Weekend with an Audi A8 L 4.0T: PT Cruisin' in Style and Comfort

"Audi For Life" (audiforlife) 07/07/2014 at 14:01 • Filed to: audi, a8 l, mini-review

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I had the opportunity to drive an Audi A8 L 4.0T for the weekend of June 28th. I had already planned on going on a day trip up to the west side of the Puget Sound and do some "PT Cruisin'".

Back in August 2013, I had the opportunity to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which included a day trip over to Maryhill in Washington. Since then, I really wanted to take a spin in an Audi with the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8; unfortunately, the likelihood of taking a spin in an S or RS model would be slim to none. Well, when I heard that Audi Wilsonville had an A8 L 4.0T in their loaner fleet, I started to find a way to get the keys to it.

It took a few weeks, but I did finally get the confirmation that I would be able to get the A8 L for the weekend of June 28th. While I was waiting for Audi Wilsonville to confirm the availability of the A8 L, I had already been planning out a day trip to go on with the car. The biggest criteria for the day trip destination is a place that I haven't been to. After a bit of consideration, I opted to drive up to Port Townsend, Washington and do the PT Cruisin' thing.

For those not familiar with the phrase "PT Cruisin'", it originated from the " !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! " podcast and its fans to describe cruising and hanging around in Port Townsend. As a fan of the podcast and being a friend of one of the podcast's hosts, I wanted to experience a bit of the town and enjoy the beautiful views on the way up there.

I headed down to Audi Wilsonville that Friday afternoon to pick up the keys to the A8 L. By the time I transferred my stuff from the S5 to the A8 L and chatting with a few of the folks down there, rush hour was nearly over; so, I decided to take the most direct route home.

Even before I got my way back on to the the freeway, I immediately noticed the additional torque and horsepower that the 4.0T has over the more pedestrian 4.2-litre V8 I drove last year (the 4.2 V8 has since been replaced by the ubiquitous supercharged 3.0-litre V6). Accelerating spiritedly from a stop didn't feel like an immediate rush of power, but sure did propel the 4600+ pound metal box on wheels without any hesitation. The power delivery of the 4.0T feels like a combination of the buttery smooth 4.2 V8 and has notes of the 3.0TDI torque monster. Thanks to the twin turbos, the 4.0T never felt out of breath and would keep on pushing past where the naturally aspirated 4.2 V8 would feel a bit underpowered.

Early Saturday morning, I loaded up the A8 L with several bags, some camera equipment and a small cooler with chilled beverages. Even with all of that, it only occupied about a quarter of the trunk. Right before I hopped on the freeway, I topped off the appropriately large, 23.8 US gallon, fuel tank. I decided to take the more common route from Portland to Port Townsend: I-5 north to US Hwy 101 north to Washington SR 20 north.

You can read the rest of the "PT Cruisin'" adventure and mini-review of the A8 L on my blog at: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!