You won’t believe how little you’ll pay for this 75-inch 4K HDR TV

Hisense has released a 75-inch 4K HDR TV for a little under £2,500.

The Hisense 75M7900 features all the latest telly tech but for a fraction of the price of rivals. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find a 55-inch 4K HDR TV for much cheaper, let alone a mammoth home cinema screen like this.

As well as an ultra HD resolution, the high dynamic range (HDR) tech employed ensures that the set matches the recommended standards for 4K Blu-ray playback.

HDR effectively offers better colour reproduction and contrast than conventional television technologies. It is employed on 4K Blu-rays and some content from streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Video.

READ: Best 4K TVs: Ultra HD televisions to buy in 2016

Both of those latter services are available through the 75M7900, with 4K and HDR support. Its built-in quad-core processor also powers other smart TV functions and apps, including BBC iPlayer and the ability to stream and share content to the TV from a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Two HDMI 2.0 sockets with HDCP 2.2 are available on the set, with another two for good measure. There are also three USB outputs, with one of them meeting USB 3.0 standards.

An optical audio output means you can hook it up to a soundbar or AV receiver.

Hisense is one of the partners for the forthcoming UEFA Euro 2016 footy championship in France, so expect plenty of content and promotions around that too.

After all, what better way to watch the action than on a 75-inch telly?

Range Rover Evoque Convertible first drive: Top down, revs up

Land Rover has taken the top off its Range Rover Evoque to make it convertible. Sounds simple, but this good-looking topless SUV is a feat of modern design, engineering and manufacturing.

This is the first convertible Range Rover, other than the Queen’s bespoke model of course – but who’d want to run down to the shops in that? Apart from the Jeep Wrangler, there aren’t many convertible SUV options out there.

We’ve driven the hard top Evoque, so the question with the Convertible is whether it can offer the same premium experience and handling both on- and off-road, without compromise.

The Range Rover Evoque Convertible comes in 4WD 2.0-litre Ingenium automatic with 180bhp and 240bhp engine options, starting at £47,500. We took it to the roads, complete with its striking tangerine coat of paint, to see what this convertible Range feels like.

Pocket-lint

Range Rover Evoque Convertible preview: Design and build

The Evoque Convertible is here to make a lasting impression. Coming from the attractively designed hardtop model it’s already off to a good start – it looks much the same, like it’s had its top simply cut off. 

While that might seem simple at first glance it’s actually an impressive feat of engineering. Removing the roof not only means the car loses strength and torsional rigidity but also adds risk if it were to flip. To counter this there are a lot of changes under the outer shell to offer levels of support that allow that window frame enough strength to hold the car’s weight, should it invert. There’s even safety roll-over bars that fire out of the rear, like car airbags, to support the passengers in the event of a flip. Not that we flipped it, but it’s reassuring to know it should be safe.

From safety to sassy: the Convertible looks sleek thanks to those familiar lines that the Evoque is famous for. Side-on it almost looks smaller than the hardtop, even with the soft-top up – possibly thanks to body coloured side skirts. But this is still and SUV with decent riding position and height. It also has high sides which make you feel enveloped and protected from the wind.

The Convertible has a deeper front bumper than the original Evoque, which combines with the optional slim adaptive LED lights and larger air intakes to give it a more aggressive look. Wheels range from 17-inch to 20-inches, adding yet more beast points to the car.

The roof, a central part of this car, is a light fabric soft-top which can fold up in 18-seconds or rise out in 21-seconds – both while moving at up to 30mph. Despite this you still get the Evoque’s 251-litre capacity boot storage, although don’t expect a great deal of height. The rear seats are also snug but offer enough room for a comfortable ride if you’ve got the front seats forward enough.

Range Rover Evoque Convertible preview: Power and performance

The Evoque isn’t made to blow your socks off and while the Evoque convertible can blow your hair back, it isn’t going to win many races. Both model options feature 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, 16-valve engines with 9-speed automatic gearboxes.

The top-spec model manages 240bhp, which equates to a 0-60mph time of 8.6-seconds, which isn’t too bad. The entry-level 180bhp model will do it in 10.3-seconds. So on paper they’re not mad fast, but in reality, with the top down, it feels super quick. There’s enough power to get you where you want and to overtake if you need – it does the job. There is lag when you put your foot down but then a steady progression of acceleration from there.

Bear in mind that the 180bhp model will offer a combine 46mpg while the 240bhp version tops out at 32mpg, according to Land Rover.

Pocket-lint

Range Rover Evoque Convertible preview: Handling and comfort

This car is an SUV, albeit a compact one, meaning it’s not built to cling to corners like a race car. That said, for something that’s also heavy, it handles well enough both on- and off-road.

The high ride position gives good visibility, but you’re still low enough to feel the corners when going at speed – although there’s a little waft at times, not that it’s quite like driving an orange bouncy castle. The Torque Vectoring by Braking does a lot of needed correction work for you here.

What the Evoque Convertible is built for is comfort when on the go. The Electric Power Assisted Steering adapts well automatically to offer lighter steering at lower speeds, like when parking, and becomes tighter when moving at pace. The result is a decent level of responsiveness on roads and easy handling around town. The turning circle is also impressive, making short work of any tight turn-arounds.

Range Rover Evoque Convertible preview: Smart driving and infotainment

The InControl Touch Pro infotainment system comes with the Evoque Convertible as standard, including a 10.2-inch screen, which already outdoes the standard Evoque’s 8-inch display.

This system is an exciting offering as Land Rover is working hard with app developers to create a setup that will enhance its cars with software updates for years to come. The touchscreen system offers pinch-to-zoom and general interactivity that feels more like using a tablet than a car system. Although, and as we said of the Jaguar XE, using touchscreen while on-the-go doesn’t always feel like the most logical option, in terms of safety.

All this and the Convertible is 3G connected for in-car internetting too. How, without that rear twin fin antennae on the roof, you ask? There are two antennae mounted in the bumper and rear seats to ensure connectivity is possible.

The system also offers plenty of audio power with a 10-speaker, 380W, dual-channel subwoofer surround-sound Meridian Audio setup as standard. It sounds really, really good, even at high volumes while driving with the top down. So if you want to blast out some classical Bach as you saunter round your local rowing club car park, you’re all set. Or maybe you’re more a 50 Cent kind of person.

As standard you get lane assist, parking sensors and cruise control, but you’ll need to shell out around £3,000 more for the upgraded LUX model extras. That includes automatic parking, 360-degree cameras, blindspot monitoring, keyless entry, traffic sign recognition a wind deflector, auto headlamps with High Beam Assist and more. 

First Impressions

The Range Rover Evoque hardtop starts at £30,600 for a manual 2.0 litre diesel. So if you want the new Convertible you’re going to need to find an extra £17,000 at least. Our test model, at around £50,000, is dangerously close to Porsche levels of pricing. 

But what sells the Evoque Convertible is that there’s more-or-less nothing else like it on the market. It comes from a strong stock too: this topless Evoque feels spacious in the front, offers enough power to make you feel in control both on- and off-road, and has the stunning InControl Touch Pro system as standard.

It’s stunning to look at too. So if you want a soft-top and an SUV, while making a statement at the same time, nothing will do better than the Range Rover Evoque Convertible. It’ll set the trend for convertible SUVs, much like the Evoque led the way for stylish, compact SUVs.

Cute robotic monk knows the meaning of life

The Longquan (Dragon Spring) Temple in Beijing is spreading Buddhist teachings with the help of an adorable, two-foot-tall monk. His name is Xian’er, and he’s a robot with a touchscreen chest. The temple teamed up with a dozen local tech and culture companies to create Xian’er, according to The New York Times. Xian Fan, the head of the temple’s Comic Center, which designed the robot and publishes Buddhist comics, says the machine demonstrates that “science and Buddhism don’t clash or contradict each other.”

Xian’er’s touchscreen chest gives him a way to answer questions, such as “What is the meaning of life?” To which he’d reply: “My master says the meaning of life is to help more people finally leave behind bitterness and gain happiness.” He also has a WeChat account under the name 贤二机器僧 where he talks with people who can’t go to the temple, though we couldn’t seem to find and add him when we tried. The temple’s human monks have no plans to mass produce Xian’er, but they’re already working on a smarter, more advanced robot that might be able to impart more wisdom.

Via: The Verge

Source: The New York Times

Flow is Microsoft’s take on IFTTT automation

Microsoft is about to release its take on the automation service IFTTT called Flow, according to a blog post published and removed by the company.

Flow connects to over 35 services, with more integrations planned. These include Microsoft products like Office 365 and OneDrive; third-party platforms such as Twitter, Dropbox, MailChimp, Google Drive, Slack and Trello; and developer-focused options like Github and SQL. Just like IFTTT, you’ll be able to create workflows across multiple services. Examples include adding a card in Trello if your boss emails you with “to do” in the subject line, sending a text alert if a Dropbox file is modified, or saving all of a user’s tweets to OneDrive.

Some of this functionality has been available as part of a private preview for Microsoft’s Azure business customers, but Flow appears to be a more user-friendly take on the concept. It’s aimed squarely at businesses, schools and other large institutions, but there’s no reason that it couldn’t be useful to individuals, especially if you’re the sort of person that organizes your life through Trello.

It’s not clear exactly when Flow will be ready. Twitter user @h0x0d first discovered the service (as spotted by The Verge) along with the blog post, but it was swiftly removed. The article itself had a typo and didn’t appear finished, so it seems that it was posted before it was ready. Ironically, one of the workflows mentioned in the post intended to ensure “that all of the posts [about Flow] were reviewed and approved.” It appears that particular Flow failed. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for more information on Flow, and will update you once we have more details.

Via: The Verge

Source: Microsoft Flow (Google cache)

TiVo will be acquired by patent giant Rovi for $1.1 billion

Rovi has agreed to acquire DVR maker TiVo in a deal worth $1.1 billion. The acquisition, which was rumored to be close to completion in March, will be part cash, part shares — only $277 million will actually change hands, with the rest of the figure being paid out in stock of a new company that will own both Rovi and TiVo. Subject to the usual regulatory approvals, the purchase will complete in Q3 2016, after which the joint entity will be known as TiVo.

While you’re aware of TiVo, you probably don’t know what Rovi is or does. The company started life as MacroVision, and owns thousands of patents relating to DRM and program guides. More recently, it’s mostly been in the news for wielding those patents liberally in various lawsuits, including a case against Netflix that it eventually lost. TiVo also has lots of IP relating to its DVR tech. With the acquisition, the new TiVo will have over 6,000 patents, and some far-reaching claims to royalties in the DVR market.

Source: Rovi

Drake’s New Album ‘Views’ Now Available Exclusively on iTunes and Apple Music

Drake’s latest album made its global streaming debut on Apple Music last night and is now available to buy on iTunes. Priced at $13.99, Views (previously titled Views From The Six) features 20 new tracks, including the slow jam hit “Hotline Bling”.

The Canadian rapper’s album will be exclusive to Apple Music for one week, after which it will become available on other music streaming services like Spotify.

Views is just the latest tactically timed release in an ongoing battle among music streaming services for exclusivity, with Drake forming rank alongside Taylor Swift and Adele in Apple’s corner, as the company faces off against competing streaming service Tidal’s frontline co-owners Jay Z, Kanye West, Beyonce, and Rihanna.

Last week, Beyoncé’s newest album Lemonade launched on Tidal approximately 24 hours before it became available for users to purchase on the likes of iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play, and remains the only service able to stream the album.

Drake and Apple have been in a partnership since the launch of Apple Music last summer, with the artist contributing his own Beats 1 radio show to the streaming service. Drake recently confirmed his partnership with Apple will continue into live music as Apple Music will sponsor his “Summer Sixteen” tour.

Drake’s fourth studio album comes one year after If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, which also had its debut on iTunes. In August, Quartz reported that Drake was the second most played artist on Apple Music.

Tag: iTunes
Discuss this article in our forums

FirstBuild Paragon Induction Cooktop review – CNET

The Good The FirstBuild Paragon Induction Cooktop is a versatile countertop system that lets you sous vide, fry, slow cook or sauté with the induction burner and Bluetooth-connected temperature probe. The product also comes with an easy-to-use, streamlined app that helps you monitor your cooking.

The Bad The price of the Paragon – $299 – will keep this product out of reach for some home cooks. And don’t rely on the induction cooktop to boil water quickly.

The Bottom Line The Paragon is a handy multitasker that can do much more than just sous vide, which makes this product a useful addition to the kitchen.

Visit manufacturer site for details.

Buying a sous vide system is an expensive gamble if you’re new to this type of cooking. Sous vide involves vacuum-sealing food in a plastic bag and putting that bag in a temperature-controlled water bath (read more about how it works here). The immersion circulators and countertop systems that regulate the temperature of your water bath cost at least $100, and a few are as much as $500. So there’s a chance you could throw a few hundred bucks at a product, not even like sous vide, and be stuck with an expensive “unitasker” taking up valuable kitchen storage space.

The Paragon Induction Cooktop delivers sous vide cooking with a little more flexibility. The $299 Paragon, which is made up of an induction cooktop and Bluetooth-connected temperature probe, lets you create a temperature-controlled water bath in whatever induction-compatible pot you have hiding in your cabinet. What makes the Paragon more appealing than other sous-vide-only products is that you can use the system for multiple cooking tasks such as deep-frying, slow-cooking and sauteing thanks to the induction burner that is the heart of the product. That means that you can still find ways to use the Paragon in your home, even if it turns out that cooking food in a bag isn’t your jam.

Paragon serves up sous vide with a hearty…
See full gallery

1 – 5 of 8

Next
Prev

We’ve seen a sous vide-centric product with the same level of versatility — the Oliso SmartHub & Top also includes an induction base on which you can cook in a variety of ways. However, the Oliso system includes a bulky water bath unit that takes up more space than the Paragon. And the Paragon’s lower price makes this product more approachable than the $499 Oliso.

The Paragon has a few quirks that you’d have to overcome if you buy it: some slight variation between actual and set temperatures; the oddly shaped, large induction cooktop; the nearly $300 price. But the Paragon is easy to use, works with a responsive app and, most importantly, cooks food well, no matter what method you choose.

How the Paragon works

View full gallery

The Paragon Induction Cooktop is made up of two parts: a Bluetooth-connected temperature probe that attaches to the side of a pot (foreground) and an induction countertop burner.

Chris Monroe/CNET

The Paragon comes from appliance manufacturer GE’s Louisville, Ky.-based FirstBuild microfactory. FirstBuild ran a successful crowdsourcing campaign for the Paragon on the website Indiegogo in 2015, and backers began receiving their cooking systems earlier this year.

The Paragon is a simple system. You get a 12-inch wide countertop induction burner that works because of electromagnetic heat (read more about the science of induction here). The cooktop connects via Bluetooth to a temperature probe. That probe attaches with magnets to the side of an induction-friendly pot that you place on the cooktop. If you want to sous vide, you fill a pot with water, attach the temperature probe (make sure it’s in contact with the water) and set the temperature you want the water to reach directly on the cooktop’s digital display or with the Paragon’s app. The probe measures the temperature of the water, then tells the cooktop to turn the heat up or down to get to your desired temperature.

Twitter Moves to ‘News’ Category in App Store to Boost Visibility

Twitter yesterday changed how its iOS mobile app is categorized on the App Store in order to enhance its visibility, following the company’s poor Q1 earnings report earlier this week (via TechCrunch).

Twitter now appears in the “News” category, where it’s the #1 ranked app ahead of CNN and Reddit. Previously it could be found in “Social Networking”, where it occupied #5 in the category rankings, behind the the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

Achieving a #1 ranking in the App Store should also give Twitter’s “Overall” ranking a boost, which equates to better visibility in the top “Free” apps chart, where Twitter currently sits at #28.

The company has not commented on the thematic switch, which has yet to be reflected in the Google Play store (where it still sits in the “Social” category), but the change indicates that Twitter is looking to court a new audience interested in sources of breaking news and curated information on current affairs, as it seeks a strategy that will heighten its online profile and significantly boost growth.

Twitter’s Q1 earnings earlier this week showed poor performance, with $595 million company revenues falling short of the $607.8 million analysts expected. The platform had zero growth in new users in Q4 of 2015, but a new tallying system enabled the company to report a 2 percent increase in active users in Q1 (310 million, up from 305 million users in Q4). The company remains unprofitable, with a Q1 net loss of -$79.7 million, and gave bleak guidance for the quarter ahead.

Twitter has attempted to improve its core product over the past year with a number of changes to the way the platform works. The app now sorts tweets in the timeline by quality rather than recency, for example, while the starred “favorite” icon got replaced with a “like” heart icon. However, Twitter’s stock fell more than 12 percent after its Q1 report, indicating the company’s efforts to increase its mainstream appeal have so far failed to pay dividends.

In March, Apple launched its Apple Support account on the social network, which is dedicated to answering customer support questions. Earlier this month, Apple launched a new Twitter account for Apple News, giving its Apple News team a way to promote stories and content on the social network. The Apple News Twitter account is used to share “top stories” and “great reads” curated by Apple News editors in the United States.

Tag: Twitter
Discuss this article in our forums

Xiaomi may finally unveil its smartwatch later this year

Xiaomi has been rumored to launch a smartwatch for some time now, and it finally looks like the vendor will unveil its first offering in this space sometime later this year. Co-founder and vice-president Liu De confirmed the existence of the smartwatch, stating that it will be officially announced in the latter half of 2016.

That doesn’t say much other than suggest a launch sometime after the month of June, but this is the first time the company has acknowledged that it is working on a smartwatch. According to GizmoChina, Xiaomi will also launch electric bikes and showcase new products from Ninebot, one of the several lifestyle companies the Chinese vendor has invested in.

While there’s no further information regarding the smartwatch, Xiaomi is all set to launch the successor to the Mi Band in an event in China on May 10. The Mi Band 2 will offer a display as well as a physical button, and is expected to be aimed at the entry-level segment, much like its predecessor.

Audi S8 Plus first drive: V8 power, and then some

Sitting at the top of Audi’s saloon family is the A8. Give it a sporty makeover and it becomes the S8. Give that a bit of a tweak and a boost and you arrive at the Audi S8 Plus, the most powerful saloon that Audi has ever put on the road. 

And by the most powerful, we mean 605 pferdestärke.

We’ve previously said that the A6 is rather stately, but for the A8 family, that’s exactly what it is. The regular A8 is a large executive saloon, with the A8L offering more space for VIP transport. It’s perhaps with that target market that the S8 avoids the full RS treatment, instead walking a more delicate path, preserving the prestige of this VIP cruiser.

Audi S8 Plus: Elegant design

There’s a formula in current Audi design that’s resulted in a strong family identity. It flows from the A4 through the A6 and into the A8 and into this S8 Plus. At this top level, however, things are more understated. This isn’t a model that screams horsepower in your face like some of Audi’s RS models, and we can’t help feeling there’s a point to that: it’s a subtler touch, for an owner who doesn’t want to be as showy.

There’s the addition of carbonfibre body details in places, with the option to change the added (but small) boot lip spoiler from body coloured to carbon. The same can be applied to the wing mirror covers, and the rear lights are darkened, sitting above the S8 badges.

Pocket-lint

Around the front the nose gets a slight tweak with a lowered front apron with carbon trim, and a move to black for the grille, away from the standard chrome. There’s also an exclusive paint colour for the Audi S8 Plus, a silver with matt effect. 

What the Audi S8 Plus hangs onto is its stately elegance. The S8 Plus isn’t too big for its frame, it doesn’t look bloated or ungainly, but there’s no escaping that this is a serious looking car.

It’s more meaty around the front than the BMW 7 Series, although there’s a sharper drop in the rear roof line, meaning less rear window space than BMW’s big saloon. Both the Audi and the BMW are more serious in posture than the Mercedes S Class, with the AMG models offering a healthy rivalry to Audi’s S8 Plus in the performance executive saloon class, although this Audi undercuts the AMG in price quite nicely.

Audi S8 Plus: Sumptuous interior

If we’ve one criticism of Audi interiors, it can be that things can get a little samey. Sit in the interior of the A1 and you could be in the A6 Avant, depending on where you’re looking.

The TT broke this mould some, the R8 followed suit, but at the executive end of the spectrum in this S8 Plus (as with the A/S/RS7) you get a lift. The interior of the S8 Plus changes the switch gear, the layout and the finish, making it stand out from many of Audi’s cars. This is a competitive space too, having enjoyed the interior of BMW’s high-tech 7 Series, there’s plenty to fight for.

Pocket-lint

The heavy application of leather meets glossy piano black trim. Normally we baulk at glossy interiors because they’re a fingerprint magnet, but if you’re going to do it, do it like Audi. The glossy centre console shouldn’t work, but as we sat in the driver’s seat, we couldn’t help but gaze across it. 

There are a lot of controls and buttons, especially to control the media system and the climate control, but the arrangement makes you feel like you’re piloting a jet. You may as well be, with that much power on tap, but the use of a handled drive select lever helps reinforce this feeling.

The brushed steel finish to the buttons, and stainless steel pedals brings a lift to a dark interior, with grey dials presenting your essential speed and revs. The centre of the driver’s display is all digital, so can carry mapping or entertainment information from the MMI system, all of which can be controlled via the steering wheel, but you don’t get the full digital treatment as you do on the Audi TT.

Love the blinds in the Audi S8 Plus pic.twitter.com/Kzpmpqg9ol

— Chris Hall (@christhall) April 15, 2016

For the rear passengers, powered blinds sit inside the double-glazed privacy glass, giving more protection from the sun, making it a peaceful place to ride. There’s also active noise cancellation in the interior, as well as a boosted 14-speaker Bose sound system as standard. The back seats are ridiculously comfortable and you’d expect nothing less. 

Audi S8 Plus: On the road

Slip into the driver’s sport seat of the S8 and you’ll notice that visibility is excellent and it’s very comfortable. That will be welcome news for those who’ll be driving his nibs in the back and we love that there’s a central arm rest that’s adaptable for both the driver and the passenger separately.

Finger the start button and the awakening roar of the 4-litre V8 will send a tingle down your spine. This is a boosted version of the standard S8 which offers 520PS, which, frankly speaking, is nowhere near enough power. In reality, that lift to 605PS means that the S8 Plus will hit 62mpg in 3.8 seconds, over the measly 4.1 seconds of the standard model.

Pocket-lint

Just pause and think about that for a few seconds. Yes, that’s about how long it takes to hit the legal speed limit. The Audi S8 Plus is speed limited to 155mph, but you can have that limit lifted to 189mph if you opt for the Dynamic Package. That, importantly, adds the fade-free carbon ceramic brakes, hence the £9250 price.

While his lordship fingers his copy of Horse and Hound in the backseat, this vast saloon will eat the road as it launches itself into the horizon. From the driver’s seat it’s almost inexpressibly satisfying. There’s little or no delay as you put your foot down and the speed hits you like a hammer.

The S8 Plus squirms when you hit the pedal hard, all four wheels delivering power and dynamically fighting to keep grip and keep you heading in the right direction. You’ll feel this brutal ballet through the steering wheel, driven by that snarling orchestral V8, but you don’t feel out of control.

It differs from the tight precision of the Audi R8. The clean delivery of power is breathtakingly fast in Audi’s supercar, but feels potently aggressive in this twin turbo saloon, it’s muscly and brutal.

But the Audi S8 Plus manages that side of the car with panache. If you’re just popping to Waitrose to buy more saffron, then cylinder on demand and the comfort mode will get you there as smoothly as any limo. It’s quiet, it’s peaceful, it’s almost sedate, as well as being wonderfully plush.

Turn the corner, return to Dynamic mode and floor it, and you’re back in a sports car, with tightened suspension and heavier steering making you lord of the road. While the R8 might be ridiculously assured in corners with effortless control and grip, the S8 Plus perhaps surprises: it doesn’t wallow like a hearse, despite the size.

Pocket-lint

Then you have all the technology to keep you safe. Lots has been said about collision avoidance and autonomous systems on other cars, but Audi has been doing this for a long time. Adaptive cruise control will vary your speed in traffic to keep you a safe distance from the car in front – handy in motorway cruising – and pre-sense front will detect potential accidents and alert you, before taking measures, like pre-loading the brakes and tightening the seatbelts.

This latter system we got to test, when a tractor emerged into the road on a corner with no warning. The S8 Plus audibly alerted us so we could dab the brakes and take action. 

First Impressions

The Audi S8 Plus is in some ways a marvel. It’s expensive, sure. It costs £97,715 for starters, boosted to £108,115 as seen here, but as we said, most of that extra comes from the added Dynamic package with carbon brakes. The performance numbers are impressive, especially in context of the AMG rivals, with the S63 some £20k more expensive.

You might think that all that power would just mean that the S8 Plus is expensive to run. Well, at 28mpg (Audi’s figures), it is. Even with cylinder on demand reducing the load, this saloon is a long way from the more efficient diesel options of the regular A8.

The Audi S8 Plus is going to be for the few. It’s a blend of sports car performance with luxury limo comfort and priced as such. However, the S8 Plus is a marvellous car to drive. If this is on your list, just make sure you’re sat up front where the fun is, rather than languishing in the rear.