Stately
and impressive and built like a tank!
The Audi
A8 quattro comes to India in the elongated version (that's what the
L in the name stands for) which means that its length is an impressive
5181mm, 131mm longer than the normal one and longer than even the
stretched Mercedes-Benz S350L that we get here in India. It has nice
smooth flowing lines with a flat front a very short overhang at one
end and a high, imposing tail at the other. The effort of course has
been to produce a wedge shape that lends dynamism to the body styling.
This combined with the sharply rising shoulder line give the impression
of the car being compact while it is actually quite large. As has
become typical of Audis, the sine qua non of the A8 design is the
rejection of all superfluous elements. The front combines evolutions,
again of typical Audi elements such as the broad double grille with
some new features. The clear-glass covers on the broad headlights
mean that the tubular light units are visible and look good. The rear
tail lamps which have high-luminosity LEDs form broad bands connecting
the side section with the rear end.
The
cutting out of superfluous elements and retaining typical Audi styling
might be all fine in principle but when the vehicle looks quite like
its smaller siblings, and not exciting like its competition then that
is definitely a drawback. The goatee beard type of front grille does
add character and a distinctive look to the car but unfortunately
that comes only with the A8s equipped with the W12 engine.
Getting
back to the build quality, the body panels seem to merge into each
other quite seamlessly, though this can be because of the very large
panels and the flowing lines. The nigh structural rigidity manifests
itself in the small things like the way the doors close or the way
the bonnet feels. There can be no denying that this is one of the
best built vehicles that we have seen in the country.
|
March
2005