I Drive the "Ronin" Audi S8! (2000 Audi D2 S8 Review) 

What colour is the boat house at Hereford? Love the car, and love Ronin. I do prefer the older Avus wheels though.

For now 20 years I daily drive this car, red metallic, with the 4.2 ltr. engine V8. Being partner through many phases of a turbulent life. Has 260k km. No problems anytime. Perfect leather. We all love the understatement, power and classic quality design. Will never been sold. :-) A happy owner with family and friends. :-)

Also one of the most beautiful sedans ever made. Everything just looks right. Not overly styled, no styling gimmicks. All business!

Purchased my '02 in '07 with 69,000 miles from a high end dealer in Chicago. I still own it and it's my daily driver. It now has 128,000 miles - that's around 3,500 per year, driven year round in Minnesota. I've maintained it meticulously and it's in excellent condition. Worn out parts and general ( preventative) maintenance have cost me $22,000 over 14 years. It seems as though as soon as something is repaired/replaced, it needs something else. It's never left me stranded though. All electronics, displays, gauges, HVAC are original and work perfectly still. Interior is still timelessly beautiful and as solid as the day it left the factory. Bose stereo is underpowered and doesn't have much bass. It's got the worst transmission I've ever driven - unpredictably holding on to gears way too long before upshifting sometimes, even in slow gentle driving. Why would I need to stay in 2nd gear revved to 4-5000 rpm when I'm doing 25 mph? Stock suspension (new Bilsteins at 98,000 miles) has always been super harsh in the city with hardly any damping whatsoever - boom!, bash!, pow! it's exhausting to drive - worst city driving ever. However, get it on the highway and it's incredibly planted, flat, stable, smooth and sticky (Pilot SS). Superb high speed cruiser. Excellent tight steering with no play and just the right amount of boost (very slightly heavy biased.) Bomb-proof beefy engine is very reliable and very torquey still (if maintained properly = quite expensive for a typical used car). Strong Brembo brakes have always been a perfect match for the engine. Poor gas mileage: I've averaged 13-15 mpg in combined driving. BEAUTIFUL to look at still and it is rust-proof. I still get asked about it from admirers from time to time. An absolutely beast in winter wearing winter tires. Unstoppable in all conditions. So, if you're considering getting a D2 S8, those are my impressions as a long time owner.

My daily driver is a A8 D2 -97. One of the best cars ever, easily!

I lived with a 1997 BMW 740i for about a week, long enough ago that the platform was still current and in production, though just barely. The infamous "Bangle-butt" replacement was just about to be introduced to a shocked world. Like its contemporary, the Audi presented here, this car's styling was clean and simple. It was an elegantly beautiful design, IMO. It was also a magnificent driving machine. At that time I was immersed in BMW enthusiasm. My personal ride was a first generation (e28) M5. I had owned, or extensively driven, a variety of other BMWs built between the mid-80s and the mid-90s, including several other M-cars. And yet I thought this 1997 740i was simply and clearly the best car I'd ever driven on public roads. It was fast, plenty fast enough to be impressive at the time, and fast enough to get you into all sorts of trouble even today. It was incredibly comfortable, with wonderful seats and excellent ergonomics. It was eerily smooth and quiet, except for a lovely exhaust note when pressed a bit. It was very well-appointed for the time, with power everything, beautiful interior lighting at night, and the usual wood and leather trim. This was a base model, meaning it had the standard 'short' wheelbase, and no 'sport' options. So no staggered 18" M-Parallel sport wheels, no sport seats, etc. It did not draw attention to itself in any way, really. But it was every inch a proper BMW! It handled beautifully, had loads of steering feel, little body-roll, very good brakes, and plenty of power. It was stunningly capable for such a big car. Its very early version of BMW's dynamic stability control, which could be disengaged completely, made it absolutely unflappable. You could drive that thing as fast as it would go, yet it never made a wrong move, even on very challenging mountain roads. It was as nearly perfect as any car could be at that time, and still my favorite of all the cars I've ever personally spent any real time with. Even compared to contemporary 5-series BMWs, that car was on another level. I would bet real money that many Audi enthusiasts, lucky enough to have experienced these A8/S8 cars, felt the same way about Audi's flagship. Of course, enthusiasts generally don't care about large sedans at all, so few of them are well-preserved over the long term. But if you find a nice one from your favorite German manufacturer, one that maybe you've sort of been interested in for a long time, I say try it. Get it for the right price and just try it. Your beloved hot rod M3 or whatever may well find itself collecting dust if you do.

One of the best carchase scenes in cinematic history...great car, great flimmm 😻👍👍

The new A8/S8 are probably much fancier in some ways, but if I were in the market for a car in that class, I’d want exactly this one. It’s so beautiful and elegant.

One of my all time favorite movies, Ronin! I think I have watched it a hundred times. 👍

Run one as my daily since 2012 - 6 speed manual conversion with rear bias, RS4 8-pot brakes, top notch air suspension - it's ruined me, but I'd sell the dog and go hungry before selling - amazing machine and great owners club too with annual tours in the UK and Germany

One of my favourite Audi's! As many have already mentioned it just looks spot on! My A6 also has the solar sunroof, and it's an absolute blessing with the ridiculous temperatures we're getting in the UK at the moment!

Nice one James. I owned my 2001 S8 for 14 years, having brought it out to New Zealand when we moved here, and recently sold it to a mate who just uses it for long trips. Out here, when the rain falls and the wind blows, nothing comes close for a feeling of connection to the road. The sheer integrity of its aluminum construction and the all-round double glazing lend it the solidity of a bank vault on wheels. I believe it also has the distinction of being the first series production automatic to rev to 7000rpm before changing seamlessly up.

'If I was management I wouldn't have given you cigarette'....I love that movie! Thanks for the timely S8 review.

Ah...memories, loved my D2, bought as a daily ..great cruiser

I was thinking you are approaching Clarkson levels of charisma, and then you said POWERRRR🤣

Always wanted one and glad it gets the JayEmm sign of approval!

I love these. They feel faster than you think they should have any business ever being and it's basically because they are! 👍

Seriously enjoying your videos mate keep up the fantastic work! 👍🏻

I had a D2 S8 Final Edition for a short time myself, probably the cheapest one that ever came up for sale (with its fair share of problems of course). I don't know if it was chipped or if straight piping the exhaust (go figure what kind of people have owned it before) really made a difference but that thing pulled like crazy, absolutely mental and definitely a fast car by any definition. Too bad they pretty much all got serious problems with the "sealed for life" ZF 5-speed auto in them, pretty much guaranteeing 4-figure repair bills at one point in the car's lifespan. If you dont mind that though, they are amazing cars to own and definitely rare on the roads today. I sold mine to an enthusiast in Germany for a decent profit, its getting completely restored now. Anyone in the UK would have just parted it out, which is the fate most of them met here unfortunately...

Mine has 256k miles here in the us and still runs like a champ love the car.!!

I also own a d2 S8, amazing machine. Glad to see a new video out there about the car!

Well done Jay you keep finding interesting stuff to review.

You're in a very jolly mood today young man!

Just picked up a mx5 mk1 and man not fast but nippy, great handling and what an exhaust note.... I feel your smile....

Proud owner of one similar just in silver and 160K kilometers

I’ll start with the key info. The D2 S8 is the best saloon car ever. I bought one for that reason. However, it is not a perfect car. There are 3 or four negatives in this car: 1) The automatic gearbox in these is either broken or will break. The one to have is the manual. Only about 1000 manuals were bult. It is a bit surprising that it has not become a real collectable. The manual is so frigging good. 2) The power steering is not the best. It is speed dependant and it really feels a bit weird at times. There is a way of inactivating the speed sensitivity which is said to make it better. 3) The front suspension is clever. However, the double joint lower outboard pick ups tends to age and get a bit loose and it gives a bit of a feel that the caster is changing. 99% of time it is ok but it can start to pull quite a lot in grooves especially during braking. 4) In the winter time it is a Quattro which means it is not so easy to throw it as you never now which end is going to give up. But then again it was never meant to be a rally car. It is very front heavy and the attitude to have is to turn in slow and exit fast. A bit like 911 (my other car is a 996). 5) In a typical Audi-style it was designed by clever people who unfortunately never service their cars by themselves. Change the alternator and you know what I mean. In that sense it is an anti-Porsche. Now, what makes this car fabulous? a) The nature of the engine is perfect for a car like this. There is plenty of torque to make it feel a very light car in everyday use. I think the best range is really from 1500 to 5000 rpm. Above that there is not that much even if it revs up to 7. b) Quietness. This is a car in which you hear what the other one says even at 200 m/h. c) All the high speed stuff is marvellous. It is a really stable car. d) There is plenty of room. e) The quality is awesome. f) The handling on a grippy surface is the best in the class. The handling on snow is ok but understeery. e) It (mine is 1997) has none of the stupid ESPs. Ive driven a few new Audis and their ESPs are horrible, really bad, dangerous for a good driver! I bought mine a few years ago with a price of 4% of the original price and I would say there is more than 95% left of the car. I drive among other cars and often have this weird sensation understanding the 90% of the new cars are nothing compare do this one. It is definitely a car for a car nut. Frankly I think it is a better car than a new S8 which definitely is a better computer but which has very little left of a car for a driver.

Always wanted one. Nice vid

excellent vid, had a bit of everything bravo!

Another great vid GETTING to be my favourite car guy he does what it surpossed to do on the TIN,, I worked in the motor trade for many YEARS and THEIR isn't one story I haven't heard about your dream machines,,

My Dad had a green 2.8 A8 as a company car (and then he got banned) and I ended up driving it for 6 months aged 25. Loved that thing and its understated presence (and the company fuel card). Great vid and very enjoyable.

oh man this brings back memories,had one just like it

Nokia 7110. I had one. It DOES pop out, like in the film. One of my favourite mobile phones

D2 S8 final edition owner here... love it.

Another fantastic shirt from Jay's collection 😎

What an amazing car! I have 161,000 miles on a 99 A8 Quattro I just bought, it's not close to the same condition, but still very fun to drive! Love how this car is pure machine! So right about no fancy turboing or gearbox, only miss those when it comes to MPG!

I just gave my 03 away before I moved. Absolutely love it. Very stiff smooth car

I was looking at these on auto trader yesterday and you put this up today, can you read my mind?!?

I will say I've owned this car for 10 years, do not have NOS 😅 AND never drove it in sport mode and this thing to this day surprises me!

Love it! my daily is a 1993 V8 4.2L pre coilpack with 2 dizzy's one on each cylinder head. Still has the ancient but functional Motorola cell phone in the center console

I'm new to this 18th September 2019 and subscribed within the first 5 seconds 👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿💪🏿💪🏿💪🏿💪🏿

Love the movie Ronin and definitely puts a smile on my face seeing a beautiful specimen on the road...

I had one for 3 years.....took us to the south of France every year as well. Brilliant car! Heavy on fuel but drive was so smooth and effortless and air con was ice cold.

Loved the Ronin S8 chase - NB nearest matrix phone was the Nokia 7110 - IT consultancy i joined in 2001 was the standard company phone

Yes! I own the exact same A8 in midnight blue, all the same specs as the S8 has, except the slightly neutered 228KW 4.2L engine. I also managed to get it with the optional OM carbon fibre accents, instead of the standard wood. Hands down one of the best cars i ever drove and it easily beats many modern cars with much much higher price tags. It's perfect in every way, the only issue with it, is that if something breaks, it's quite hard to find some replacements parts, or if you do, they'll cost you a liver and a lung..

Friend of mine had a stick, such a fun car to drive, fast, so fast. And Ronin - classic.

Now that is one super clean S8 you got there. 😎

Cool review...makes me want to rewatch ronin again

TheSolar roof system was first used by MAZDA in the 929 sedan (1990 model year) it ran interior fans that circulated the hot air, nice car, very slick...

Just got back from a 2500 mile euro trip in my D2 2.8 fwd. It was fantastically comfortable, the only thing breaking was the headlight bulb as we arrived at the ferry port in Calais. Oh and it averaged 35mpg. Epic epic car. Need an S8 one day

I have one mine's a 2001,had it for 8yrs outstanding car still love it.Just picked up certified 2015 s-8 what a beast.

It's the UK Doug Demuro.

In order to have a lot of space in the back, you push everything forward. That's the Audi recipe. Compliments to the guys there that managed to squeeze a whole V8 between the front axis and the bumper. In the movie it didn't understeer at all though.

Love this car and the 535i from that movie. Great stuff, nice review!

Good review mate

I think you hit the nail on the head, modern cars for all their abilities and performance you have to absolutely drive at silly speeds to enjoy them, older cars from the era of the S8 are so much more fun. This really stood out to me recently when I drove my wifes little Aygo, its 95 bhp, its tiny, not at all fast, but fast enough to have some fun.

Good one, that had laughing quite a lot. From what I remember researching my A8 2009 D3 V8 TDI, when Audi bought these out they oddly enough ensured they were "sportier" than the competition as a way to differentiate themselves. Being a new player in this category they really went to town with the engineering of it (ASF) something which sadly is lacking in the recent A8 generation. Great cars, very well built but as in all things from VAG they just can't hlp themselves putting some cheap-ass parts (that will break) from a Polo or Skoda in it (such as door proximity sensors) and charge a stupid amount. Picked mine up for €20k with 180k km on it, which was a bit a bargain. Awesome option were B&O (the real one with twitters that popped out, a hold for it a €7.5k option) and double glazing. The torque from that twin turbo V8 oil burner was from another planet. I remember barely trying coming onto the motorway when I heard a brand new 991 Turbo drop a couple of cogs to overtake (which he failed to do). Oh and it averaged a crazy 7.5L/ 100 km. New it was €120k!!! as with all these things, its the maintenance that will have you. Worth trying in BMW 7 series is the E38. Old man had one (a 728) which I drove for quite a while, and it was great. Defo one of the best looking BMW's ever ("M Paralel alloys a must). Thank for that really enjoyed the vid.

I loved my A8, definitely going to get me an S8 soon.

Great video :) I love my D2 A8 sport. Was looking for an s8 but good ones where few and far between or mega money

This is the car that made me love Audi👏🏽👏🏽

I have a 2001 AUDI S8 dark blue with beige interior. Absolutely love this car more then any new car I've driven. my friend has a 1998 audi a8. Both around 110k miles

I own a 1999 Audi A8 3·7 40 valve Quattro with factory lpg, and the power-boost option to 201mph! What a car! Just cruising at 72mph on a motorway using petrol, it returns around 35mpg. In lpg terms that's like 60mpg! There are 164,000 of your British miles on the clock so far, and I'm seriously considering using it as a daily driver this year (2024). I know these particular cars are rare, Audi didn't build many, and I'm told only 15 have factory lpg fitted, so my insurers value the car at around £15,000 currently. I won't be selling it anytime soon, but it's nice to know It's a good investment. Great video, the look on your face said it all.

I have a d2 4.2 with 4hp gearbox and 299 horsepower. super car, i dont sell this car

I used a 2001 S8 in Hungary around 10-12 years ago. Loved it.

I've got a 1997 s8 and I'm completely in love with it, there's no other car that has all the elements combined that the s8 has. It's a car from the f segment, with a great v8, manual 6 speed transmission and Quattro drive. It was also the first production car to be fully made of aluminum so it weights 200-300kg less than the BMW 750i and the s500-600 from the time. And personally I think it's one of the best looking sedans ever. There's nothing like it :)

Fantastic stance and presence, far more than any current A8 (or S8). I ran a 4.2 V8 for about 18 months, absolutely loved it. Second hand these were amazing value. Not the cheapest to run even by the standards of the day, but a dream to drive. Just a pity so many were let down by the ZF gearbox, many owners never realised they had to change the gearbox oil and filter eventually (preferably every 30k). My gearbox packed in and was uneconomical to repair/replace, was gutted when I had to ditch it. No current Audi comes close IMO (apart from maybe the RS6!).

I owned a D2 A8 from 2003-7... loved that car.

great car picks!

I loved this, in Ronin back in 1999. I test drove a silver '02, 125,000 mile S8 in 2007 with F.S.H. and ex Gregg's pasties directors car (motorway mileage). It was selling for £11,000 after 5 years depreciation from £67,000. Beautiful 360bhp machine with that 4.2V8. It's still my favourite S8, out of all the generations produced!

This was the best S8 design, modern, classic and understated. I still think it looks good today....👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

My favorite Audi! Such a nice car

Love this beauty! Please modern auto designers, stop over styling and get back to this!

Had a silver one with Avus wheels ....... my kids still talk about what used to happen in full kick down. Grip and pace and handled beautifully and all aluminum body shell I think.

Thanks for that. My favourite Audi

My 2000 Audi is “just” the A8 L but I love it!! Also, I truly believe it is as handsome as anything on the road👍

Love Ronin! Not an Audi guy but, this S8 grabbed my attention then and now!😎

1 second in to video: sounds awesome.

Mine has the Solar Sunroof - hot climate pack, so most D2s here do! That aluminium base in the cup holder isn't heated or cooled, just nicer than plastic!

Owned a D2 S8 in Jaspis Green. Car was an absolute joy to drive. Constant pull throughout the gears. I still lust for another one. HOWEVER, I dont miss the running costs or gearbox failures....

“Something very fast. Audi S8, something that can shove a bit”

Just to help 12yo you feel better, there WAS a phone that did the pop-out magic - I owned one; the Nokia 7110! It's not the one in the film, but that phone didn't really have a pop-out cover :)

Hopefully getting one of these til next year. it's been on my dream car list for so damn long

I have a D2 S8 myself and I love it, anorak note, the brakes are a Porsche 993 turbo caliper with larger pistons & 345mm discs, when fresh with decent fluid and pads they are good brakes, but when i got mines the fluid was black and the brakes were terrifying.

Solar ventilation on sunroof panel was a cool idea. Not sure when Audi deployed it, but here in the states, it available on a 1992 Mazda 929 I remember

This is an amazing car, in tandem with the 7-series bmw of the time.. both very different cars, but both almost flawless in their own right. Its sad that they dont make them like this anymore. This is the last generation of superior car engineering and such elegant designs

Great cars, ive owned quiet a few mk1s and mk2s, I owned my last one for about 7 years and traded it in for a D3 S8 V10 about a year ago! These are much better cars than the the s class from the same era, even the normal 4.2 quattro is much better than the s500, both in performance handling and build quality and these dont rust like the mercs due to being aluminium!

I bought my S8 2002 in Sandnessjøen, North Norway,and had a good 1000km to drive home.I love my car.

I love this movie and i love this car. Last month i get a late 2000 Audi A8 / 4,2 ltr, with only 141 Tkm.....a dream.😍

Man you’re one of the best reviewers seriously. What about trying a CLS 55 AMG? They are cheap and i’ve heard good things about em but i would love to hear your opinion. Cheers!

I have same car in silver. 2000 Audi S8 with 186k miles. Interior is pretty much flawless, engine and transmission is bullet proof, only problem I had was when a transmission sensor went out out when I took the car through mud. My daily driver is a new Toyota Camry, but my Audi is a monster! I had a few grand to put down as a payment on a new car, instead I gave the down payment for the Audi in cash and got the Camry for nothing down. I absolutely love the D2 Audi!

Well I did go and watch Ronin. With a few Stella’s as well. Nice one

My 2001 doesn't have the solar panel in the sunroof but parking sensors in bumpers and the comfort seats. MSRP new was $77,400 USD. By the way the cup holder isn't heated or cooled just has a metal base. It pulls out easily for cleaning. The cars without the GPS/Menu controller had a double cup holder that also easily pulls out for cleaning

AUTOMOTIVE ROYALTY, that car! Way to go dude - you on a roll!

I had one in manual transmission. And it was a very, very good car. But I hated using it for its total lack of feedback. It is like being seated in front of a screen with a video game running. I wondered if 100 whp were not gone away but the timer told me that they didn't... Whatever. It's also very nice to watch!

Best looking Audi ever made - looks like an Audi should! Owned an A8 3.7 Sport 20 years ago, with 20” alloys, looked stunning!

Truly epic car! My father had the V10 (Lamborghini engine). They we’re four up and keeping up with my old F430🤪 Seriously 😎 car

Own one of these. So good...!😍

Really hope you get to drive the new s8 at some point, see how that stacks up

Thanks for nostalgic video. I had A8 d2 4.2 for over 7 years. Great car and never had any problems I didn't cause myself, even as it was 17 years old when it left my yard. It shares a lot of parts and design with lower tier VAG cars (A6/Passat) and that's why it is not a match to an S class in luxury and ride. However, that makes it affordable to maintain. I did do some things to it myself and can say that the car is very well put together. It's so beautiful I'd like to pet it. To be fair, spirited driving is good, but if you start to really push it, it drives like pushing a hammer down the road. Audisteer.

Drove a few of them back in the day but sadly they were v6 but still an awesome car to drive

I live near La Turbie where the car chase starts and suddenly appears at Gréolières and Gréolières les neiges .The same road is used in Goldeneye and the last Jonny English film. Great roads and not far fron the route napoleon and verdon gorge. Forget Monaco, those are fun driving roads