Well folks, I did a double trade today for the first time in my life. I decided to let go of my 2016 SL550 and my 2020 E450 today and I traded them in for a 2022 Audi S8. My gosh am I pleased!!!! This thing is so luxurious and yet so powerful. 0-60 at 3.2 seconds and close to 600 lb/ft of torque. The seats are awesome. The touchscreen responds very well and all of my settings are perfect. The highway and wind noise is every bit as quiet as my 2019 S560 which I still have. The only thing missing on the Audi is the rear reclining seats and the active front seats. Mine is the night edition at $136K MSRP>>>>no discount which is also a first time for me as well, but heck, you can hardly find one here in my area. I think Streamliner would love it. I LOVE IT!!










Took these photos while paperwork was being done.

 

Pics or it didn't happen! ;-)

I can see the SL and the E Coupe provide a variety driving style to the S-class, but then why trade them for another big sedan? What prompts you to have 2 big sedans with much overlapping between them?

 

Congratulations! Curious why you gave up the E450?

 

Congrats on the new car. I assume you have the newly released facelift model?

I wish they still did the SWB S8 like the last generation, that was probably one of my favorite generations of A8.

 

My S560 lease will be up in 6 months at which time I will probably get an SUV or a RAM truck.

 

A few reasons. I loved the styling of the E coupe but as much traveling as I do I needed adaptive cruise and the E did not come with Distronic. I also wanted adaptive auto-high beam and the E didn't have it. The coupe sits too low for me and the doors on a coupe (and the SL) are so long that it made it difficult to get out of the car(s) at public parking areas. I always found myself looking for a parking area where no cars would be parked next to me. I just came to a decision that I needed to slim down to only 2 cars, not 3. I also have a touring BMW motorcycle so the garage was getting cramped.

 

Yes, it is the latest refresh updated model. To me, the W222 and the Audi A8, S8 are neck and neck in comfort. The Audi is so elegant, simple, and the S8 is blistering fast. Just took it out for a night ride and the headlights are amazing.

 

I've got pics but I'm having trouble posting them. I'll try again tomorrow when my 5 year old grandson can help me figure out how to do it! LOL

 

LOL, from one grandpa to another grandpa, you should not have any trouble.
As I am sure you can handle a modern day smartphone or the electronics inside your S-Class or the brand new Audi S8 well, you surely can figure out posting a few pics.
OK, I will wait :-)
And don't let your grandson drive your new S8...LOL

 

Like the Spare Tire, traditional outside door handles that also raises the car on entry, and quick 0-60 time. Wish it would steer itself around curves in active cruise like AMG E63s Wagon. Glad that you are excited about your purchase and looking forward to pics from your grandson. At 62, I embrace the Tech from an engineering background and appreciate that these large premium sedans still offer V8 muscle. When this formula is no longer available will have the wife haul me around in her Hybrid or EV SUV or might purchase a generic Defender 90 with steel wheels for off-road fun at NM residence.

 

I posted pictures of it I took while waiting on the paperwork to be done. Go back to the first post to see the photos.

 

Nice! Good exterior and interior colour! The dark grey body colour works well in combination with the darkened front grille to make the grille appearing smaller.

Good that the car is in the showroom for you to see exactly what features you are buying, without any surprise that a feature is missing due to chip shortage.

BTW, I think I see a white SL parked right outside the showroom's front entrance. Your SL550?

 

HA! Yes it is my SL. Good catch! Also I test drove the black S7 that is parked next to my S8 on the showroom floor.

 

Congratulations! It looks sexy! I love the S and RS Audi. They are so much fun to drive. I got the 2021 Audi RS7 as well in addition to the S580. Best of both worlds!

 

Congratulations! I am also very intrigued by the new S8. I loved the A8L 60 I test drove before I got my S560, and this new S8 seems like a fabulous car. And IMHO, a value. $136k is an okay optioned S580...compared to a fully loaded S8...

How do you think the ride compares to your 560?

I thought Streamliner would like that too...

 

The ride is better! My son drove it today and agreed that the car is quieter and smoother over bumps and rough pavement compared to the S560. That being said, I still love the S560.

 

I am sure Streamliner will like those 21" wheels

 

Congratulations on your new purchase! Many happy miles!

 

Funny you said that because I thought to myself today if this car rides this good with 21" wheels, how incredible it would be with 19 or 18s. If the moderator wants to shift this discussion to the W222 threads, I would understand. I didn't mean to make MBs feel inferior to the W223. They are both great cars and very good in their own ways.

 

It’s that predictive suspension that the S8 has as standard.

I also found the A8L was less impacted by larger wheels than the W222, no run flats on the Audi either.

 

For the A8's, is there any way to option leather door panel inserts rather than the alcantara?

 

Only alcantara on the doors. No leather options. Never had issues with them on my A8 or RS7. You could do an audi exclusive interior for extra charge but I don't see leather as an option.

 

No, always alcantara on the doors. The upper doors and the armrests and pulls are all leather.

 

Congrats! I like that interior color/layout.

 

Has a full size spare. When going over speed bumps it's almost like they are not there. Mine has alcantara on just about every surface of doors and roof. And yes, if I didn't know it from looking at the size of the wheels on the equipment list I would think they were 18" wheels the ride is so smooth.