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A8 -- would you consider 1400 RPM on the highway lugging the engine. What would be lugging?
You can accelerate from that speed and even NOT downshift if you do it gently! It'll down shift when needs to for you. Don't worry about lugging the A8.
No 1400 RPM is not lugging the engine at highway speeds. Lugging the engine is being in too high a gear and being under 1000 RPM.
In fact the Owners Manual says you can shift to 6th gear at 997 rpm in an M7. With the A8s torque converter would even be less of an issue!
I personally would not drive that way but GM says it's fine! Will drive in 7th on the Interstate if above 60 mph (~1250 rpm.) I will shift out of 5th, where I normally drive on our rural roads and in town at about that 1250 rpm (~40 mph) to 4th.
It's more a question of preference and responsiveness than engine harm in my case.