Instrumented Test
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W could stand for “Whuuuuuuat?! It’s how expensive?!”
Ease is among the chief differentiators between the obnoxiously wealthy and those who are merely ultra-rich. Ease of buying your way into finer polo clubs, out of lesser felonies, into better key parties, that sort of thing. When it comes to the Audi A8L W-12, the only thing that isn’t easy is saying A8L W-12. When your flagship vehicle’s designation reads like a license plate, maybe it’s time to rethink vehicle names. We’ve got a suggestion for this one: Autobahn King.
Allow an unwavering sense of fiscal liberation to guide your answers to a simple series of yes/no questions, and it’s a short walk from base A8 to Autobahn King. Need an extra 5.1 inches of wheelbase? Well, “need” is being a bit dramatic, but if one can have it, then why not? Need 128 more horsepower than the base A8’s 372-hp V-8 provides? Did you hear your favorite word—“more”—in there? Of course.
Wonderful, Wanton W Power
Now bored out 0.3 liter (to 6.3) and sporting direct injection, the W-12 puts out 500 hp and 463 lb-ft of torque, improvements of 50 and 35, respectively, over the 2010 model. With twelve cylinders arranged over four banks of cylinders (hence the “W-12” designation), it is certainly a curiosity, and it compares favorably to the cutting-edge turbocharged 12s powering its competitors from BMW and Mercedes. The roundel’s 760Li manages 535 horses from 6.0 liters, while Benz’s S600 makes 510 with just 5.5 and its S65 AMG honks out 621 with 6.0. Compared to the competition, the W hurls the A8L to speed with the same all-important sense of ease, accompanying its thrust with a husky growl so smooth it almost sounds like a monster rotary.
Standard all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, plus a 4759-pound curb weight afforded by its all-aluminum construction, help the W-12 hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds—bettering the BMW by 0.2 and both Benzes by 0.1—and blow through the quarter-mile in 12.6 at 114 mph. Bummer that its governor is set at just 128 mph, oddly low for a 500-hp Autobahn King. It takes about 17 seconds to reach peak speed from rest, or slightly more than 10 from a 75-mph cruise. Should you want to test the top speed on a whim, you’ll be back at that sedate 75 in less time than it takes those tiny dots behind you to say, “Was that a Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed?”
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 4-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED: $180,105 (base price: $135,675)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 48-valve W-12, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 384 cu in, 6299 cc
Power: 500 hp @ 6200 rpm
Torque: 463 lb-ft @ 4750 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 122.9 in
Length: 207.4 in
Width: 76.7 in Height: 57.9 in
Curb weight: 4759 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 4.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 9.6 sec
Street start, 560 mph: 4.7 sec
Top gear, 3050 mph: 2.8 sec
Top gear, 5070 mph: 3.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 12.6 sec @ 114 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 128 mph
Braking, 700 mph: 181 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 14/21 mpg
C/D observed: 15 mpg
Continued…