Audi A8

Photo: Audi

Audi perfects these qualities with the V8 TDI. From a capacity of just 3.3 litres the engine develops a peak torque of 480 Nm that is already available at 1800 rpm and remains at this level up to 3000 rpm. Its best specific consumption is just 205 grams per kilowatt hour and thus extremely low for an eight-cylinder engine. With a high specific output of almost 50 kilowatts per litre displacement, it is the absolute frontrunner compared with the competition. 

Equipped with quattro permanent four-wheel drive as standard, the most powerful A8 with diesel engine majestically converts this potential into maximum dynamism, while remaining easy for the driver to control. It will come as no surprise that the performance figures of the A8 3.3 TDI quattro qualify it for the sports car league. This luxury-class saloon, which has a 5-speed tiptronic transmission as standard, reaches 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds. Its top speed is even more impressive at 242 km/h. However, one thing that may come as a surprise in view of this high performance level is the car’s fuel consumption: the A8 3.3 TDI quattro requires just 9.7 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres (total fuel consumption according to 93/116/EC). 

At the same time, four valves per cylinder, common rail injection, two electronically controlled turbochargers with variable turbine geometry (VTG) and cooled charge-air and exhaust-gas recirculation also help the Audi A8 3.3 TDI quattro to comply with the strict emission limits as specified in EU III. 

Since 1989 Audi has revolutionised the diesel world with its TDI engines. This is an engine concept that can also compete with the spark-ignition engine in terms of dynamics and driving pleasure, while consuming around 30 percent less fuel and producing outstanding torque even at the lowest engine speeds. The TDI thus strikes a balance between seeming opposites, combining the pleasure derived from sporty driving with environmentally conscious mobility and the ability to cover a considerable distance on a single tank of fuel.

(July 7, 2000)