doktorekny

Hi. I own a Panamera Turbo and Im thinking of switching to an A8 just because I want a comfortable ride and my CPO expires soon.
But Few questions.
Im thinking of picking up probably a used A8L 2011-2014.
Question:

- What year would you recommend? Knowing about the issues with other years?
- In 2013 I think a new engine 4.0T was introduced. Is it a much better engine than old 4.2?
- Any known (typical) issues with the 4.2?
- Any known issues (typical) with a 4.0T?
- What are the typical issues with all 2011-2014 models? Stuff that is know to be problematic on all or some years? STuff that I will really need to fix no matter what.
- Do you think I need to buy a car with exteneded warranty ? I know with a porsche its a must own preowned used car. Im just assuming its expensive on maintenance - but give me a feedback
- Any options I should be looking out for that are a MUST TO HAVE when buying A8? Useful options.
- What are the useless not that important options to have that is a waste of money
- Is the front seat massage on the bottom cushion and on top? Is it just one type of massage? or is that just a gimmick and a waste of money?
- Any bad design choices on the car? (like bad cup holder placement on the Q7 that is a known problem for flooding the MMI)
- Is rear seat reclining seat a useless option? Do they recline a lot or another gimmick? I have that on my Panamera and it doesnt recline much so its useless.
- I think certified preowned is the way to go. Whats the OEM warranty on these things?

Please convince me to buy A8!! Give me good and bad points. I had an S class (hate the brand - they dont care about clients), had the 7 series (old one was great but new ones are terrible and plasticy) , I have the Panamera (very good experience but Im done with "Sports" feeling and my CPO expires in 1 month) and - I just want to see what the A8 is all about.

Jack88

All are going to be very comfortable, whichever engine. None of the engines have any issue of real concern. The 4.0t has a vibration at 3000rpm, solved by swapping out the downpipes under warranty and earlier A8's have a faulty transmission valve that can leak coolant into the wiring harness, also covered under recall. The 4.0t is much faster than the either engines, but the 4.2 sounds good and never feels overburdened. A lot of people will tell you that you need the extended warrenty, but in the just over 2 years I had mine, I had about $600 into fixing it, most of which wouldn't have been covered by extended warranty.

Must have options would be the adaptive cruise control and massaging seats. Other than that, nothing stands out as a must have. The massage does the lower back to upper back, and it works better than any other I've tried. The cup holder works well enough, but you have to be sure it's not a container liquid can slosh out of or your console is going to get washed first time you brake hard. Also, the trunk is smaller than the competition. They put all sorts of electrics behind the rear seats and it eats up trunk space. Quirks you can't do anything about are that the 8-speed will sometimes hesitate to downshift from third to second at a rolling stop, resulting in a hard shift when it does decide to kick down, especially when cold. Also, on certain types of pavement at around 40mph there is a resonance with the suspension that feels like a subtle vibration.

I had the rear adjusting seats, and they were very nice the couple times I rode back there. If people ride back there frequently, especially on a long trip, it's a terrific option to have. CPO is probably your best bet, extended warranty companies offer contracts with more holes than you could shake a stick at. OEM lasts 4 years/50,000 miles from service date.

Subjectively, the A8 is a much better driver than the competition, with only the XJ able to compare to it's dynamics. It feels like a much smaller car as you pick up speed, and unlike my current Mercedes, feels at home carving up twisty roads. The car has a tendency to understeer mildly at it's limits, you can't get the back end out without work(but you can, I have.) It does transition well, albeit with a bit more roll than you're used to in your Porsche, but it never feels uncertain, it's quite a lot of fun. When you slow back down, it's a supremely comfortable car with the best ergonomics I've ever had in a car. The mmi doesn't take a lot to get comfortable with, it's a fairly intuitive system providing a lot of customization without getting overly complicated. I have heard some complain about the shifter, but you get used to it very quickly and it makes for quite a well placed hand rest.

That covers it, I think. Happy shopping!

doktorekny

Thanks Jack for your feedback.

Jack, two more quick questions from your feedback.
- Is the screen controlled with MMI **** and touch or just MMI and no touch?
- Kickdown is a concern. I had a '08 S550 where it had a 3 sec delay in kickdown when you needed to pass someone or get back on the HWY from the ramp. It pissed me off. I sold the car mainly as that being one of the main reasons.
So, when you drive 40 or 60MPH and then step on it to pass - is there the same delay in acceleration? Or instant downshift in any gear any any speed?

I would love to get it from the dealer with CPO but not many out there. But I will continue searching.

Thanks.
Mark

Jack88

It has a touchpad for writing and radio presets, but the rest is controlled via hard keys and the mmi ****. As for the delay, it depends. There is a small delay in comfort and automatic mode. In sport, there is no delay and it kicks down farther. Pulling the shift lever down takes the transmission in and out of sport mode quite quickly without adjusting your other settings. Manually downshifting is handy for certain short merge lanes or when you like to plan your moments. The throttle response when held in a lower gear manually with my 4.2 was exemplary, good enough to snap your head back quite well. The 4.0t is much quicker, but there is less snap when used in manual mode, probably comparable to that of your Porsche in terms of the way the power comes on. I wouldn't say getting a car with a lot of warranty is required, just make sure you have the factory warranty long enough to address the downpipes if they haven't been. A8's are the most reliable of the big luxury cars by a fair margin.

You may do well to post this in the D4 forum, this is the D3 forum, which covers the 2004-2010 American model years. Only a few here have much experience with the D4.