Where each one leads
Audi S8
- Fewer Audi S8 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (12.9% against 22.1%).
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
- Against cars of the same year, the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 74% less often than average) than the Audi S8 (fails 50% less often than average).
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Audi S8 | Mercedes-Benz CL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1998–2026 | 1998–2005 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 4,320 (2010–2022) | 2,214 (2010–2017) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 954 | 2,083 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 436 | 609 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 231 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Audi S8 | Mercedes-Benz CL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 77% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +34% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| … against cars of the same year | −50% | −74% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 12.9% | 22.1% |
| US owner complaints | 42 | 33 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Suspension |
| Model year with most complaints | 2013 (13) | 2002 (19) |
| US recall campaigns | 16 | 7 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 7,900 | 38 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 8 | 1 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Audi S8 | Mercedes-Benz CL-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 13.3 l/100 km (2025) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 14.0 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 264 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 420 kW (563 hp) | 320 kW (429 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,301 kg | 2,095 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €188,489 | €179,478 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 180,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).