Now in its fourth generation, Audi’s A8 sedan continues to push for supremacy in the super-competitive executive class. For 2011 the big luxury sedan gets even bigger and more powerful, and is once again pushing the technology envelope. We traveled to Germany recently to sample the Flagship model, the A8L W12.

As the designation implies, the A8L is the long-wheelbase variant of the new A8. Audi stretches the car 5.1 inches, all of it in the rear passenger compartment, to a grand measurement of 17.3 feet in length. That added length is there solely for the benefit of rear seat passengers and, the stretch treatment works perfectly with lines of the new A8. As with previous A8L models, most passers by will not even distinguish the difference.

While the A8L charts no new design territory with regards to its exterior, it’s inside the cabin where the long-wheelbase car in particular elevates Audi’s take on the business class experience. Depending on the owner’s needs, the back seat can be configured as a mobile office or a rolling theater. Or Both. The options list, conveniently checked and checked again for our W12 tester, included a power-adjustable and reclining (though, oddly, on the passenger side only) rear seat with both warming and cooling functions as well as multiple massage settings. An optional folding table and refrigerator were unique bragging points, too.

But the must-have kit on the option list is of the entertainment variety. Our car was fitted with the latest Bang & Olufsen audio and rear seat entertainment system that includes two large 10.2-inch cinema displays, two wireless Bluetooth headphones and a second set of MMI controls in the folding armrest that allows passengers to access music from a synced iPod (including album cover artwork), play a DVD, access media on SD cards, watch TV or monitor trip progress via the navigation system.

Other niceties of the standard A8 are obviously present on the A8L as well. The driver can view navigation and MMI functions from an eight-inch display. Audi’s 3G MMI thumb joystick in the main rotary dial has been replaced with an industry-first (and very impressive) multi-function touchpad that can move inputs through the drag of a finger, read letters and numbers written with ones finger tip or do triple duty as radio preset buttons when in radio mode.

As on the standard wheelbase A8, Audi’s latest navigation system is enhanced through the use of Google maps. In addition to Google search access for points of interest the system can also push satellite image view through to maps viewed either by the driver or by the rear seat passengers.

Another aspect of the Google-equipped A8 is the addition of mobile WLAN hotspot connectivity. Audi of America is still working out final details with a service provider but our German-market A8L was already connected. After locating the network password in the MMI system, we easily connected with an Apple iPad and effortlessly surfed and checked our email at 3G speeds while our driving partner surfed the Autobahn at three-digit speeds.

Pushing this rolling office is Audi’s most magnificent engine, the W12. Shared in twin-turbo form with Bentley’s Continental models, this twelve-cylinder engine is unique in the industry for its four banks of three cylinders arranged in a “W” configuration. This time around the W12 has grown in displacement from 6.0 to 6.3 liters, and FSI direct injection has also been added. As a result, horsepower has jumped to 500 (up 50 hp); torque has also risen to 442 lb-ft (up 33 lb-ft) as a result of the added displacement and new injection. At the same time, the new 6.3-liter W12 returns a respectable consumption figure of around 19 mpg on the European cycle (EPA figures are still pending) thanks to improved efficiencies such as lowered frictional loss in the crank and energy recuperation systems.

Another big factor in the A8L W12s improved efficiency is the gargantuan engine’s pairing to Audi’s latest eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, sourced from ZF. Shifts are quicker and smoother than the old six-speed, improving both dynamics, while the two additional gears both serve overdrive functions for greater efficiency.

The additional power paired with a sportier transmission means Audi’s newest exec-sled is even more capable of gaining speed quickly. To address that concern, larger front rotors are paired with six-piston calipers (up from four on 4.2-liter models) to ensure improved braking for the boss A8’s added mass.

Exiting the Autobahn and hitting some mountainous passes near Austria gave us a good taste for the car’s agility. The W12 may be big and luxurious in, but it’s still 400 pounds lighter than a BMW 760Li, and that shows once the road stops going straight. Audi’s legendary quattro all-wheel drive in combination with the rear sport differential and lighter aluminum chassis construction help greatly here. As with the standard-wheelbase A8, the handling experience is agile like that of a smaller car and markedly improved over its predecessor. Audi Drive Select pairs well with the A8L’s air suspension, offering a ride comfortable enough for a snoozing VIP in the rear but also the handling precision needed to make quick work of the twisties.

When it comes to the States later this year, the A8L will initially come with both V8 and W12 engine choices. Better still, almost all the equipment we tested on our loaded A8L tester should be available for American consumers, though you’ll be denied the opportunity to watch live TV in the back seat. The first A8Ls will arrive for delivery along with standard wheelbase A8s in November. WiFi connectivity comes later in 2011 once a communications partner has been named.

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