Compare the2024 Audi A8VS 2024 Mercedes E-Class Sedan

Both the A8 and E-Class Sedan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A8 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The E-Class Sedan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Audi A8 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The A8 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the A8 helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard and even aims one of the vehicle’s headlights in the direction of the person or object. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The A8’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

Both the A8 and the E-Class Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, around view monitors, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The A8’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 10 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The A8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 80 more horsepower (335 vs. 255) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 295) than the E 350 Sedan’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Audi A8 is faster than the E 350 Sedan 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid:

The A8 has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the E-Class Sedan (21.7 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the A8’s brake rotors are larger than those on the E-Class Sedan:

The A8 stops much shorter than the E-Class Sedan:

For better traction, the A8 has larger standard tires than the E-Class Sedan (255/45R19 vs. 225/55R18). The A8’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the E-Class Sedan (265/40R20 vs. 245/45R19).

The A8’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the E-Class Sedan’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A8 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the E-Class Sedan.

The A8 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the E-Class Sedan; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the E-Class Sedan don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The front and rear suspension of the A8 uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the E-Class Sedan, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The A8 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Mercedes doesn’t offer an active suspension on the E-Class Sedan.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A8’s wheelbase is 6.6 inches longer than on the E-Class Sedan (123.2 inches vs. 116.6 inches).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the A8 a Large car, while the E-Class Sedan is rated a Mid-size.

The A8 has 11 cubic feet more passenger volume than the E-Class Sedan (111 vs. 100).

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the A8’s available rear seats recline. The E-Class Sedan’s rear seats don’t recline.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the A8 to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid. Its optional heated washer nozzles will defrost the washer fluid but not the windshield.

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

The A8 has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the rear. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

Both the A8 and the E-Class Sedan offer optional massaging front seats. The A8 also offers optional massaging rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the E-Class Sedan.

The A8 offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi A8, based on reliability, safety and performance.