Audi

Audi A8 2025: Elegant luxury and innovative technologies

Last Updated: 04.12.2024

Audi ‘s largest and most luxurious sedan – the A8 – hides its expensive cabin behind a handsome but understated facade. It even earns a spot on our Editors’ Choice list. From a distance, it’s easy to mistake this nearly six-figure sedan for a humble A4, but that kind of anonymity may appeal more to low-key millionaires.

Sedan Audi A8

Inside, buyers will find a cabin that’s as spacious and elegantly appointed as the flashier Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series, including available massaging seats for front and rear passengers. Audi has rolled out its full cavalcade of infotainment and driver-assistance technologies here, as the A8 serves as a rolling showcase for fun features.

What’s new ?

Audi is upping the luxury game of the A8 by making 22-way electrically adjustable front seats with heating and ventilation standard across the range. Also standard are a wireless smartphone charging pad and a 360-degree exterior camera system. The top-of-the-range 60 TFSI model now comes with the Sport Style package (20-inch wheels, front lip spoiler and chrome-plated underbody paneling), as well as Matrix-design LED headlights and soft Valcona leather upholstery.

The 60 TFSI model puts the best of the A8 under the hood: a 453-hp twin-turbocharged V8. In addition to the more powerful engine, we’d also order the Rear Comfort Package, which adds power-adjustable rear seats with massage and heating to really pamper our passengers. The Executive Package also makes our list. It includes massaging front seats, a head-up display, a heated steering wheel, blind-spot monitoring, and interior lighting.

Engine, transmission and performance

The base 55 TFSI comes with a turbocharged V-6 that makes 335 horsepower, and the 60 TFSI has a 453-horsepower twin-turbo V-8. Both versions use a 48-volt hybrid system. An eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive are standard. The plug-in hybrid 60 TFSI e combines the V-6 with an electric motor and a 14.1-kWh battery pack mounted in the rear. The Audi A8 TFSI e makes 443 horsepower.

So far we’ve only tested the V-6 55 TFSI version, which sprinted from zero to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds on our test track. Among six-cylinder luxury sedans, that’s on par with the Mercedes-Benz S450, but a few tenths behind the blistering pace of the BMW 750i . The Audi’s engine is smooth, but its power delivery doesn’t make a fanfare, and the soundproofing measures are so extensive that it’s practically inaudible with the windows open.

The A8 offers a very Audi-like blend of sportiness and ride comfort. An adjustable air suspension and driver-adjustable adaptive dampers are standard. Optional with the V-8 is a more advanced active suspension that scans the road ahead for bumps and takes action to compensate. With the base suspension, the Audi A8 isolates you from road imperfections, but can still pound back roads if the mood strikes.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPG

The EPA estimates the Audi A8 sedan with the standard six-cylinder powertrain will earn 17 mpg city and 26 mpg highway. The V-8 version has ratings of 15 mpg city and 23 highway. The plug-in hybrid has a combined estimate of 23 mpg and an all-electric range of 18 miles. However, we can’t rate real-world MPG for any of these A8 models until we run them on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy route, which is part of our extensive testing program.

Interior, comfort and cargo

Impressive cabin space is a hallmark of the A8, and its long wheelbase means rear-seat passengers are well accommodated. Five-person seating is standard, but an optional four-person seating package forgoes the middle rear seat and adds two power rear seats with heating, ventilation and massage, plus a heated foot massage function and a pair of individual entertainment tablets (while reducing the power settings for the front passenger seat to make room for all of that).

Fine materials abound, and you can order a small forest’s worth of extended leather and wood inlays. But much like the A8’s exterior, the interior ambience is sober and not as lavish as that of the Mercedes S-Class. Trunk space is modest for a large luxury sedan, at just 13 cubic feet.

Infotainment and connectivity

Audi’s excellent 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster is standard, as are the 10.3-inch upper and 8.6-inch lower haptic centre screens with the MMI Touch Response system. There’s a single volume knob for the audio system, as most functions are controlled via the touchscreens. It can be overwhelming at first, but the system is responsive and highly configurable, allowing owners to choose their own dedicated buttons on the lower screen, while permanent buttons for navigation, weather, phone functions and radio are offered on the left side of the upper screen. Just remember to wear out the supplied microfibre cloth if you try to remove fingerprints. There are two USB ports at the front with combined data and charging, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay phone integration is standard, as is Amazon Alexa compatibility. Wi-Fi via Audi Connect Plus is available for an additional subscription fee.

Safety and driver assistance functions

Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have crash-tested the Audi A8. It has the same driver-assist technologies as other high-end sedans. Equipped with Traffic Jam Assist (Driver Assistance Package), the A8 helps you accelerate and brake in heavy traffic, but your hands can’t leave the steering wheel for more than a few seconds. Key safety features include:

Automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection as standard
Lane departure warning and lane keeping assist as standard
Available adaptive cruise control

Warranty and maintenance coverage

Warranty protection on the Audi A8 is nothing special in the luxury car space. The first scheduled service occurs at 10,000 miles, so the free maintenance plan only covers an oil change. Buyers looking for more value in this category should look at the Genesis G90, which comes standard with up to 10 years or 100,000 miles of warranty and three years of free maintenance.