Irvine, Calif.—No matter what your station in life, the ultra-stylish 2005 Audi A8L is the kind of car that’s liable to make you feel in need of a better wardrobe.

Like a custom-made suit from one of the shops along London’s Saville Row, the A8L manages to turn heads without resorting to the kind of trendy styling that inevitably winds up looking painfully dated after a few short years. And, just as with the work of a master tailor, the essence of the A8L’s appeal is the way your appreciation of it continues to grow over time.

An Expanded Line-Up
Originally launched in June 2003, the Audi A8L has already done its engineers and designers proud. The über-sedan has garnered a host of awards in the 18 months since its introduction, including being named one of the “Top 10 Cars for CEOs” from the editors of Chief Executive magazine.

For 2005, the familiar long-wheelbase Audi A8L 4.2 is joined at the top of the German automaker’s line-up by two new models. Its A8 little brother rides on a platform that’s been shortened by just over five inches, while its uptown cousin the A8L 6.0 gets an insanely potent 450-horsepower W12 engine. After a week with a V8-powered A8L 4.2 test car, which shares much of its hardware with the two new models, we came away convinced that the original is still the best.