What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

90 April 2020 whatcar.com

Bootholdsanimpressiveeightcarry-onsuitcasesandtherearseatscanbefoldeddownto extendtheloadspace;there’smorerearlegandheadroomthanin theS-Class

7 Series),butit’scertainlyeasiertofindand

selectwhatyouneedwhiledrivingthanitis in

theA8.AswiththeA8,theS-Classcomeswith

built-insat-nav,Bluetooth,wirelessphone

chargingandAppleCarPlayandAndroidAuto

smartphonemirroring.

Thesecars’vastlengthandwidthcan

makethemfeelabitcumbersometodrivein

town,butatleasttheyhavedecent-sizedside

windowsandthinwindscreenpillarstogive

goodvisibilityatroundaboutsandT-junctions.

It’sagoodthingthatbothofourcontenders

comewithfrontandrearparkingsensors,as

wellascrispandclearreversingcamerasto

helpjudgetightparkingspaces.

Unsurprisingly,theinteriorqualityonshow

frombothmanufacturersissomeofthefinest

you’llfindanywhere.Thereareswathesof

leathercoveringbothcars’dashboardsand

doors,plusslick,well-dampedswitchesand

metaltrimhighlights.However,theA8justhas

theedge,withitsplasticsandglossblacktrims

feelingatadmoresolidlyboltedtogether.

SPACEANDPRACTICALITY

Roominthefrontofbothcarsispleasingly

generous.Bothprovidedeepdoorbins,a

decent-sizedcubbybeneaththecentral

armrestandacoupleofcupholders.The

S-Classalsogetsausefulcubbyatthebaseof

itsdashboard–aspacethatistakenupbythe

lowerofthetwotouchscreensintheA8.

Butit’sreallythesecars’rearquartersthat

needtoprovideseriouslyluxuriousspace.

Makenomistake:AudiandMercedeshave

ensuredthatspaceinthebackisfitfor

giants,butultimatelytheA8hasmorerear

legandheadroom,evenifitsrearseatarea

isveryslightlynarrower.

Officialbootcapacityfiguresshowthereare

justfivelitresbetweenthetwocarsintheir

standardguises.However,ourS-Classtest

carwasfittedwithanIndividualRearSeat

Package(a£5000optionfromnewandworth

seekingoutonausedexample)that,while

enablingelectricmovementoftherearseats, as

wellasheatingandcooling,reducesbootspace

by 30 litres.Asaresult,wemanagedtofiteight

carry-onsuitcasesintheA8versussevenin

theS-Class–althoughit’slikelythattheS-Class

wouldbeabletoswallowanextracasein

standardform.However,theA8’srearseatbacks

USEDCARS

BEHINDTHEWHEEL

Findinganidealdrivingpositioninthetwo

carsisacinch.Bothgetelectricfrontseats

asstandard,includingfour-wayelectrically

adjustablelumbarsupport,socomfortis

almostguaranteed.

However,Audi’sdecisiontousetwolarge

touchscreens(10.1inand8.6in)forallofthe

infotainmentandclimatecontrolfunctions

isn’tsoimpressive,becauseoperatingthem

onthemovecanberatherdistractingand

awkward,eventhoughtheyofferhaptic

feedbacktohelpyougaugewhenyou’ve

pressedanicon.They’reactuallyfiddlierto

usethanthepreviousA8’ssetup,withits

physicalbuttonsandknobsandadialfor

controllingitsinfotainment.

TheS-Classhasuser-friendlyphysical

buttonsfortheclimatecontrol,aswellasa

12.3ininfotainmentscreenthat’saccessed

viaarotarycontroller.Thesystemisn’tthe

mostlogicalorresponsiveofitstype(thebest

stillremainsBMW’soneinthelikesofthe

2018 AudiA8 50 TDI

quattroSportL,

12,000miles,

£35,995

2018 Mercedes

S-ClassS350dL

AMGLine,16,000

miles,£34,995

ONESWEFOUND

A8hasbettertractiononwetsurfaces,its

steeringisnumbanditsbigbodywallows

throughbendsonitsstandardairsuspension.

However,theA8’ssoftersetupgivesita

crucialedgewhenitcomestocomfort.Despite

ridingonoptional20inalloywheels(likethe

S-Class),theA8smoothsoutrutsandpotholes

betteraroundtownandremainsmoresettled

onthemotorway.Itsimplyglidesalongany

stretchofroadinawaytheS-Classcan’tmatch.

‘Space in the back

of both cars is  t for

giants, but the A8

has the advantage’

Rear-wheel-drive

S-Class is more

agile in corners and

steers more sweetly

Quattrofour-wheel

drivebringsplenty

of tractionbutless

in thewayof fun

AUDIA8

MERCEDES-BENZS-CLASS

BEST

HANDLING

AUDI A8 BEST

REAR

SPACE

925mm 920mm

870mm

1075mm

1470mm

1500mm

890-1255mm

950mm

465mm

Boots’ suitcase-carrying capacities are measuredwith a 560x350x230mm Antler suitcase