2022 Audi A8

For 2022, Audi tweaks the A8’s front and rear ends. Up front, the grille is wider and it trades horizontal bars for a honeycomb look. The S8 has a black grille with a black surround instead of chrome, and both are flanked by horizontal headlights that wrap into the fenders and sport LED lighting signatures that can be seen at night. 

Crisp lines adorn the hood, while the profile is largely devoid of ornamentation other than a lower character line that works with a convex shape above it to reflect light differently based on the angle of view. At the rear, a chrome strip and an LED light bar, now segmented above the taillights, emphasize the car’s width. A lower diffuser outlined in chrome has the same effect. 

Inside, the A8 comes off like a tastefully appointed office suite. Two screens and a stark piano black finish adorn the dash, and another screen sits at the base of the center stack to emphasize the high-tech look. That’s offset by luxurious leather, aluminum, and wood, or in the S8, more clinical and sporty carbon-fiber trim. It’s at once warm, inviting, modern, and definitely upscale.

Every A8 comes standard with Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system.

How fast is the Audi A8?

It’s fast in its base form and muscle-car quick as the S8.

The base turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 in the A8 55 TFSI model makes what seems like a modest 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque given how large the A8 is. However, teamed with standard all-wheel drive and a smooth and responsive 8-speed automatic transmission, it launches the car from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, according to Audi.

The S8 turns up the wick considerably. It uses a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 that cranks out 563 hp and 590 lb-ft. The S8 delivers its power smoothly but relentlessly and with more sound and fury when pushed. It cuts the 0 to 60 mph time to just 3.8 seconds. 

The A8 family is built on a platform that employs the best materials in the right spots to save weight and create a strong structure. It’s mostly aluminum, but it also uses carbon fiber, steel, and magnesium. Adaptive dampers and an air suspension are also standard, and it’s all tuned to smother road imperfections while maintaining a controlled ride. A Predictive Active Suspension is a $6,000 option that uses electromechanical actuators to lift up or force down each wheel for even better road isolation.

The A8 can feel overly disconnected and floaty on the highway in its base Comfort mode, but turning the dial to Dynamic or programming the Individual mode for sportier damping provides excellent control that borders on sporty. 

The S8’s suspension tuning does away with the floatiness and provides more road feel.   It also gets rear-wheel steering that makes the car feel smaller, a torque-vectoring rear differential that helps it rotate through corners, and summer performance tires that provide excellent grip.

The rear seats have lots of space, too, with a generous 44-plus inches of leg room. Large door openings make it easy to get in and out as well. Four- and five-passenger versions of the Rear Seat Comfort package—available only for the S8—make the rear seat a first-class lounge. They add heating, cooling, massage, power recliners, tray tables, LED lighting, rear remote controls, and in the four-passenger version, a full rear center console.

Oddly, the trunk has just 12.5 cubic feet of cargo space, which is about six cubic feet shy of what you’d expect. That number is more appropriate for a compact car.

Standard safety features include automatic emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, lane-departure warnings, automatic high beams, and a surround-view camera system. The safety options include active lane control, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, and a driver-assist system that can control the brake, throttle, and steering in traffic jams. 

Buyers who get the Predictive Active suspension also get better passenger protection in side crashes. Sensors detect an impending collision and the suspension raises that side of the car 3.1 inches so the car’s lower structure absorbs the crash and helps dissipate the force.

The base model provides all the power and luxury anyone really needs. The A8 55 TFSI costs $87,595 and comes standard with extended Valetta leather upholstery, heated and cooled 22-way power front seats that also massage backsides, four-zone automatic climate control, wireless smartphone charging, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.1- and 8.6-inch touchscreens for infotainment and climate controls, a Bang & Olufsen audio system, a panoramic sunroof, and 19-inch alloy wheels.

How much is a fully loaded 2022 Audi A8?

The S8 starts at $118,995 (including a $1,000 gas-guzzler tax) and gets front sport seats, a heated steering wheel, heated front armrests, a sport-tuned suspension, LED matrix headlights, all-wheel steering, an electronic rear differential, and 20-inch wheels on summer tires. Load it up with options and the price tops $140,000.

Audi A8 infotainment

The A8’s infotainment was state of the art a couple years ago, and now it still holds up for its usability and functionality. It has a top 10.1-inch screen for entertainment and navigation controls, and a lower 8.6-inch screen for climate controls, vehicle settings, and handwriting inputs. Both screens have haptic feedback that lets you know an icon has been pushed, but it requires deliberate inputs. We love the Google Earth view and the breadth of functions the screens can control.

Audi’s 4-year/50,000-mile warranty is good, but not the best there is. It includes one free service call and four years of roadside assistance.

Move up to the S8, though, and the ratings drop precipitously to 14/23/18 mpg. Both engines require premium fuel.