IN 11th century, invaders from the northern French province of Normandy landed on English shores and took the country for themselves. The ‘Norman invasion’ was a turning point in English history, or rather, the history of English, as French became the language of the English court. Of course, as any good student studying English literature in college, this columnist can tell you, 11th-Century English was nowhere near the version we are talking about today. But the English that emerged in the later centuries contained mutton, rendezvous and many, many more words of French origin. It became fashionable to use the French word in place of the English word and remains so today. For example, mutton instead of lamb.
What relevance does language have with cars, you might ask. Well, when I was in school, my ninth grade teacher, Mr. Alfonso, told my mother that I was destined to be “nothing more than a driver”. He was so right, though not in the way he thought. That said, later in the year, my academics improved, as did my relationship with them. But when I got home I didn’t want to be a driver, I wanted to be a driver. I mean, the French word sounds fancy, doesn’t it? We can get into the semantics of all this. Is there really a difference between a driver and a driver? Well, a driver can drive a lot of things like a bus or a cement mixer, but for the sake of discussion, let’s stick to cars. And I’ve always believed that drivers did more – from coming in uniform to opening doors and speaking clipped English – and were generally fanatical.
But driver or driver, being behind the wheel of a car every day and driving someone around is a thankless job on many levels. Some may have fixed hours with limited commute, but some have to twirl their thumbs for hours. Others may work 20 hours a day, driving the whole family from school to the office and even the airport. Those of us who employ them or have grown up with one in a family, we know how important they can be. But spending hours behind the wheel stuck in traffic can be extremely frustrating.
Audi A8L . driver for no driver
Well, that is, unless you have such a thing as the new Audi A8L. This uber-luxurious sedan from the German carmaker is, honestly, made for that guy sethji seat. as i wrote my review Mercedes-Maybach’s are not meant to drive cars like this. But what if you have to drive it? Well, the Audi A8L is the kind of car I could imagine being a driver for. While you might think that a driver would drive old-fashioned coach-built cars to elite members, the Audi A8L is a vehicle designed to drive members of the new elite, who are technology entrepreneurs, around. want. The A8L does, at times, feel like something out of science fiction.
And here’s another advantage of not being old school: The A8L has all kinds of gadgets and gizmos to make you a better driver. Forget the high-definition digital cockpit, this car has advanced driver assistance systems—features that allow you to be bang in the middle of a lane—and automatic collision avoidance. But the best part is that after a long day of driving, you can activate the complex seat massage menu for yourself in the front seat. Sure, the car has a totally luxurious massage chair for those in the back, but if you’re the driver ahead, you can crush your shoulders while driving. And when your employer is out for a meeting, you can listen to music through the excellent Bang & Olufsen music system.
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smooth, smooth, luxurious
While a ‘driver’ can drive any vehicle, a driver can only drive something like this. At 5.3 meters and 2.5 tons, this car stands out. Add to this the A8L’s signature, pattern-drawing LED headlights and you have an absolute banger of the car. The same brilliance is visible in driving, with the 3-litre V6 petrol engine churning out 335 horsepower and accelerating this massive vehicle to 100 km/h in under six seconds. So if you have to reach the airport in a hurry, then this car can take you there fast. Very fast
In fact, those who buy the A8L will at least drive it themselves sometime in India. 1.6 crore for the technical version. In the one we drove with fancy headlights – which have certain features for driver’s comfort – why should they go for it? However, being a driver or a driver is as hard as it is, so why shouldn’t you get a massage or enjoy the audio system?
@kushanmitra is an automotive journalist based in New Delhi. Thoughts are personal.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)