Audi A8L versus BMW 740Li Head to Head Review
While most will never own a limousine like the BMW 7-Series or Audi A8, more may get to experience them as popular as they are with high-class hire car services. You never know, there might a red carpet invite in the mail sometime soon…
Even if there isn’t, flagship limousines like these often dictate what you’ll be driving in the future as they usually introduce cutting-edge technologies, luxury conveniences and connectivity functions first, for customers that can, for starters, afford it and, secondly, demand the latest and greatest.
The A8 is the newest of the German trio - when you include the Mercedes-Benz S-Class - and promises to smash through the glass ceiling of autonomous driving technology and become the first car to offer Level 3 functions that allow hands-free motoring for more than just a couple of seconds.
But it can’t just yet, as authorities haven’t approved the use of such systems in Australia at the moment.
Instead the A8 has to play the traditional role of an opulent limousine, cosseting its occupants in ultimate luxury while making the job of driving - whether it’s your own car or for a chauffeur - an enjoyable experience, which are attributes the BMW 7-Series has excelled at for generations.
So, when keeping ahead of the Joneses matters, is the newer A8 a better limo than the 7?
Value
It starts with an ace up its sleeve with a $20k price advantage in the long-wheelbase models we’re testing here, the A8 L 50TDI and the 740Li, with the Audi costing from $207,000 (plus on-roads) while the BMW asks $228,900 (plus on-roads).
Both come with an extensive array of standard equipment, including full leather trim, four-zone climate control, heated front seats, fully-digital instrument displays, large high-res infotainment screens with high-quality audio systems and a comprehensive suite of active safety systems, including automated emergency braking, semi autonomous driving aids such as adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go in heavy traffic, lane keeping assistance, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and 360 degree cameras with parking sensors.
The A8 introduces a new twin-screen digital display set-up for the infotainment and ventilation controls which features hand writing recognition for inputs such as destinations in the sat nav. The BMW isn’t without gimmicks either, with the driver able to adjust the audio volume and answer or dismiss phone calls through gesture control. Both are geeky-cool party tricks to impress friends, but you’ll hardly use them.
While you’d never need more than what’s already on the menu, both Audi and BMW offer an extensive assortment of costly high-calorie options that can amplify the experience, whether you’re the one driving or for those being driven.
Our A8, for example, was fitted with almost $60k of extras including the opulent ($18,500) Executive Package that transforms the rear into a business class environment for just two with seats that can recline, are heated and have massage functions while the left-hand passenger even has a massaging foot rest. Between them is an extended centre console with a tablet that can control most of the functions, like ventilation, media and sat nav, from the back seat.
The BMW was also equipped with tens of thousands of dollars worth of extras with an M Sport makeover that included a sportier body kit, 20-inch alloy wheels and tauter suspension settings, plus a host of extras to dress-up the cabin.
Both cars are covered by a standard three-year warranty, with BMW limiting the mileage to 100,000km while Audi offers unlimited kilometres. The 7-Series constantly monitors the health of the vehicle and will recommend a service based on driving conditions while the Audi requires regular maintenance every 12 months or 15,000km.
Winner: Audi A8
Inside
You will not be disappointed in either of these cars, and in any of the four seats. As both our test cars are in long wheelbase configurations, they offer acres of space in the back to stretch out and forget about the world outside, along with retractable sun blinds on the side windows and rear windscreen to hide behind.
The Audi’s full-length centre console looks more special than the BMW’s fold-down armrest, and its seats offer a slightly greater range of adjustment with more comfortable cushioning and supportive side bolstering. Its dark colouring didn’t detract from the overall spaciousness of the cabin either, but the BMW’s glaring white leather certainly made it feel even bigger.
For those that have to drive, the Audi’s dashboard is gorgeously simple yet modern while the 7-Series’ rather formulaic layout looks like a fancier version of a 5-Series.
There’s more wow factor in the Audi, and it comes from what’s not there rather than what is. Its minimalist ambience is more luxurious in some ways as it manages to fuse old-school qualities with modern tech in a more harmonious manner. And it looks stunning at night, with the digital screen turned off and the Virtual Cockpit reduced to just two small gauges, allowing the ribbons of ambient lighting to envelope its occupants in science fiction.
Winner: Audi A8
Engine
Here’s where the A8 and 7-Series diverge - at least in our test vehicles. Both feature turbo charged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engines and have eight-speed automatic transmissions, but the Audi has a diesel V6 that drives all four wheels while the BMW is an in-line petrol unit that powers just the rears.
The latter has more outright power, with 240kW versus the Audi’s 210kW, but the A8 has considerably more torque, with 600Nm on tap from a lazy 1250rpm compared to the BMW’s 450Nm at an equally effortless 1380rpm.
As a result, they have vastly different characters; the BMW is perkier, revs quicker and produces a sonorous straight six exhaust note under acceleration with a little burp under full-throttle gear changes and a subdued gargle when you back off; the Audi, on the other hand, is actually quieter and more effortless, using its prodigious low-rev torque to effortlessly glide along.
It also has some extra smarts with a 48V mild-hybrid system that allows it to coast with the engine off from speeds as high as 22km/h to save fuel, which results in it being more efficient too with an official average consumption figure of just 5.8L/100km. Saying that, the BMW is hardly a gas guzzler, despite its size and performance, with an equally impressive average fuel consumption of 6.8L/100km.
Winner: Audi A8
How they drive
There is a sense of occasion in both of these cars as they absolutely nail the brief of being comfortable, long-legged limousines you could spend hours in - whether you’re being paid to drive or paying the driver’s wage.
With each using air suspension, they waft along effortlessly, almost ironing out any bumps in the road. The BMW’s sportiness - with stiffer settings and a more prominent soundtrack - ensures it can actually be bit of fun to punt along a back road when the boss is watching, like the valet parking attendants in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The steering is well weighted, if a little aloof in its connection, and it manages to mask its size and weight with some high-tech wizardry, like active anti-roll bars, to keep it sitting flat through the corners. In some ways, though, the sportiness confuses its character as it takes a layer of polish off its ultimate refinement, where the Audi is absolutely sublime over most surfaces, whisper quiet at any speed and yet just as dynamic when you have to - or want to - push on.
Winner: Audi A8
Verdict
While it looks like a whitewash for the Audi, the reality is both of these machines are deliciously sumptuous limousines that offer the ultimate in luxury motoring.
The Audi is the better choice here by a small margin. It has a wider bandwidth, managing to be just as dynamic as the BMW when you need to make a fast getaway from the paparazzi but has a greater sense of serenity about it at all other times. It’s super comfortable, effortlessly powerful, amazingly efficient and its cabin is both more modern and luxurious.
If anything, the new A8 is far less derivative than its predecessors and looks and feels slightly more special than the generic 7-Series. And that’s exactly what you want from a quarter-million-dollars.
Audi A8 L 50TDI Price and Specifications
Price: from $207,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel
Power: 210kW at 3750-4000rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 1250-3250rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, AWD
Fuel use: 6.0L/100km
BMW 740Li 2018 Price and Specifications
Price: From $228,900 (plus on-roads)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo petrol
Power: 240kW at 5500-6500rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 1380-5000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, RWD
Fuel use: 6.8L/100km