A Luxury Bargain with 12 Cylinders

It’s hard to argue with the practicality of the four-, six-, and eight-cylinder cars that dominate the automotive market these days. If you want something that’s pragmatic, efficient, and easy to maintain, a Toyota Dynamic Force straight-four will get the job done just fine, and there’s no need to complicate the matter, right? If you want something with a little more heft, you’ve got V8s like the Coyote 5.0.

But there’s something to be said for the torque, the natural power, and the symphonic engine notes you get with 10 or 12 cylinders. Something about the W12 configuration in particular is just so sophisticated. Sophisticated, and expensive. Like, Bentley and Rolls-Royce expensive. A brand-new Flying Spur isn’t exactly doable on a working person’s budget. On the other hand, a used 12-cylinder Audi A8 might be more affordable than you think.

A Look At The W12 Audi A8

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If we want a good deal on 12 cylinders with relatively low miles, we’re specifically looking for a second or third-gen Audi A8. Audi wound up dropping the W12 engine, along with the diesel powerplant, for the fourth generation.

The third-gen Audi A8 W12 shaves more than a half-second off the 0-60 time with 50 extra horsepower, and it should be easier to find a 2011–2016 model with low miles on the odometer. But, the second-gen W12 was the car that Jason Statham drove in Transporter 2 and Transporter 3, so you really can’t go wrong with either model if you’re an action movie buff.

The second generation Audi A8 saw a facelift in 2007 with lots of new safety features, like improved adaptive cruise control, advanced forward collision warning, and lane assist. The front end saw a revision, as well, with some visual tweaks including rectangular fog lights. But, both the second and third-gen Audi A8 maintained the same W12 powertrains from their respective first to last model years.

The W12 Has Always Got Stellar Reviews

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You can file this under L, for Least-Surprising-News-Ever, but the Audi A8 W12 has always been a winner with reviewers. Drivers really like the air-suspension, which creates a more balanced feel compared to the front-heavy weight distribution you get from some older cars with big front-mounted engines. For the third generation, the W12 was exclusive to the long-wheelbase models, which stretched out to 122.9 inches from axle to axle, a hair over five inches longer than the standard model. That extra length no doubt contributes to a degree of stability and smoothness, as well.

When it comes to everything inside the A8, it’s an Audi. Premium leather upholstery and wood inlays give it that sense of class and elegance. The third-gen model comes standard with four-zone automatic climate control and premium audio, and you can upgrade that to a 19-speaker B&O sound system. Everything is power-adjustable, and everything is pleasing to the eyes and to the touch. You probably know exactly what to expect from the cabin experience in one of these cars.

The worst note you’re likely to find for a W12 Audi A8 is that it feels somewhat unnecessary, given that V6 and V8 models already stood among the most smooth-driving luxury cars in their day, but why knock a car for being too darn good at what it does?

The Volkswagen W12

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The Volkswagen W12 was produced from 2001 to 2004, and it’s the only mass production W12, powering Audis, Bentleys, and Volkswagens. This means that every W12 sold after 2004 draws from a finite supply of 12-cylinder engines, and, when they’re gone, they’re gone.

To run down some key points on this engine…

• Four banks of three cylinders each
• Two overhead camshafts
• The engine weighs-in at 527 lbs, dry, and is actually a bit smaller than a Volkswagen 4.2-liter V8
• The 6.3-liter W12 was built exclusively for the Audi A8
• 48 valve DOHC with four valves per cylinder

The engine is available with a twin-turbo setup in cars like the Bentley Continental GT, but the smooth delivery of naturally aspirated power is a big part of a W12’s appeal in our book, so we’re happy to recommend the turboless A8.

What Will A 12-Cylinder Audi Cost You In 2025?

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With brand-new W12 Audi A8s off the table, you’re going to be looking for a good deal on a used model. So, let’s start with a visit to Kelley Blue Book and see what the market looks like.

Talk about depreciation, huh? A decade later and a W12 Audi A8 is barely worth one fifth of its original MSRP. To put that into perspective, BMWs are considered to be some of the fastest-depreciating cars on the market, but an X3 is still worth close to a third of its original price after a decade on the road.

The Blue Book assumes around 15,000 miles on the odometer every year, depending on factors like location. So these fair market estimates might not be exactly what you’re paying if you want something with its best years ahead of it. Here’s what we were able to turn up on auction website Cars & Bids.

• A 92,200-mile 2007 model sold for $11,300 in late 2024.
• A 55,000-mile “mostly-unmodified” 2013 model sold for $28,000 in early 2024.
• A 106,200-mile 2006 model sold for $8,600 in early 2024.
• A 131,300-mile 2012 model sold for $17,000 in late 2023.
• An 86,600-mile 2005 model sold for $16,000 in June 2023.

These numbers more or less track with what you’d expect after checking in with the KBB prices. You can get a second-gen model at a steal, but only if you don’t mind a six-figure number on the odometer.

If you’re wondering what you can spend on one of these cars by skipping the auction websites and going right to the dealer lots, we only managed to find a single W12 on AutoTempest, being a 2013 model selling for $25,400 with 103,099 miles on the odometer in Massachusetts. You’re almost certainly going to get a better deal putting in a bid than you will hunting around from lot to lot hoping to find something affordable.

Sources: Kelley Blue Book, AutoTempest, Cars & Bids, Audi.