LOOKS

The 2016 Audi A8 L is long (offers tons of rear leg room) and attractive, but not as in-your-face as the styling of some of its rivals (Lexus, for example). It has a stately elegance to it.

Interiors are the make-or-break part of this highly competitive segment of luxury sedans, and no expense is spared in the A8, with intricately stitched leather seating and a sharp design to the cabin. And while it’s high end, it somehow maintains a low-key European feel to it so it’s not too ostentatious. While Audi doesn’t have the sales numbers that Mercedes and BMW do, they go toe-to-toe with their home-country rivals in terms of vehicle quality, especially on the interior.

ENGINE, HORSEPOWER

My test vehicle had a 4.0-liter V8 engine that offered 450 hp and 444 lb.-ft. of torque, and an 8-speed automatic transmission. All 2016 A8 models will come with all-wheel-drive.

If Audi matches its rivals in the design aspect, it arguably beats them in terms of pure joy of driving the vehicle.

The A8 (like most Audis) is a vehicle where you look forward to getting behind the wheel. You don’t mind if the ride is longer or out of the way than anticipated, or the road is more windy and twisty, as the responsiveness to driver input is so immediate it just feels effortless. And the punchiness of the engine -- both from a stop or while in motion -- are just what the doctor ordered for driving enthusiasts.

TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY

You get the option of 4G LTE WiFi in the A8, and it has a wide variety of safety features (rearview camera, adaptive cruise control, head-up display, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, etc.), though there are some it lacks compared to rivals (i.e. its safety systems won’t detect pedestrians, while some rivals do).. While not completely there, I’d still give the A8 a solid B+ on its safety offerings.

One of the best features on the Audi A8 L is the optional massaging front seats. Seems a bit much at first, but when you’re stuck in traffic they’ll do wonders for your mood and have you thinking less about how long you’ve been in one place.

The infotainment in the A8 is controlled by a dial in the center console -- a unique setup but one I quickly got used to. Voice controls were easy to use and did not require repetition. System understood me every time.

I did, however, find that the number of levers hanging off the steering wheel where a bit too much, and could have been simplified.

MPG, PRICE
Official numbers on the 2016 Audi A8 L are 18 city/29 highway/22 combined, and during my test period fell the numbers were fairly accurate. My test vehicle was just over $96,000, and base model starts in the low $80K range.

BOTTOM LINE

I just read about a custom-built A8 with six doors, essentially a limousine, being created for a special customer. I’m not surprised. If I were looking to modify an already brilliant sedan to fit more people, I would start here too. Not quite perfection, but again very close.

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Matt Myftiu can be foundon Twitter @MattMyftiu.