Audi’s old school V8 limo plays to a small crowd with big money to burn … and, presumably, not a lot of social conscience.

WITH an electric replacement already signed off but not set for release for two more years, Audi here is making one last sales tilt with its biggest bang old-school V8 limo, purely in a sporting theme.

The new S8 is a last blast kept simple.

New Zealand only sees it in the standard wheelbase form (there’s a long wheelbase overseas) and has chosen the car with a high loading of gear as standard. The price tops out at $265,900.

The car runs a 420kW/800Nm biturbo petrol V8 which also which also sees duty in the Porsche Panamera, Bentley Continental GT, and Lamborghini Urus.

It’s not clear if it will stick around until 2025, when the all-electric replacement is likely to arrive.

That’s the Project Artemis car, a luxury flagship developed from Groundsphere, the first of three concepts that Ingolstadt revealed between mid-2021 and April of this year. The new luxury flagship will reveal in 2024 and hits production the following year.

The S8 is unlikely to be a big volume model, and the make itself is working hard to shift its high-end customers into fast electrics with much snappier step-off, but there are still customers, says Dean Sheed, Audi NZ’s general manager.

“New Zealanders love their performance cars, so we’re pleased to be able to offer a limited run of the high performance S8 in this market.

“With its V8 engine, luxury design and top of the line technology, we know this high-end sedan will satisfy the discerning luxury performance customer.”

Audi talks of design enhancements from the previous model, introduced four years ago, but they’re subtle.

Included is a redesigned grille with a wider chrome surround and a revised insert featuring further chrome highlights. The front bumper has also been lightly reworked with newly designed air ducts and chrome-look touches within the lower section too.

The rear is dominated by wide chrome clasps, a customisable taillight signature with digital OLEDs and a continuous, segmented light strip.

The headlights are Digital Matrix LED types that use DMD (digital micromirror device) technology. Each headlight has approximately 1.3 million micromirrors, which disperse the light in tiny pixels and precisely control them. One function, for the open road, is lane and orientation lights. The headlights emit a carpet of light that illuminates the driver’s own lane brightly.

Interior changes include revised versions of the 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument and dual 10.1 and 8.6-inch centrally mounted infotainment displays. They are controlled by the latest MMI (Multi-Media Interface) operating system, which now features Navigation Plus with WiFi hotspot functionality as standard.

There are also two new 10.1-inch touch displays in the rear of the front seats as part of a updated optional rear-seat entertainment system. It now operates via a new touch display controller mounted into the central rear-seat armrest.

Further highlights include a new-generation Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Surround Sound System with a 1920-watt amplifier and 23 speakers.

The model receives a wide range of driving assistant functions as standard. Included is parking assist with 360-degree cameras and bird's-eye view for precise manoeuvring in tight spaces, adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, exit warning, rear cross-traffic assist, adjustable speed limiting and lane-change warning.

Despite promising a cosseting environment for passengers, the S8 is aimed at enthusiast drivers.

This model takes a quattro sport differential and Audi’s predictive active suspension designed to counteract body roll by keeping the car as flat as possible whilst cornering at above the posted open road limit. It’s a very subtle system, with three-degrees of counter-roll possible.

It also receives Audi’s Dynamic All-Wheel Steering system. This provides a steering angle to the rear wheels, enhancing its manoeuvrability and agility at lower speeds, while improving overall stability and feeling of security at higher speeds. It’s also Quattro, of course, and runs fat, 21 inch rubber.

The biturbo V8 generates its grunt from 2050 to 4500 rpm and has mild hybrid technology, which uses the 48-volt main electrical system. Another highlight of the V8 is the cylinder on demand system, which temporarily deactivates four cylinders for “moderate driving”.

Still, it’s a dedication to old-style fuel quaffing wallop. Zero to 100kmh in 3.3 seconds, top speed of 260kmh and – well, you knew this was coming – cited overall fuel economy of 10.2 litres per 100kmh and a CO2 output of 245 grams per kilometre, so there’s a Clean Car penalty atop the purchase price.

The engine’s thirst also explains why it has an 82-litre tank. It, of course, prefers high octane juice.