Audi dropped the veil on its all-new flagship sedan the 2011 A8 today in Miami. The new sedan tops the brand’s range and looks to be solid competition for the recently redesigned BMW 7 Series and the slightly aging Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It definitely stands out in the design department with an over-exaggerated chrome grille, huge LED headlights and a back end fitting of Blade Runner.
The A8 here is the standard model, a long wheel base model will also be available when the two go on sale late in 2010. However, the standard A8 is 202 inches long, just two inches shy of the outgoing long-wheel base edition. There’s no telling how big the stretched 2011 will get. The good news is that while Audi won’t give out official weight figures, the larger 2011 will weigh virtually the same as the 2010 and less than the competition.
Audi has been a pioneer in using LED lighting around headlights as either daytime running lights or as accent lights. The A8’s entire headlight structure is made up of LEDs and the design looks a bit too wild for anything that will be heading to the country club.
For 2011, the Blue Oval is introducing a new 3.7-liter V6 Mustang that should give it the firepower and refinement needed to take on Chevrolet's six-cylinder Camaro and Hyundai's upstart Genesis Coupe. But it isn't just the spanking all-aluminum powerplant and its 305 horsepower and 280 foot-pounds of torque that's making the scene for the forthcoming model year. In addition to the Cleveland-sourced mill, there are a pair of fresh gearboxes, a new V6 performance package, and a host of
Now, we could grouse on behalf of 2010 MY 'Stang owners everywhere that these upgrades weren't part of last year's mid-life updo, but instead, we'll just be happy that these advancements are arriving at all.
Despite being smaller than the outgoing 4.0-liter V6, the dual-overhead cam 3.7-liter's horsepower and torque ratings represent massive improvements over the 2010 model (305 HP dismisses 210 HP and 280 lb-ft. plays 240 torques). In fact, that's more horsepower than the 4.6-liter V8 Mustang made just a few years ago. While the 305-horse figure only allows the Mustang to pip the crosstown Camaro by a single all-important stallion in the pony car bragging wars, Ford says the powertrain will be good for 30 miles-per-gallon on the highway when paired with its new six-speed automatic, also one notch better than the Chevy.
