
Perks: Flagship performance and comfort, plenty of engine options, classy AF, older models are affordable, comfy, comfy, comfy!
Negatives: Expensive parts/maintenance, hefty, hefty, hefty!
Got a minute?
Check out this clip from Ronin, one of the best car chase movies ever
Some video of V10 straight pipe noises. Never get good fuel mileage again
Audi puts these very detailed "self study" reports on most of their engines, if you want to read more about how these engines are designed
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