Five-Point Inspection: 2015 Audi A8 L TDI quattro Tiptronic

3. Road Manners

Let’s not kid ourselves; the A8 L is a big car. It’s never going to feel like a Mazda Miata. Still, it delivers an altogether enjoyable on-road experience.

The torque-rich engine provides more than adequate thrust, enough in fact for a zero to 60 jaunt of just 6.4 seconds. The transmission rifles through its ratio stack without drawing any attention to itself. What more could you ask for?

Ensuring everything feels unimpeachably solid the car is built around the latest Audi Space Frame, a fancy name for an all-aluminum structure with load-carrying body panels; think of it as an automotive exoskeleton. Standard quattro all-wheel drive further enhances on-road confidence, as does a battery of standard and optional driver-assistance technologies.