2006 Audi A8 4.2 Quattro Review

To say that I was looking forward to my week in the Audi A8 is an understatement. I literally marked off the days in my diary. Now, that's not because I'm an Audi freak or anything, but I had heard so much about this car, that I just had to get behind the wheel of one.

I was really anticipating my time behind the wheel of the A8.

To be honest, there are a few reasons behind this.

One is the fact that a friend of mine has just purchased one. I admire his judgment, as he has owned quite a few "nice" cars in his time. Also, being a widely recognized name in the film industry, I'm sure that he can afford just about any vehicle that he wished for, but he chose to buy the Audi A8.

Another reason is that the Audi A8 is based on the VW Phaeton, which to me, is one of the true wonders of the car industry. Oh yes, I say wonders, because every time I think of that car, I wonder why VW couldn't manage to sell more of them. I guess the company just couldn't convince the N. American buyers to part with $60k - $100k for a vehicle which still carried the VW badge on the front.

For those who do not know the history of the Phaeton, let me briefly explain how that vehicle came about.

Volkswagen Phaeton

The car was the brainchild of the chairman of Volkswagen, Ferdinand Piëch. He had been in that position for a number of years when he decided that it was time to show the world just what the VW Company was capable of. He set his designers a task, "design and build the world's finest automobile".

A formidable task indeed, although there are many in the car world, who firmly believe that they succeeded.

That is a rather large pill to swallow for a man like me, who hails from the land of the Rolls Royce and Bentley brands. Then again, together with the Audi A8, the Bentley Continental GT and the Flying Spur now share the same platform as the Phaeton, so maybe their thinking is not that far from the truth.

Let's have a closer look at the Audi A8.

When you talk of luxury, every vehicle which shares this platform has that, from the Phaeton to the Bentley, and the Audi A8 is no exception. The interior has been crafted from what can only be described as "a herd of cattle and a small forest of trees".

The interior of the A8 makes you feel like you're in something rather special. Even when you take the price tag into consideration, it still feels right. 2006 Audi A8 4.2 Quattro Review from (http://www.auto123.com/en/audi/a8/2006/review?carid=1060600800&artid=75901)