Why are Audi A8s so rare on the road?

[fdsasdasdf]

I hardly ever see Audi A8s on the road. Why is it that Mercedes, BMW, and Lexus seem to dominate the large, luxury saloon class with the S-class, 7-series, and LS? I've never driven one and don't know much about the A8. Anyone have any insight as to why?

[Year's_End]

they're quite common in europe.

[Turbo>NA]

Go look at the monthly payments

[Turbo>NA]

Dont get me wrong some audi's are nice

But why dont we see RS4's or S4's? because for the same price you can get eh new M3 C63 and have free maintenance.

I believe all audi have some maintenance covered except for S and RS models. But im not srue. . .

[Year's_End]

audi's pricing strategy just sucks in the US, and their brand strength isn't up to par yet.

in europe audi is quite dominant, and for good reason. they're priced competitively and they make damn nice cars.

[DocSean]

My father-in-law had an '08 audi a8L, hell of a car! Traded it for an s6 which he liked a bit more, but there is something baller about the a8, especially the L.

[tim3less]

i see A8s and S8s all the time where I live.

[Bols]

you see them almost as much as you do 7's or S's in the most parts of Europe.

They look awesome and have that bit of previous 7er 'Baller' feel to me

[montreal red]

yea, now that you mention it, i dont see A8s or S8s that often... i see way more S-class and 7 series vehicles then audis... i also see more e9x m3s then RS4s... even though the RS4 has been around for much longer.

[Jamaican_Bimma]

Originally Posted by Turbo>NA

Dont get me wrong some audi's are nice

But why dont we see RS4's or S4's? because for the same price you can get eh new M3 C63 and have free maintenance.

I believe all audi have some maintenance covered except for S and RS models. But im not srue. . .

If this is true ill go shoot myself in the foot, in fact ill go shoot the sales rep too because when i was shopping around for cars a s4 and a 335xi was on point with each other with options (s4 had a bit more-rear power shade and small stuff) and the s4 was only 2800 more. i mean i didnt ask about the m3 cause i know i cant buy one but im sure i cant get one for 55,600. unless your talking about the v8 s4 which i don't know how much they were because i couldn't afford it 2 yrs ago but i did hear it was over priced.

and on the topic i don't even see lex big boys only s-class and 7-series and mostly s-class.

[TheAcAvenger]

The finance/lease rate on the S cars used to be insane (maybe it still is), which is why you rarely see them running around.

The A8 will do well in the used market. Most people buy the big sedans for status symbols and Audi only recently became a legit member of the big 3.

The reason you don't see alot of them in Chapel Hill is because Chapel Hill is filled with old people, hippies, and profs. The old people well never get over Audi's wretched reliability that plagued them for decades, hippies don't keep up with new cars and all drive civic hybrids and priuses, and the profs usually don't drive cars that big.

[KingOfJericho]

I did read a statistic a few years ago about the sales numbers for the large sedans and the Audi was in 5th place behind the Lexus LS, MB S, BMW 7, and one other car. I was shocked because I see about 2 dozen a day but I live in the Northeast. What would the point of AWD be on a large sedan in South Florida? It's just not practical for much of the country.

[Turbo>NA]

Originally Posted by Jamaican_Bimma

If this is true ill go shoot myself in the foot, in fact ill go shoot the sales rep too because when i was shopping around for cars a s4 and a 335xi was on point with each other with options (s4 had a bit more-rear power shade and small stuff) and the s4 was only 2800 more. i mean i didnt ask about the m3 cause i know i cant buy one but im sure i cant get one for 55,600. unless your talking about the v8 s4 which i don't know how much they were because i couldn't afford it 2 yrs ago but i did hear it was over priced.

and on the topic i don't even see lex big boys only s-class and 7-series and mostly s-class.

Im talking about the B7 S4 which is the v8 S4, even th enew one coming out is ganna be over proced like the rest of their cars.

I wish they had better flexible payments.

[TK-421]

I really don't know. I like the 7er more than the Audi, but I would take one over a base model S-Class for sure.

[josephr25]

Lexus dominates the large luxury sedan battle over where I live, especially in my community. Then you have the S-class (a lot less), then the previous 7-series. When I saw a current A8 I had to do a double-take, as, like the OP said, they're very rare.

I got to test drive the previous 7, S, and A8 for a private Audi test drive event at Auto Speedway a few years ago and I liked the A8 the best... good performance, interior, and it was the cheapest priced.

[Turbo>NA]

A4,A5 > e9x 328, 330,
335i >S5, A5, S4,
RS4 > 335i
E9x M3 > Rs4
R8> oVER ANY bmw

[footie]

Only in the US does Audi not dominate and this is solely down to the other brands (BMW and Mercedes) basically buying business. Where Audi are competitively priced to these others it's very hard to argue against getting one because their design, fit, finish and general quality is on a standard a bit high than the others.

Few cars have the same kudos of an S8, especially in Metallic Black with tinted windows, looks like the Mafia is in town.

[335ifanatic]

I've never seen like 3 A8's on the road here in Vancouver and ,ost people who do buy high end luxury cars opt to lease and like already mentioned, the leasing for Audi's is awful so people go and get the 7 series or S Class instead.

[pdjafari]

Originally Posted by GatorBlue371

I love our S8, choose it over the M5

blasphemy, nevar

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by GatorBlue371

I love our S8, choose it over the M5

They're not even comparable.

[Rotary Rasp]

Originally Posted by GatorBlue371

Anything is comparable. Whether you choose to compare between the confines of what you can define as similar is subjective to taste and priority.



The only thing the M5 has on the S8 is 50hp stock. The detuned Lamborghini V10 in the S8 can easily surpass that, and lets not even get started on looks. The current M5/5 series is one of the ugliest cars on the road imo. The S8 has such an elevated level of style over the M5 that in that sense, they are almost incomparable.

looks are subjective....

most will agree that the M5 is more of a drivers car than the S8.

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by GatorBlue371

Anything is comparable. Whether you choose to compare between the confines of what you can define as similar is subjective to taste and priority.



The only thing the M5 has on the S8 is 50hp stock. The detuned Lamborghini V10 in the S8 can easily surpass that, and lets not even get started on looks. The current M5/5 series is one of the ugliest cars on the road imo. The S8 has such an elevated level of style over the M5 that in that sense, they are almost incomparable.

In the most remote sense of the word, yeah sure, they're comparable. Just like how an S63 can be compared to an S4.

One is a luxurious sedan that goes fast. The other serves the purpose of doing track time and hauling people.

I don't know how you see them as being wholly comparable with the only differences being paper stats, like power. They're completely different cars. Weight, handling, ride quality, size, etc.

I'd def rather have an S8 if I didn't like RWD and never felt like driving through a windy road or going to a track. It's a better cruiser in every aspect. Better interior, better ride, more space.

The M5 is faster, lighter, more nimble and more fun to drive. Its interior is worse in every aspect, and the ride is harder. I got to drive one for two days on a track and there's no way in hell anything heavier than it would be even remotely fun to drive as fast.

And as for the looks argument, I disagree. The Audi S8 is good looking. Handsome, mature, and very elegant. But I still prefer the M5's look. It has that mafioso-aggressive look that I think has been rarely matched. You see it as ugly, I see it as understated yet evil. Your opinion isn't the end-all-be-all.