Audi R8

The new Audi A8 is a superlative car in every sense. It’s a real shakeup for the large luxury segment at the $200k(SH526,000)-plus price point. In fairness, however, very few ordinary Australians will feel or notice that. For a very few people, there will be plenty to like about this practically unattainable car, but one thing’s certain: Mercedes-Benz and BMW are going to hate it but one Ugandan is comfortably cruising it with Sudanese registration plates. I could not help it but drool at the beauty as i spotted it in Bunga one of the upscale suburbs of the city.

Together, M-B and BMW have spent the first half of 2010 luxuriating in the lion’s share of this uber-elite market. There’s plenty of profit on tap here, even if the market annually for this kind of car struggles to better 1000 sales. Fast-lane flagships in Australia have of late boiled down to a two-horse race – the S Class or the 7 Series. In the first half of 2010, only 126 well-heeled Aussies forked over the big bucks for an S Class, closely followed by 116 of ‘us’ who are 7 Series customers. After that, it’s daylight to the high-priced also-rans. Just 34 Lexus LS sales happened over those six months, plus 19 of the ageing and outgoing A8, and just five XJ Jaguars.

If you look at the old A8 next to the new one, even in photographs, you’ll see how much has changed. This new car’s a real contender; time had already overtaken the predecessor, and the sales had basically evaporated. (The old A8 was rather the success before time did its thing, however. It managed 146,000 sales globally.)

Frankly, though, it’s not just the sales that are important to Audi. It’s also the gravitas – and the consequential sales lower down in the range – that flow from fronting a flagship that many aspire to, and which so few can in fact afford. You can generate demand for plenty of incremental A3s, 4s, 5s and 6s simply by fielding the right flagship. And luckily this is happening at a time when Audi’s new boss Down Under, Uwe Hagen, has committed to growing sales the grown-up way, by driving demand.

It really is only a very few people who buy cars in this upmarket segment, too: statistically, fewer than one in 20,000 Australians (and just over one in 1000 car buyers) jump into this rareified atmosphere. It’s really the difference between flying first class and slumming it in economy.

So, what’s the new A8 like to drive? We drove several 4.2 V8 FSI-powered A8s from Cairns up onto the Atherton Tablelands and back during the national media launch late in August. That road from the coast to the tablelands is a wonderful, linear racetrack. It’s a glorious drive in a glorious part of the country, and this is a glorious car to do it in. As a luxury flagship the A8 far sportier than you’d expect. It’s very satisfying to drive – which is almost perverse, seeing as in other markets than Australia, owning an A8 is almost exclusively a back-seat experience (because people that successful in, say, Singapore have a driver, which frees you up for, you know, getting high-level stuff done in the back seat). Getting the balance of engagement and luxury right must be tough act – but with this car, Audi’s engineers have got it right. You can enjoy punting this new A8 much harder than 99 per cent of owners ever will. However, if you do that with the ESP on you will probably be mildly frustrated that the incipient ESP intervention starts pulling power out of the engine. If you want to keep having fun, you can always switch it off. It’s also a car that’s quite rewarding to drive at sane speeds. It just eats the kays at legal highway speeds, and the seats are some of the best I’ve ever experienced, from both a support and comfort perspective.

The 4.2 FSI engine delivers 273kW and 445Nm – a moderate step up from the predecessor – and yet the A8 still returns an official 9.5L/100km in the official combined cycle fuel test. It’s also 0.4 seconds quicker to 100km/h, compared with its predecessor. This is all thanks in part to the aluminium body, plus a commitment to efficiency-based developments (lower friction, better thermal management, and even an on-demand oil pump, etc.) that Audi claims make the car 13 per cent more efficient overall. There’s even an eight – count ‘em; eight! – speed tiptronic with shift-by-wire technology rendering mechanical linkages obsolete. Then there’s the mind-bendingly slippery drag coefficient: 0.26.

It begs the obvious question: Why bother with all this efficiency guff? People with that much money to drop on a car can afford fuel at basically any price, and can afford to consume it in basically any quantity. The answer is simple – for a significant number of deep-pocketed consumers, efficiency is as much (or maybe more) a moral obligation as a financial one, which is why smart marketers can’t afford to field a car that’s beautiful but with the underlying eco credentials of a Hummer.

More evidence of the moral high ground is seen in the car’s wood trim. No less than four variants are available – walnut brown, fine grain ash velvet, fine grain birch, vavona wood – but no rainforests were harmed in their production, we’re told. It’s all plantation timber.

The A8 will go on sale in September with 4.2 FSI petrol V8. It will be followed by a 3.0-litre TDI, and a 4.2-litre V8 TDI (in that order) as well as a long-wheelbase variant. There’s no word yet on an S8, but if there is one in the wings, its launch would be an excellent time to dust off Bob DeNiro for a sequel to the cult classic movie, Ronin, which was one of the best advertisements of all time for the S8. Rent it if you haven’t seen it.

This new car is packed with technology – so packed, in fact, that six or even 12 months after buying it you will probably discover it can do things you hadn’t previously known. In this respect, it’s not unlike your laptop computer or iPad. You’ll probably discover stuff like that by accident. Either that or your 15-year-old son or daughter will do it and then look at you as if you are infinitely stupid if you are moved to ask how. Either way, the A8 has manifold hi-tech capability – including a touchpad for inputting data into the multimedia interface … by scrawling them there with the tip of your finger. Nobody needs that … but it’s nice to have.

Safety? You bet. This thing has more bags than Qantas, plus a raft of hi-tech features that blur the line between passive and active safety-tech. Audi calls it Pre Sense, an obvious swipe at Benz’s Pre Safe system, both of which take action – like shutting the windows and tensioning the seatbelts if they think you’re likely to crash. The Audi system, which is modular and depends on the options you select, can when fully optioned detect threat from in front, from behind and at the side. It also warns the driver, pre-fills the brakes and – if warnings are ignored – is capable of whipping up a textbook emergency stop. It has a four-stage intervention approach – predicated on usurping control from the driver only as a last resort.

There is also a really neat night vision option that employs technology previously used only in devices like Apache helicopters. Using a forward-looking infrared camera mounted near the centre rear-vision mirror the system displays the scene ahead on a high-rez screen between the tacho and the speedo. Animals and pedestrians are detected as far away as 300m – beyond the range of the headlights – and smart software even categorises the threat they pose to you by analysing their movement. Anything that’s detected gets a yellow box painted around it. Threats likely to move in front of the car are wrapped in a red box. It’s both useful and very, very cool. In a James Bond meets Black Hawk Down kind of way.

Speaking of options – hang onto your hat, because the A8 is structured in such a way that it can absorb basically whatever amount of money over and above the list price you would care to throw at it. If you like ticking boxes, best whip a new refill into your favourite Mont Blanc. Here goes:

• Sports differential: $3000
• Sports air suspension: $2200
• 20-inch alloys with 265/40 tyres: $3000
• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go function plus lane and side assist: $9000
• Dynamic steering: $3500
• Full LED lighting package: $2700
• Night vision with pedestrian detection: $5400
• Double glazing with rear privacy glass: $5500
• Sunroof with solar panel: $1100
• Electric sun blinds for the rear: $2700
• Sports front seats: $1100
• Front seats with ventilation and massage function (I used this; you want it. Trust me on this.) $5500
• Electric rear seats (makes the car a four-seater but, hey, the remaining two kids will be v-e-r-y comfy): $9400
• 19-speaker, 1400W Bang and Olufsen audio system: $14,400
• Rear seat entertainment system: $9800

And if that’s not enough, how about the ‘works burger’ retrim? (Audi does not refer to it in these terms.) Audi calls it ‘Audi design selection Balao brown – a very tasty combination of Balao brown Valcona leather with accordion pleats and contrasting seams, plus fine grain ash inlays in balsamic brown and lower inlays in brushed aluminium. If you’re interested it’s a total of just over $46,000.

All up, if you’re a box-ticking kind of bloke (and it is overwhelmingly blokes who buy cars like this) you can spend more than $350,000 on a new A8. That’s more than $120,000 in options – enough to buy a TT S TFSI quattro roadster, a snappy wardrobe from Herringbone and an Omega Speedmaster Professional. Just to put things in perspective.
This review has only just scratched the surface. We haven’t even talked about the interior lighting package that allows you to specify the ambient lighting colour you want, or the servomotor-based door closing system that means you’ll never leave the door ajar again.

Bottom line – test driving an A8 is like this: It’s very easy to move forward in a commercial jet aeroplane. It’s easy to get up from economy, stride past the peasants in business class, and plonk your RS down in seat 1A. After that, all the way from Sydney to Heathrow, it’s just a blur of Veuve Cliquot and wagyu beef carpaccio. And would you like a manicure with that? It’s bloody difficult, however, to move the other way. Economy? Me? The jaws of life are usually required when the stark realisation hits that it’s time to hand the keys back, and that your own somewhat pedestrian car still awaits you at the airport.

The G55 AMG

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class has been the ‘it’ car when it comes to off-roading ability and sheer cool-factor for the past three decades.

Models tested: Mercedes-Benz G 350 BlueTEC & G 55 AMG.

Perhaps that’s due to its rugged and extremely masculine looks? Perhaps it has something to do with being regarded as one of the world’s best off-road vehicles? Or maybe it’s because of its celebrity-owners list that includes the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Brad Pitt and even the Pope? Whichever way you look at it, it’s an impressive car with credentials that no amount of marketing can ever buy.

Much to the delight of Australian fans it’s finally back and available for sale in our corner of the world.

There are a few things that need to be understood about the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. It’s almost entirely hand-built, it’s a no compromise 4WD and it appeals to a specific type of buyer.

Its credentials need no arguing. In the past 32 years the G-Class has won countless awards, of which many have been consecutive “best off-roader of the year”. If you still doubt its abilities, just remember that the Australian Defence Force has already ordered 1200 G-Class vehicles and we can only imagine the amount of testing that was done to ensure the G-Class met the requirements of the army.

If you happen to have anywhere between $162,000 and $218,000 to spend on the ultimate off-road vehicle (or the manliest car on the road), then the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon is going to make you a happy customer.

There are two variants on sale in the Australian market: the G 350 BlueTEC ($161,680 MLP*) and the G 55 AMG ($217,230 MLP*), and not surprisingly, they are totally different vehicles.

The Mercedes-Benz G 350 BlueTEC is the one you’d go for if you actually intend to do some serious off-roading. Powered by a 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine mated to a 7G -TRONIC automatic transmission, it delivers 155kW (3400rpm) and 540Nm of torque (1600-2400rpm).

It accelerates from 0-100km/h in a respectable 9.1 seconds and goes up to a maximum speed of 175km/h.

The BlueTEC turbo-diesel engine is Mercedes-Benz’s new technology designed specifically to reduce vehicle emissions (Nitrogen Oxide – NOx – being its main target). By cleverly injecting an aqueous urea solution (known as AdBlue) into the exhaust-gas stream at a precise moment, the system converts around 80 percent of NOx into nitrogen and water.

Mercedes engineers have fitted the AdBlue filler cap right next to the fuel cap so refilling is simple and painless. It will only need an injection once per service (15,000km) and will warn the driver if AdBlue is running low (1600km from warning light till AdBlue runs out). The official AdBlue bottle for the G-Wagon can be bought from Mercedes-Benz dealers (cheaper than oil) but is the essentially the same as the stuff you can find at a truck shop.

The reason the G 350 BlueTEC is recommended for off-road is not because the G 55 AMG is incapable, far front it, but mainly because the G 55 AMG is the ultimate road-going 4WD and those looking at buying one would be far too busy being the envy of all car lovers to take it off-road.

The Mercedes-Benz G 55 AMG is the sort of car that turns heads wherever it goes. You’d expect to see Colonel Gidaffi use one of these to take his kids to school (he does apparently own a few older G-Class vehicles).

Powered by a hand-built 5.5-litre supercharged AMG V8 engine, the G 55 AMG is the definition of having the best of both worlds. A serious off-roader with enough power to murder most sports cars.

Some may remember the ads that Ford ran for the Territory turbo, where it would go about eating sportscars ‘for breakfast’. Well, that would be most appropriate for the G 55 AMG. Its V8 heart beats out 373kW and a ridiculous 700Nm of torque. Match that to a five-speed automatic transmission borrowed from the SL Black series and it will go from 0-100km/h in just 5.5 seconds.

That’s more power than a Ferrari 360, only one second slower than a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG and 0.7 seconds slower than an Aston Martin DB9. Yet it weighs more than 2.5 tonnes, figure that one out!

It’s not just the 0-100km/h time that makes it impressive, it’s the way it continues to accelerate past the 100km/h mark without hesitation that makes it a truly remarkable vehicle.

Facts and figures don’t do the G 55 AMG justice. Unless you happen to own a Leopard II tank (which coincidently came into service the same year at the original G-Class), the G55 is quite possibly the manliest vehicle you can own.

With a chrome-plated AMG exhaust system with twin side-venting tailpipes (similar to the SLR), on acceleration the G 55 sounds like a muscle car gone mad. The aural enjoyment from having one of these will result in many trips to the fuel station. At one stage I simply had to get out of our G 55 test vehicle and have my co-driver accelerate past me so that I could just listen to the exhaust note. An activity I could partake in all day long.

The G 350 BlueTEC uses around 11.2L of diesel per 100km and the G 55 AMG makes do with around 15.9L of 98 RON fuel per 100km (both figures are for combined cycle). Although if you happen to love the sound of the G 55 AMG, expect that figure to climb past the 20L/100km mark rather easily.

During our test drive we took a G 55 AMG and a G 350 BlueTEC out to Tasmania’s secluded roads outside of Launceston. One may suspect Mercedes-Benz would pick a route less twisty and challenging, but alas, we were driving on Targa Tasmania-style roads in what would appear to be a military-style vehicle.

The heavy steering will come as a bit of shock at first, but you quickly get used to it. It’s not the sort of vehicle you can push hard into a corner comfortably as its narrow and tall design doesn’t give it the best handling dynamics. Nonetheless, it’s not exactly built to be a sportscar (even though the G 55 AMG can accelerate faster than most).

Both variants use the same suspension set-up (coil springs with gas-pressure shock absorbers for both front and rear) and hence provide very similar ride and handling characteristics. If you’re looking to buy a G-Class to drive around town, it’s important to know that this isn’t your typical city-friendly 4WD. It will do perfectly fine as a city car (and the kids will love it) but it won’t be as easy to drive as an ML-Class. Then again, it will also attract a lot more looks.

The Mercedes-Benz G-Class is the only vehicle sold from the factory that comes with three selectable differential locks standard. That’s front, centre and rear. Low range can be selected by engaging neutral and selecting low with a button located near the gear stick. Once drive is reselected and the vehicle moves forward the transition from high to low will take place.

Once low-range is selected all electronic systems (ESP, ABS, etc.) are remapped for better off-road performance. To showcase the G-Class’ off-roading credentials, Mercedes-Benz Australia flew Erwin Wonisch all the way from Germany to give us a real life demonstration.

There really would be no better man than Mr Wonisch (pictured above in the driver’s seat) for this job, given he has been actively involved with the G-Class since it’s creation over 30 years ago. He is also the man that trains the many different militaries of the world on how to use the G-Class off-road.

The G-Class chosen for the demonstrations was a stock standard G 350 BlueTEC equipped with nothing special. In fact, it was using road tyres (or “dancing-shoes” as Mr Wonisch called them).

We jumped on-board and headed up what would seem a near impossible hill (pictures can’t do it justice), but the G-Class doesn’t seem to care where you point it. So long as the driver knows what he’s doing the G-Class will climb and climb and just when you think it can go no more, it will keep climbing. It does so without a single complaint. From there we turned around, engaged first low-gear and headed down the hill. In this condition the G-Class will not require any breaking as it will coast down slowly using just engine-braking.

Having experienced the G-Class climb a near-impossible hill with 18-inch wheels and road tyres, I can say with certainty that our defence forces made the right choice with the G-Class – and so will you, if you happen to buy a G 350 for off-road use. There is nothing quite like it.

During our time behind the wheel of a G 350 on the off-road track, it became rather obvious that the heavy steering and general heavy handling dynamics of the vehicle were made for these conditions. The G-Class feels more at home when off-road, it offers a perfect driving position with excellent visibility and its relatively narrow size means it can fit through a lot of tight spaces.

The G 55 AMG, although just as capable off-road, does have the limiting factor of its side exhaust-pipes being in the way if the track gets a little too rough, so if you do want to climb Mount Everest, perhaps it’s best to stick with the G 350.

If you’re looking at buying a G-Wagon for road use, I’d highly recommend that you take it four-wheel driving at least once. Even if you plan on never doing it again, it will give you an idea of just how remarkable your vehicle is when put in its native environment.

In some countries such as Germany and Hong Kong, Mercedes-Benz sells a bare-bone G-Class called the G.Professional which is essentially a military-style vehicle with an interior that you can use a hose to clean. Mercedes-Benz Australia says the G.Professional is currently under consideration for Australia although the Cabriolet and Short Wheelbase variants will not be offered.

Speaking of interiors, the two variants sold in Australia come with a very plush and typical Mercedes-Benz interior. That means comfortable seats, beautiful dials, latest in-car technology and the ability to customise minor details to your liking.

Standard across both variants is Bi-Xenon headlights, reversing camera, full leather upholstery (including for the instrument panel), five seat configuration, anthracite wood trim and a whole lot more. The COMAND APS system (also standard) uses a 6.5-inch colour display with a built-in hard drive for music and sat-nav. It offers iPod and Bluetooth capability and pumps the music through a Harman Kardon Logic 7 surround sound system.

The G350 rides on 18-inch twin-five-spoke alloy wheels (available with off-road suited 16-inch wheels as a no cost option as well) whilst the G 55 AMG variants get bigger wheels (19-inch), better brakes and an AMG exhaust system. The interior is upgraded with luxury front seats, TV-tuner-enabled system and other AMG treatments throughout.

The G-Class range in Australia is available in 13 unique exterior colours which offer extremely good scratch protection (more than 90 percent of G-Class vehicles sold to private customers are black!) and available with a wide range of interior colours. Check out the pictures in the gallery for a basic before and after shot of just how scratch resistant the paint is.

Overall, it’s rather hard to fault the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Some may argue that it’s a little pricey but that’s a bit of nonsense given that it takes 11 full days to build one of these vehicles and nearly all the work is done by hand in Austria, where production has been running for over 30 years (the longest of any Mercedes-Benz model).
The Mercedes-Benz G 350 BlueTEC and G 55 AMG look good in almost all situations. You can take one to do your weekly shopping and drop the kids off at school plus If the world does happen to end in 2012, the G-Class is quite possibly best chance you’ve got of surviving in the outback.