In-depth reviews

Audi A8 saloon (2010-2017): owner reviews

"The Audi A8 is the German manufacturer’s flagship model – a huge saloon car designed for comfort and luxury. In the right trim it can be fast and fun, too"

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by Richard Ingram

10 Mar 2017

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Carbuyer Rating

3.7 out of 5

Owners Rating

4.3 out of 5

Price

£79,390 - £122,505

Reviews

Owner Reviews

5 out of 5
4 out of 5
3 out of 5
2 out of 5
1 out of 5

78%of people would recommend this car to a friend

Common Problems

Other (1 case)
Engine (2 cases)
Suspension (1 case)
Electrics (3 cases)
Electrics, Gearbox / clutch (1 case)
Gearbox / clutch (1 case)

Review 1 of 27

Tell us what you think about your car?

Very nice car, as it should be. 80% of what it's about one can't see... lots of hidden qualities. Becomes more pleasureable the longer you own it (professional reviews miss a lot on a short drive). Described as a "stealth wealth" car and I agree... Very conservative looks. It performs, rather than simply looking like it will. Despite relatively plain exterior it does attract a lot of looks from men and women alike. Fun to drive, sport package more so but V6 has plenty of power for most driving regardless. I don't find the front passenger or rear leg room generous enough. Front passenger has less than a mid '90's A6 I think, less storage all around (glove box/doors) as well and much smaller trunk, and no folding rear seats. The A8L solves the rear leg room I expect. Excellent build quality... flawless. MMI takes time to learn, but it's not an issue really. Comfortable. Passengers seem quite enthusiastic and soak up the experience. Ambient lighting makes night driving serene. LED matrix headlights are awesome. Bose audio is very good. Night vision is surprisingly useful. Blind spot warning too. Parking assist with 360 degree top view is very helpful. Turning radius is relatively wide, again parking assist is a good option. Give consideration to where you're going to have to park it. It's a really, really good car in my opinion. I've tried to think of some more drawbacks but really, nothing comes to mind, mostly just positives upon positives. I'd rate it a 4.6 if I could.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Astonishing handling for a car of this size. A car for someone who enjoys driving. Road noise and a bit of a choppy ride on bad roads means it is probably not for you if your idea of a luxury car ride is absolute plushness and silence. Totally unlike large Audis of the past, rear biased Quattro and plenty of chassis feedback makes this a joy to drive and own.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

Water Pump replaced

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

An excellent luxury car

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Luxury audi a8 5998cc w12 - my wife loves the car.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Very good luxury car for not a lot of money

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Fantastic

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

The car is great but it does suffer from a technical faults quiet often. eg- Last month my cars roof shade stopped working and the sun was killing me. So i had to take it to the service station and also a week before that its bluetooth stopped working as well.The car's performance otherwise is phenomenal its a beast on the road. It pulls away like a porsche.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Handles very well in ice and snow. No problems with it since purchased.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Good allround car

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Brilliant

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Overall, a great, great car and one which becomes more appreciated the longer one owns it. It's prone to reliability failures after 30,000km and 3 yrs based on my experience. The satellite antenna failed after 3 years (you cannot drive the car without the satellite antenna operational as it will cause a cascade of faults that will cripple the car... mine would not shut off) and noisy vent motor and bad woofer speaker as well, all replaced under warranty by dealer with no fuss whatsoever. The mechatronic gearbox failed after 4 years, just out of warranty, a $6500 part I was told. Dealer once again without pressure got Audi to cover all but $1,000 so I feel well treated. One might think this is a negative review but so far my opinion is still positive. I recommend Audi and have owned a TT and A6 and the A8 is still my preferred car. My advice is to always dealer service the cars and maintain a warranty and be prepared for things to happen after 30,000 km. I don't think these issues are specific to just Audi, rather the nature of things in general nowadays. Some positives: really a fun car to drive, surprisingly good fuel economy; understated but attractive styling; comfortable; reasonably quick.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

absolutely no problems

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

It is a superb car and has all the performance economy comfort and style needed

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

An extremely comfortable, agile and reliable car

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Great car for long trips whatever the weather

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

The best in it's class. Always satisfys me and my passengers.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I love almost everything about this car. It pulls like a train, it does 0-60 in 5.8 seconds, it has class and comfort and will return 40 - 50 Mpg if you take it easy. It is double glazed and whisper quiet. The only thing you can hear is the tyre noise (which is a shame really as it takes the slightest edge off what could be the most refined drive). Possibly the best thing about this car is its 'understatedness'. Yes it's an executive car and thus might look more at home in the golf club carpark than it does parked up at Le Mans for the weekend. However, this thing does everything. It will do ridiculous Autobahn cruises for hours at over 100mph without needing a fuel stops, it will turn instantly into a usable 4x4 and handle snow and waterlogged festival car parks as you raise the suspension with a single button. It even pretends to be a bit of a GT sports car with paddle-shift gears, a sports box going through the quattro drive and big wads of torque that fire you out of the corners with enough umph to offset the speed you had to scrub off to get this aluminium beast around it. There is just no way that a massive exec car like this should be able to accelerate like it does. If I had to list gripes it would be the slightly floaty steering feel from the air suspension and the fact that "dynamic" setting is basically another word for 'rough'. Boot space is limited by the rear axle height which wouldn't be an issue EXCEPT the back seats DO NOT FOLD DOWN - which is a massive pain in the back-side and leads me having to take the wife's car to Ikea and putting the skis in the back seats on the way to the airport. In conclusion - this car is fast, big, economical and refined and does everything except look cool - which I think makes it cool. £65-£70k new or £24K 3 years old with 20k on the clock. An A7, and A6 or even a A5 or A4 with this engine, this level of trim will cost you way more than that.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

I purchased an Audi A8 with 16k on the clock and when it reached around 55k the gearbox failed. When I contacted Audi they quoted me around £12k and failed to take any responsibility or ownership that the car was faulty and should not have failed so early. This then led to a series of issues as I took the car to a third party to repair at a cost of around £4.5k and a year later the mechatronic unit has also failed and is costing a further £5k to repair. I have escalated to Audi and its executive complaints area who have done nothing but make excuses and even ignore their legal responsibilities under the Consumer Act which requires a product to be fit for purpose for at least 6 years. There is no way that any consumer would expect an Audi A8 to have issues after reaching 55k, especially given that it is a £70k car new. Audi have really messed me around and the point of contact that was allocated to me did nothing but make up lies and play games and at no point took responsibility. I purchased this car in good faith and the main reason I went for a Audi A8 was because I wanted reliability, however for the last 12 months all I have done is lose money and run around and exchange multiple emails with Audi. I have had to hire vehicles for nearly 3 of the last year or so and even now am carless as the mechatronic unit is being repaired. Audi have made me take the car to one of their dealers just to charge me £250 and provide no solution but a quote for £8.5k. I have to say the customer service provided was extremely rude and misleading and show what a poor organisation this really is. I would suggest and highly recommend that everyone avoid buying an Audi as if you just Google gearbox problems you will find a number of cars have failed and some as early as 35k miles. I am in the process of instigating legal proceedings against Audi Leicester and am just in the process of selecting a firm of solicitors to represent me. I for one will never be buying an Audi again and as soon as mine is repaired and fit for purpose I will sell it and soon after be selling all the Audis owned by my family. Not only was their highest product a total failure and full of faults BUT their customer service was the poorest I have ever experienced and to be treated like this by a high value organisation is unacceptable. They have totally disregarded their legal obligations and also failed to answer any questions or requests for information from me. Instead they constantly came back with excuses.

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

It is reliable and does the job. It is basic

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

No Red thumbs down

Tell us what you think about your car?

I love it

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

Tell us what you think about your car?

Does what it says on the tin

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up

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