Target01

... Not sure if anyone here watches (or even gets) Auto Motor und Sport... It's a German car show (think Autoweek on Speed TV) for the English market in EU (mostly the U.K.) televised on DWTV.


Anyway, Tuesday nights' show did a drive report and comparison of the 2004 A8, 2003 S-Class & 2003 745. They chose the Audi above all because of it's superior handling, "muscular" design and expert interior craftsmanship. (They liked the Audi interior best of the 3.) The 7 was a distant 3rd in almost all areas - they did find its engine to be the most refined however. All were equal in braking (even when hot) but Audi had the clear lead in acceleration. They liked the S-Class interior but noted that it had OVER 110 switches for interior operation....

The segment ended with the following commentary; "Sadly the BMW can only achieve 3rd place. And while the Audi is the clear winner over the MB, it may be short lived with the new S-Class expected soon."


Does an S-class really handle that bad?

jl88

The regular airmatic system isn't that great in curves. Especially with the weight of the car, if you take a curve with enough speed, the car does lean. I would say it is below the BMW's air suspension. However, the ABC system is at least equal, if not better than the BMW system.

Most S500's would not come with the ABC system.

FInality

If I'm not mistaken you can also dial in what type of suspension setting you want for the A8 sport etc. MB should include ABC standard on all S classes from now on......

MBZman

I may be 100% wrong especially since I do not own an S-class, but is performance in the twisties what S-class owners are looking for?

Also, I went to a BMW driving event (Ultimate Driving Experience) and drove the BMW 7, S430 and Lexus LS. While the 7 clearly out-handled the S, the S was a bone stock edition, I don't think it even had an air-suspension but it may have, if it did it certainly wasn't adjustable like on the E500. With the inclusion of the ABC suspension on the S I have no doubt the S would have very easily outperformed the 7. It would have also been much more fun to drive.

I may be biased, I may be an MB fan, but I have great respect for BMW's. Having said that, I was totally, completely unimpressed and uninspired with the 7 and would absolutely not but down any money I've earned to purchase one.

Just my 2-cents.

MercManiac

A8 is the "Flagship" of the Audi line. Why not use a 2003 S600 "Flagship" of the Mercedes line....with ABC and 500 HP and 4.3 sec 0 to 60....well what do you think the results would be then????

Sean

All depends what you are looking for:

The mercedes will win in the interior and in comfort, reliability, pretigate, and safety.

The Bmw has more prestige and sporty styling than the Audi.

The Audi is a glorified volkswagon.


Sean.

spitzeklasse

good luck with resale value

Target01

Comparing an S600 with a Audi A8 with a 4.2 litre engine with only 335 hp is completely ludicrous.

As for audi being a volkswagen, whats make you say that?

Target01

Also, the A8 looks a damn bit more sporty than the 7 series...call the 7 adventurous, but not sporty. The A8 with short overhangs looks a lot more dynamic imho.

Is the merc that much safer? Pre Safe, does it really help, or is it a bloody annoying feature that deploys far too early?

Also, the audi is aluminium, plus 4WD, and it comes with a better iDirve system (MMI).

Sean

There are pros and cons for each car....no question.


But once your in a large sedan, comfort and safety are a priority..right? Thus the Mercedes scores a few points higher....thats what made me purchase the S.

Sean

MBZman

Several years back when one of my brothers was looking for a new car we entered a VW/Audi dealer. He was interested in the A4 which was new back then. The dealer had a waiting list but wanted to quickly show us something else. . . the VW Passat. He swore that it was the same car as the A4 for much less money. I left with a bad taste in my mouth.

Some years later I went and checked out the A6, not only would no one help me but I was unimpressed at best when I sat in it, no way would I select that over an E class or more specifically a 5 series. It just reminded me to much of my VW.

I then visted 2 Porsche/Audi dealer with a friend to check out the 911 which he was interested in. The first dealer wanted his tax returns, which to me was a joke. First, he could afford the car and if he couldn't he wouldn't have been there and second, it's a Porsche not something exotic like a Lamborghini, Ferrari, or Lotus. It stickered for around $65,000 (excluding $10,000 dealer markup) and they need tax returns?! So we went to two other dealers, he eventually got sick of the whole thing and bought an MB in the end.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a gal I know who drives an A4 and gets it serviced at one of the dealers I had visted. She told me that they treat her terrible and look down upon her because she was driving an Audi and not a Porsche. She's now sick of the whole situation and looking for a new car. My whole life I have had bad experiences with Audi and Porsche, I'm sorry but both cars are very nice but just not for me.

Since I started dealing with Lexus and Mercedes I have been treated like a king. I know some will disagree and say MB has terrible service and so forth but my experience has been nothing short of excellent.

Sorry for the long post

Dema

I didn't see A8 in person yet, but all what I was read made me think that the conclusion is expectable. A8 is just fresh redesigned with a lot updates and looks very handsome. Interior is simple awesome. I hope that S will be redesigned soon and get leadership back.

FC Corp

so is this the best Audi has? If it is their best work, why not compare it with the 600? In laymans terms, kind of like using a camero rather than a corvette to represent chevy.

So many come and go but the benz will always be around.

S55inPA

hey everyone,

no doubt the new audi is a very nice automobile. better than an S class.....not yet! all wheel drive is nice if you want all wheel drive...what about the person who doesn't want all wheel drive? secondly....why does it look so much like the A4 and A6? aluminum .....yeah it's very technically advanced...but...get in an accident ....be prepared to have your car shipped to one of 7 service centers in the US to be repaired. lastly....audi's resale value is not up to snuff. if audi is going to compete with MB and BMW they should hold their value better.
having said all that.....i'll be looking for one to smoke on a nice summer night!!!

vraa

after seeing those pictures i can now conclude i dont like the rear. front looks cool.. like a transformer!

MKW

You need to compare the coming W12 A8 to the S600 or the coming S8 to the S55 . " Flagship means nothing. The S430 /S350 is part of the " flagship " also . To say the " regular" A8 should have been compared to an S600 doesn't make sense.
There will never be a perfect comparo, as these 3 German flagships are always staggered by 2 -3 new intro years , so one is ALWAYS 2 -3 years older or newer in style trends, gizmos, technology, etc ! I suggest you buy the 760iL now, A8 W12 in two years , new S600 in 4 years and repeat the cycle forever - you'll always have the latest true flagship of these three models.

Target01

Well said

Thing is, why would you not want 4WD? It's safer, and allows a A8 to probably smoke any 2WD merc in the wet for first few car lenghts. As for the aluminium, I'm glad that at least one manufacturer dares to be different. If only there was a wider choice of ally cars, that were lightweight, and safe.

Finally, if you prang your aluminium Audi, then yes, it is hard to fix, but I feel that the benefits from aluminium outweigh the cons.

OusterA4

When the S8 comes out, it'll be packing a 500+ hp Lamborghini W-12...

Sean

Try an S 500 4matic and tell him you don't have comfort, practically, prestigate, reliability, and speed?

pocholin

I like the Audi 8, but i don't know if I would chose it over the Benz or the BMW.

It is certainly not a gloryfied VW.

pocholin

another pic

Target01

Is the mercedes 4matic system also going to be available on the S600? If so, then yes, the S class may get an advantage in performance until the RS8 comes out (with the 500 bhp lambo engine). Overall tho, I have read in magazines that the merc is the classic luxury, the 7-series alternative luxury, and the A8 intelligetn luxury.

Also, how many of you S class owners know what every button does in the cabin? Is Comand easy to use, or would you prefer something with a lot less buttons and a fold-away screen like that A8?

http://www.audiworld.com/news/02/a8launch/a8020076.jpg

pocholin

I don't like the steering wheel though

brent0226

Why not use a 2003 S600 "Flagship?" Probably because the S600 costs as much as the A8 and a small house put together. That's like saying compare Hyundai's "Flagship" XG350 to Lexus' "Flagship" LS430. Point I'm trying to make, is that "flagship" is a very relative term.

I definitely love the A8's exterior. However, I terribly DESPISE the interior. It's the definition of fugly. The S-Class interior is the best interior of any car I've ever seen.

brent0226

that's just like me saying:

The Mercedes is a glorified Chrysler.

oh BTW- learn to spell.... it's Volkswagen.