Audi S8 review

Big, luxury cars like the S8 don’t hold their money all that well, meaning if you buy outright for a minimum of £102,730 (before options), when you come to sell a few years down the line you’ll probably find it’s worth disconcertingly less. Not that any owners will care. Nor will they mind much that it’s hardly the most efficient car on the road. Audi claims around 22mpg and 245g/km of CO2 emissions despite the mild-hybrid help. We suppose the clue is in the word 'mild'.

The fancy suspension, all-wheel steering and diff are all standard on the S8, with most of your options then based on appearance. You can have a Black Edition (for £105,730 with a blacked-out grille and bumpers, black mirrors and inch-bigger 21in alloys) and a fully-loaded Vorsprung (£117,730 with Matrix LED headlights, massage seats, more leather and a big sunroof).

The coolest thing about the S8 is that it takes a keen eye to spot it’s something a bit special. A few bits of altered trim, big wheels and quad exhausts (which are all real) are the only differences between the S8 and the V6 petrol and diesels.

More of a leasing kinda person? It'll be over £1,500 per month on a typical three-year deal. A three-year/60,000-mile warranty is standard, while servicing is every 19,000 miles or two years, whichever comes around first.