2022 Audi A8 L Prestige Continues To Turn Heads 

By A.Giron | November 3, 2022

The 2022 Audi2 A8 L Prestige continues to stay true to the automaker’s design language, initially established in 1994. However, this year’s model comes blessed with several revisions. The luxury sedan now boasts fresh exterior styling, a newly designed headlight, fresh taillights, and a less sophisticated but more aggressive stylish grille. Though subtle, the new bumpers are given a new bold look. The L Prestige looks a little like a buttoned-down executive vehicle. Plus, there are additional upholstery choices. 

The latest change is to be the new streamlined range. The V6 turbocharged banger has received a few tweaks, which have improved performance and fuel efficiency. But there is still the option to pick up the V8, and the S8 can still be had for those who want it. But most people will find that the A8 L Prestige offers the best features, as we’ll examine in this review. 

Exterior design: more prestige and authority

The Audi A8 is a sedan that represents status and exudes authority – now that it has been reworked, its exterior is even more representative, confident, and athletic. The base of the Singleframe grill is now wider and chrome angles that increase in size from bottom to top adorn its grid. The side air intakes are more upright and just as freshly styled as the headlights, whose lower edge on the outside creates a distinctive contour. To summarize, the newly designed and precisely orchestrated design elements in the front area significantly increase the A8’s presence and authority and sharpen the profile of the brand’s top model.

Beyond the basic exterior, Audi is offering its customers the chrome exterior package and, for the first time in the A8, the new S line exterior package. The latter gives the front a dynamic touch and differentiates even more from the basic model: distinctive blades in the area near the side air intakes complementing the front view – in a very similar fashion to the S8. The look is even more defined with the additional black appearance package. The color swatch for the A8 includes eleven colors, among them the new metallic district green, firmament blue, Manhattan gray, and ultra blue. Also new to the Audi A8 are five matte finishes – Daytona Gray, Floret Silver, District Green, Terra Gray, and Glacier White. In the Audi exclusive program, the car is painted in the customer’s chosen color.

Digital Matrix LED headlights and OLED rear lights

Comparable with video projectors, the Digital Matrix LED headlights use DMD (digital micromirror device) technology. Each headlight has approximately 1.3 million micromirrors that break down the light into tiny pixels. This allows it to be controlled with maximum precision. One new function that this makes possible is lane and orientation lights for highways. Here, the headlights emit a carpet of light that illuminates the driver’s own lane particularly brightly. Above all, this orientation light helps drivers intuitively stay in their lane at road construction sites. The digital Matrix LED headlights can generate dynamic coming home/leaving home functions upon unlocking and getting out of the car. They shine like projections on the ground or a wall.

The enhanced A8 comes with digital OLED rear lights (OLED = organic light-emitting diode) as a standard feature. When ordering the car, there are two rear light signatures to choose from – three with the S8. When the “dynamic” Audi drive select mode is chosen, the lights change to a wider signature that is only available in that mode.

In conjunction with the assistance systems, the digital OLED rear lights have a proximity indication feature: if other road users approach the stationary A8 from behind to within two meters, all of the OLED segments are activated automatically. Additional functions include dynamic turn signals as well as coming home and leaving home sequences. 

Impressive Interior 

The interior of the A8 is comparable with a spacious, widely tailored lounge – it offers open, feel-good space. Its architecture is strictly horizontally oriented to emphasize its width. The formal language is still always restrained. In the dark, the ambient light package plus elegantly stages the interior and there are reading lights in the rear that use Matrix LED technology. 

The relaxation seat in the A8 L is the apex of the program. It offers numerous adjustment options and a footrest on the back of the passenger seat. Passengers can use it to have the bottoms of their feet warmed and massaged to various degrees. The relaxation seat package includes a back massage with 18 pneumatic cushions, electrically adjustable comfort headrests, an optional continuous center console – also available with optional fold-out tables – four-zone deluxe automatic air conditioning, and the new screens in the rear. A cooler including a bar compartment in the Audi exclusive program emphasizes the comfort of the environment.

The high-quality workmanship underscores the A8 interior’s workshop character. That goes for the precise perforations in the seat covers, the electrically opening and closing decorative trim, the air vent doors, or the velvety leather in the comfort headrests. The seats are upholstered with Valetta leather as a standard feature. Alternatively, Valcona leather is also available as an option with the possibility of choosing the new color cognac brown. New to the program is the sustainable microfiber material Dinamica for the door panels, which can also be used for the pillar trim or the roof lining as an option.

Moreover, the L Prestige continues to be laden with premium materials. You can have extended leather and lots of wood inside too. The trunk may seem modest at 13 cubic feet, but it is adequate for most journeys. 

Engine and Performance 

The A8 has a V6 turbocharged engine with 335 horsepower, augmented with a 48-volt hybrid system. While that may not sound like a lot, trust us, it makes a difference. The eight-speed shifter and the all-wheel standard help ensure that the vehicle can go from zero to 60 in just 5.3 seconds. While we wouldn’t take the A8 to the racetrack, and it isn’t designed for one, it is one of the more powerful six-cylinder executive vehicles. 

Driving the Audi A8 is a blissful experience; there are no surprises with the smooth, almost nimble engine. Speaking of which, you can hardly hear the engine, even at high RPMs and the windows down. 

Everyone from the driver to the passengers in the back is comfortably seated. The adjustable air suspension and the adaptive dampers mean that the ride quality can be tweaked depending on the road conditions ahead. In other words, you are isolated from road irregularities. 

Final Word 

The 2022 Audi A8 L Prestige continues to be an excellent vehicle. It is dependable, well designed and has a great road presence. Our test unit certainly turned heads and, when pushed, delivered the power we’d expect from an executive class vehicle, all of which means that we have no problem recommending it. 

Photo Gallery: Click Here