Neckarsulm, Germany • Being the upstart in the German luxury sedan sweepstakes (and considering it was born out of Horch — by way of Auto Union — which can trace its roots way back to 1899, it’s hard to deem Volkswagen’s luxury arm as a parvenu), Audi tries a little harder and is a little more willing to take chances.
That’s especially true with Europe’s luxury D-segment cars, where, truth be told, Audi’s A8 is an afterthought compared with the more established Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series. Despite four generations of exquisite aluminum-chassis engineering, there’s still little following for the company’s top-of-the-line über-sedan. With nothing to lose, the good fellows from Ingolstadt are willing to experiment more than their hide-bound German competition.
This means that some time in the not-too-distant future — even though it will be available in Europe by June — Audi will be testing the waters with a four-cylinder A8. (Cort Nielsen, Audi Canada’s public relations guru, isn’t quite sure when we’ll see it.) Yes, a $100,000 sedan with a measly four-banger.
Oh, the Hybrid badge on the rear trunk lid adds the legitimacy of an electric motor driving the front wheels and a big graphite-cathode lithium ion battery in the trunk. Nonetheless, the new A8’s basic powerplant is still the same 2.0-litre TFSI turbo four-cylinder that can be found in all manner of downmarket Audis, not to mention a slew of even more pedestrian Volkswagens. But, such is the marketing hype of hybrid technology — and perhaps a measure of the desperation to establish the A8’s bona fides — that Audi will soon be selling a premium luxury sedan with but four pistons.
So, the big question is, what does the environmentally conscious banker give up in his or her quest for both hedonistic luxury and fuel-sipping parsimony?
Not too much, if my short drive around Audi’s spiritual home is any indication. With only four pistons combusting, the Hybrid boasts 245 horsepower — middling, anyway you judge it. But, sporting a turbocharger and a transmission-mounted 40-kilowatt electric motor for added thrust, there’s an almost diesel-like (more on that in a moment) 354 pound-feet of torque available as low as 1,500 rpm.
Riding that wave of torque, there’s very little indication the Hybrid is anything other than yet another fully hedonistic luxury sedan. Even from low revs, acceleration feels muscular and, thanks to the engine’s relatively low revs and some excellent noise, vibration and harshness management from the standard active noise control system, none of the cacophony usually accompanying high-revving four-bangers intrudes on the sybaritic (of which, like in all A8s, there is much) experience.
The combination of the 2.0 TFSI and electric motor is all but indistinguishable, then, from the comportment of the conventional 3.0L V6-powered A8 we’ll soon see in Canada. Only at the upper reaches of its rev band (and exactly what rpm I am referring to is a mystery as Audi has replaced the traditional tachometer with a more hybrid-oriented “% power” meter) does the diminutive powertrain feel strained, and only when asking for more maximum warp speed.
Still, you can occasionally feels a few vibrations through the gas pedal, when the eight-speed automatic transmission — obviously calibrated for fuel economy — tries to keep its torque converter locked when accelerating at low revs (usually during a mild passing manoeuvre). Then, the combination of high load and low rpm sends a little four-cylinder tingle through the driveline. It’s a minor thing, something even the princess-and-the-pea might miss were she not in her hyper-critical autojournalist mode.
However, there are some compromises if you want an A8 to achieve the same 8.6 litres per 100 kilometres I averaged during my 200-kilometre stint in the Hybrid. The first is that the quattro all-wheel-drive system for which Audi is justifiably famous is not available with the hybrid powertrain. So, A8 owners looking to conquer our snow-covered north should look elsewhere. Also, although the 1.3-kWh lithium ion battery (good for three kilometres of electric-only motoring, if you have a delicate throttle foot and the patience of Job) weighs only 38 kilograms, it takes up quite a bit of space in the trunk, with a pronounced hump precluding the loading of a full-sized Ping golf bag.
Part of its girth is a nifty cooling system that force-feeds the batteries atmospheric air as well as some from the air conditioning system to ensure all those lithium ions never exceed 42C.
Lastly, the A8, like all hybrids, uses regenerative braking — essentially reversing the polarity of the electric motor — to recharge the battery while stop-and-going around town. This electrical retardation can be a little over-sensitive when braking at slow speeds. No matter how gingerly the brake pedal is massaged, there’s a little jolt as the electric brakes kick in. It’s not apparent at high speeds and most owners should quickly acclimatize, but other automakers with more experience with hybrids — Toyota, for instance — have managed to attenuate the problem.
Though interesting from both a technological and performance point of view, I’m most fascinated with the A8 Hybrid as social commentary. You see, while the hybrid posts stellar numbers — it averages 6.3 L/100 km in the European cycle and emits only 147 grams of carbon dioxide for every kilometre — Audi Canada will soon begin importing the 3.0L turbodiesel version of the A8 for approximately the same price (about $90,000 if the European price is any indication). And, yes, its fuel consumption/emissions numbers are about the same. The TDI emits slightly more CO2 — 158 grams per km — but is slightly more frugal, consuming just six litres of putrefied dinosaur juice every 100 klicks.
Just to confuse things further, there’s a high-performance, 247-hp 3.0L TDI that gets 6.4 L/100 km and emits 169 g/km. So, to reiterate, Audi has three A8s with combined fuel economy in the sixes — 6.6, 6.3 and 6.0 — with the Hybrid flanked by the two diesel versions.
Which will be the more popular — the media darling (that would be the Hybrid in case you’re wondering), or the more traditional but more publicity-challenged diesel? It’s the first time, at least in Canada, that diesel and hybrid powertrains have competed for prominence in virtually identical automobiles. I await your decision.
