1997 Audi A8 Quattro review from North America

Okay, it's had its fair share of problems. But fortunately quite a bit was covered under the Audi Assured (extended warranty) program. One of the more serious glitches was the "multifunction switch", which controls transmission functions. It fried while on vacation many miles from home, but the local Audi dealer was fabulous, and a rental car was covered under the warranty, so it was just a minor inconvenience and a bit of an adventure. Am now experiencing the apparently commonplace transmission "hunting" between 4th and drive at low RPM's. As most people have observed, it's an annoyance, but not super-critical (yet).

Also had the tie rods replaced due to excess play, and now have some additional rattles in the front suspension that need to be addressed. I'm sure that the engine will run forever, it's just a question of the rest of the infrastructure holding together.

Perfect combo of style, comfort and performance.

Can't be beat for long trips, it's like rolling along in your living room. You'll never drive a more comfortable car. It puts my Mercedes to shame in that regard.

Performance is still satisfying at 10 years old. Still reasonably tight. Some coil-over shocks would probably give the suspension a new lease on life.

Sound system is the best factory system I've ever owned, and still performs flawlessly, never had a hiccup.

It's a classic beauty in the looks department, and of course with the aluminum construction, rust will never be an issue. Also the best paint of any car I've owned, by far. Both my A8 and my Mercedes CLK AMG are silver, and the paint on the Benz doesn't come close to the Audi in appearance, even though the Benz is half the Audi's age.