The last thing the 520hp Audi S8 needed was more power but Ingolstadt has gone to town on it nonetheless. The result is the S8 plus, a 605hp/700Nm executive express of the utmost discretion.
Exterior
The regular S8 trades on subtlety and the plus model doesn't throw all that work into the bin. Thus, peel those eyes to spot that there's a body-coloured boot lip spoiler (optionally available in carbon fibre), the flaps on the side air inlets and front apron blade are finished in carbon fibre, the Singleframe grille and its bars are gloss black, the side air inlets' honeycomb structure and the radiator screen are matt black, the rear lights are darkened and there's a gloss black rear diffuser insert. You can opt to have a carbon surround for that diffuser, while the door mirrors - body-coloured as standard - can be finished in either carbon or gloss black. There's basically lots of different shades of black on the S8 plus, then.
As standard, the dual-branch sports exhaust system finishes in a pair of gloss black oval tailpipes at the rear. There's a matt-effect Floret Silver paint, as seen in the pictures, which is exclusive to the plus but otherwise all the rgular S8 colours are available. An S8 styling package puts S8 badges at the front and rear,with 'V8 T' badges on the front wings. The S8 plus has Matrix LED headlights with dynamicindicators too, and runs on 21-inch alloy wheels.
Interior
Arras Red stitching is the watchword in here, as it adorns everything and is complemented by Arras Red piping on the seats. A red ring surrounds the start-stop button, while piano black trim around the Tiptronic's lever and on the centre console offers a classy finish. The headlining and rear parcel shelf are swathed in black Alcantara.
The S8 plus comes in the standard wheelbase A8 and features ambient lighting, convenience key, full-leather interior package, Alcantara package, power-assisted door closing and a DVD/CD changer. Further goodies include Assistance Package with Audi pre-sense plus, four-zone climate control, a Bose surround sound system and MMI navigation plus with MMI touch.
Mechanicals
Ah, here we get to the good bits. The 4.0 TFSI biturbo V8 has been attended to by both Audi and Quattro GmbH, with revised ECU settings, modified exhaust valves and revised inner geometry for the turbocharger. The net results are 605hp and 700Nm, although in a time-limited overboost mode the S8 plus kicks out 750Nm. Given the S8 is largely aluminium and has a body weighing just 231kg, that makes for some scandalous performance from a big four-door saloon. The 0-100km/h sprint is demolished in 3.8 seconds and while it is normally governed to the traditional 250km/h, go for the Dynamic Package and that increases to a giddy 305km/h.
That package also adds carbon-fibre reinforced ceramic brakes gripped by Anthracite Grey callipers with the Audi ceramic logo and a sports exhaust system to make the S8 plus a touch throatier. As standard, the plus has an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox, sports adaptive air suspension and dynamic steering - these last two have been specifically tuned for the S8 plus. Fuel economy ranges from 9.4- to 9.6 litres/100km (30.1- or 29.4mpg), with CO2 emissions between 216- and 225g/km depending on which alloys you pick for the car.
Anything else?
"We have further sharpened our large sport sedan," said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, board member for Technical Development at Audi AG. "The new Audi S8 plus has a substantial gain in power and defines the pinnacle of sporty performance in the segment. That is why 'plus' appears in its name."
The Audi S8 plus will be available in its native Germany at the end of November, starting at €145,200. Expect it to cost a whole lot more if it comes to Ireland...