The New 2005 Audi A8 6.0 Quattro V12

[TheScientist]

It's is definitely something that I look foward to seeing on the road, a V12 Audi!
Compliments of edmunds.com:
This new flagship of the Audi lineup not only boasts an incredibly powerful 12-cylinder engine, it also wears a distinctive face. Previewed on several concepts over the past several years, the new grille design makes for a unique front fascia that's sure to cause a stir in this typically sedate segment of the market. Accompanying the revised front end are new headlights that incorporate LED daytime driving lights — the first such system ever offered on a production vehicle.

Lurking behind the chrome-ringed grille is a 6.0-liter W12 engine rated to produce 443 horsepower and 419 pound-feet of torque. Audi claims that 95 percent of peak torque is available between 2,300 and 5,300 rpm. Acceleration is expectedly swift, with Audi claiming a 0-to-60-mph time of just 5.2 seconds on the way up to an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph. Like the standard model, a six-speed automatic transmits the power to the ground through Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive system. An adaptive air suspension is also standard along with the majority of the equipment that's optional on V8-equipped models.

[MioCLK]

actually...it is a W-12 engine... two V-6 put together
it is the same engine found in vw phaeton and bentley gt (w/twin turbo)

[TheScientist]

Oh yeah, forgot about that. It's already in the VW Phaeton.

[Viper 10]

Originally Posted by TheScientist

Oh yeah, forgot about that. It's already in the VW Phaeton.

Remeber tha the VW is not even close to the same car. It doesn't have the aluminum space frame or skin.

I hope that Audi doesn't price itself out of the market.

Brad

[schicki]

I doubt they will over price it. The talks are that it will be around 760Li's price, to better compete. By the way, my brother in Germany got to test drive one last weekend. He was amazed. Having a Porsche Turbo, he is kind of a harsh driver, but he liked the 5 different suspension modes Audi offers in the new W12. Going 150 on the A1 in Germany was very nice and smooth he said, not even noticing the speed. I guess the size of the vehicle just tricks you.

The car is really big, he said people would get afraid when he was coming towards them and they saw him in their mirror.


Will be looking forward to see the car at my local dealership.

[EdgePerformance]

Originally Posted by schicki

I doubt they will over price it. The talks are that it will be around 760Li's price, to better compete. By the way, my brother in Germany got to test drive one last weekend. He was amazed. Having a Porsche Turbo, he is kind of a harsh driver, but he liked the 5 different suspension modes Audi offers in the new W12. Going 150 on the A1 in Germany was very nice and smooth he said, not even noticing the speed. I guess the size of the vehicle just tricks you.

The car is really big, he said people would get afraid when he was coming towards them and they saw him in their mirror.


Will be looking forward to see the car at my local dealership.

Yes they are HUGE cars, but very stylish, and extremely solid. Love our 97 A8 but would trade it for a new w12 anyday of the week. Need to take a test drive in one when i get back out to Virginia Beach early in july.

Jared

[TheScientist]

WEll the W12 A8 is the standard Long Wheelbase body from Audi. Basically it's an A8L.

[porscheguy9999]

Originally Posted by TheScientist

WEll the W12 A8 is the standard Long Wheelbase body from Audi. Basically it's an A8L.

But with a huge-ass engine

[ThatRoundHeadedKid]

Originally Posted by schicki

Going 150 on the A1 in Germany was very nice and smooth he said, not even noticing the speed. I guess the size of the vehicle just tricks you.

Not really. It's the torque that comes out of the V12 which causes very smooth acceleration. In other words, like on a high-powered V8, you can feel the jerk and the motion of your head going back in the seat, but with V12s or W12s in this case it's rather smoother. THere's so much torque from the wheels causing smooth accceleration, that the only ways you literally know how fast youre going are watching the speedometer going up and the trees passing by faster and faster without feeling that jerk. You find that in almost any 12 cylinder engine out there.

[porscheguy9999]

^^ True, but can you go that fast in any other big sedan with class? And without looking like your compensating for other things...

[ThatRoundHeadedKid]

I forgot to add that it has to do with the transmission ratios. On a car with less cylinders, there's less overall torque distribution to the transmission, so you need a smaller gear ratio in the first few gears for acceleration. THere might be more torque and horsepower in numbers but the actual distribution is less than of a V12. That's why with a V8 or something, you feel the jerk then a slow-down at high RPMs because the smaller the gear ratio, the easier it is to gain speed but with a lower top speed. But V8s may have a top speed as high as a V12. That's because as the gears go higher, the ratio increases because there's enough speed to the car and the gears to gradually bring the car up to its top speed. the first few gears are basically a primer to get the car accelerated. Think with a bicycle. you have it in the lowest gear possible, and you pedal as hard as you can. You accelerate so fast that you can literally pop a wheelie. Now, think about it when you have your bike in a higher gear, it's harder to pedal but you have a higher overall top speed. The V12 is like adding your power output to the higher gears but multipying it by a few. So instead of starting on gear 1-7 on a bicycle to get you up to gears 14-higher, you can be in gears 14 and higher but without sacrificing acceleration in a V12 (based on a 27-speed bike) .Also, the difference with a V8 is, think of the low gears again, and then as you increase gears on the bike, the higher gears are easier to bring your bicycle to top speed. With V12, there's enough cylinder power and torque that you can have a higher gear ratio with out sacrificing acceleration because you ahve extra cylinders.

[porscheguy9999]

Wow. Thats alot of info. But oddly enough, it makes complete sense to me.

[fourRings]

Originally Posted by Viper 10

Remeber tha the VW is not even close to the same car. It doesn't have the aluminum space frame or skin.

I hope that Audi doesn't price itself out of the market.

Brad

THe Audi out muscles the phaeton Going 0-62mph in 4.9secs and top speed of of 138mph. According to Car and Driver the governor doesn't do a good job of keeping it 130mph