First Drive: The Audi A8L Lights up With a New Face

Any facelift is well, just that, isn't it? A midlife makeover that a vehicle must go through to increase its longevity. We have had several examples of cars going under the scalpel and coming out looking and performing better. Of course we have also had some unfortunate Botox jobs haven't we? The updated flagship from Audi is somewhere in between.

The A8 is indeed the flag bearing sedan for the Audi stable. It is meant to represent the very best of the Bavarian brand in terms of technology, design and appeal. The facelifted A8L manages to do that - though critics would argue, it doesn't do enough.

Now here's where I will differ. You see, when it's a flagship model we are talking about, it's already pushing the envelope (or should be anyway!) on everything the company could possibly do to make the car the best it could be. So the current 3rd generation A8 which came in 2009 has already been loaded with the best Audi has to offer. Yet a facelift is crucial to keep interest in the car alive. So, you need to take a fully loaded car and make it better still.

For Audi the good news is that the update coincides quite beautifully with the arrival of the all new Mercedes-Benz S-Class, a car that's garnering all sorts of praise. So at least the A8 is now seemingly more contemporary and modern. But it also starts at a lower sticker price of Rs. 1.12 crore ex-showroom Delhi. And remember we are only talking long wheelbase variants as that's what we get in India. So we get the A8L.

The big highlight on the facelift are the headlamps. They are only available as full LED, and you can further opt for the LED Matrix package. The idea is to offer the best illumination depending on the conditions you are driving through. And yet not dazzle an oncoming driver. The tail lamp cluster has become "flatter" and I don't think it works aesthetically as well as the sculptured mien of the outgoing model. That said, the indicators are also LED and are now dynamic like the R8's - that is they don't just blink but travel inside to outline a moving line.

Inside you can now opt for individual rear seats instead of a full bench, loads of premium leather and even a panoramic sunroof. There's also park assist, head-up display, and an air ioniser option in the climate control, to create an atmosphere like the outdoors, inside the car - while still regulating temperature.

Audi says it's tweaked all engines to offer better performance. I drove the new car in Dubai - where you would be hard-pressed to find a diesel car! So I had to make do with the V8 4.0 TFSI which has 435 bhp output. And that's up by 15 bhp now than the same engine previously. So yes you can't say I suffered in any way now can you?

The car is quick, and responds a little but better now with its new 8-Speed tiptronic gearbox. The adaptive air suspension affords a good ride quality, and works well in conjunction with drive select - that lets you change the car's driving & handling character through comfort, efficiency and dynamic settings.

In India Audi will also offer the 3.0 TDI (250 bhp) and 4.2 TDI (385 bhp) as far as diesel options go. The latter has seen output enhanced by a significant 35 bhp now.

Audi India pulled out all the stops by holding the launch here in the desert metropolis rather than in India and had Hollywood star Nicolas Cage attend the unveil! Not quite sure still why he was chosen, though Audi India insists it chose from a list of existing Audi customer-celebrities from Hollywood. The Ghost Rider does not in fact endorse the brand in the USA or anywhere else for that matter. It also looks like Audi India is done with Bollywood fixation - a plank it used heavily when it entered the Indian market to get a buzz going.

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The buyer in this segment though is typically not focussing on performance as much as interior comfort and equipment. And also exterior style and bragging rights on design. The new benchmark status of the S-Class notwithstanding, the A8L achieves most of this. It will definitely hold its own against the other two rivals - the BMW 7 Series and Jaguar XJL.

The A8L now offers 100 paint finishes, 23 leather finishes and 12 wood insert trims. So you can really customise your car. Optional equipment like a high-end Bang & Olufsen music system and alcantara will set you back quite a bit, but as I mentioned at the start - it does start with a lower sticker price than some rivals.