| 2011 Audi A8 vs 2011 BMW 7 Series | December 21, 2009 | AUTORIVALS.NET |
| Share |
|
|
|
| The Audi A8 and BMW 7 Series are the most recently revised luxury cars. Lexus and Mercedes-Benz's flagships are aging gracefully but now need a revision to keep up with the Audi and BMW. Each one brings new technology, updated performance, and new designs. Audi even claims its new A8 is "the sportiest sedan in the luxury class." That's a pretty bold and brash statement considering what it's up against. | ||
| 2011 Audi A8 | vs | 2010 BMW 7 Series |
 |
 |
|
| Audi's corporate face is obviously
apparent on the new A8 with the same upside-down trapezoidal
grille found on every other Audi. The headlights get updated
with ten LEDs for low beams and 44 white and yellow LEDs for
daytime running lights and turn signals positioned in a
wing-shape which Audi simply dubs as the 'wing.' LED technology
first seen in the
Audi R8 provide light that's closer to daylight reducing eye
strain. The headlights now adapt to the road ahead of time using
the navigation system which increases light in corners or turns.
The headlights now provide lighting to replace the fog lights
which used to be in lower side air intakes. Radar sensors are
now placed there instead for adaptive cruise control
capabilities. The BMW's redesign is more of a departure from the previous 7 Series than the A8 is to its predecessor. With chief designer Chris Bangle leaving, the new 7 Series takes on a different styling direction but still encompasses his 'flame-surfacing' design cues. The most notable new design element is the huge flared nostril grille that's pushed forward on the front end. The lower air intake goes across the whole front with fog lights mounted on each end. |
||
 |
 |
|
| The 7 Series has a more traditional headlight design with large dual round headlights encased in the housing. BMW also adds LEDs but only for the turn signals and has only a total of eight compared to Audi's fifty-four. LED technology is definitely here to stay with lower power consumption and more design possibilities. | ||
 |
 |
|
| The A8 uses the Audi Space Frame (ASF) body like previous A8s and rides on an aluminum body. The shape isn't that different from before and uses the same design as the last generation. The 7 Series uses the same concave and convex surfaces known as 'flame surfacing' and looks more modern than the A8. Both the A8 and 7 Series have a contour line running from front to back but BMW incorporates the door handles into the line giving a better look. | ||
 |
 |
|
| Audi's LED-craziness continues in the tail lights which use seventy-two LEDs in each side. The trunk is shorter giving illustrating the wide stance even greater. The 7 Series no longer suffers from Bangleitis with a rear that's better and more traditional than before. | ||
 |
 |
|
| The A8's interior resembles the
previous
generation with the same layout but gets upgraded with a
bigger center screen that extracts and retracts from the
dashboard. Audi's computer system, the Multi Media Interface
(MMI) gets upgraded with a
touchpad along with a multifunction steering wheel. The Audi A8
will also feature Google Earth integration, a first for any
production car, along with The 7 Series gets a boatload of new features that put it ahead in terms of technology. The layout isn't changed much from before but a larger 10.2-inch screen is the centerpiece for BMW's iDrive computer system which also gets upgraded. The gauge cluster goes digital for the first time in a BMW and is now a high-resolution color display rather than traditional analog gauges. Four circular gauges, navigation directions, warning lights, etc. show up on the screen when the car's running and uses black panel technology that blacks out the screen when not in use. BMW also adds a new Head-up Display that can show speed limits by using a camera on the back of the rear view mirror that reads road signs. BMW's night vision system is also upgraded which BMW claims is the most advanced system in a production car. And last but not least, rear passengers get massaging seats fitted with twelve massagers and air conditioning. |
||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RECAP | RECAP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
PROS +LED craziness +Google Earth integration CONS -Same shape as the previous generation -Same interior as the previous generation |
PROS +Profile looks great +Electronic display for gauge cluster +More interior features CONS -Huge nostril grille |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Video Source: YouTube via worldcarfans.com | Video Source: YouTube via Inside Line |
|
|