Audi A8 Ride Looks Silky Smooth At 166 MPH On Unrestricted Autobahn

The Audi A8 is the flagship luxury sedan for the German automaker. It wraps luxurious offerings and features in a svelte, respectable package that won't ruffle feathers at the local country club. It's nice, but not in the demeaning way. And like most German luxury sedans, it's fast, born and bred in the Autobahn's back yard. Today we have a video from AutoTopNL of Audi's newest luxury land yacht hitting the famous German roadway for a high-speed test.

The A8 is no slouch; however, it's not quick either. Power comes from a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 making 340 horsepower (253 kilowatts) and 369 pound-feet (500 Newton-meters) of torque, according to the video. That's not a lot for a sedan that tips that scales at over 4,500 pounds (2041 kilograms). It offers respectable performance, propelling the sedan to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in 5.6 seconds. Not too fast, not too slow. Nice.

But the Audi A8 isn't a sports sedan. That's where the S8 likes to play, though the A8 will soon receive a V8 offering. The A8 is about luxury – a quiet and supple ride as the car's comfortable leather and suede interior cradles you in comfort to your destination. It's about the silky-smooth ride over impeccable roads as the car gobbles up the asphalt. Such roads are rare outside the Autobahn or race track, but the A8 is capable of offering such performance.

The Audi A8 hits a top speed of 166 mph (267 kph) in the video. But it does take the car a bit to reach it. Twenty-two seconds elapse before the car reaches 124 mph (200 kph). However, it takes the Audi another 38 seconds to go from 124 mph to 166 mph. That's not fast, but it is quick. And there are few places even to enjoy that kind of speed.