To keep its full-sized flagship sedan contemporary, Audi has given the 2022 A8 and its evil twin, the S8, a mid-life refresh. While the changes are subtle in nature, the end result is a sharper, smarter drive. In Canada, the A8 will arrive one way — long wheelbase with a 355 horsepower turbo-V6. This leaves the S8 to do the heavy lifting. Driving it proved it to be a delightful devil in disguise.
The styling updates include new front and rear bumpers along with a revised grille. Flanking the grille are two of the most sophisticated headlights in the business. The digital matrix LED headlights really are all singing. They can project safety-related content onto the road ahead. To do this it takes 1.3-million micromirrors that are eight-millionths of a millimetre square and adjusted up to 5,000 times a second. The technology at play may be mindboggling, but what these headlights do is not open for debate — in the midst of a torrential downpour they made the day seem so much brighter! Not to be outdone, the OLED taillights are customizable. At this point, the S8 offers three different light patterns.
Inside, it’s first-class all the way — the wing-back front seats are fully-articulated and as comfortable as anything on the market. For the driver, the instrumentation is fully-customizable, there’s a full spectrum head-up display and two centre console-mounted screens. Here, the top 10.1-inch screen looks after all the usual infotainment functions; the lower 8.6-inch screen takes care of the climate control system and features handwriting recognition.
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
The rear outboard riders need not fear, as there’s an acre of head- and legroom along with a package that adds power adjustment, heating/cooling, and a massage function. Just avoid the centre spot — it’s domed and the back of the centre console intrudes into the usable legroom, as does the central tunnel.
So far, it’s what’s expected of a world-class luxury sedan right up to the standard safety features, which include adaptive cruise control with Traffic Jam assist. The real sweetness, however, is found beneath the sculpted sheet metal.
Power comes from a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8 that works with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system to produce 563 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque anywhere between 2,000 and 4,500 rpm. The long, flat torque plateau not only imbues the S8 with a wicked turn of speed — it takes 3.8 seconds to run from rest to 100 km/h — it brings an instant throttle response across the entire operating range. When there is a need for speed, push through the detent at the bottom of the gas pedal’s travel and the S8 pick up its side sills and warps forward at an alarming rate. When the driver does let it rip, the quad-tailpipes roar. The bark and burble is an omnipresent reminder of the turbocharged muscle at play!
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Graeme Fletcher
The S8’s engine works with a slick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission and quattro all-wheel-drive. In this application, quattro uses a self-locking centre differential and Audi’s torque-vectoring sport rear differential. In a corner, it sends more power to the outside rear wheel, which points the S8 in with more authority. While Audi does not list the torque split, saying it’s fully variable, the S8 has a rear-drive feel with the front wheels biting and pulling it out of a corner nicely — the P265/35R21 tires delivered tons of grip in spite of the rain-soaked roads.
What is truly remarkable is the manner in the S8 devours a corner. Body roll is next to non-existent, the steering is as sharp as a new razor and the understeer one expects just does not show up until serious liberties are taken.
The reason for the dialled-in handling is the engineering at play. It starts with the fully adaptive suspension. To begin, the S8 rides 10-millimetres lower than the A8, and it changes the ride height according to the drive mode selected. In Auto, which is the best city selection, and Dynamic, the fun mode, it lowers the suspension by 10-mm. At speeds over 120 km/h it drops a further 10-mm to improve the stability and aerodynamics.
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
It also uses the forward-facing camera to scan the road ahead and ready the suspension for an upcoming imperfection, and it does this anywhere between five and 80 km/h. Where a speed bump normally rocks the riders, in this case it feels more like a slight road ripple.
In the background, the suspension works to minimize body roll, however, it has a party trick. When driving through a high-G corner at speeds between 80 and 130 km/h, the suspension lifts outside of the car and lowers the inside, which leans it into the corner by three-degrees. This, says Audi, lowers the lateral G-forces experienced by the riders.
Fancy stuff aside, the adaptive suspension feels vastly different based on the drive mode selected. In Comfort+, it is just that — comfortable to the point of wafting. Dial it up to Dynamic and the ride is much firmer, but not uncomfortably so.
2022 Audi S8 Photo by Audi
Helping the handling is the steering setup. The front wheels turn the car in with purpose; the rear-steer system makes it feel so much crisper. Electric cars use four-wheel-steering to mask the weight of the vehicle to great effect. The S8 does this and it hones the feel and feedback.
On-road, the system can turn the rear wheels by up to 3.5-degrees in the same direction as the front wheels, which makes the car feel shorter and more alive. Switch to a parking environment and it turns the rear wheels by up to 4.5-degrees in the opposite direction as the fronts, which shortens the turning circle.
Now, you expect an uber-luxurious car to pampers the riders — Audi’s S8 flagship sedan does this in fine style. However, drop the hammer and the opulence fades into the background, as it becomes a corner carving machine. What goes unsaid is the advanced suspension, all-wheel grip, torque vectoring and four-wheel-steering make the S8 feel more like an S6 when exercised to the maximum. That is a very good thing!
Full specifications and pricing will be announced closer to the launch later this year.
Keyword: First Drive: 2022 Audi S8