V-6 for A8L: Audi follows BMW lead in big-car engine plan

Can you believe it? Standard engine in that “great eight,” the Audi A8L, is now a V-6.

I’ve driven the 2013 Audi A8L 3.0T, and take this bit of advice, “Don’t fret.”

The smaller block is supercharged and powers the oversized Audi sedan virtually equal to the level of performance of the previous engine, the 4.2-liter V-8.

Oh, on a near-90-degree turn at a highway intersection, it was necessary to “punch” the accelerator to quickly regain 70-miles-per-hour speed with the V-6, whereas the old 4.2-liter would have maintained the pace more smoothly and swiftly.

Overall, though, it’s a pleasure to drive. I’d as soon have the 3.0-liter in the big Audi as I would the V-8. It is rated at 333 horsepower and 325 lbs.-ft. of torque. Though the 4.2-liter V-8 has been retired for 2013, offered as an option for the A8 and A8L is a 4-liter twin-turbo V-8, which will exceed the 372-hp level of the previous 4.2. All are mated to an exceptionally smooth 8-speed automatic transmission.

Interestingly, there is no fuel-mileage gain with the V-6. The 3.0T carries an EPA estimate of 28 miles per gallon on the highway; that is the same as the rating for the 4.2 V-8. That’s a very decent mpg rating for a cruiser that weighs more than 4,300 pounds.

So, with no appreciable gain in mpg, why the switch to a V-6 for the Audi? A couple of reasons are that the 3.0T can be offered at a $6,000 lower base price than last year’s A8L, and, the fact that the new supercharged V-6-powered A8L can compete head-on with BMW’s twin-turbo inline-6 740iL.
My overall average with the A8L 3.0T in a 60/40 split of highway/city maneuvering was 24.6 miles per gallon, identical to the posting last fall in an A8L V-8.

Base price on the 2013 model is $78,500, compared with $84,700 for the model last fall. Sticker price on the new one was $88,595.
The ride of the A8L is as good as those in the BMW 7 series and Mercedes S class sedans; its standard adaptive air suspension soaks up road imperfections fairly inobtrusively. Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive system is among the most secure. Normal split of power is 40 percent to the front wheels and 60 to the rear, with the center differential shifting torque instantaneously when needed. For ’13, a stop/start system shuts off the engine when stopped at traffic lights; instant restart occurs when the foot is lifted from the brake.

The Audi’s exterior continues unchanged, highlighted by massive grille, long hood and thin headlamps. Overall length of the A8L is 207 inches, 5 inches longer than the standard-length A8. Most of this added space falls in the rear-seating area, which has ample legroom, footroom and headroom. It’s too bad an inch or two wasn’t left in the far-rear compartment, where cargo space is only 13.2 cubic feet.

Luxurious comfort and a high-tech navigation/Bluetooth/audio setup with 14 Bose speakers mark the interior. It is dressed well with firm-leather seats, soft-alcantra headliner and wood trim on the dash and console.

Thirty-one years ago, I reviewed in The Denver Post the 1981 Dodge Aries K car. Excerpts:

For some outstanding fuel mileage in a family-size sedan, combine a 4-speed manual transmission with the 2.2-liter 4-cylinder engine in one of Chrysler Corp.’s K cars. My recent test of a Dodge Aries so equipped produced 38.6 miles per gallon on a straight highway run. This is almost 3 miles a gallon better than a run with a Plymouth Reliant powered by the 2.6-liter engine and automatic transmission six months ago. An interesting comparison of the Aries four-door test model was with my 1956 Dodge Royal four-door sedan. Styling and handling of the new one are magnificent. Twenty-five years haven’t been wasted. Park the two side by side and the old car hangs 2 feet over at the front and another foot at the rear. The new Aries is 176 inches long, the old Dodge is 212. The 2,350-pound Aries carried a sticker price of $7,963. Among options were power steering, vinyl roof, tinted glass, maximum cooling and white sidewall glass-belted tires. Its stick shift was a long, crooked lever on the floor; handy for operation by the driver but inconvenient for the knees of a middle-of-the-seat passenger.

$88,595

(price as tested)

MPG City 18 Highway 28

Vehicle type: Premium full-size AWD sedan

Wheelbase: 122.9 inches

Length/Width/Height: 207.4/76.7/57.9 inches

Weight: 4,364 pounds

Engine: 3.0-liter supercharged V-6

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Fuel mileage: 24.6 mpg

Fuel tank: 23.8 gallons

Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles basic; 4/50,000 powertrain

Competitors: BMW 740 Li, Mercedes-Benz S-class 3.5

Built at: Neckarsulm, Germany

$78,500 base

$3,000 Convenience package

$3,000 Driver assistance, rearview camera, lane-departure warning

$1,700 Warm weather package

$1,500 Alcantra headliner

$895 Destination

Luxurious interior

High-tech nav/audio

Supercharged V-6 power

Small cargo space

Exterior styling