To answer you first question, no we have not mistaken the A4 for the new A8. It’s just that Ingolstadt has followed the typical German approach of “one-style fits all” with its new flagship model that looks exactly like the firm’s entry-level A4 sedan. Don’t get us wrong, the new A8 is in our opinion if not the, one of the most elegant and sleek proposals in the luxury sedan segment, but we were expecting something a tad more unique (in other words, more revolutionary, less evolutionary) from Audi. On the other hand, it should be noted that Audi’s designers managed to achieve an exceptional drag coefficient of only 0.26, which is about the same as the smaller Toyota Prius hybrid. Moving on to the interior, let’s just say that, sans the A4-esque instrument panel, owners of the current generation A8 will feel right at home. In fact, we bet that most will have a hard time telling the two interiors apart. Nonetheless, the Germans do claim that the cabin has been further improved in terms of quality of workmanship as well as materials.Leaving the evolutionary styling of the exterior and interior aside, the new 2011 A8 continues to make use of a lightweight aluminum body. The normal wheelbase A8 (a LWB will follow at a later date) measures 5,137 mm (16.85 ft) in length, 1,949 mm (6.39 ft) in width and 1,460 mm (4.79 ft) in height, with a 2,992 mm (9.82 ft) wheelbase. The company has not yet released official figures for the A8, however, Audi says that the new model weighs about the same as the current A8, even though it’s bigger (3 in. longer, 2 in. wider) and has more standard equipment.
