A8 SUSPENSION SYSTEM
The new Audi A8 provides a stupendously comfortable ride but it also brims with computers and sensors. There are 24 exterior sensors for safety systems alone, for instance, and Audi says the computer that integrates all that data, called the zFAS, has more processing power than all the computers in the old A8 put together. But those are just the headlining facts. Here’s a look at ten other impressive technologies built into Audi’s newest luxury sedan.
Optional active suspension uses an electric actuator at each corner of the suspension to raise or lower that wheel independently. At its core, this system allows for active anti-roll, anti-pitch, and anti-dive, similar to systems from other cars, including the Bentley Bentayga and Porsche Panamera/Cayenne. But the A8’s goes one step further by using those wheel actuators to raise or lower the suspension in anticipation of bumps, further smoothing out the car’s ride quality.
The system gets its input from a forward-facing camera that operates at 18 frames per second, evaluating the road surface ahead to create a virtual “map” of upcoming obstacles and commanding the suspension to move appropriately. In a demonstration driving over speed bumps and speed tables with the system turned on and off, the difference is astounding. With it disabled, well, the car feels like any other, bumping occupants up and down over the obstacles. With it enabled, there’s almost no indication the car drove over anything but a perfectly smooth road; as the video below shows, the body simply raises and stays almost totally flat as the car crosses the ramp. Sadly, the A8s available for drivers on public roads did not have this feature enabled, so I can’t say how it will perform in real-world use.
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