Audi S8 (D2) review

Pleasingly alert to drive the D2 may be, but it’s still a plush, cocooning form of transport above all else. Even if its rear quarters seem to have less room than a Skoda Octavia does these days.

All the better to get nestled in the plush leather seats up front, then. The dials are analogue, the steering wheel big and with a bluff airbag cover while the Nineties equivalent of carbon trim was clearly wood. It doesn’t scream ‘lightweight sportiness’ in the same way – quite the opposite, in fact – but this clearly used to be shorthand for ‘premium’ rather like grey ‘n’ black honeycomb is now.

How has it all aged?

With the grace of Paul Rudd. Look at him closely and we're sure you’ll eventually find a wrinkle or a bit of silver in his stubble, much as you’ll spot the D2’s hilariously low-res sat nav or guffaw at that pale wood trim if you focus too hard on its detailing.

But placing yourself in its sumptuous driver’s seat you realise how similarly laid out its interior is to S8s – and Audi's – now. The spiffing ergonomics and feelgood atmosphere of an Audi cabin date back further than you might think, even if the visuals are completely different. The blend of analogue and digital is done exquisitely, too, even if you’ll be sticking your phone to an air vent rather than relying on the D2’s riotously dated navigation.