2013 Audi S8 4.0t Official Photos and Info

The engine in question is an all-new 4.0-liter V-8 packing twin turbochargers. It also will power the new S6 and S7—which join this S8 as 2011 Frankfurt debutants—where it produces 420 hp. But for the chairman-of-the-board audi S8, output leaps to 520 horses, backed by a wall of torque that sits on a 479-lb-ft plateau from 1700 to 5500 rpm. Despite making some 70 hp more than the old V-10, the new motor achieves a claimed efficiency bump of nearly 23 percent thanks to cylinder deactivation and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Audi also claims a 0-to-62-mph time of 4.2 seconds, which is pretty impressive for a two-and-a-half-ton, seventeen-foot-long sedan. The Bentley connection? The turbo eight will serve as a new base motor for the Continental GT.

Chassis Tech Abounds

In the S8, Audi’s suite of chassis systems help transmit the power to the pavement. Naturally, the car features Quattro all-wheel drive, but it also uses the company’s torque-vectoring sport differential at the rear. Audi Drive Select allows the pilot to choose his or her preferred steering weight, suspension settings, throttle sensitivity, and transmission behavior. There’s some serious 265/40-series rubber stuffed underneath, too, on standard 20-inch wheels. A variety of 21-inchers will be available as options, at least in Europe. Outside of style, the wheels need to be that large to provide clearance for the car’s massive 15.7-inch front brake rotors, which are offered in traditional cast iron (denoted by matte-black calipers) or optional carbon-ceramic (anthracite calipers). latter save 11 pounds of unsprung weight at each corner, will cost a fortune, and will offer superior fade resistance.