Orlando Sentinel's view

Looking for a premium luxury sports sedan in the $60,000 price range? In addition to visiting Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and BMW dealerships, better add Audi to your list.

That’s right. Audi.

The German automaker has just introduced the A8 – one of the most impressive cars ever to roll out of Germany.

The A8 is longer, wider and roomier than most of the sports sedans in its class. Yet it weighs less and is more fuel efficient.

That’s because Audi engineers sculpted the A8’s handsome, muscular body and frame out of lightweight, high-strength aluminum. Then they dropped in a weight-saving aluminum V-8.

The results are nothing less than stunning. The A8 is a nimble and agile car that conveys understated elegance.

PERFORMANCE, HANDLING

The A8 is available with a choice of V-8 engines and all-wheel drive. The front-wheel drive base model is outfitted with a 230-horsepower, 3.7-liter engine that has double overhead cams and 32-valves.

Ante up another $5,000 or so, and you’ll get the A8 with a 300-horsepower, 4.2-liter overhead-cam engine and Audi’s acclaimed Quattro all-wheel-drive system. No other full-size sports/luxury sedan is available with all-wheel drive.

Our test car sported the smaller engine, but its performance still was crisp. The 3.7-liter V-8 engine is about as smooth and quiet as they come. There’s a definite Lexus influence in the demeanor of the powerful, but civilized engine. You can drive down the highway at high speeds and never sense any activity from under the hood. It’s only when you make the engine work – such as when accelerating quickly – that you can hear it breathe slightly.

Despite its gentle nature, the A8 is born to run. The 3,600-pound sedan responds to even the lightest touches of the accelerator with a powerful rush of seamless motion.

The five-speed automatic transmission – the only one available in the A8 – changes the timing of its shifts according to the driver’s preferences. Traction control is standard.

The A8 is far and away the best front-wheel-drive car I ever have tested. You can’t tell which wheels – front or rear – are doing the work.

Fat 16-inch tires and an advanced four-wheel independent suspension system enable you to drive the A8 with as much brio as your willingness to test the law allows. The A8’s handsomely sculpted body remains straight, even when you are rounding a sweeping curve at 55 mph, as I did while merging onto Interstate 4 in Lake Mary.

The speed-sensitive power rack-and-pinion steering is not as crisp as I would like, but it has a firm feel, and the car’s turning radius of 40.2 feet is good for such a large car.

Audi equips all A8s with the most advanced anti-lock four-wheel disc brake system on the road. The pedal requires just the right amount of pressure to stop the car quickly, and the ABS system engages smoothly and quietly.

If the A8 has a negative trait it is that its rigid bo dy doesn’t handle a series of small, quick bumps – such as those you might encounter on a dirt road – with as much aplomb as a Lexus or Mercedes. You feel a bit of jounce as you drive over such surfaces.

FIT AND FINISH

At $61,000, Audi’sA8 is breaking new ground in prices – there has never been an Audi so expensive. The A8 costs considerably more than the Lexus LS400 and the Mercedes-Benz E420 – about $9,000 and $12,000, respectively.

For such a steep price, the A8 has to be better than its rivals if it is going to be successful. And I believe that it is in a number of areas.

Technically, the LS400 is a masterpiece. There may not be an automobile built as well as the flagship Lexus. But somewhere along the way, Lexus engineers neglected to give the LS a personality. The Japanese car has no soul.

The same can’t be said about the A8.

I like the taut lines of the A8’s cleanly styled body. The fenders bulge slightly, giving the car a beefy l ok. I think this is a car that will age well because it deftly blends curves and lines into such a smoothly flowing shape.

Also, the car’s understated elegance appeals to me, because it’s a vehicle you can drive without rubbing your affluence into everyone else’s face. For quite a while it’s been downright uncool to flaunt wealth.

The wood-trimmed interior and supple gray leather seats in our test car conveyed an inviting warmth. I felt comfortable and at ease from the moment I sat in the driver’s firm bucket seat. The proportions are such that all the pertinent controls, switches and buttons are easy to reach and use, but you don’t feel cramped.

The A8 comes with a long list of power accessories. All the requisite convenience and luxury items are here: electrically operated tilt and telescoping steering wheel, heated seats with memory, one-touch up and down windows, computerized dual zone air conditioning and more.

The A8 is the only car on the market with six air bags – two up front and one side air bag for each passenger.

Audi has risen to the challenge and designed a car that can be assembled as tightly as the Lexus or the Mercedes E-class. The doors close with bankvault-like solidity, and the gaps between the fenders, hood and doors are very tight. This helps gives the A8 a very impressive appearance.

Visibility is excellent. Large windows front and rear give the driver a good view of the road. The trunk is large, and it’s easy to load and unload because the trunk lid extends to the bumper.

Our test car came with $3,500 worth of options that really didn’t add much to the car. The convenience and cold weather package added radio controls on the steering wheel, power headrests, an expandable ski and storage rack and heated outside mirrors and seats. The warm weather package included window shades and a solar sunroof. The A8 would be just as fine without all these expensive add-ons.

Still, as with many other technically advanced cars, the A8’s price is a bit higher than competitive cars. In these uncertain economic times, Audi probably won’t have an easy job on its hands trying to convince potential buyers that they should spend extra money on an A8 instead of buying a Lexus or a Mercedes.

Will buyers feel that an aluminum car is worth the extra money?

I do. The A8 has the character the Lexus lacks, the well-made durability of the Mercedes-Benz, and all the performance and equipment needed to stakeout its own place in the market.

Specifications: Base price: $56,900. Safety: Driver and passenger air bags, four side-impact air bags, anti-lock brakes, traction control and front and rear crumple zones. Price as tested: $61,900. EPA rating: 17 mpg city/26 mpg highway. Incentives: None.

Truett’s tip: With the A8, Audi joins the ranks of the world’s premier aut omakers. Audi’s new flagship is a tightly built, technically advanced rocketship that deserves equal billing with the Lexus LS400 and Mercedes-Benz E-420.