What they said when the Audi A8 was new… (Apr 8 2003)
JAMES Bond eat your heart out....
The new version of Audi's latest luxury flagship A8 has technology that even "Q" hasn't thought of - it can read your fingerprints.
In a quantum leap forward in technology the new £51,000-plus car has a tiny pad near the gearshift which recognises the owner's fingerprints and adjusts the car's comfort settings accordingly.
Place your index finger on the pad and the car will instantly move the driver's seat, steering wheel and mirrors to your pre-set position, switch the radio to your favourite channel and the air conditioning to your ideal temperature.
It also allows you - and only you - access to your personal phonebook in the car's computer memory and your history of destinations in the satellite navigation system.
If your partner also drives the car that's no problem. This car will recognise up to four different people from their fingerprints and change the settings accordingly.
"But what happens if you cut your index finger or have a plaster on it" I asked thinking I had caught someone out.
"Oh we have thought of that. The car will recognise up to 20 fingerprints so everyone of the four people who normally drive it can have up to five of their fingerprints scanned in," product manger Mark Gillett told me.
"Our boffins had thought of having fingerprint entry into the car instead of a key, but when it was suggested that in some countries thieves might cut an owners hand off to steal the vehicle they rapidly dropped that idea.
"Now this system - which is part of a £1200 optional package - is used purely for comfort features rather than security features."
The James Bond stuff doesn't stop there with this car - said by Audi to be "the most technically advanced saloon ever built."
You will soon be able to order the A8 with special lights that shine around bends as you approach them.
In simple terms the A8's navigation system tells the lighting system that the car is approaching a right hand bend and the lights broaden their beam to the right in anticipation.
Audi now has the technology to fit this, but it will be about 12 months before legislation allows it to use the new lighting system, known affectionately as "bendy lights."
Like its predecessor the new A8 is all aluminium but now the body is 60 per cent more rigid. It's also 50 per cent lighter than an equivalent car body in steel.
It features a new adaptive air suspension system, which gives the driver a choice of four settings.
Turn the centre console switch to dynamique and you have the handling of a sports car. Switch to comfort and you get the ride of a luxury saloon. Leave the setting in automatic and the car will change the settings to suit the way you are driving.
Initially the new four-wheel-drive A8 quattro comes with a choice of 3.7-litre or 4.2-litre V8 engines, although a four litre V8 turbo diesel model will go into production in June.
The same size engines were in the previous A8, but for the new models the engines have been comprehensively revised and upgraded for even more power.
That means the 3.7-litre will reach 62mph in 7.3 secs and the 4.2-litre in 6.3 secs. Both have a top speed limited to 155mph and average around 23.5 miles to the gallon.
The new cars come with a six speed tiptronic system so you have a choice of using them in automatic mode or, for more hands-on driving, manual mode. A special shift programme developed for the new six speed box avoids excessively frequent gear changes.
This car is the ultimate long distance cruiser, as I found out when an air traffic controllers strike meant a major diversion and resulted in me covering almost 400 miles in one day.
But on the motorways it soaks up the miles with consummate ease, so even after long distances you arrive relaxed. At the same time it will tackle tight bends and curves in a manner to be envied.
For as well as giving this car more creature comforts, Audi has dramatically improved its handling.
For such a big car to be this agile yet supremely positive on testing roads is quite a coup for the German manufacturer. A luxury saloon it might be, but "soft" it definitely isn't.
New to the A8 is what Audi calls its Multi Media Interface, a clever system which allows you to select on the centre console screen everything from suspension settings to radio controls.
The user-friendly system uses the increasing number of features this car offers so the driver can make changes quickly and simply. Without it a car like the A8 would need banks of switches and dials.
The new A8 has a three year warranty and you can even buy a five year full service and maintenance package for around £500.
That means the A8 will appeal to the heart as well as the head, and as such is assured of a sales success.
Words: Edward Stephens
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