Audi S8 – Review: Pronounce the name of Audi’s flagship sport sedan as one word, “sate,” and the resulting utterance is a verb meaning to “satisfy a desire or appetite to the full.” With ten cylinders of Italian-sourced power – yep, the V-10 in this car is essentially the same engine found in the Lamborghini Gallardo but tuned differently – combined with handling upgrades, a sumptuous cabin and plenty of gadgets, it stands to reason that the Audi S8 would more than sate just about anyone lusting for performance, luxury and technology. We didn’t quite get our fill, but only because we had to give the keys back.

Audi loaned us a $110,170 version of the S8, and that sum included a $1,700 gas guzzler charge and a $720 destination fee. Painted Daytona Gray Pearl Effect, our car added to the $92,000 base price a wonderful Bang & Olufsen audio system ($6,300); a leather appointment upgrade that coated the dash with stitched hides ($4,900); and a Premium Package with features like keyless ignition and locking, heated rear seats, an advanced parking system, a power rear sunshade, and power assists for the trunk and doors ($3,500). We also had Sirius satellite radio ($550) and carbon fiber trim ($500). We spent a week driving the Audi S8 on the highways and byways of the Los Angeles area.

Great expectations frequently lead to dissatisfying realities, and so it is with the Audi S8’s 5.2-liter, 450-horsepower V-10 engine. We knew it was a gas guzzler, and it proved so with an average of 13.9 mpg during a week of spirited driving, but in return we expected the S8 to accelerate in a decidedly quicker fashion than the A8 4.2 we drove a few weeks prior. By the seats of our pants, it did not. The 6-speed Tiptronic transmission usually behaved itself, but sometimes during city driving delivered a bigger dose of off-the-line power than requested. During hard driving on back roads, manual shifting produced fast gear changes using the selector or paddles mounted to the steering wheel.

When it comes to outright handling capability, Audi has cured what ailed the A8 upon which the S8 is based, and this large luxo-sedan is now an official thrill to drive once it has broken free of urban gridlock. The brakes are flawless, grip is extraordinary, and the Servotronic steering provides added feel and feedback. The adjustable suspension offers varying levels of stiffness, with “comfort” best for normal driving and “dynamic” suited more for twisty two-lane roads. If there’s a flaw here, it lay with the occasional shudder coming up through the steering column when slamming around a tight turn. Based on our evaluations, the Audi S8 is the enthusiast’s car of choice in the super luxury class.

Since the Audi S8’s rear headrests don’t collapse or nest into the rear seatbacks, and because the side mirrors are on the small side for such a large car, outward visibility is not as good as it should be. Our test car had Audi’s advanced parking system, a rear-mounted camera that shows what’s behind the S8 as well as trajectory lines displaying the path the car will take, and this helped immensely when parking and reversing. Bi-xenon adaptive headlights also improve visibility by illuminating corners when negotiating turns after dark.

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