Sales of high-end luxury sedans are not what they once were, thanks largely to the boom in big luxury SUVs.

That said, they’ve bounced to 26.4 per cent growth this year, down largely to booming sales of Mercedes-Benz’s new S-Class launched at the end of the last year.

Arch-rival Audi’s answer to the sublime machine from Stuttgart is a mid-life upgrade of its own A8 flagship that brings more cabin technology, subtle styling tweaks and – most importantly – the long-awaited return of the bruising S8.

Understated but handsome in design, beautifully finished and surprisingly fast and fun to drive, the A8/S8 range is a beautiful place to pass the time.

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