Car Style - The 2011 Audi A8

Recent Audis have beautiful style. I absolutely love the Audi A4's style. The Audi A6 got itself a revised look. Then... there's the A8. The new A8 delivers a new sense of style along with their daytime running lights. The A8 is the ultimate luxury offering to Audi lovers. However, what is this car like in style? I will explain in this "Car Style" blog post.

For those of you new to my blog, "Car Style" posts are about how I think about how automobiles look to me. I have no knowledge or experience with cars (except changing an oil filter on my mom's van). So these blog posts relate to looks, because I am very much a person into art. All of my comments are my own regarding their style.

So let's talk about the new Audi A8's style!

--- Car Style: The 2011 Audi A8 ---

If you are a person of great status and prefer an Audi, the A8 is your ultimate showcase of your high status. It boasts a 4.2-liter FSI DOHC V8 engine, pumping put 372 horsepower at 6800 rpm and 328 lb.-ft. of torque at 3500 rpm. This is a car that costs about $78,000 USD. The A8 boasts an 8-speed automatic gearbox. And no one word will light the fire of any Audi fan than "quattro," and this big Audi has quattro all-wheel drive. I read the new A8 has better braking technology engineered to help dissipate heat with low weight. The car goes from 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds to a top speed of 130 mph.

Exterior.

^ from: www.audi-carz.com (best I could find, because my picture of the A8 is poor) - The 2011 Audi A8.

The front of this Audi exudes style and charm that only Audi can provide. The one knock I have on it (and it's a big one), however, is its grotesque LED daytime running lights. The entire headlight arrangement is completely uncharming. The LED lights give me bad memories of college because they look like the square root symbols. The design is just completely off on many levels. What was Audi thinking giving its top-level luxury car an ugly appearance like this? I think Audi calls their LED DRL design for this car as a "wing." There is a better-looking set of headlights that can be ordered for the A8, but it still isn't as lovely as what you'd see on the A4 or even the R8 road car. Compared to the latest A4 (and even the updated A6), the A8's lights are hugely disappointing and ugly to me. The rest of the front, however, is all very lovely. I probably would have liked a two-piece design up front with a blacked-out piece to separate the top grill portion from the bottom half of the front. Nothing aggressive about the front bonnet- just clean and simple luxury.

Once you get over the unfulfilling front, you take note of the Audi A8's side style. The sides are actually pretty charming for this German luxury car. Some fender flares and nice side skirt details offer some aggression and style to the A8. Its C-pillar appears to be a real blind spot and not really flowing with the rest of the car. The car comes with a very nice set of 19-inch, Y-spoke aluminum wheels to compliment the four tires. Its design up top is equally clean.

The rear of the 2011 Audi A8 is pretty nice (if a bit bland). The brake lights are pretty nice along with the modest spoiler-like design on the trunk/boot. Single-tip exhaust pipes compliment the rear bumper of this executive-level luxury car. It just doesn't really scream beautiful to me like the A4.

Interior.

How can a car with a disappointing exterior (especially up front) have such a fantastic interior? The interior is the styling saving grace of the Audi A8. The front seats can be turned around to face the back seats so you can have a little meeting in your car. The dashboard is very lovely with its wood trim. It is an interior that really exudes class and charm. Too bad the steering wheel is kind of on the ugly side, though. The instrument panel boasts some pretty nice-looking gauges. In the center lies a nice navigation systeml Between the two driver seats is a nice center tunnel that is designed to be ergonomic for adjusting things like air conditioning and more. The seats look wonderful and are seemingly very comfortable. Many reviews I've read online say that the seats are VERY comfortable. Then again, who wants a top-level car that ISN'T comfortable?





I'm really disappointed that the Audi A8 could have looked a lot better. People may say something along the lines of character or something in its design. This car is just not as beautiful as it could be. I would think for a top-tier luxury car, I want my car to look and feel luxurious both outside and within. I would graciously change up a few cues to make it look much better. I'm actually pretty disappointed with its design. "Bland" is not the word (because it isn't)- my key word is more "unattractive." With a little better styling, I would love it as much as I do the A4. Though the A4 is a lower-level Audi, at least this Audi boasts much better styling cues as a whole than the A8. If the A8 was based more on the A4's styling cues, I'd like it better. But still- this is "Car Style." My blog posts on cars ONLY concern how I think cars look; NOT anything on performance characteristics or anything. The A8 still will not disappoint if you want a top-level luxury car from a marque like Audi. Its style, however, disappoints me greatly.

Here is a video preview of the Audi A8 from cars.com:



You can learn more about the Audi A8 (or even build your own Audi A8) by visiting Audi's [North American] site on the Audi A8.

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