Rather than following the norm with many automakers these days of making cars look more powerful than they actually are, Audi just went with a conventional sedan design that says little about the huge power it packs under the hood. There is not even a single hint to suggest the S8 Plus is more powerful than its younger sister the Audi S8.
2016 Audi S8 Plus Exterior
Audi has used their Space Frame technology together with aluminum material to come up with S8 Plus body frame that weighs only 509.27 lbs. The sedan measures 202.4 inches long, 76.7 inches wide, and 57.5 inches tall and has a wheelbase of 117.8 inches. The S8 Plus features a blacked-out overall appearance.
At the front, the sedan features the signature Singleframe grille with a glossy black finish. It’s flanked by Matrix LED headlights. The honeycomb mesh for the side air intakes is matte black in color while flaps and a splitter-like piece are made from carbon fiber. The S8 logo is strategically placed at the front and rear fascias and a V8 T badge on front fenders.
On the sides, the Audi S8 Plus has a black window trim and mirror caps that are finished in either carbon fiber or gloss black with body color standard housings. At the rear, the vehicle features a gloss-black diffuser insert with a touch of carbon-fiber on its surrounds, tinted taillights and gloss-black exhaust pipes. The vehicle also comes with a body color painted rear spoiler as standard.
In addition to all shades on the S8, the S8 Plus is offered exclusively in Floret Silver. The vehicle will ride on 21-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 275/35 tires.
2016 Audi S8 Plus Interior
Changing gears to the interior, the 2016 Audi S8 Plus will feature a sporty looking cabin styled using premium quality materials. Black full-leather with contrasting stitching in Arras red is the standard upholstery material. The gear selector level features a black piano pain trim as is the center console. Other features include gray dials, round instruments, a dynamic start up, white pointers and an S8 logo on its tachometer. The steering wheel is wrapped in 3-spoke sport leather with a S8 logo that is highly noticeable.
Other standard features include ambient lighting, power-assisted doors, MMI navigation, MMI touch features, a DVD/CD changer, a Bose surround sound system and a driving aids package that includes 4-zone deluxe automatic air conditioning among others.
Engine Specs and Performance
Things get exciting under the hood of the new 2016 Audi S8 Plus. The vehicle still comes with a similar 4.0 L, V8 engine as the outgoing model. However, the new engine has been tweaked to produce a whopping 605 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The over-boost mode takes the torque up to 553 lb-ft. The output presents 85-hp and 35 lb-ft of torque improvement from the standard S8 making the S8 Plus the most powerful sedan to date from Audi.
The engine uses a bespoke control unit that comes with speed and charge pressure boosting, a revised inner turbocharger styling and modified exhaust valves. The engine is paired with an 8-speed Tiptronic transmission system as well as Audi’s Quattro AWD system. The power helps the vehicle to make the 0-60 mph run in just 3.8 seconds making it a tenth-second quicker than the standard S8. At this speed, the sedan outshines a number of luxury and sports cars such as the 2016 BMW M4, and 2015 Aston Martin Vanquish.
The new 2016 Audi S8 Plus has a top speed of 155 mph; however, for those looking for more speed, there is an option to kick it up to 189.5 mph. The engine’s fuel consumption is estimated at 16 mpg city and 25 mpg on highway.
Price and release date
The sedan is already on sale this month in Germany starting at $ 158, 380. In the US, the sedan will hit the showrooms later in December and early January. In the US, the sedan will have a starting MSRP price of $ 114,900 exclusive of a $ 925 destination charge.
2016 Audi S8 Plus
Competition
As you would expect, the most competition comes from two Sedans with German-made badges. These are; the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG 4MATIC and 2016 BMW 7 Series.
