2016 Audi S8 Plus Review and Price

Audi lacked a high performance full size luxury sedan for a very long time but not too long ago they released the S8, a higher performance version of the usual A8 but still slightly less powerful than its arch rival, the AMG S63 AMG. In order to be able to compete with the latter, a few days ago at the LA Auto Show they released the 2016 Audi S8 Plus which is the even higher performance version of the high performance version of the A8. The car still uses the same engine as before but this time they worked on the chassis and suspension system as well as they tweaked the engine in order to deliver a lot more power.

The price for the car has been set at $115,000 for the base model without the optional Dynamic package which is very surprising because it means that the S8 Plus is around $15,000 cheaper than the RS7, a car which features the exact same engine as it. The new 2016 Audi S8 Plus will be ready for sale by the end of this year but Audi will likely start delivering the cars in the first quarter of 2016.

2016 Audi S8 Plus Exterior

The exterior of the 2016 Audi S8 Plus is quite similar to that of the usual S8 and for an untrained eye it may even look identical. For now we are aware only of a couple of new color options such as the white on the showcased model as well as a new type of blue which has also been released on the RS7. The updates for the exterior consist out of a new type of headlights with a full LED matrix while the rear end received a new exhaust system with blacked out tailpipes. The wheels of the Plus model are unique to it and slightly larger than those of the S8. These also come with the same tires as those found on the RS7 so the car should provide its driver with a lot more confidence.

Interior

The interior is identical to that of the S8 and very similar to the one in the A8. The car is nowhere near as luxurious or as comfortable as the AMG S63 Mercedes but in our opinion it does have a lot more character than that car. The dashboard is nicer to look at and even though is doesn’t have all the technology of the S-Class, the S8 Plus is very well equipped with a chronograph-style instrument cluster, a pop-up LCD screen in the center console as well as an interior covered in leather and carbon fiber which looks great and feels even better.

2016 Audi S8 Plus Engine

Engine wise, the 2016 Audi S8 Plus comes equipped with the same 4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 as the usual S8 or most other high performance Audi models. In this tune, the engine makes a healthy 605 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque which will increase for a limited amount of time to 553 lb-ft of torque via an overboost function. The interesting part is that it is the same engine as in the RS7 but in the A8 it is even faster. The 8 speed automatic and quattro all wheel drive system will allow the S8 Plus to get to 60 MPH in just 3.5 seconds and up to a limited top speed of 155 MPH.

The optional Dynamic package will likely be chosen by most buyers as it increases the car’s top speed to 190 MPH, the same as the RS7, and on top of that it adds an upgraded suspension system, larger carbon-ceramic brakes with anthracite brake calipers as well as slight upgrades to its interior such as a Bose sound system and a four zone climate control unit.

2016 Audi S8 Plus Review and Price

2016 Audi RS7 Specs and Changes

The RS7 is one of the most capable sedans in the World and its design manages to attract many people with the coupe-like lines and the hyper-car levels of performance. The current model has been released back in 2013 as an update for the normal A7 and it has been restyled last year in order to better fit Audi’s design scheme. A few days ago Audi also released a new model at the Los Angeles Auto Show which will be sold alongside the usual RS7. The 2016 Audi RS7 will now also be available as a higher performance model with the Performance edition. This model will start at just over $130,000 when it will start selling in the first half of 2016.

2016 Audi RS7 Review

The price is nearly $30,000 than that of the usual car which may not seem like it is worth it but Audi did work extensively to make it better to drive, faster and safer. The design on the other hand as well as the interior did not change all that much mostly because the all new generation of the A7 is quite close so the RS7 will be available in its current state for a maximum of two additional years.

Exterior Design

Just as we said, the exterior design of the 2016 Audi RS7 is pretty much identical to that of the 2015 model so it comes with the same front and rear ends as well as with the same aerodynamic kit. However, Audi did upgrade the wheels on the car so it comes with new designs on the high performance model as well as it gave it a new rear diffuser and on top of that the car will come with LED matrix headlights which is a first for this model. The car has been showcased in a light blue color at the LA Auto Show which is said to be unique to this model.

Interior of 2016 Audi RS7

Audi RS7 Interior

Inside the cabin, the 2016 Audi RS7 is also very similar to the older model so it comes with the same Android based infotainment system as well as with the same type of seats. The instrument cluster did change slightly in order to give the driver more information about the car and there is a couple of new controls because Audi installed on the new RS7 a more advanced dynamic drive control system. As a bonus, the previous optional RS sport seats are now available on the two models which is worth at least $5,000.

2016 Audi RS7 Engine

Engine wise, the 2016 Audi RS7 boasts the same 4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 as before which is certainly smaller than the previous 5 liter V10 on the S6 and RS6 but it is more powerful. The base RS7 still offers just 560 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. The Performance model of the RS7 on the other hand has been upgraded to it offers a heftier 605 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque while an overboost function will further increase the torque of the car to 553 lb-ft of torque. This will allow it to get to 60 MPH in just 3.6 seconds and up to a limited top speed of 190 MPH which is very impressive considering the car offers five seats, four doors and a massive boot. In order to allow it to get to that speed, Audi also installed a carbon-ceramic braking system to allow it to stop safely in any situation.

The engine is mated to the same 8 speed automatic gearbox as before which sends its power to a quattro all wheel drive system. This time around though, Audi did work on it in order to minimize under-steer and allow the car to be even faster around corners. Unlike with the other upgrades they did, the quattro all wheel drive system has been upgraded on both the base and performance versions of the car.

2016 Audi RS7 Specs and Changes

2016 Audi A8

The Audi A8 is the current flagship sedan for the German manufacturer which also happens to be one of the best selling full size luxury cars in the World. However, despite that the current car is quite old and in desperate need of a massive redesign. This has been in the works since the late 2014 and it seems that the new model might be closer than everyone thought. At first, Audi was thinking of using the same Porsche designed platform as that found in the Panamera meaning that the end result might have been quite impressive, a mid-front mounted engine in a future A8 would have made it quite impressive. However, this didn’t actually happen because Audi disagreed with Porsche and the head-engineer decided that it is better for Audi to build a brand new platform which would cost them up to 3 billion dollars. This new platform is also going to be shared with the upcoming A9 Coupe as well as the Q8 in order to minimize the production costs of the A8.

Price and Release Date

The result is the D5 model which is going to use the PL65 platform, specifically designed for it. Unfortunately this platform is quite similar to the old one, so even though the car will offer a lot of power, it will not offer the sportiness of the Porsche model. This platform is also more expensive than the one found in the Panamera so the 2016 Audi A8 could start at a base price higher than $90,000 which is almost $10,000 more than the current model. On top of that, the release of the car has been delayed until the end of 2016 with the actual production car being ready some time in the second quarter of 2017.

2016 Audi A8 engine

Engine wise, the new 2016 Audi A8 will only feature Audi based engines, so the base model should get a 3 liter supercharged V6 similar to that of the current model but this time it will make more power at 360 horsepower and more than 350 lb-ft of torque. The top of the range W12 engine is also going to be discontinued in the favor of a smaller but equally powerful 4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 which is now going to be available in two power outputs: 440 horsepower and 600 horsepower. All of these engines will use the same 8 speed automatic as before as well as Audi’s own quattro all wheel drive system. Some markets will also receive diesel engines in the car’s roster, so the 2016 Audi A8 will come with either a 3 liter twin-turbo V6 with 270 horsepower or with a 4 liter V8 with more than 400 horsepower, both of them offering well over 500 lb-ft of torque.

Exterior of 2016 Audi A8

The exterior will change dramatically from that of the current generation and even though there is no official picture of the car, Audi released the Prologue which seems to carry a lot of the future design of the Audi models. It is unclear yet if the A8 will get a similar style to the Panamera with a longer hood and shorter back end, but the car will definitely get a sharper looking grille, more angular headlights which offer a lot more aggressive stance than the current rounder design as well as more sharp edges than before.

Interior

On the inside on the other hand, the 2016 Audi A8 will continue to be what the current model is, a flagship, meaning all the materials and equipment is going to be state of the art. In fact, this is very likely going to be the first mass produced car to receive an autonomous driving system which is going to drive the car all by itself on most roads thanks to a radar system and very accurate GPS unit.

2016 Audi A8

2016 Audi A5

The current A5 has been around since 2007 and in the meantime it received a couple of updates which included new engines, slight exterior updates and even new interior equipment. However, despite that the car is starting to lose ground against its much newer competitors so Audi had to do something about it. Since the new A4 is pretty much done and considering the fact that the A5 is a development of the A4 then it would only be natural for the 2016 Audi A5 to come on the market in the near future despite the fact Audi has not said anything about it.

It is safe to assume that the upcoming A5 is going to use the same platform as the new A4 or even the new Q7, a new modular MLB II platform which will be around 200 to 300 pounds lighter than before as well as much stronger. This new platform will also allow Audi’s engineers to fit the A5 with new engines and equipment and it should allow for a much better to drive car than before. The actual release date is currently unknown but it seems that the new A5 will be released on the market a couple of months after the release of the A4 meaning it might see the light of day some time in the early 2016. Its price will remain similar to that of the current model meaning it should start right around $41,000 while the top end models will go up to nearly $80,000.

2016 Audi A5 Exterior

Even though the 2016 Audi A5 has not been made public just yet, its design will most likely change to something more current. In fact, the front end of the car will be pretty much identical to that of the new A4 so it will feature a new hexagonal grille, a sharper all around design, new LED headlights as well as a new more aggressive profile. In the back it will receive new LED tail lights as well as a new exhaust system which will feature different tailpipes depending on the engine installed in the car.

Interior of new Audi A5

Inside the cabin the changes are going to continue. Firstly, the A5 will receive an all new infotainment system which will run the Android operating system and it will be powered by an Nvidia CPU. These should make it snappier and much easier to use than the previous one. The materials will be just as good as before while most of the safety features are going to be offered as standard. Cruise control, frontal collision warning, blind spot alert and even an active driver’s seat that will monitor the driver in order to keep it alert are all going to be offered on the base version of the car.

ENGINE

Under the hood of the 2016 Audi A5 there are going to be quite a few new engines. The base model on the US market will stick with a 2 liter turbocharged inline 4 but this time it will make more than the current 220 horsepower. On top of that, the older 3 liter supercharged V6 on the S5 and the V8 of the RS5 are both going to be discontinued and replaced with an all new 3 liter all-aluminum V6. In the S5 it will still be supercharged but this time it will make upwards of 370 horsepower and 360 lb-ft of torque while the RS5 will get a twin-turbocharged version of the same engine which is supposedly going to make over 500 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque which could make it the most powerful car in its class. All engines are going to use a new 8 speed automatic while some models will also receive a 6 speed manual. The best part about the A5 though is that the great quattro all wheel drive system will be standard even on the base 2 liter engine.

2016 Audi A5