As we explored previously, the top-of-the-line German luxury saloons from Audi, BMW and Mercedes; the A8, 7-Series and S-Class respectively sort of exist only because of one another. These cars are not big sellers compared to each brand’s respective bread and butter cars, but they don’t sell in handfuls either; they aren’t quite a lost cause despite continuous changes in how we buy our cars in 2023.
Instead, these big limos exist for another reason, they are at once gleaming representations of German engineering at its absolute best: the absolute bleeding edge of automotive innovation. On the other, more cynical hand, these cars function as sacrificial lambs. So crammed with new technology; so mechanically complicated; marvels of engineering marvel and stubbornness, these cars are never fault-free, and when they do go wrong, they tend to go wrong in big ways.
Today, we’ll be exploring Audi’s second-generation A8, also referred to as the ‘D3’, and what made it so brilliant, and also one of the most over-engineered vehicles ever made by Audi.
The D3 A8 was introduced in 2003 and ended production in 2010. Looking back, this is what we would call a difficult time to be alive. The differences in cars made in 2003 and in 2010 might as well be 15 or 20 years when comparing the amount of technology included. What was completely ground-breaking in 2003, was relatively run-of-the-mill in 2010, but let us not cut down the A8 before it even has a chance.
Audi, like Mercedes and BMW, will often use their biggest, most advanced cars as the vanguard of innovation. These cars will often be the ones used to introduce a new design language, and many other pieces of technology. The innovations the D3 brought to the table in 2003 would eventually trickle down to lesser Audis, thus the huge initial financial investment required to develop the D3 would eventually pay for themselves in the hundreds of thousands of A3s, A4s, and A6s, that would follow.
The D3’s final design was frozen and finalised in 2000, two years before production began. Considering this for just a second, it makes you wonder what sort of stuff Audi are cooking up right now. Designing and tooling up for a new car is a huge undertaking, so in terms of real-term next-generation technology, the very latest 2023 Audi A8 may actually only be representative of car technology circa 2017.
Anyway, back to the D3.
When introduced, the D3 A8 debuted a huge amount of new-technology including (prepare yourself) Audi’s Multi Media Interface (MMI) digital vehicle control interface; adaptive headlights that ‘look’ around corners in the road; four-wheel adaptive air ride and dampers; Audi’s Tiptronic gearbox; GPS satnav system; blind-spot assist; collision-avoidance systems; active cruise control; lane assist and – somewhat curiously – a driver identification system in the form of a fingerprint scanner (how early 2000s ‘technology from the future!’ is that?).
Visually, the early D3s are very reminiscent of the Audi Avus quattro concept car of nearly a decade earlier, particularly around the headlights and tail-lights. There is a sort of art-deco quality to the design of the wheels and body too, and this more straightforward geometric design is not by accident. The all-aluminium body and chassis of the D3 A8 necessitates a more straightforward approach to bodywork creases and curves, as aluminium is not as pliable as traditional steel.
The all-aluminium construction also helps to keep weight down, which is an impressive endeavour the more engineering and technology that goes into cars, the more their overall weight tends to spiral out of control. Instead the A8, in its biggest, heaviest form: the long-wheelbase model fitted with a W12 engine weighs less than two tonnes.
All of this engineering is deeply, deeply impressive – even today. But what the A8 suffers from, much like many overcomplicated German cars that we adore, is the gnawing away of their quality by time and neglect. In the first three to five years of an D3s life they must have been immense. And also slightly confusing.
Over the course of its lifespan, the D3 A8 was available with no less than 12 different petrol and diesel engines. The petrol engines included three different V6s ( a 2.8 L, a 3.0L and 3.1L direct-injection), three V8s (3.7L, a 4.2L, and a direct-injection 4.2L), a 5.2 Litre V10 and a 6.0 Litre W12. Diesel options also included: two 3.0L V6s and two V8s (a 3.9L and a 4.1L respectively).
The 6.0 W12 long-wheelbase model was also available in security edition. For those discerning, and perhaps unpopular(?) individuals who required a little bit more than airbags for their personal protection. The security edition’s body is ballistic rated; features fire extinguishers in the engine-bay, wheel arches and on the underbody; an interior smoke extractor; bulletproof glass and run-flat tyres. The best feature however are the emergency escape doors, which are capable of blowing outwards off their hinges in order to permit a speedy escape in the case of the vehicle ending up on its roof.
But, as they begin to experience wear and tear, all of those engineering and technological marvels begin to play havoc, and the A8 then garners is less-glamourous reputation as a ‘poisoned-chalice’.
Now, it is possible to keep a D3 A8 fighting fit for a long time with regular maintenance. These cars fundamentally, were built to last and their all-aluminium construction means they don’t rust like traditional steel construction cars. It’s the other bits, the electronics, the plastics, the rubbers, the consumables that let the D3 down, and without proper care and attention these things can be ruinous for the car and your wallet.
All of that brilliant German engineering suddenly is swung against you, and what was once the pride of Neckarsulm, now becomes a massive all-aluminium nuisance.
The engines in the D3 are fitted in such a way that the timing gear is mounted on the rear of the engine. This means firstly, a tidy engine bay, but more importantly an absolute pain-in-the-neck if something goes wrong. Any timing issue necessitates a front-end disassembly and engine removal i.e. a massive job.
Ideas that seem sound in a spotless engineering laboratory don’t always translate into the real world and the A8, being the birthchild of a particularly long gestation in one of these laboratories is case in point. If you were to look at the service booklet on a D3 A8, you’ll notice the absence of gearbox oil changes as part of the maintenance programme. This is because the gearbox units fitted to the D3 are ‘sealed for life’ units, which just screams of misplaced optimism. Another howler is the carbon-ceramic brakes were optional on the sportier 5.2 L V10 S8 model and are standard fit on the W12 LWB. In theory, these are ‘brakes for life’ – the discs themselves should not need replacing – but in reality, when these discs do crack, any unfortunate owner is looking at a £20,000 bill for a replacement set.
Here is the crux of these kind of cars. They would probably last forever if they lived in perfect laboratory conditions. If it was permanently 19*C, any water escaped neatly down drainage channels in the chassis and the engines ran on only the finest fuels and lubricants. But things don’t always work out that way. The real world isn’t so perfect, and even the best engineering solutions can come a cropper when faced with the rough and tumble of everyday life.
That’s not to say the D3 A8 is a bad car. Far from it. And if it were up to us, we’d prefer engineers to keep pushing the envelope and developing slightly unhinged technological testbeds.
At least things would stay interesting.
Kerbside 