2020 Audi A8 plug-in hybrid is seriously smooth

The A8 PHEV that will land Stateside needs just a little more get-up-and-go than the Q5 or A7, given its heftier presence.     

Thus, it ditches the other hybrids' four-pot in favor of a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, boosting net output to 449 hp and 516 lb-ft. 

Its electric motor still lives between the engine and transmission, but the cog swapper in this case is an eight-speed automatic, and the electric motor's output is slightly lower at 134 hp.

Both powertrains draw their electrons from a 14.1-kilowatt-hour battery located under the body.     

I think US range should fall around 21 or 22 miles, and perhaps a little lower for the bigger A8.    

Given the battery's relatively small dimensions, it doesn't leave some awkward lump in the cargo area, leaving the load floor nice and flat.    

The A8 packs all that same background-mode-shifting tech as the Q5, but it's wrapped in an even larger and more luxurious shell.    

In this car, the highway miles disappear on a cloud of air suspension and insulated glass.     

The acceleration is just as impressive, but it all feels a bit more... adult than the Q5.   

Keep scrolling or clicking to check out even more pictures of the 2020 Audi A8 PHEV.