Used 2011 Audi A8 Base for sale 

The Audi A8 is offered in two trims, the 4.2, and the 4.2 L. The latter offers a long wheelbase which translates to a limousine-like rear space for passengers and comes with some additional premium features such as park assist and a power-operated trunk. The price for the base 4.2 trim starts at $78,050 and the A8 L costs $84,000. Soke optional features are also available to further enhance the sedan and those include a night vision camera, 20-inch wheels, a solar-powered venting sunroof, and a premium Bang & Olufsen audio system.

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The base 4.2 trim offers a plethora of features and comfort which justifies the hefty price tag. If you wish for more space at the rear then the long wheelbase trim would fulfill your needs.

The 2011 Audi A8 is powered by a standard naturally aspirated gasoline V8 motor displacing 4.2liters. The motor is good enough to produce a maximum of 372 horsepower and 328lb-ft of torque. Unlike some of its rivals, the A8 doesn’t come with a sportier version or a more powerful engine which might see the sedan dropped from the list of performance seekers. Those who prefer otherwise, the performance of the A8 is decent enough for a big sedan and will provide you with a linear and relaxed driving or riding experience.

If you wish to drive it all by yourself and have some fun with it, the Audi Drive select will come in handy as it alters the setting and throttle response of the sedan to make it more suitable for dynamic driving.

Among the rivals, the BMW 740Li is the least powerful option while it offers more torque than the A8. The Mercedes-Benz S 550 is the closest contender of the A8 but is costlier and has way more torque than the latter.

Luxury sedans are not aimed at offering excellent fyuel economy and the 2011 Audi A8 is on the same track as well. The sedan houses a sizable 4.2liter V8 under its hood and it returns a maximum mileage of 17mpg in the city, 27mpg out in the highways, and 22mpg of combined mileage.

The BMW 740Li offers almost identical fuel economy rating as the A8 despite having a smaller motor. The Merc S 550 is the least fuel efficient one on the list and it’s quite assumable owint to its huge 5.5 liter V8 motor.

The interior of the Audi A8 is where the engineers have put more focus. It is laid out with exceptionally high quality materials including wood, premium leather, and aluminum trims to create a luxurious ambience. The base 4.2 has a generous amount of legroom on offer at the rear but the A8 L offers an extremely spacious 42.9 inches of legroom which can be compared to an average sized limousine. The front seats offer a 22-way power adjustment functionality and come with exceptionally soft yet supportive cushioning.

The center console is not stacked with numerous buttons, courtesy the MMI system which takes care of everything ranging from adjusting the audio volume to changing the car’s settings via Audi Drive select.

The BMW 740Li has the best headroom among the three for front passengers while the rest of the dimensions are more or less similar in all three sedans.

Infotainment

Audi’s infotainment systems are as brilliant as their vehicles and let’s take a look at the A8’s infotainment. The system onboard the sedan comes with an 8-inch touchscreen display which incorporates Audi’s MMI interface. The system is super smooth and easy to use with a multi-angle visibility even under harsh lighting conditions. The system has a new Google Maps based navigation system which utilizes its own data connection to show navigation and route information. The system can be controlled via a touchpad placed in the center stack with fingertip sensors. The system includes all the basic connectivity options and also offers a rear-seat entertainment system in the elongated A8 L trim.

SOme highlighted features of the infotainment system are listed below:

• 8-inch touchscreen display 
• Audi MMI interface
• Standard Bose sound system
• 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system with 1400watts audio output(optional)
• CD Changer
• HD Radio
• MP3 Player
• Satellite Radio
• Hard Disk Drive

The 2011 Audi A8 is aimed to offer supreme comfort and a delightful performance. The exterior looks heavily understated as compared to its interior. From the side the sedan looks quite long-hooded and broad shouldered while the rear-end looks spot-on with the all LED tail lights. The front-end is where Audi lovers might feel disheartened. The brash-looking front grille now looks more simple along with ordinary looking air-dams. There are, however, intricate fine detailing around the LED headlamps which might take a couple of minutes to find out and gives the sedan a distinctive look.

The Audi A8 sits the lowest to the ground with a sub 5-inch ground clearance while the Mercedes-Benz S 550 has the highest ground clearance of 5.8 inches which will keep it from scraping its belly over steep speed breakers. The S 550 is also quite longer than the A8 and looks more like an executive luxury sedan and misses the A8’s slightly sporty appeal. The BMW 740Li carries its own distinctive design language and is surprisingly the lightest among the rivals on the list.

German vehicles are renowned for their safety and extremely solid build quality and brands like Audi have been carrying on with the reputation quite successfully at present. The A8 has not been crash tested due to its low volume sales but comes with some excellent safety features and a solid build quality. Some advanced safety systems include automatic emergency braking, braking guard system, Audi Pre-Sense system, and an advanced stability control system.

Some highlighted safety features of the sedan are:

• Brake Assist
• Electronic Stability Control
• Daytime Running Lights
• Child Safety Locks
• Night Vision (Optional)
• Traction Control
• Emergency Trunk Release
• Blind Spot Monitor (Optional)
• Lane Departure Warning (Optional)
• Audi Pre-Sense
• Automatic emergency braking

The Audi A8 has managed to secure its position among the top players in the big luxury sedan market with its strong performance, superb comfort, and a series of advanced safety systems that makes this sedan stand-out from the crowd in a good way. The A8 is best suited for those who prefer to drive around in a comfortable sedan while being cocooned with a plethora of safety features.