In good stealth: Audi reveals the S8 Plus
The Audi S8 is a limousine with a dark side, the polar opposite to the sedate hybrids that glide near-noiselessly around the city. It is the anti-Uber, with nigh-on 600 horsepower pumped out by a twin turbo-charged V8 and, in this special ‘Plus’ model, an indecently high top speed that places it squarely in supercar territory. Yet all this drama is cloaked with a stylish, sober façade, the power lurking beneath the long, subtly fluted bonnet. In truth, you needn’t deploy it all and simply revel in the hush and refinement of Audi’s flagship saloon.
Unlike the raucous AMG variants of Mercedes’ S-Class, the S8 is more subdued. It’s a titanically fast car that you don’t feel the urge to thrash and delivers a far better experience when it’s just wafting along serenely. The V8 is an especially emotive engine; tuned right it produces a deliciously waffly exhaust note that has come to define a certain type of brutish, heavyweight performance. Pushed hard, it will roar, but overall it’s been tuned to stay discrete, not diabolical. The same engine is also found in Bentley’s GT V8S, but Audi recently hinted that their most recent V8 might also be their last, as the anachronistic combination of noise, emissions and raw power slowly fades into history.
It’s certainly at odds with the S8’s otherwise high-tech demeanour. The big limousine sector is traditionally a tech showcase and an all-new A8 and S8 will appear in the next 18 months. Unfortunately, this knowledge unwittingly highlights the current car’s shortcomings. The dashboard design has been usurped by other Audis, with their digital ‘virtual cockpits’, and although the interior still oozes quality, the MMI (multi-media interface) has become less, not more, intuitive, with the passing years, as the ubiquity of touchscreen interaction seeps successfully into car design. Audi might argue that tactile feedback is the way to go, but while the rotary dial and button combination clicks and twirls with satisfying precision, more often than not you dial something in the wrong direction.
These are minor quibbles about what is undeniably an impressive and desirable machine. S8 buyers care not for what others think, preferring to focus on the sensation of stealth, the knowledge of hidden power and the majestic solidity of Audi’s build quality.
INFORMATION
Audi S8 Plus, from £97,700 (available October). For more information, visit the Audi website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Utilitarian men’s fashion that will elevate your everyday
From Prada to Margaret Howell, utilitarian and workwear-inspired men’s fashion gets an upgrade for S/S 2024
By Jack Moss Published
-
Gerhard Richter unveils new sculpture at Serpentine South
Gerhard Richter revisits themes of pattern and repetition in ‘Strip-Tower’ at London’s Serpentine South
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Vipp’s Scandinavian guesthouse offers a sleek setting amid a wild landscape
Vipp Cold Hawaii is a Scandinavian guesthouse designed by architecture studio Hahn Lavsen in Denmark’s Thy National Park
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Farewell to the Audi TT, a design icon that evolved with the automotive landscape
For over 25 years, the Audi TT has been synonymous with the brand, a modern machine that initially favoured style over sport. The final editions are very different beasts to the original
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Audi RS6 Avant GT is an estate car that thinks it belongs on the track
With the Audi RS6 Avant GT limited-edition supercar, Audi Sport has gone all-out to create the ultimate hyper-estate
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Year in review: the top 10 cars of 2023, as selected by Wallpaper’s Jonathan Bell
What were the best four-wheeled offerings of 2023? Transport editor Jonathan Bell takes us through the year’s most intriguing automobiles
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Audi e-tron GT quattro still pushes all the right buttons. But what happens next?
Life behind the wheel of Audi’s elegant electric GT, plus a short history of the company’s e-tron series, from concept through to production
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Peugeot’s sparky 308 gets hybrid power and handsome lines
The Peugeot 308 proves that mass-market design needn’t be dull, blending hybrid power with sharp lines and excellent detailing
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
BMW Motorrad brings out the big guns for its newest cruisers
BMW Motorrad R 18 Bagger and Transcontinental set the tone for high-voltage cruising with a brand collaboration with speaker specialist Marshall
By George Chapman Last updated
-
Dacia’s new Manifesto concept is a true outdoor utility vehicle
Utilitarian auto brand Dacia sets a bold new agenda with its Manifesto, a concept car pitched at the active outdoor market
By Jonathan Bell Last updated
-
The sun sets on traditional supercars at California’s Monterey Car Week
Monterey Car Week, the world’s most prestigious car gathering, is showcasing ever-more extravagant special editions, coachbuilt cars and all-new electric concepts. Here are seven key machines from 2022
By Rory FH Smith Last updated