Luxury Performance Sedans

Replying to: cdnpinhead (Dec 23, 2008 4:58 pm)

Due to a looonnnggg lead time, I was forced to keep my A6 for, hmm 41 months, 5 months beyond the contract term. By the time I turned it in it had gone faithfully for about 60,000 miles. Three sets of tires and the only real issue with it was the first few months where every month I had to have the pushbutton start replaced.
 
Actually when I drove in to pick up the shiny new (Ibis white) B8 A4, I had a momentary pang of regret, "what have I done? I love this A6, it has been a joy to drive and at this moment it, apparently, looks pretty much as it did the day I got it and the body style of the 2008 is identical. Why not just keep the thing?"
 
For a week or so, much as I liked and appreciated the new A4, I still felt that I had not actually moved forward, despite my dealer's assertions that the new A4 was "better" in so many ways than the C6 A6 3.2.
 
About 2,500 miles into it, I really started to feel the A4 had much to like, more to love and very little to not like.
 
Note: My Ibis white A4 2.0T quattro is the Prestige version and is optioned with the following: 1. 19" sport package; 2. nav+backup camera w/voice; 3. power rear window shade and manual side shades; 4. Audi Drive Select; and, 5. Wood trim on the dash and doors. I also added Audi chrome tips and Audi maintenance. It was all of $49,000 (almost exactly). My outgoing A6 was $53,286. They have the same lease term and the same lease price per month (almost to the dollar.)
 
The new 2.0T is -- hold on -- a 4 cylinder turbo engine powered vee-hick-L. It has a 6 speed tiptronic transmission that bears little resemblance to the one in my 2005 A6 3.2, other than having the same name.
 
The 4 offers up 211HP, the outgoing 6 255HP. The 4 cranks out 258 foot pounds of torque at "idle" (well, practically); the 6 delivers 243 foot pounds at something north of 3,000 RPM.
 
The wheelbase of both cars is about 1" different, the A6 being the longer in that category. The 4 has been lengthened several clearly noticeable inches, but is still shorter than the A6. The wheels of the 4 are pushed closer to the "head and tail" of the car than on the 6 and the 4 benefits further from a 40/60 f/r torque split and better weight distribution.
 
The new 4 is much wider than the old 4, but still slightly more narrow than the 6, but when you are driving the 4, the look from behind the wheel is almost the same as it was from behind the wheel of the 6.
 
The ride of the 4, due, one would imagine, to engineering and wheelbase and width is more like an A6 than it is a B7 A4. Heck, the dash of the 2009 A4 is a carbon copy of the 2005 A6 (which, for me, is a small nit, since I would like to have had SOMETHING that looked a little bit different or newer -- but the '05 A6 interior was so sweet, perhaps Audi restrained itself opting not to mess with what many call "the best interior" period.)
 
The new A4, were there not already an A5 model, could probably be called an A5 it is so different from the outgoing A4 and so close to the current (2008 MY) A6.
 
The new tiptronic transmission is the smoothest transmission I have ever driven and the paddle shifters on the steering wheel cause "instantaneous" shifts when flicked.
 
The torque combined with the smoothness of the engine (vibration free, no kidding) makes you wonder if someone didn't insert a larger engine under the hood -- this is quicker than my 1995 S6 turbo manual shifter, quicker than my V8 A6's, quicker even than my 2003 2.7T manual transmission allroad and quicker than my chipped 1.8T TT (6 speed manual.)
 
It is, however, not as quick as the last available S4 model with that gutsy 4.2 V8.
 
It is, oddly, quicker and more responsive than the same A4 equipped with the lovely 3.2 V6 Audi offers as an up-price down-grade (performance and mileage wise, that is) version. It also weighs less than the 3.2, so there is even more of that nimbleness Audis are often famous for especially the "S" versions.
 
The tires are 255 x 35 x 19" MAX performance Dunlops and they are sticky, sticky, sticky -- coupled with the sport seats, sport suspension and Audi Drive Select this car goes with even more aplomb than a snake in a rat hole (as my wife says.)
 
The B&O sound system blows the A6's Bose system away. Finally an in dash 6 disc CD changer, too.
 
In any case, you can find out, elsewhere about the power and performance and something one step above Entry Level Luxury that Audi has imbued this new A4 with -- suffice it to say, I am still fond of my 2005 A6, but the 2009 A4 (at least optioned as I have mine) is the next step up.
 
Here is what I miss: the headlights articulate UP and DOWN based on road speed, but they do not articulate LEFT and RIGHT based on steering wheel position; I miss folding outside rear view mirrors, but love their built in turn signals and blind spot warning feature; I also miss the halo of light that the interior of the A6 was bathed in after dark -- but many people don't even seem to know they have it.
 
The Audi Drive Select, no hype, is literally like getting four personalities available one at a time in a single car -- from Comfort to Dynamic and 24 combinations you can dial in through the MMI. This is an amazing innovation. If this car had torque Vectoring and a slightly different tuned exhaust note under part throttle, it would render the A6 C6 3.2 "outclassed" and "over priced."
 
Remember, I still have nothing but love for my '05 A6 -- this new A4 is just plain wonderful though.
 
Did I mention it has but 4 cylinders? And, all things considered, it ain't very thirsty.
 

Replies to this message:
• cdnpinhead (Jan 23, 2009 11:55 am)
• rayainsw (Jan 23, 2009 12:21 pm)
  • markcincinnati (Jan 23, 2009 2:12 pm)
    • rockshocka1 (Jan 23, 2009 2:43 pm)
• james27 (Jan 23, 2009 8:16 pm)
• lexusguy (Jan 24, 2009 1:30 am)
  • markcincinnati (Jan 24, 2009 9:06 am)
    • lexusguy (Jan 24, 2009 10:14 am) and 2 more...
• blckislandguy (Feb 15, 2009 12:02 pm)
  • lexusguy (Feb 15, 2009 4:51 pm)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Jan 23, 2009 11:00 am)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Jan 23, 2009 11:00 am)

Replies to this message:
• markcincinnati (Jan 23, 2009 2:12 pm)
  • rockshocka1 (Jan 23, 2009 2:43 pm)

Replying to: rayainsw (Jan 23, 2009 12:21 pm)

I have not done the fill up, reset trip od, drive, fill up and calculate exercise.
 
My gut and the Audi computer says 25-30mpg's -- I have just turned 4,000 miles and I only use Premium fuel.
 
I also love putting the system in sport mode and playing on the twisties -- and I typically am able to drive with traffic on our freeways above 75mph.
 
Winter, too, may reduce mileage.
 
My past experience: Audis break in 5,000 and 10,000 miles and both their performance and efficiency improves at those milestones.
 
This engine is the best "economy" motor I have ever had the pleasure to drive and feed.
 
I cannot find turbo lag -- none.

Replies to this message:
• rockshocka1 (Jan 23, 2009 2:43 pm)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Jan 23, 2009 2:12 pm)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Jan 23, 2009 11:00 am)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Jan 23, 2009 11:00 am)

Replies to this message:
• markcincinnati (Jan 24, 2009 9:06 am)
  • lexusguy (Jan 24, 2009 10:14 am)
    • markcincinnati (Jan 25, 2009 8:37 am) and 1 more...

Replying to: lexusguy (Jan 24, 2009 1:30 am)

Replies to this message:
• lexusguy (Jan 24, 2009 10:14 am)
  • markcincinnati (Jan 25, 2009 8:37 am)
    • lexusguy (Feb 04, 2009 2:02 pm)

Replying to: markcincinnati (Jan 24, 2009 9:06 am)

Replies to this message:
• markcincinnati (Jan 25, 2009 8:37 am)
  • lexusguy (Feb 04, 2009 2:02 pm)