2012 Audi A8 Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Audi A8 review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 A8, and includes Audi A8 safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The 2012 A8 is a full-size luxury sedan, the flagship of the Audi lineup, sold in regular- and long-wheelbase format. It competes with other “super-luxury” models like the BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ, Lexus LS, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Audi launches the A8L W12 for 2012, which is covered in a separate review that discusses long-wheelbase variants of the 2012 A8. The regular-wheelbase model gets standard Audi Connect with Google Earth and mobile wi-fi hotspot capability as standard equipment, and power door closers are added to the optional Convenience Package. A new Balao Brown Audi Design Selection interior package is newly optional, and new full-leather option packages are available.

Like most luxury models competing in this super-luxury class, the 2012 Audi A8 is very well equipped in standard form but provides numerous ways to upgrade so that buyers can tailor a car to specific tastes.

As expected, the seats are coated in Valetta leather and offer 18-way power adjustment as well as multi-stage heating for front-seat occupants. Dual-zone automatic climate control, a power sunroof, and a power tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel are also standard, as well as wood and aluminum cabin trim, LED ambient cabin lighting, and a power rear window sunshade. A Bose surround sound audio system with a CD player, dual SD card slots, iPod/iPhone integration, and three free months of satellite radio are also included on every A8, along with Bluetooth and Audi Connect with mobile wi-fi hotspot connectivity for up to eight devices and Google Voice Local Search capability. Audi’s Multi-Media Interface (MMI) Navigation Plus system includes real-time traffic and weather reports as well as Google Earth imagery, along with an Audi MMI Touch handwriting recognition pad. Additional features include Audi Xenon Plus headlights with LED running lights, an adaptive air suspension, and Audi Drive Select with Normal, Comfort, Sport, and Individual driving modes.

Options are grouped into packages or offered individually. The Convenience Package adds power door close assist, power trunk operation, Audi Parking System Plus (parking sensors), and an Audi Advanced Key keyless entry and push-button ignition system. There’s also a Cold Weather Package with heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel with shift paddles, and a rear-seat pass-through with a ski sack.

The 2012 A8’s cabin can be dressed up with a Premium Package that includes 22-way comfort seats with ventilation and massage, a Full Leather Package with Nappa leather applied to much of the interior and an Alcantara headliner, or an Audi Design Select Package. This last upgrades includes Balao Brown Valcona leather, a Mocca Brown upper dashboard, a Snow White headliner, Snow White seat stitching and piping, brushed aluminum and Ash Natural Balsamic Brown inlays, and a four-zone automatic climate control system. Ritzy.

Audi A8 buyers can also upgrade their cars with the Driver Assistance Package, which includes shift paddles for the steering wheel, an Adaptive Cruise Control system, Audi Lane Assist (lane departure warning), Audi Side Assist (blind spot detection and warning), and Audi Pre-Sense Plus (forward collision warning). Audi also offers a Sport Package for the A8, and it includes 20-inch aluminum wheels, summer performance tires, a sport suspension, a sport rear differential, dynamic steering, 22-way power front sport comfort seats with ventilation and massage, and unique diamond-stitched Valcona leather upholstery.

Believe it or not, there are several extra-cost features in addition to these option packages. If you like music, Vehix strongly recommends the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System. There’s also a rear-seat entertainment system with dual 10-inch viewing screens and a DVD changer, a four-zone automatic climate control system, power rear side window sunshades, and a choice between Dark Brown Walnut and Assam Gray Vavona wood trim. Optional dual-pane window glass helps further quiet the cabin, and the A8 can be equipped with LED headlights, Audi Night Vision Assistant with pedestrian detection and warning technology, and a solar-panel sunroof.

A 4.2-liter V8 engine with 372 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 328 at 3,500 rpm rockets the 2012 Audi A8 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. And yet, despite this athleticism and a standard Quattro all-wheel-drive system fed power by an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, the Audi A8 gets 18 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway while burning premium gas.

The 2012 Audi A8 is equipped with ten airbags, traction and stability control, and four-wheel vented-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. The A8 also comes standard with Audi Pre-Sense technology, which tightens the seatbelts, closes the windows and sunroof, and adds extra braking power if a collision is determined to be imminent.

An optional upgraded version of Audi Pre-Sense adds a forward collision warning system. Additional safety-related options include an Adaptive Cruise Control system, an Audi Lane Assist lane departure warning system, and an Audi Side Assist blind-spot warning system. Audi Night Vision Assistant with pedestrian detection and warning technology is also available, and it uses infrared cameras and thermal imaging technology to see pedestrians in the dark up to 1,000 feet away, and will sound a warning if the pedestrian steps into the A8’s path within 300 feet of the person.

It is common for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to take a pass on testing mega-buck cars like the Audi A8. You’ll need to hope the Audi Space Frame aluminum construction, 4,453-pound curb weight, and safety features do the trick.

Similarly, vehicles that sell in low numbers often cannot be rated with any degree of accuracy when it comes to dependability, and neither Consumer Reports nor J.D. Power and Associates offer guidance on this front.

It is worth noting that Audi’s warranty isn’t that great at four years or 50,000 miles. Audi provides four years of roadside assistance, and your first scheduled service stop is free. Maybe it makes better sense to lease than to buy.

The Audi A8 employs, and always has, Audi Space Frame aluminum construction. This is an expensive way to build a car, but it saves weight and increases strength. Still, despite the extensive use of aluminum, the A8’s base curb weight is 4,453 pounds.

Check out the coefficient of drag on this big four-door Autobahn stormer! At just 0.26 Cd, the A8 slips through the atmosphere with the same efficiency as a Chevy Volt or Toyota Prius, which seriously makes us wonder why those cars need to look like that.

The Audi A8’s Quattro all-wheel drive splits engine power 40:60 front-to-rear to help ensure that the car feels more like a traditional rear-drive sport sedan.

If we have a major gripe about the Audi A8, it pertains to trunk space. At 13.2 cubic-feet, this brawny machine’s trunk is smaller than a Chevy Aveo sedan. Really.

The 2012 Audi A8 is a terrific car. But somehow, it leaves us a little bit cold and we’re pretty sure that’s because it looks similar to the smaller and less expensive A4 and A6 models, inside and out. Selling three sizes of the same thing at Tom Ford or Jimmy Choo is fine because they all cost the same. But here, we’re thinking a loaded Audi A6 might be the better way to go. Unless you decide to go with the Audi A8 L (see separate review).

By Christian Wardlaw