AUDI S8 (D4) 2012-2013 Photos, engines & full specs

While the Mercedes-Benz had the AMG division that took care of its performance S-Class models, Audi offered the S models for its vehicles. The 2012 Audi S8 was the fastest A8 in the range.

The surge for more power got the Audi to ditch the former Lamborghini V10 unit in favor of a newly developed, twin-turbo, V8 engine. With massive investments into research and development, the 2012 Audi S8 was more powerful, and faster than its predecessor.

The Audi S8 had a distinctive look from the outside. But it didn't feature flamboyant fender flares or some crazy wings in the back. It featured the same big grille as the rest of its range, but with double-chromed lines on each slat instead of single chromed. The rearview mirrors had silver cases, that looked like aluminum. In the back, there were four tailpipes and a diffuser between them.

Inside, it was a luxurious Audi A8 with all the comfort features as the rest of its siblings. Only the more luxurious A8 W12 had more than the S8, but only S8 had sport-bucket seats for the front occupants. A new infotainment unit was on the dashboard with a retractable mode so it won't bother the view.

Under the hood there was the 4.0-liter V8 engine with the turbochargers between the engine banks to decrease the turbo-lag. For the economic running mode, the engine could run in four cylinders. The standard transmission was an 8-speed automatic by ZF. As usual for any S-range model, it featured the quattro all-wheel-drive system from Audi.