Which brings me nicely to my current love – my ‘Black Beauty’ – or as Audi would call it – an Audi S8. Having previously spent more money on my passion than I care to remember, a few years ago I finally reached a stage where I decided that outright performance was not the be all and end all of life.
Instead I turned to Audi saloons and Estates – which gave me a compromise of decent performance with space and comfort.
That only lasted so long before the lure of power dragged me back into the horsepower arena. So I looked around to see what was available and lo and behold the S8 became the ‘no brainer’ of a choice.
With a fantastic V8 engine, producing 350 bhp and an induction roar to die for, it was a steal at only £23,000. You’ve guessed it – it was not new – but for this money I got a car with only 36,000 miles on the clock and the looks, performance, extras, comfort and quality to justify its original price when new of £65,000.
Why more people do not invest in second hand cars of this genre is beyond me. For the price of a well specified family saloon you get a car that ticks all the boxes.
If you love motors you will know that, when you have a really nice looking car, you find yourself constantly looking out of the window at it. I find myself doing this with the S8 because it has an almost timeless grace and style, whilst at the same time looking almost menacing.
With standard lowered suspension it looks fast just standing still. Not that it does this for much of the time because I just love making it go – and boy does it go.
There is a constant stream of torque which propels the car forward in almost any gear at a rate which just does not abate. At times it feels almost as if you are being pulled forward by some enormous force which does not know when to stop.
With permanent 4 wheel drive the traction is unbelievable and despite doing enormous speeds in all weathers there is never a moment when you feel that control is less than 100 per cent.
Cornering is an experience in neck control because the S8 just sits there as flat as can be with absolutely no body roll whatsoever.
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There is a slight trade off with a firm ride – no jokes please – but this is a small price to pay for such stability.
With all this performance you will appreciate that excellent braking is ‘a given’.
And so it is – without any fuss the S8 just stops from any speed. So the S8 looks good, goes like stink, corners like its on rails and stops without drama. So what about the interior?
It has so many electrical gadgets that if I was a condemned man I could give myself the Electric Chair.
The leather seats are heated and adjust to every position known to man – courting couples note! They are generous in size and styled to hug you in the front.
In the rear there is enough room for even the largest of passengers to get comfortable and seating 3 is not the uncomfortable shuffle and cramped experience suffered in lesser cars – especially on long journeys.
Regular runs through France result in all occupants arriving fresh and not dreading the journey home to the UK.
Controls are all nicely laid out and easy to read and there is a knob or switch for just about everything.
The Sat-Nav is easy to programme and follow and when not in use it also doubles as a decent colour TV. So, even when stationary the S8 is giving me pleasure.
I sit there with my climate control keeping me at just the right temperature and all is well with the world. Well, that’s my world – inside my S8. |
