These days, the A8 is facing stiff competition in the super luxo-barge market. The current D3 platform A8 has been out since 2004 but faces the likes of the current S550 from Mercedes which came out two years later in 2006 and then very young, month-old BMW 750iL - fresh off it’s full redesign. So, with the redesign of the A8 now less than two years away, one might think the D3 A8 has begun to grow a bit long in the tooth from the more recently developed competition. 

Motor Trend posed just that question the trio of big saloons from Deutschland - how do all of these cars stack up? If you needed a big, German car to make a quick getaway, what’s the best to use?  

After all, they’re staggered across a nearly 6 year span of time while all trying to satisfy the same niche, but by doing so in their own particular way.  Each has developed their own particular system for managing onboard systems such as the navigation system, stereo, and HVAC controls with Audi’s MMI approach, the i-Drive system from BMW - now far refined from the polarizing system they debuted on the last 7 Series and then COMAND - Mercedes’ system which has progressed over the last few models. So in terms of onboard systems, these cars are very similar.

But how do they stack up in terms of the engine power of drivability? The Audi has quattro all-wheel-drive while the other two only have to make due with two wheels to put power down from the big V8’s though BMW’s new steering system that allows drivers to steer the rear wheels could prove a formidable threat. Speaking of engines though, guess which engine of the three managed the best fuel efficiency? Well, to find out that and how the others stacked up, hit the jump below to read the full article.

Read the full article here. 

(Source: Motor Trend via BMW Blog)

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