[Ashutosh]

Originally Posted by GTO

That said, I wouldn't buy it over the S-Class which to me is a cut above the A8 & 7-Series

Would Lexus LS 500 Hybrid make part of that list which is priced above A8 at 1.8 cr?

[Baddychat]

That is a lovely review.

Even before I step inside the car it is tough to tell the difference between the A6 and A8L at least when you are looking at it front on. This wont find many takers not because it does not have a diesel power plant but most buyers in this segment would choose the S or 7 or the XJ over this.

[arun_m5]

Originally Posted by n:CorE

Excellent review Akshay! Clear, crisp and concise, as always. Rated this thread a well deserved 5-stars.

About the new A8 L, I have mentioned this elsewhere on the forums as well. These piano black surfaces and touchscreens replacing traditional buttons is a step backward in my opinion. The prospective buyer of such a car gets the best haptic feedback/OLED display on his iPhone Pro Max too. Where is the sense of occasion?

Fiddling with that little stalk under the A/C vent in the S-Class left a lasting impression on me. As did the tactility of all the other switchgear in the interior. Knurled knobs, interior pieces milled from materials like aluminium, titanium, magnesium, etc. would justify the price tag more appropriately and not an interior which is essentially a fingerprint magnet.

As you rightly said, the chauffeur driven will flock to the S-Class, the driving enthusiasts to the 7-series. This Audi lies somewhere in the middle, with a confused identity, much like always. Still, its the only one Tony Stark is driven to board meetings in. The halo car for the understated, tech enthusiast, "chaar bangdi" fan.

I reckon it will see decent sales only after discounts/price corrections.

This touch screen trend is going to continue into the for-seeable future, fact is a standardized touchscreen and its "brain" / control unit as seen here can be cross fitted across different models and customized via software instead of having to individually design, test and manufacture buttons, knobs, etc. to suit each variant's interior. Plus manufacturers can now focus on perfecting this interface rather than manufacturing new parts for every new model that comes out in the future. In my opinion, on the long term It's a huge cost saving for the company.

Same goes for screen's replacing the instrument cluster, now one LCD unit
with a standardized control module can fit on all cars from a manufacturer and only it's shroud has to be customized to fit a specific vehicle. Cost saving's while offering the driver a degree of customizability. I can imagine the board of directors gasping at the thought of individually designing, testing and manufacturing an instrument cluster for every single vehicle in their lineup. Now it's just slap a screen on it, adjust the rev-range, speed range, and parameters by a quick software update and voila, its done.

Originally Posted by Ashutosh

Would Lexus LS 500 Hybrid make part of that list which is priced above A8 at 1.8 cr?

The LS is in a league of its own. You literally don't even have to service it at the dealer. It's engineered that well and simple. Even has reminders for individual service items like brake pads, coolant, brake disc's, air filters, cabin air filter, etc. It's an example of how a technically advanced vehicle can still be utterly reliable for several cross country road-trips.

[viXit]

Originally Posted by GTO

There is no concept of running-in the brand new engine either. Sometimes, I get a fresh media car with 150 km on the odo & I know that the engine needs gentle running-in, but I also have a review to do, so it is redlined while still a baby. A part of my heart does ache when doing this .

Is there a perceivable amount of difference in performance between cars that are properly run-in and those who aren't?

[n:CorE]

Originally Posted by arun_m5

This touch screen trend is going to continue into the for-seeable future, fact is a standardized touchscreen and its "brain" / control unit as seen here can be cross fitted across different models and customized via software instead of having to individually design, test and manufacture buttons, knobs, etc. to suit each variant's interior. Plus manufacturers can now focus on perfecting this interface rather than manufacturing new parts for every new model that comes out in the future. In my opinion, on the long term It's a huge cost saving for the company.

Same goes for screen's replacing the instrument cluster, now one LCD unit
with a standardized control module can fit on all cars from a manufacturer and only it's shroud has to be customized to fit a specific vehicle. Cost saving's while offering the driver a degree of customizability. I can imagine the board of directors gasping at the thought of individually designing, testing and manufacturing an instrument cluster for every single vehicle in their lineup. Now it's just slap a screen on it, adjust the rev-range, speed range, and parameters by a quick software update and voila, its done.

Everything an organization does is fundamentally for the betterment of the bottom line be it modular platform architecture, shared powertrains or shared interior trim pieces (I read somewhere, the previous-gen Bentley Continental used a gear lever from the Passat).

These organizations employ special people to figure out what strategies to deploy to make cost savings. I get that these touchscreens are well integrated into our day-to-day, but it severely robs into the whole sense of occasion that one tends to seek with a purchase of this nature. Digital instrument cluster, understandable. I'm talking about the good stuff you tend to touch and feel every day.

I'd still hold off on to conclude that this is indeed the future. It also depends a lot on opinions and feedback from automotive journalists, media and most importantly, the customers. I sincerely hope that this new trend is not here to stay and that the product strategists are sent back to the drawing board to find more pennies elsewhere and not in dashboard switchgear.

[grosserimperial]

Even though the design of the car has some similarities with A6, it looks great. It is more suited to higher level executives of big corporations though. The MD's and Chairman's of large Indian business will gravitate more towards a Mercedes.

The trend followed by most of the manufacturers, ranging from smartphones to cars, of removing/altering/downgrading specific features for India specific variants makes me upset. We pay at the least twice the price and are given second class treatment.
They can at least provide the hardware as much as possible and enable it when there is demand or the infrastructure has developed.

Off Topic but thinking about the same from a long time-
Team-BHP moderators, do you get an instruction list from car manufacturers when they send their cars for reviews?
Was intrigued about this when reading the review of Hyundai Ioniq on Ars-Technica; the car was stolen from the reviewer's residence.

[Reinhard]

What an amazing car. Worthy of the crisp review it got! The A8 is a really luxurious car, but pricing that goes beyond the S-Class, actually means only the loyalists will think of it.

Personally I'd always opt for a BMW or an Audi over the Mercedes in the dreamland where I have money to afford any of these. The styling of these beauties and driving dynamics are much more to my liking compared to the MBs. (Had the good luck to drive these cars as rentals in the EU.)

The cabins of Audis have been fantastic places to enjoy a journey in. Cocoons. And this one is no exception. The rear seat sure is enviable.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Ashutosh

Would Lexus LS 500 Hybrid make part of that list which is priced above A8 at 1.8 cr?

I haven't driven the new LS, so cannot comment. However, I have driven several other Lexus cars and their philosophy seems to be on comfort over driving pleasure (in fact, most Lexus are extremely boring to drive). Hence, I don't think I would even consider it.

Originally Posted by viXit

Is there a perceivable amount of difference in performance between cars that are properly run-in and those who aren't?

Much debated on this thread.

Originally Posted by grosserimperial

Team-BHP moderators, do you get an instruction list from car manufacturers when they send their cars for reviews?

Not really. Manufacturers are usually super happy to get cars reviewed by Team-BHP. Also, we take utmost care of all cars we get. If I had a choice between a safe parking spot for my own car or the media car, I'd probably give it to the media car. Have to be particular when using someone else's property.