Compare the2023 Rolls-Royce GhostVS 2023 Audi A8

The Ghost has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The A8 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Ghost has standard Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The A8 doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Ghost has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the A8’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Ghost has standard Cross Traffic Warning, helping the driver avoid collisions. Audi charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Assist on the A8.

The Ghost’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The A8 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Ghost and the A8 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

The Rolls-Royce Ghost weighs 672 to 783 pounds more than the Audi A8. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Ghost comes with a full 4-year/unlimited-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The A8’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires sooner.

Rolls-Royce pays for scheduled maintenance on the Ghost for 4 years and unlimited miles. Rolls-Royce will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A8.

The Ghost’s standard 6.6 turbo V12 produces 228 more horsepower (563 vs. 335) and 258 lbs.-ft. more torque (627 vs. 369) than the A8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid. The Ghost Black Badge’s standard 6.6 turbo V12 produces 256 more horsepower (591 vs. 335) and 295 lbs.-ft. more torque (664 vs. 369) than the A8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Rolls-Royce Ghost (base engine) is faster than the Audi A8:

The Ghost has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the A8 (23.8 vs. 21.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Ghost’s brake rotors are larger than those on the A8:

The Ghost stops shorter than the A8:

For better traction and acceleration, the Ghost has larger rear tires than the A8 (285/35R21 vs. 255/45R19). The Ghost’s rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the A8 (285/35R21 vs. 265/40R20).

The Ghost’s 255/40R21 front and 285/35R21 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the A8’s standard 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Ghost has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the A8.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the Ghost can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The A8 doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The Ghost has active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The A8 doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Ghost’s wheelbase is 6.5 inches longer than on the A8 (129.7 inches vs. 123.2 inches). The Ghost Extended’s wheelbase is 12.8 inches longer than on the A8 (136 inches vs. 123.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Ghost is 1.1 inches wider in the rear than on the A8.

The Ghost handles at .90 G’s, while the A8 55 TFSI pulls only .89 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Ghost executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the A8 55 TFSI (25.3 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 25.9 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

The Ghost uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The A8 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Ghost has .5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A8 (111.5 vs. 111).

The Ghost has 2.3 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room and .5 inches more rear headroom than the A8.

The Ghost has a much larger trunk than the A8 (17.3 vs. 12.5 cubic feet).

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Ghost has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The A8 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Ghost has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the A8.