Audi S8 Review 2025

A mainstay of its range for three decades, multiple generations of the Audi A8 saloon have showcased its manufacturer’s latest technologies and luxurious appointments. It’s a rarefied air yet some customers want even more, particularly in terms of performance — is the sharpened A8 satisfyingly focused or is it more of the same but faster? Find out in our full Audi S8 review.

In the space below the ultra-luxury saloons manufactured by German-owned Bentley and Rolls-Royce is another niche of expensive and well-appointed four-door models that’s long been dominated by actual German brands.

Audi’s first A8 was essentially conceived to take on the established might of the BMW 7 Series, which has historically catered for CEOs who enjoy driving, while those who preferred to be driven in sedate fashion by a chauffeur elected for the Mercedes S-Class.

As the newcomer, the Audi A8 attempted to straddle both sets of clientele, with the S8 spin-off aimed right at BMW’s heartland. Since then the boundaries have become more blurred — the latest 7 Series models perform effortlessly for those who enjoy sitting in the back while the newest S-Classes are far sportier, relatively speaking.

Although no longer made the flamboyant Maserati Quattroporte is another luxury saloon that sought to combine comfort with pace, aided and abetted by a sonorous eight-cylinder soundtrack.

With that in mind you’d be forgiven for assuming the Audi S8 would be outlandishly styled in order to get noticed. Not a bit of it — discretion is a key part of the S8’s approach, with only a handful of visual cues that mark it out from the standard A8. Larger wheels, quad exhaust pipes and masses of glossy black detailing, plus those subtle S8 badges. More go for just a little extra show.

On the inside it’s a similar story, with just a few changes from the regular A8. That’s no bad thing, because for the most part the big Audi has a superb interior. It is put together with impressive attention to detail and quality, with fine materials throughout to provide a cabin that is relaxing and comfortable as well as loaded with equipment.

Under the bonnet the Audi S8 uses a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre petrol V8, similar to that used in the Audi RS6 Avant and RS7 Sportback. Here it produces a mighty 571PS and a huge 800Nm of torque which — thanks to Audi’s well-proven Quattro four-wheel-drive system — enables it to blast to 62mph from a standstill in just 3.9 seconds despite weighing 2.2 tonnes.

The S8 also features predictive air suspension, which as well as allowing the driver to alter the ride firmness depending on the drive mode also uses a camera to observe the road surface and adjust the suspension accordingly. It can even actively tilt the S8 through corners to counteract body roll.

Four-wheel steering and an active rear differential are also present, designed to make this long, heavy car handle more sportily. The result is impressive — despite its size it deals with twisty roads remarkably well and can deliver a very smooth ride or something a bit more firm if the driver chooses so.

Quick and capable but what it isn’t is a sports car — the Audi S8 keeps you somewhat insulated from what’s going on, which makes it an easy car to drive quickly but not as engaging as either the BMW 760e or Mercedes-AMG S63. Yes, those two. Again.

Fast, comfortable, luxurious and built to a high standard, the Audi S8 is hugely capable, just as comfortable nosing through traffic as it would be sat at 155mph on a German autobahn. While it might lack the outright fun factor, it is an impressively complete fast saloon.

Anyone stepping into the Audi S8 expecting a raw experience akin to its RS-badged models might be somewhat disappointed. It keeps relatively close to the spirit of the standard Audi A8 models cocooning the driver and passengers from the road, almost regardless of how quickly they are travelling.

The air suspension works exceptionally well in terms of ride quality and with the car set to Comfort mode it glides along very well indeed, the predictive system constantly adjusting the stiffness to filter out poor surfaces, even on the 21-inch wheel option.

Even in the sportier modes it still rides well, although the anti-roll system only works in Comfort mode, which seems a slightly odd decision.

Its steering is accurate and sufficiently quick but doesn’t offer a lot of feel for the driver. It’s still a very easy car to drive quickly and feels secure but a little more feedback and connection would improve it still further.

Today’s Audi S8 has a 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged petrol engine that isn’t as large in capacity as some previous generations of this model but one thing this one isn’t short of is performance.

Its combination of 800Nm of torque, a very slick eight-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive means the S8 can accelerate with remarkable ease — the 0-62mph benchmark takes just 3.8 seconds which is almost frighteningly fast for a car of this size. That you can achieve this with three passengers sitting in comfort makes it all the more impressive.

Yet even with the kind of acceleration that pins you back into your seat there is a feeling that the S8 keeps you slightly removed from the action. You can hear the rumble of the V8 engine doing its thing but it is a somewhat distant roar rather than a supercar-like noise.

With this big saloon’s prime goal being comfort and calm that’s understandable but it removes some of the thrill of the experience, even if you will never tire of the relentless acceleration.

Those crash-testing experts at Euro NCAP tend not to assess low-volume cars and as such luxury saloons are sufficiently outside of the mainstream meaning the Audi S8 hasn’t been sampled.

While it’s no guarantee that it would perform at least equally as well, the Audi A6 was awarded a full five-star rating back in 2018 — the A8 and S8 share much in common structurally with the that model.

Standard safety equipment provision is generous and there are even advanced features such as a night vision camera that very few cars have.

Although the Audi S8 seems a somewhat unlikely tow car its huge power and four-wheel-drive means it is a very capable one, with a braked towing capacity of 2300kg.

While the standard A8 is available in long-wheelbase form, the Audi S8 only comes in the standard length. Even so there’s more than enough room for five tall adults to stretch out.

Up front the amount of space available can almost feel intimidating because there’s so much distance between the two front seats. Both front occupants can push their seats as far back as they want without fear of cramping those behind.

It’s just as good for those in the rear, with huge amounts of legroom and headroom making it almost as pleasant as sitting up front. In truth the centre seat is slimmer and less sculpted than the two outer seats and the transmission tunnel eats up some legroom, but even then it is far from uncomfortable for the fifth passenger.

The boot offers 505 litres which is enough to swallow several large suitcases. It’s a practical shape too without significant intrusions so you can make the most of the space.

Audi has a well-deserved reputation for building some of the best interiors among the upmarket brands and the S8’s typifies this. The design of the cabin is fairly conservative aside from the multiple screens, while the mix of materials and clean lines make it a relaxing environment.

It’s also a pleasure to use with plenty of soft touch finishes plus physical buttons and switches that operate with a reassuring solidity. If there is any criticism it’s that the S8’s cabin feels little different from the regular A8, save for the sportier front seats.

The standard infotainment set up in the Audi S8 is remarkably comprehensive. It comes with Audi’s MMI Navigation Plus, which means two central screens — the upper one is 10.1 inches while the lower 8.6-inch screen to operate the climate control system, both being touchscreens. Additionally the driver looks at a third screen containing Audi’s Virtual Cockpit digital instruments.

Among the audio-related features are DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa virtual assistant and a Bang & Olufsen 730-watt, 17-speaker system that can be upgraded to a 23-speaker version with even more power.

The infotainment system is packed with features and is quite complex but the menus are sensibly laid out and works well. However even with the haptic feedback so you can feel when you’ve touched the screen, it can be tricky to use on the move until you have become familiar with the layout.

The Audi S8 range is simple with a choice of two derivatives. The least expensive S8 Black Edition starts at £113,740 and the range-topping S8 Vorsprung costs £124,490.

The options list is brief as both S8s are well specified but the ones you can choose from are also pricey. Should you think your car deserved more of a hiding the Extended Leather package is another £1,450 while the upgraded audio system is over £5,000.

Yet compared with its key rivals the Audi S8 looks remarkably good value although it’s not quite comparing like with like because both the £121,085 BMW M760e xDrive and the £188,820 Mercedes-AMG S63 E Performance are plug-in hybrids.

With such a high price tag nearly-new and used examples of the Audi S8 are quite rare. We found brand new examples with a hefty £10,000 discount but significant depreciation means a used one could mean a big saving. A two-year-old S8 with just over 10,000 miles on its odometer could be had for £60,000.

If you are considering a car with a price tag of over £100,000 the chances are that you’re not looking for minimal running costs. This is positive because the Audi S8 does have quite a thirst for unleaded.

In S8 Black Edition guise the WLTP Combined cycle fuel efficiency is quoted at 24.6mpg with CO2 emissions of 260g/km. Go for the pricier S8 Vorsprung and while it also registers 24.6mpg, CO2 is slightly worse at 261g/km.

Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car taxation, Vehicle Excise Duty (VED or road tax) and car insurance premiums will all be expensive, as will replacement tyres, brakes, servicing… Buy one with very realistic expectations in other words — cars like this can’t be run on a shoestring.

Although in essence the Audi S8 is a performance spin-off from the regular A8 range it’s nevertheless available in two trim levels — Black Edition and Vorsprung.

The Audi S8 Black Edition comes with 21-inch alloy wheels, four-wheel steering, predictive air suspension, digital matrix LED headlights, power-operated bootlid, power door closure and interior acoustics-enhancing double-glazing.

Inside you’ll find Active Noise Cancellation, electric heated leather sports seats with pneumatic adjustment, ambient lighting, dual-zone air conditioning, electric sunblinds, MMI Navigation Plus with 10.1-inch and 8.6-inch touchscreens, DAB radio, Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, B&O Premium Audio, adaptive cruise control, a head up display and a 360-degree parking camera system.

If that’s not enough then there’s always the upgrade to the Audi S8 Vorsprung which adds a diamond-turned finish to its 21-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic roof, carbon fibre door mirror housings, ventilated and massaging front seats, heated rear seats, the extended leather pack, air quality pack, four-zone air conditioning, rear infotainment controls, lane-change warning with exit warning and cross-traffic detection.