The Fellowship of the Ring

Audi India has been firing on all cylinders since the start of 2011. The Ingolstadt-based automaker started the year with launch of A8L with the 4.2FSI engine which we drove earlier this January, followed by the V10 and Spyder versions of the R8. At the side, Audi has been inaugurating new dealerships to strengthen its service network. And now it has launched the diesel version of its flagship the A8L. We drive the A8L 3.0TDI quattro.

Highlights

- The quattro is a standard feature on all the variants of the Audi A8 L.

- The 2011 Audi A8L is 5267mm long and 1,949mm making it 75mm longer than its predecessor.

- The engineers at Ingolstadt have made the new A8 lighter while paying close attention to rigidity and the torsion stiffness which has been increased by 15%.

The 3-litre diesel V6 engine has been reworked (the older version is the one that we drove, powers the Audi A4) and it now produces a maximum power of 250bhp and a hefty torque of 550Nm. The engine’s weight has been cut down by six kilos as the crankcase is now made up of high-strength cast iron alloy. Audi claims that the 3.0TDI is 22 per cent more efficient than the previous engine.

This oil burner is very peppy and highly responsive. Like most of the modern common rail engines it generates a high torque at a low rpm with no sign of turbo lag. It has oodles of power in its reserve and this is just a stomp of the pedal away. Plant your right foot and your neck will snap back into the seat. This spirited motor makes you press as hard as your bravado will allow. You might run out of steam but the engine won’t. The A8L is the flagship model of Audi and hence, everything on this car including the insulation of the cabin is top notch. The NVH in the cabin is next to being non-existent.

The 3-litre engine comes bolted to an eight-speed automatic transmission with a torque convertor. The gear shifts aren’t as quick as on a dual-clutch gearbox for sure, but these aren’t lethargic either. It’s a little slow when called upon speedy downshifts, nonetheless. The driver can operate the gears by tapping the yacht-like gear knob or by means of paddle shifts when he will like to drive it in manual mode. The A8L comes with quattro as standard across all the variants that are sold in India.

The A8L doesn’t just have a more contemporary design when compared to its German rivals, but it comes loaded with more embellishments as well. The 3.0TDI quattro is the new entry-level A8L which is now available at Rs 78lakh compared to the 4.2FSI which comes at Rs 89lakh (both ex-showroom Delhi). With this, Audi covers all the bases as it now offers its flagship model – the A8L with an oil burner that now competes with the Mercedes-Benz S350 CDI and BMW 730Ld.