Long and Squat don't usually add up to a good design, but the A8 makes it work. It's long, very long with the extended wheelbase version, and it's low, coupled with the imposingly large 19" optional wheels, this vehicle simply has presence on the road.

Making things out of aluminium is not easy, making an entire car out of aluminium is a challenge to say the least. Audi has pulled it off, and this latest version of their aluminium flagship is stunning in its execution.

Complementing the exterior design is an interior that boasts workmanship worth of setting your Prada bag on. The wood grain is inviting while the pieces of aluminium scattered around the interior serve as a reminder that this is one high-tech vehicle.

Audi's MMI (Multi Media Interface) attempts to remove button clutter from the dashboard of this full-featured vehicle and does to a greater degree than BMW's similar iDrive system. Compared to previous iterations of this flagship though, there are remarkably fewer buttons to hunt for and learn, but it does require you to at least skim through the owners' manual.

The stereo is crystal clear, Bose has done its job tuning the 12 speakers utilised in this application. The general fit and finish of the interior is simply exemplary and befitting a vehicle with a pricetag such as this one.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of owning an A8 is that it comes with all-wheel-drive, so should you reside in a part of the world where snow and ice or even simply loose gravel might be a part of your driving, this is one security blanket some people can't do without.

Audi fits the A8 with an adaptive air suspension that can vary the ride height of the vehicle a full 2 inches from its lowest setting to its highest, allowing you to clear obstacles and to lower the vehicle for better high-speed handling.

All in all, a most capable luxury sedan that can also play the part of part-time racer.