2021 Audi S8

The S8 is available to buy for a cost of $130,900 and a lot of other exciting packages are available at little extra cost that enhances the overall driving experience. This supremely fast land barge competes with other tough rivals like BMW M760i, Porsche Panamera GTS, and Maserati Quattroporte GTS. 

The S8 only comes in a single trim, as this model is targeted at a particular niche of consumers. They have added all the features, luxury, and modern-day engineering into a single trim which is somewhat good, but this again raises the price exponentially. The S8 includes state-of-the-art safety technologies and comfort features inside its cabin. Apart from that, the optional packages are amazing, but at the same time, a little costly. 

Which Trim Should You Buy?

The 2021 Audi S8 is available only in a single trim, which is a blend of limousine-level luxury and sportscar-like performance. Since the S8 is focused to target a specific segment of consumers who want both luxury and performance in a single model, that is the reason why it doesn’t come in other trim options.

The 2021 Audi S8 now comes with a Twin Turbo 4.0L V8 engine, and the on-paper statistics were beefed up a little in comparison to the 2020 model. Its powerhouse now exerts 563 hp along with 593 lb-ft of torque. Its acceleration now gets better and it can now complete the 0-60 run in just 3.8 seconds. Moreover, the biggest catch here is that its powertrain also gets supported by a mild 48-volt electric motor to improve its engine efficiency and reduce fuel consumption to some extent. 

Its engine also features cylinder deactivation to reduce the car’s fuel thirst. Its powertrain is mated to a smooth and quick shift ZF 8-speed automatic transmission and the drivetrain consists of their signature Quattro all-wheel-drive system. It feels quick and powerful while cruising on freeways, but we have to admit that it doesn’t have the best figures in its class either. 

The MSRP of the S8 along with Panamera GTS are the lowest and almost similar to each other. But performance-wise, the Panamera here outperforms S8 easily. The S8 was also not able to compete with the M760i’s massive V12 engine, but it came very close to it in terms of numbers besides coming at a much lesser cost. The Maserati is not as fast despite being expensive.

How well does the 2021 Audi S8 handle?

Audi has gone leaps and bounds ahead to bring innovation in most of its vehicles including the S8 to take its ride quality to the next level. The S8 provides very good steering feedback which feels light and sensitive to your commands. Audi’s signature Quattro AWD system also works fine, and it provides great grip and traction surface while cornering. 

The new predictive active suspension system also monitors the irregularity on the roads, making it capable of adjusting the movements of the wheels for a seamless drive. Other than that, it is also equipped with a torque vectoring system that sends more power to the rear wheels to maintain proper traction while cornering.

2021 Audi S8 Braking performance

The 2021 S8 comes with 16.0-inch carbon-ceramic rotors at the front and the same is available on the rear, but it’s 14.6 inches in diameter. Its stopping power is excellent, and it comes down to a stop from 60 mph in about 105 feet. Other than that, it has all the basic braking features including ABS and standout features like brakeforce distribution and automatic brake assist to further help the car in braking efficiently.

The brake rotors of the Audi S8 are bigger than its closest competitors, and hence its stopping power is excellent even with the highest curb weight. But the overall stats go in favor of the Maserati Quattroporte GTS because of its big brake rotors and comparatively low body weight. All cars perform very well in this area.

The 2021 S8 is not actually meant to provide you with a great range, as it is overall inclined towards performance. But compared to its counterparts, the S8 can still be considered to be low in fuel economy. The combined MPG tends to stay around 16 MPG, which is not enough to excite anyone.

The Panamera GTS surprisingly beats all the other participants here in fuel economy. On the other hand, the S8 was also able to beat BMW’s sedan in fuel economy, which cannot even be considered to be competitive. Porsche’s benchmark is totally out of reach for the BMW and the Audi.

The interiors of Audi cars have been a strong point of the brand, and the same applies to any other German counterpart. The whole cabin including the dashboard is covered in fine premium leather. The front sport seats come with leather upholstery along with diamond stitching and also consist of heating, massage, and memory features. The space is adequate for a comfortable ride, and mostly the same interior room can be seen on its other counterparts. The dashboard has a premium touch to it and is slightly tilted towards the driver’s side for better ergonomics.

The rear row has ample legroom and you can opt for the heating, massage, and memory feature through the Rear seat comfort package that costs around $5,350. This package also provides a center armrest and door armrest heating option, making the ride more enjoyable. Both the rows have a slew of comfort features. And no complaints can be made on the interior part, especially when the car comes out from Audi’s hub.

The S8 and M760i have pretty much similar interior dimensions, but looking very closely, the M760i’s dimensions look a little better. The cargo capacity of the Quattroporte remains unbeaten in this category, with 18.7 cubic feet of space. The boot space of the S8 is decent, but not the worst in the segment at the same time. It is sufficient to hold the luggage of 4 passengers but still, we get to see a much larger space in its competitors so in this case, the S8 lacks behind a little which is one of the few downsides of this sedan. Standout interior features:

• 22-Way Power Heated Front Comfort Sport Seats
• Power Tilt/Telescoping Steering Column
• Power Rear Windows and with power Sun Blinds
• Heated Leather Steering
• Leather upholstery with diamond stitching

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The 2021 S8 contains 2 other display screens other than the main 10.1-inch fluid LED display. The quality and crispness of the display directly compete with the best modern-day HD screens. The music system is from Bang & Olufsen. The S8 comes with a 3D surround sound system coupled with high-quality output. 

The rear seats also have an option to add two more detachable displays for extended entertainment by paying a little extra. Besides, it consists of all the other basic entertainment and connectivity features like Apple Carplay & Android Auto, Navigation, 360-degree camera, wireless audio streaming, etc. You can opt for Night Vision Assistant Package with a cost of around $2,300 that includes thermal imagery and animal & pedestrian detection. Standout infotainment features:

• 10.1-inch fluid LED display
• Bang & Olufsen 3D Premium Sound System
• 3 LCD Monitors
• Apple Carplay & Android Auto
• Audi smartphone interface
• Speed Compensated Volume Control

The 2021 S8’s exterior is designed like a typical Audi layout, and it mostly resembles its cousin, the Audi A8 sedan. The front fascia consists of Audi’s iconic vertical chrome grille that radiates a typical German luxury look. The front Matrix-LED headlights also were made thin and sharp, and the rear side also has LED brake lights. 

As standard, the S8 has 21-inch aluminum wheels and one can add red brake calipers with S-sport branding for $500. Besides, an express open/close sliding sunroof with power shade is also available as standard. The S8s sold in the North American market also come with a longer wheelbase that lends it more spacing inside the cabin.

The S8 is a very big sedan with the heaviest weight in its segment, but it doesn’t affect its performance or braking capabilities to that extent. The M760i here has the largest wheelbase, which is facilitated by its roomy interior and big cargo space. Standout exterior features include:

• Chrome Bodyside Insert
• 21.5-inch aluminum wheels
• LED brake lights
• Cornering Lights
• Front And Rear Fog Lamps

Audi is a renowned name in the industry when it comes to safety, and arguably it is the best in its class. The S8, like every other Audi product, enjoys a plethora of safety features as standard. The presence of the signature Audi PreSense technology also makes this car immune to any probable high-impact collision. The S8 has not been tested yet by any safety agency, but looking at Audi’s past performance, we can safely assume it to be great as always. Some standout safety features of this car include-

• Automatic Emergency Braking
• Forward Collision Alert
• Lane Departure Warning
• Audi pre sense basic
• Audi parking system plus Front And Rear Parking Sensors
• Audi connect Emergency Sos
• Tire Specific Low Tire Pressure Warning
• Lane Keep Assist 
• Adaptive Cruise control

2021 Audi S8 vs 2021 Porsche Panamera GTS

The Porsche Panamera GTS is much better when it comes to power & acceleration, as is almost expected from Porsche. The engine type of both cars are again similar, but Porsche is slightly lesser in price compared to Audi. But the S8 has much better features in terms of comfort, luxury, and entertainment. So, with a little sacrifice on acceleration, the S8 turns out to be more valuable than the Panamera GTS.

2021 Audi S8 vs 2021 Maserati Quattroporte GTS

The Maserati Quattroporte, coming at a much higher cost than S8, fails to deliver the performance and features of the Audi. The S8 being a very big sedan is very heavy compared to Quattroporte, but it has managed to perform better irrespective of weight. So, by judging all the aspects closely, the S8 still offers a better deal than Quattroporte.

2021 Audi S8 vs 2021 BMW M760i

The BMW M760i has few advantages over Audi S8 in almost every other segment, but the difference between them is again very minimal. Audi S8's interior work and quality feels much more premium over M760i and Audi's Virtual Cockpit still feels the best because of its easy-to-use interface that too consists of some of the best innovation in the technology segment. But if we consider their pricing as the main aspect to judge which is better comparatively then it will be Audi S8 for sure because it costs around $27,000 less than M760i.

Yes, the 2021 Audi S8 is definitely a good buy in its price range because of its superb balance between performance, luxury, and features. The Panamera on the other hand, coming at a similar price range provides a little better performance whereas the M760i is good all over, but the price is too expensive. So, if you are looking for a luxury sedan with a sport-like performance, you should probably go for S8 as its price justifies its specifications completely when compared to other rivals.