michaelbug Posted April 13, 2007 Report Share Posted April 13, 2007 Hi all, I am still on the hunt for an A8 and think I am going to go with a facelift 2000 S8 however I have seen a very low mileage 2002 2.8 QS on the cargiant website and am tempted by the price/low mileage/warranty/excellent condition etc. Is the 2.8 worth bothering with, I am aware it wont have as much grunt as its bigger brothers but does it have enough power to shift when you really want to? Cheers MB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grdunn123 Posted April 13, 2007 Report Share Posted April 13, 2007 I don't think the 2.8 has enough power. I've had a 2.8 A4 and am now on an A8 4.2QS, no competition really. I'd hang on and go for the 4.2! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtone Posted April 13, 2007 Report Share Posted April 13, 2007 This is of course highly subjective because there is a considerable difference in torque between the 2.8 and the 4.2. Sure the 4.2 sounds gruntier and pulls much stronger, but the 2.8 is not a slouch at all. As a 2000MY Sport spec, it is ostensibly the same car as the 4.2 except for the engine. I have a 2001MY 2.8 Sport and mine does 35mpg on motorway runs consistently and living in a rural patch I generally get an average around 27 anyway. You will get around 20-21 average with the 4.2 and maybe 27-28 on long motorway runs. My 2.8 does not wheeze and delivers very competent levels of torque to do the job. The choice is yours. The 2.8 is also cheaper for insurance and on today's roads, it's difficult to use 4.2QS performance much different to 2.8QS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ska Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 If your after performance then go for the 4.2, as big tone said these 2.8's are no slouch but I do have the urge to upgrade to the 4.2 in he near future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grdunn123 Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 If you're gonna buy a luxury saloon with all the toys and a great image, why settle for the small engine? Get a 4.2! The V8 grunt is what it's all about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SINGH Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 The V8 sounds beautiful when you put your foot down, I've seen 5mpg on the DIS of my 4.2 as I just love hearing that soundtrack! Can't comment on the 2.8 as I've haven't driven one, however i'd go for the 4.2 or the S8. I've said it before and after owning my A8 for over nine years I know for certain this is the one car I'll keep forever, and with only 50k on the clock im sure it will last forever too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtone Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 [ QUOTE ] The V8 sounds beautiful when you put your foot down, I've seen 5mpg on the DIS of my 4.2 as I just love hearing that soundtrack! Can't comment on the 2.8 as I've haven't driven one, however i'd go for the 4.2 or the S8. [/ QUOTE ] There's much wind and pi$$ talked about engine sound in fact, particularly in respect of modern road cars with muted exhaust systems. I had a couple of 7 series V8's and they sounded pathetic in fact, although I remember getting a passenger ride at the Avon test track quite some years ago in a Shelby 7litre Cobra that was there for tyre testing. Now that did sound impressive because there were no Cats but only side pipes and lots of sucking noises from the Holley sidedraughts. If you like proper V8 sounds, try this.. And modern V6's can sound OK, including this up to date version of Audi's well tried 3 litre, which has been spoken of already. My 2.8 has a nice growl when you poke it.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ab8hTv-ZU Interesting to see the age-old debate about rear drive compared to others. I still reckon it's the best fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelbug Posted April 15, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 Thanks guys, I think the only way to go is the V8 route. I was under the impression the S8 was not a very vocal car even when floored as it is a luxury saloon. I suppose an aftermarket exhaust can always remedy that though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kite Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 The Radical is awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Can't honestly say I have any real performance problems with my 2.8 Quattro but I guess it depends what you want from the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob77 Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 having owned a 2.8 sport and currently an S8 my only gripe was performance,the 2.8 was a fantastic car but simply lacked that little grin factor.my S8 has custom zorsts and the V8 howl is quite addictive and sounds the bo**ocks from a standing start,but its all about trade off and wether you want all out performance over economy its just unfortunate you cant have both unless you go for the big diesels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 [ QUOTE ] having owned a 2.8 sport and currently an S8 my only gripe was performance,the 2.8 was a fantastic car but simply lacked that little grin factor.my S8 has custom zorsts and the V8 howl is quite addictive and sounds the bo**ocks from a standing start,but its all about trade off and wether you want all out performance over economy its just unfortunate you cant have both unless you go for the big diesels. [/ QUOTE ] Which in turn costs big bucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenn Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 My "first" a8 was a 2.8-i was impressed by the build quality and luxury - the performance was certainly adequate, although i did feel it struggled a little bit if asked to do any serious overtaking at about 70-75 - the initial step-off was O'k though, especially as in the real world, when you're buying your own tyres etc. you don't really indulge in too many tyre burning standing starts - it really comes down to whether you want the performance of the 4.2 badly enough to pay the premium in m.p.g.etc- as to noise -I've got a quad Zorst on my S8 and it sounds pretty good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenamesross Posted April 23, 2007 Report Share Posted April 23, 2007 My logic was since Im buying an older car it doesnt really matter whether its 6 yrs old or 10 yrs old as long as its been properly looked after. So I just went for as much fun as I could afford. Bought a 97 S8 last month and am loving every minute. I could have bought a newer lower spec 8 but I know I would always wonder what if? I say go for V8! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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