2013 Audi S8 - First Drive Review - Car and Driver

The Audi S8 is built with the North American market in mind: 30 percent of total production is sold here. The new Audi A8 is a behemoth, meaning the S8, even though it is available only with a short wheelbase, is also huge. An aluminum-intensive body and structure help keep weight to about 4400 pounds, a little bit heavier than the Jaguar XJ Supersport but 600 or so pounds lighter than the Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG. The last S8 was powered by a high-revving, naturally aspirated, 5. 2-liter V-10, an engine that seemed somewhat out of place in a luxury sedan. This powerplant may be smaller, but it is far more powerful—520 hp versus the previous model’s 450—and has tremendous torque: 479 lb-ft, available from 1700 to 5500 rpm, compared with 398 in the last car. It should need only four seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph, an improvement of more than a full second over the previous generation. In addition to cutting cylinder count and reducing displacement, Audi fitted the 2013 S8’s engine with cylinder deactivation. Thanks to active engine mounts that dampen unwanted vibrations and a noise-cancellation system that uses the car’s stereo, we never felt the switch from four- to eight-cylinder operation. Power is delivered to all four wheels through a ZF eight-speed automatic. Source: www.caranddriver.com