What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

whatcar.com^ April 2020 89

2 Digitalinstruments

arestandard,butthey

aren’tascongurable

asthosein theA8

3 Bothcarshavelots

of seatadjustment,but

theS-Class’sdriving

positionis lower

S-Class is far from

uncomfortable, but

its ride isn’t quite as

settled as the A8’s

2

1

1

2

3

3

1 There’s more storage

than in A8, but quality

of some of the plastics

is a bit disappointing

AUDI A8

MERCEDES-BENZS-CLASS

BEST

DRIVING

POSITION

BEST

RIDE

There isn’t a bad gearbox here. The S-Class’s

nine-speed automatic is marginally less

hesitant feeding in power from a standstill, but

both are superbly smooth and quick to respond

to manual changes (by pulling paddles behind

the steering wheel) on the move.

There’s a bigger difference in engine noise;

the A8’s diesel sounds more gravelly at idle and

makes itself heard more when accelerating,

although it’s still far from fractious. Both

cars are wonderfully hushed at motorway

speeds, although the A8 is best at isolating its

occupants from the outside world.

The S-Class is the more enjoyable car to drive,

though. Its steering is more naturally weighted

and the willingness with which it turns in

to corners and controls body movements is

impressive for such a large car. Although the

Audi A8 vs Mercedes-Benz S-Class

2 Audi’s con gurable

Virtual Cockpit digital

instrument panel is

standard; it’s superb

3 Interior looks

classy and is more

solidly constructed

than the S-Class’s

Ride is wonderfully

cosseting at all speeds

and the A8 is quieter

on the motorway

1 Screen-based

climate controls look

swish but are tricky to

use on the move