I’ve driven the £100,000 Audi S8 – it’s probably the pinnacle of petrol power before we all go electric
I BET you can't guess how many different model variants Audi currently offers in Britain?
It's 73 - I just counted them on its website.
Small cars, hatchbacks, saloons, SUVs, EVs, coupés and supercars. You name it, Audi has three.
And in case you were wondering which is the best of the lot, I've gone and found you the answer; it's the Audi S8.
It isn't the quickest Audi, nor the most practical or economical and it starts at £102,000.
But I reckon it's the best all-round feat of engineering.
More than that, if this is where we've got with combustion-engined cars as a human race before we throw it all in the bin and switch to batteries, I think we've done a fine job.
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For those who don't know, the Audi A8 is the German firm's luxury limousine and the 'S' essentially means it's the range-topping sporty version.
It comes with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 571hp, four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard.
As a result, all two tonnes of it will get from standstill at the Starbucks drive-through to a 62mph motorway cruise in just 3.8 seconds.
Says Audi, except that in reality, it does it in 3.4 seconds. Which is next-to-nothing behind Audi's own V10 R8 supercar.
The downside? It has an 82-litre fuel tank that costs the thick end of £150 to fill up. And it won't last long if you drive it like that.
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So it's fast, but the S8 will also get down a winding country road with incredible pace and agility - and in any weather.
That's partly to do with the S8's all-wheel drive but also its air suspension that props it up in bends and standard rear-wheel steering that improves its turning circle and stability.
And when you aren't in the mood you can switch from Dynamic to Comfort driving mode and the S8 is one of the comfiest and quietest cars on sale at any speed.
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The standard A8 comes in two lengths, but the S8 comes in just the shorter of the two. No bother; the front and rear space inside is brilliant and so is the boot.
Naturally, there's every last bit of tech Audi offers crammed inside too, from digital dials to adaptive cruise control, a Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system and some of the most advanced LED lights on the market.
The S8's suspension even raises to greet you as soon as you open the door to make it easier to climb inside, then sinks back down once you're seated.
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So there we are, the Audi S8 is the best Audi and one of the best all-round combustion cars money can buy.
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And it doesn't currently have any rivals, until Mercedes launches its AMG S 63 and BMW its M-badged 7 Series, both of which will cost far more.
The catch is you'll still need a lot of money to buy the S8, and most people will want Audi's more practical and imposing SQ7 or RS Q8 SUVs instead.
