What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

whatcar.com^ April 2020 91

TheS-Classwasn’tgoingdownwithout

a ght;it’sstillasgooda usedluxurycar

asit haseverbeen,thankstoitsstrongyet

smoothdieselengine,moreagilehandling

andbetterinfotainmentsystem.It very

muchdeservesitsve-starrating.

It wasalwaysgoingtotakesomething

extraordinarytobeattheS-Class,butthe

A8is justthat.Notonlyis it evensturdier

inside,quieter,morecossetingandbetter

equipped,butit’salsoa solidusedbuy,

withstrongerresidualvaluesthanthe

S-Class.Thatsealsthedealforus.

SAYS

IndividualRearSeatPackage,wheretted,enhancescomfortforthosein thebackbutcutsintobootspace(leavingspaceforsevencases);S-Classis preferableif you’redriving

Audi A8

For More comfortable ride; quieter on the

move; higher-quality interior

Against Poor infotainment usability;

slightly gruffer engine

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

For Sharper handling; better infotainment

system; smoother engine

Against Mixed ride quality; interior quality

not quite brilliant; not as well equipped

ECONOMY& EMISSIONS

STATS,SPECSANDRATINGS

CARSPICTURED

Audi A8 50 TDI quattro L with Terra Grey metallic paint, Bang & Olufsen sound

system (£6350), 20in Turbine alloy wheels (£3650), Rear Comfort Pack

(£2195), front and rear ventilation and massage (£3300)

Mercedes-Benz S350d L AMG Line with Anthracite Blue metallic paint,

Premium Plus Package (£6695), Individual Rear Seat Package (£5000),

Driving Assistance Plus Package (£1695)

canbefoldedflattocreateevenmorespace,

whereasthisisn’tpossibleontheS-Class.

BUYINGANDOWNING

Thismuchspaceandqualityrequiresabig

budget,andbothofthesecarswouldhaveset

youbackmorethan£70,000new.

Boughtatacoupleofyearsold,ashere,

though,thesavingsarehuge.You’llsavenearly

£38,000onthepriceofanA8,forstarters,

andmorethan£40,000ontheS-Class.The

A8willactuallycostyoualittlemoretobuy

now,duetoitsbetterresidualvalues,while

theS-Classispriciertoservice,althoughthat

willbeoffsettoacertainextentbythefact

thatit’lluseabitlessfuel.

WhiletheA8didn’tfeatureinthemost

recentWhatCar?ReliabilitySurvey,the

S-Classdid–anditdidn’tfaretoowell,coming

secondfrombottomintheluxurycarclass,

Ofcialaverage50.4mpg(NEDC)Tank 82 litres

CO 2 emissions146g/km

Ofcialaverage52.3mpg(NEDC)Tank 70 litres

CO 2 emissions139g/km

Engine 6cyl,2967cc,diesel

Peakpower 282bhp@3750-4000rpm

Peak torque 443Ib ft @ 1250-3250rpm

Gearbox 8-spdautomatic

Engine 6cyl,2925cc,diesel

Peakpower 282bhp@3400-4600rpm

Peak torque 443Ib ft @ 1200-3200rpm

Gearbox 9-spdautomatic

SAFETY

EuroNCAPrating

Nottested

EuroNCAPrating

Nottested

POWERTRAIN

with some owners reporting issues with

non-engine electrical problems. Mercedes as

a brand ranked a disappointing 24th out of 31

manufacturers, while Audi was 20th.

Both cars have standard equipment lists

befi tting the luxury class, but the fact that the

A8 includes heated rear seats and adaptive

cruise control with lane-keeping assistance

as standard, while the S-Class doesn’t, scores

it extra points.

Audi A8 vs Mercedes-Benz S-Class

MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS BEST

FRONT

SPACE

880mm

905mm

860mm

1140mm

1495mm

1515mm

850-1350mm

1040mm

495mm

5302mm

3128mm

720mm

1485mm

5271mm

3165mm

1569mm

680mm

Audi A8

50 TDI quattro L

Width 2130mm

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

S350d L AMG Line

Width 2140mm

PERFORMANCE Weather conditions Damp

Acceleration

30-70mph in kickdown 5.7sec

30-50mph in kickdown 2.8sec

50-70mph in kickdown 3.5sec

Braking

30-0mph 8.2m 70-0mph 44.9m

Noise

At 30mph 55.2dB At 70mph 63.7dB

Acceleration

30-70mph in kickdown 5.9sec

30-50mph in kickdown 2.6sec

50-70mph in kickdown 3.7sec

Braking

30-0mph 8.7m 70-0mph 46.5m

Noise

At 30mph na At 70mph 64.3dB

Top

speed

155mph

Top

speed

155mph

0-60mph

5.9sec

0-60mph

6.2sec