V8 versus A8 driving impressions

[FBFISH@aol.com]

Folks- I now have about 450 miles on the A8 and thought you might be
interested in my comparative  assesment. I will try not to be judgemental and
only give the facts. Bare in mind, I have put 116k miles on the V8. I won't
spend much time on the furniture/conveniences except to say the V8 is plush,
the A8 is obscene. My guess at this point is that all the weight savings
gained from aluminum have been eaten up by DC servo motors (head rests, rear
sun shade, lumbar support etc).  The transmission is now a five speed which I
like since fuel consumption is much better. At 80mph in the V8 I turn right
around 3k, in the A8 2.2k. I have not decided if I like the "learning"
designed into the shift controller, and for dam sure haven't yet seen the
advantage of the Tiptronic. The added power of the 4.2 over the 3.7 is
noticeable especially in conjunction with the five speed automatic. There is a
very noticeable difference in suspension, with the A8 being much softer. This
is most  evident in high speed turns with an irregular road surface. The V8
sticks to the surface, the A8 struggles around. Aesthetically I like the more
aggressive look of the V8 front end, but the less boxy look of the A8 rear
deck. The A8 fender flare is much less noticeable due to body shape of the A8
which does provide more inside room.  The V8 still has the UFO brakes(which
have always worked fine for me), and although the A8 does not have inside
calipers the brakes are considerably more effective. I will follow up with
more as it evolves. If you have any specific questions, feel free.
Frank Santoro
1990 V8 (for sale or to son)
1998 A8