Photo: Audi
Audi has just unveiled the S8 plus today. We know what you're thinking, "not another Audi with a new paintjob". But the S8 plus is almost their most powerful car, packing 605 PS, just 5 PS shy of the Lamborghini Huracan and R8 plus.
Audi engineers played with the internals of the 4.0 TFSI engine until it delivered more power than on the RS6. Mods include a special engine control unit with speed and charge pressure boosting added to its modified exhaust valves and the inner geometry of the turbochargers.
The maximum output of 445 kW (605 hp) is accompanied by 700 Nm (516.3 lbft) of torque; in overboost, that grows to 750 Nm (553.2 lbft) for short periods.
The extra power had a profound effect on performance, as the S8 goes from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 305 km/h (189.5 mph). That's comparable to an Aston Martin V12 Vantage.
“We have further sharpened our large sport sedan,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG; he continues “The new Audi S8 plus has a substantial gain in power and defines the pinnacle of sporty performance in the segment. That is why ‘plus’ appears in its name.”
Overall, the S8 plus still looks like an A8 with a discrete body kit. It doesn't have the same appeal as an RS6. But the model does come standard with some rather cool 21-inch wheels shod in 275/35 tires, standard adaptive suspension, a tuned exhaust system and mere dynamic steering. quattro boffins also worked on the drivetrain with a sports differential being fitted.
For the record, we're currently dealing with the third generation of the Audi S8, the Typ D4. It was launched in April 2012 with a 520 PS version of the new 4-liter twin-turbo V8 that Audi developed with Bentley. It comes with cylinder deactivation and supposedly gets 10 l/100km if you're gentle with the throttle.
The maximum output of 445 kW (605 hp) is accompanied by 700 Nm (516.3 lbft) of torque; in overboost, that grows to 750 Nm (553.2 lbft) for short periods.
The extra power had a profound effect on performance, as the S8 goes from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 305 km/h (189.5 mph). That's comparable to an Aston Martin V12 Vantage.
“We have further sharpened our large sport sedan,” says Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG; he continues “The new Audi S8 plus has a substantial gain in power and defines the pinnacle of sporty performance in the segment. That is why ‘plus’ appears in its name.”
Overall, the S8 plus still looks like an A8 with a discrete body kit. It doesn't have the same appeal as an RS6. But the model does come standard with some rather cool 21-inch wheels shod in 275/35 tires, standard adaptive suspension, a tuned exhaust system and mere dynamic steering. quattro boffins also worked on the drivetrain with a sports differential being fitted.
For the record, we're currently dealing with the third generation of the Audi S8, the Typ D4. It was launched in April 2012 with a 520 PS version of the new 4-liter twin-turbo V8 that Audi developed with Bentley. It comes with cylinder deactivation and supposedly gets 10 l/100km if you're gentle with the throttle.
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