A8 IT GREAT.(Auto File)

Audi's flagship worthy of its place

Not to start this Auto-File off on a negative note, but allow us to get the ugly stuff out of the way first:

"Audi's Multi Media Inter-face ruins this car. I should have replaced my wife's Lexus LS 400 with an LS 430 or new Jaguar XJ8. The mistake is mine. Never again, Audi!'' (sic, on the exclamation point, that is.)

So wrote one A8 L (L stands for long wheelbase, the only model we get in the United States) owner who clearly won't be buying another. And we think that's too bad, because while the MMI certainly puts an annoying damper on the enjoyment of driving it (we hate! the MMI, too, by the way), the A8 L has earned its place in the ranks of the world's top-billed luxury sedans.

Every owner save one (see above) who wrote in response to our AutoFile survey praised the car for its outstanding performance, from ride to handling to acceleration to braking. We won't argue any of those points; after thrashing the A8 L around the track for a day, we found that praise is well deserved.

The A8 L shines in straight-line performance, with a sub-seven-second run to 60 mph belying the car's tank-worthy 4399-pound curb weight (that's a lot of aluminum). More than that, the V8 produces such a nice, flat torque curve that acceleration feels steady, linear. To illustrate that point, just check out the car's passing speeds: 2.6 seconds from 20 to 40 mph, 3.6 seconds from 40 to 60 and 4.9 seconds from 60 to 80.

Additionally, for such a long and heavy car, the A8 L performs as well as any of its ilk through our tight slalom, turning in a stellar 44.9-mph run. And that is with a front end that pushes like a pig, forcing the front tires into giving up grip at full go on a turn. That explains the car's could-be-better skidpad showing of 0.79 g, however, a little throttle coaxing (call it positive reinforcement) is all it takes to get the front end to behave. Lift and the front wheels remember what they're designed to do, mash and the rest of the car follows. In other words, the car is eminently controllable, even with the traction control turned off, and is easy ...