Exactly my point, my BMW (which i got for its fuel economy - not performance) was 50 BHP short on your A4 but as it also does 20 MPG more then your A4 it makes the 50 BHP difference worthwhile, and now I've remapped it, the MPG is even higher and it's 50 BHP up. That A4 was a seriously quick car though +++

But then if youre gonna say that you cant moan about the S8's gearing as surely you choose an S8 for power and an A8 more for comfort. I chose mine for wafting around rather than blatting around the Nurburgring, and based my choice upon just wanting effortless luxury cruising and the toys. I also chose it because i liked the interior half leather and alcantara more than other interiors I had seen. I guess at the end of the day we all have different reasons for choosing a car im just saying dont moan at Audi for producing a lower gearing in the S8 than the A8 when thats what the car was about - I guess most owners who bought them new werent worried about the mpg as much as today too! +++

I agree, noone buys an S8 for economy, but when a 4.2 A8 will do 30 MPG on a run and an S8 will only do 24 with the same driving style, that's a fairly big difference, a difference of £17 every tank (based on 350 Miles) now my RS 6 is a heckuva lot faster then an S8 and still has A8 gearing making it more economical then an S8 with 120 BHP more. IMO the S8 in 'D' at motorway speeds should sit at the same RPM as an A8 and the option for the sports gearing should be given to the driver via S mode. When you've had both an A8 and S8 and your making the same progress but it's costing so much more it is a little annoying, fair enough if the S8 had a bigger engine with higher displacement and cylinders, but with more or less the same 4.2 V8 30 vs 24 MPG isn't right, I can see why Audi geared it like that and as Neil says,maybe it's more of a problem with today's fuel prices then it ever was in the late 90s.

Thanks all, if a wee bit off topic ha ha!!

It's all about real money sorry I didn't explain it properly. I know of diesel owners who claim 60mpg but in reality see little more than 45mpg....

So a D3 S8 V10 I am going to be doing roughly 240 miles to around £100 notes?

Food for thought. I am seriously tempted, but I do a few miles. But the 5.2 V10 seems on average the same as a V8.

Sorry for continuing 'off topic', but.....

I had a Pre FL A8, and loved it.:)

Thinking, 'more is more', I bought my FL S8.+++

I figured that it would have a bitty more power and I liked the revised interior, also, I thought 'S8 beats A8, right?'.

Well, I've now had the FL S8 for a couple of years and without a doubt, it's the best car I've ever owned. Bar none.

But..........I preferred the gearing on my old A8 (and the lack of revving) and also my 'ye olde' P reg A8 was definitely nicer, in a quite intangible way. The accelerator pedal was deffo better and it had a kind of classier feel to it- more relaxed, I think.

Ideally, I'd like a 'besta' car. Besta both worlds.

I think an A8L, with S8 underpinnings and S8 power, but A8 gearing would be good. In black.:love:

But... a FL S8 is a helluva good car!

My sentiments exactly +++

The PF was a much more 'direct' car. cable throttle, no servotronic, and the best drivers seat i've ever sat in.

I'll be honest the D2 didn't do anything for me guys. The D3 was vastly superior in everyway. And I owned both.

So.

In real terms how much is a full tank in an S8 and how many miles do you get apporximately to that tank?

In V-power terms a really full tank is about £110 and that'll do me about 350 miles of long runs. Obviously cheaper if you run regular unleaded

Exactly what I was after thanks :)

How do you rate it? The overall car? Pleased?