This 563-HP Audi Flagship Sedan Is Now Cheaper Than a High-Spec SQ5

[Source: Carwow]

Buying a new flagship luxury sedan can be a painful financial experience. Buying that same car a few years later can be a very different story. Few cars demonstrate that better than the Audi S8. Carwow recently highlighted a 2023 Audi S8 Black Edition with just under 39,000 miles listed for £55,000 (about $75,000). That’s still a substantial amount of money, until you consider that the car cost around £118,000 (about $160,000) when new. In roughly three years, more than $85,000 has disappeared from its value.

The result is a used S8 that now costs roughly the same as a well-equipped new Audi SQ5. And as much as we like the SQ5, that’s a difficult comparison to ignore.

Under the hood of the S8 is Audi’s 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 producing 563 horsepower, and 590 lb-ft of torque. Power reaches all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive. Despite being a large luxury sedan, the S8 can sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just 3.8 seconds. That’s serious sports-car performance wrapped in a package that could easily disappear into the executive parking lot.

That’s always been a big part of the S8’s appeal. An RS 6 Avant announces its intentions with huge intakes, swollen fenders, and an aggressive stance. The S8 is considerably more discreet. To most people, it simply looks like a particularly nice A8. Only those familiar with Audi’s performance models are likely to recognize what they’re looking at.

Of course, straight-line speed is only part of the equation. The S8 is still based on Audi’s flagship A8, so buyers get the comfort, space, technology, and long-distance cruising ability expected from a car that originally carried a six-figure price tag. The Black Edition also adds suitably sinister styling to the otherwise understated sedan. There is, however, a catch.

Depreciation may have turned this S8 into a less expensive car to buy, but it hasn’t transformed it into a less expensive car to own. You’re still maintaining a complicated V8-powered flagship luxury sedan. Fuel, insurance, tires, brakes, servicing, and unexpected repairs can quickly remind you what this car originally cost.

Still, that’s unlikely to stop us from browsing the classifieds. For roughly the price of a high-spec new SQ5, this used S8 offers 563 horsepower, a twin-turbo V8, quattro all-wheel drive, flagship luxury, and enough performance to embarrass plenty of dedicated sports cars. Sometimes depreciation isn’t such a bad thing, provided you’re the second owner.