Performance of a 2007 S8
Audi buyers have long known Audi as a company that seems to always have a car to fit their needs. Having full access to the Volkswagen group of vehicles – Volkswagen, Bentley and Lamborghini – certainly helps them release an eclectic lineup of vehicles. The 2007 S8 made full use of this free rein by borrowing the most important component of this power machine from Lamborghini.
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Engine Specifications
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The 2007 S8 was the first production Audi vehicle to come with a V-10 engine. This powerful engine, which Audi borrowed from super-car builder Lamborghini, cranked out a stout 450 horsepower and 398 foot-pounds of torque. The S8’s engine was originally the 5.0-liter V-10 seen in the Lamborghini Gallardo, but Audi bored the engine to a total displacement of 5.2 liters before dropping it in the S8. On the inside of the 5.2-liter V-10 engine was a double overhead camshaft configuration with a total of 40 valves. The engine’s bore was 3.33 inches, its piston stroke was 3.65 inches and it had a compression ratio of 12.5-to-1.
Drivetrain
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Harnessing and directing the power created by the 2007 S8’s V-10 engine is a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Behind the transmission, keeping the wheels on the road is an all-wheel-drive system and a limited-slip differential with a 4.06-to-1 ratio. This all-wheel-drive system, known as Quattro, splits the engine's power 40-to-60 ratio front-to-rear.
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Steering and Control
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There’s not much fun in just going straight, so Audi spent nearly as much time on the 2007 S8’s braking and handling. Starting on the outermost corners, Audi slapped a set of 20-inch silver alloy wheels wrapped in 265/35ZR20 tires. Four-wheel disc brakes measuring 15.2 inches on the front and 13.2 inches on the rear brought this powerhouse to a halt. Absorbing the bumps in the road and helping glue the S8 to the tarmac is an auto-leveling suspension. The suspension makes mild adjustments to each corner as needed, depending on which suspension profile the driver chooses: automatic, comfort, dynamic or lift. Underneath this sports sedan are two anti-sway bars, one on the front and one on the rear. These features add up to responsive and predictable cornering, as well as no body roll, per Edmunds Inside Line.
Body
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The body is the least exciting of the S8’s features, as it’s a “typical” Audi body, but it still plays an important role in the vehicle's performance. The 2007 S8 features an all-aluminum body to keep weight at a minimum, but it still weighed in at a staggering 4,277 pounds. The 2007 S8 does not perform well in the wind chamber, either, getting a less-than-stellar .29 drag coefficient. Another not-so-hot part of the 2007 S8 is that 59 percent of the vehicle's total weight is in the front end.
Track Times
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Enough with the technology side; time to see how this large sports sedan performs in real life. Audi claims a 5.0-second 0-to-60 mph speed, which is attainable, since Car and Driver magazine tested a 2007 S8 at 5.3 seconds from 0-to-60 mph and it was not broken in yet – it had just 769 miles on it. Unfortunately for those who like to flirt with the 200 mph mark, Audi wisely limited the 2007 S8’s speed to a maximum of 155 mph via an electronic governor. The S8 went through a 600-foot slalom course at an acceptable average of 67.3 mph. It will shoot through a quarter-mile track in 13.4 seconds at 105.6 mph. Its relatively small brakes bring the S8 from 60 mph to 0 in 108 feet.
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