The 2015 Audi A8 L Security might be the perfect car for the paranoid.
Audi made a few tweaks to the A8 full-size luxury sedan lineup for 2015, but the A8 L Security has a few options you won’t find on other models.
That’s because the Security is an armored car designed for protecting civilians in dangerous locales. Humorless to the end, Audi calls it the most exclusive A8 model.
Only available in long-wheelbase form, the A8 L Security looks exactly like an unarmored A8, right down to the LED headlights.
Yet this car is certified by the German Ballistics Testing Center as a bullet-resistant vehicle. Passengers are encased in a shell of heat-formed steel, aramids fabric, ceramics, and a special aluminum alloy used in the floor that can withstand an exploding hand grenade.
The windows are made from a special glass that includes a layer of polycarbonate to prevent splintering. Opening windows are optional, but there is a standard “door stop” function for holding open the heavy armored doors.
Another standard feature is a communications box mounted in the trunk, because you can’t always outrun trouble.
Optional features include armor plating for the fuel tank and battery, a fire extinguisher, fresh air system for the cabin, and an emergency exit system that uses explosives to open the doors in the event of a power failure.
The A8 L Security is available with one of two engines: a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 435 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque or a 6.3-liter W12 with 500 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque. Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system is standard.
Despite all that power, the A8 L Security’s armor adds a few pounds (Audi won’t say how many) to the curb weight. That explains the relatively leisurely 0 to 62 mph times of 7.5 seconds for the V8 and 7.1 seconds for the W12. Audi also had to fit special tires with a higher load index to deal with the bulk.
Speed may be a better bet than endurance when escaping the bad buys. Audi estimates fuel economy for the V8 model to be in the neighborhood of 21.5 mpg, or 17.4 mpg for the W12.
Audi is taking orders for the 2015 A8 L Security, with deliveries set to begin in the third quarter of 2014. The price is classified, for now.
If you think the apocalypse is coming, the A8 L Security will get you to your doomsday bunker in style.
