2004 Audi A8 L

Quick, how many luxury car names do you know? First to mind might be the German Mercedes-Benz and BMW brands, followed by Cadillac, the leading American make. Then might follow the Japanese Lexus, British Jaguar, domestic Lincoln, and Infiniti, another Japanese luxury brand. In whatever order you call out the list, all but forgotten by most Americans is Audi, the third high-roller German marque. Long affiliated with Volkswagen and Porsche, Audi has come on strong lately with a growing palette of beautifully designed cars, from the bubble-shaped TT roadster or coupe to the quick and agile A4, A6 and RS 6 sport sedans, on up the model line to their high-tech and sophisticated, long-wheelbase flagship sedan—the A8 L.

Audi unabashedly calls its all-new 2004 Audi A8 L "big, bold and beautiful," and we agree on all three.

Audi unabashedly calls its all-new 2004 Audi A8 L "big, bold and beautiful." The latter is subjective, but we agree on all three. The A8 L features a lightweight all-aluminum body and frame enveloping an extraordinarily quiet, comfortable and attractive interior. Underhood is a 330-hp 4.2-liter 40-valve V-8 engine coupled to a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Also included is an advanced Adaptable Air Suspension and Audi's surprisingly user-friendly Multi Media Interface (MMI) onboard electronics control system.


Audi's A8 is available only as a long-wheelbase "L" model in North America, and it stretches to nearly 17 feet in overall length—about five inches longer that the standard European version. Its rear doors are also five inches longer, they open extra-wide and rear-seat roominess is substantial, with near limo-like legroom. If this Teutonic beauty were not so much fun to drive, you'd want to hire someone to do it for you just to spend your commute time in splendid comfort in the back.


The A8 L's all-aluminum body is supported by a new-generation of Audi's aluminum space frame, introduced in Europe in 1996. Some 300 pounds lighter than a conventional steel frame, it is 60 percent more rigid with 17 percent fewer parts compared to the previous version. The MMI, just aft of the shifter where your right hand naturally falls, consists of a large turn-and-push selector knob surrounded by eight function keys. It controls and adjusts nearly everything from the sound system to driver-selected suspension settings and (in contrast to BMW's I-Drive) is intuitively easy to figure out and operate.

The electroluminescent instrument lighting adjusts its brightness to the ambient light present.

Top center on the instrument panel, a seven-inch color monitor pops up at eye-level to display MMI operations (including the standard DVD navigation functions), while a three-inch monitor in the panel's center displays basic operating information. A unique four-spoke, electrically adjusting, telescoping steering wheel has handy remote thumb-wheel controls for the MMI, and the electroluminescent instrument lighting adjusts its brightness to the ambient light present.