2013 Audi S8 vs Tesla Model S

No, I don't have a shootout and these cars shouldn't be compared but the new Audi S8 is just an unbelievable performance sedan, here's numbers:

0-62mph | 3.5sec!!! (AWD of course)
1/4 mile | 11.7!!! sec at 118mph (faster than Z06)
Top Speed | Fast, prolly limited
60-0 Brake | 107ft

Performance wise it looks like it beats Model S everywhere??

Yes, it's not EV, cost around $110K but I have to respect numbers Audi is posting with this thing, anyone else impressed with this car?

0-60 3.5 seconds, GAS used 2 gallons? LOL

0-60 4.4 seconds, 10 cents of electricity?

IMO, no comparison. if you want a gas guzzler, they have been around for years!

On the other hand:

Coast-to-coast driving time: 52 hours

Coast-to-coast driving time: 8 days

Just saying with the S8 around, Model S P85 is definitely not the best performing sedan around, new S8 is likely even quicker than Panamera Turbo!

Dragging Model S against S8 (unlike new M5) will produce very different result.

Coast-to-coast commute? Use Leerjet!

I'll bet the Model S could still drive circles around it in real world driving.

I have driven a lot of super powerful V8 sport cars, and the one thing that I notice the most, compared to the Model S, is lag to speed. ICE engines still have to gear up to speed (20%...50%...80%...100%).

The Model S is 100% on demand instantly, at any speed.

@h8tow8 - if a gas supercar is your thing, why not get an F12 Berlinetta or an MP4-12C?

The price of that Audi S8 can really add up with those options. That leather was expensive! I think that car also looks very boxey, regardless of how fast it is. Reminded me of a Taurus SHO.

Silly conversation. What's the point? Sure you can find cars that are faster. So what? These forums are not about talking about fast cars. I'm sure there are plenty if places to do that. Go find one of those and stop boring those of us who care about performance and the environment.

I think Jason H. Harper at Bloomberg said it best…

“…The Model S’s electric motor delivers all of its full torque instantly. The initial moment of acceleration is as good as any supercar I’ve recently driven, outside of the $2.5-million Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport.”

Remember, Jason test-drives many exotic cars for a living, and nothing street-legal beats a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport!

Motor Trend says that the Model S does 60 in 3.9 and the Audi in 3.5.... not much in it. Also the model S does that with the traction control etc fully engaged. Be sure not to mix test results from different testing people since they have different standards.
If you look at the Panamera Turbo S it too does 60 in 3.4 to 3.5 HOWEVER that is with launch control on and prepping the car with the right revs etc. If it has the traction control on (which unless you are a racing driver you would be nuts not too for road driving) the Panermera Turbo S is only .1 sec ahead to 60 and .2 sec to 80! That is essentially nothing. These are according to Inside LIne test results. I doubt that the Audi is any better.. but I could be wrong.
I still think that the Model S will knock the socks off the Audi and the Panermera Turbo S in the 5-60 race. This is much more telling of usable real world acceleration.

For most of us, faster than 4 seconds is purely an abstraction - essentially about bragging rights.

But for those who truly covet this, look for the AWD Model S, (a more equivalent comparison to the S8).

My unofficial projection is that a Performance AWD S will deliver about 2.9 seconds, which is Lamborghini-grade performance (in a sedan!). (Personally, I think the 2WD S P85 is way cool, and I don't care to wait for AWD).

Model S beats the comparable 2WD Audi A8.

The Audi is a great car, but it represents the apogee of the old.

The Model S does more, with greater refinement, and yet demands less from the planet.

And as to looks?

Well, let's just say I would have a polite conversation with the A8 ... but spend the night with the S.

Audi at Neckarsulm, Germany, announced on Friday, November 9, 2012, that the production of the R8 e-tron has been stopped after 10 vehicles built. Audi started the development of the e-tron in 2009 assuming that the prices of batteries would drop by 50 to 60 percent in the following years. But Audi only noticed a price reduction of approximately 30 percent which makes the vehicle too expensive to market according to an Audi spokesman.

Initially the vehicle should enter production at the end of 2012 at Heilbronn, Germany. The decision to stop production after 10 units was only made a few days ago. During the first quarter of 2013, the situation shall be reviewed again for further considerations.

@MarkK - to get 2.9 with the current Model S weight the motors would need to deliver about 600kW (800HP) . Adding a 200kW motor to the front wheels could potentially do this; not sure if the batteries could dump that much current.

Agreed... I wonder if the 4w (vs 3.1w battery now in use) could dump this current. It seems to be almost enough. Maybe that is why we are not seeing the 4 wheel drive just yet.

S8 sounds great, but lets wait for actual performance numbers and remember that the p85 could still beat it from 5-60 which is more common than revving up your engine at a light.

The e-ton. More e-vapourware? TM's achievement looks better and better.

typo: "The e-tron." Arrrrr....

Tried to check Audi website about the specs of the S8. Their website makes this one look unbelievably good site. Audi website must be top ten worst website I have seen.

Looking at other websites S8 looks like reasonable car, though 8-speed transmission sounds a bit too much hassle for normal driving, and Audi has a lot less storage space than Model S does.

@DouglasR, once SC infrastructure is in place coast to coast driving times wont be very different between those two. If the situation would be reverse and gas stations were not yet in place but SC were then it would be

Coast-to-coast driving time: never. (audi S8)

Coast-to-coast driving time: about 55 hours (Model S)

Coast to coast being San Francisco - New York, about 75mph speed, charger used 15 times (every about 200 miles).

I've owned a few Audis - Not reliable at all. Especially the larger displacement units. Great interiors, and driving dynamics though.

Beauty is in the complete package - over time

@Timo, I'll take the Model S anytime. However, it cannot be denied that while the Model S provides a wonderful benefit in not requiring gasoline, it will be many years before it is as convenient as an ICE for cross country travel. I know that the proposed SC national map does not provide actual locations, but it does not offer a very convenient route for getting from where I live (Seattle) to the east coast. Perhaps some day TM will license it's supercharger technology, and SC stations will become as ubiquitous as gas stations. Until that day, the difficulty of cross country travel will be a disadvantage of the Model S, to be weighed against its many advantages.

It's an automatic ("slushbox"), tho' you can paddle-shift on the column if you insist. 15/24 mpg.
Also now aluminum; 4400 lbs.! $110K base; how would that price out in Finnland, or Norway? 4L, 520 Hp. Topped at 155 mph.

C&D considers it an unsporty executive rocket. LOL

Typo: Finland.

Audi S8 in Norway costs about $315k without options. So about 3x the price of a MSP with all options.

At some point the acceleration potential is limited by traction, not by power. So the AWD probably makes the difference, and the AWD Model S will likely be faster. I would assume NOT needing the Performance inverter and motor at the back- use two standard ones instead.

First off, Model S is not trying to be the fastest sedan, just happened to be one of the fastest.

I am wondering about a 50 to 100 mph race: The S8 gets 26 mpg highway, to achieve that it shuts off 4 out of 8 cylinders. How about cruising at 50 mph, then accelerating to 100?

C&D mentioned a fairly smooth transition. (Even sound doesn't tell much, as there is "stereo" noise-cancellation.) But going up&down much would certainly impact mileage.

2012 or 2013 Audi S8 is not for sale in Finland apparently (based on audi website). One of the online stores gives one car for bit less than 200kEUR which would translate to about $250k (without any options, so as basic as it comes, and without delivery fee, and I'm not sure all of the taxes are in that price tag).

Actually Elon's goal was indeed the fastest, safest, best looking, most practical sedan. I realize fastest probably wasn't number one, but I think it did just fine.

Well, he intervened late in the production set-up to emphasize more "oomph" at passing speeds. Much more important than speed off the line!

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