Company Car Review of the Audi A8 3.0 TDI quattro SE
What is it?
THE Audi A8 is Audi’s flagship saloon, and it’s been revised recently in an attempt to keep up with the likes of the facelifted BMW 7 Series, constantly refined Jaguar XJ and all-new Mercedes S-Class.
Cosmetically, the changes are limited to a few tweaks here and there. A bolder, more defined bonnet sits atop the engine, while a modestly changed grille and bumper arrangement sit ahead.
At the back there’s more bumper reworking and shapely exhaust outlets, while the profile view gets new wheels and some extra chrome bits around the windows. Radical, it isn’t.
What are more spectacular are the headlights, which are now a matrix-beam LED setup with 25 diodes. These can be switched on and off independently which, when combined with processing from an on-board camera, means you can drive towards oncoming traffic with main beam on. Nobody is blinded though, as the system turns off two or three of the diodes, creating a ‘shadow’ over an oncoming car, providing you with increased visibility without affecting anybody else.
Elsewhere the 3.0-litre diesel engine tested here gains a bit of power and torque, resulting in an output of 250PS and a torque figure of 580Nm. All that goes through an eight-speed auto box, and then on to Audi’s quattro four-wheel drive system. There’s also more sound deadening material around the car, keeping the powertrain nicely hushed.
