S4

Someone once said it was good to want things ;-)

I agree: wanting things is good. I want an S4, but it will probably be an Ur, or a low mile '01 or '02 B5 S4 in a year or so.

Interesting how Google groups strings together messages with the same subject line stretching back to mid 1999. (take a look)

I drove a new (B6) S4 a few weeks ago, and I'm sorry to say, wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be. I didn't like the fact that the clutch was way too easy to press. I expected neck snapping acceleration, and, as I recall, my old MZ3 coupe (only 240 HP, not the later 315) felt... neck snappier than the S4. (No, this ain't a BMW vs Audi troll... I love 'em both.)

In fairness, I didn't have the opportunity to really give the car a workout, as it was not a test drive at a dealer.

Despite the 4.2 litres, and 40 valves, it seemed that you really had to push the engine to get any kick.

Maybe with Audi offering... gulp... 1.9% financing on S4s, I'll have to test drive one again. But I don't think I could handle the idea of a car with a gas guzzler tax....

This is what I call a car review. :)

An uncle of mine just bought himself a Jaguar XJR. My grandfather is on his second XJ8 (currently a 2003 model) and my aunt bought an S Type 4.2, so he felt he had to be part of the club, I guess. I drove it, and while it's a very nice car, and certainly fast, it's not in the same league as cars like the M3 and S4, or even the AMG variant of MB's C-Class. I have yet to drive or even sit in the new S4, but I've driven a B5 S4 6-speed and an A6 2.7T (the A6 had some minor suspension upgrades) and found both of them to be much better cars overall than the Jag. Of course, I can't say anything to him because he's convinced it's god's gift to the highway and that there's no reason to look elsewhere.

TBH, that's not too much of a surprise. What about comparing like-with-like, i.e. the S-Type R?

It has a third more power than the 4.2..

d;o) I've been driving an RS6 for two months and still haven't gotten over it. See pics at:

Dave

He drove one and said that he likes it better in some ways than his XJ, but that he likes the extra space in the larger sedan. IMHO, neither of them can compare to Audi's S-cars. The XKR is neat, but dated, and I have not yet seen or heard about any comparison between it and the S4 cabrio.

A "poor man's" compromise might be a modified Audi A6. I drove a recent vintage A6 not long ago that had APR's 2.7T "stage 3" engine tuning. It was an absolute beast. The owner claimed (and seems to be supported by APR's propaganda) that horsepower was in the 400-420hp range and torque was approaching 500ft/lbs. Yowza!

I figure about US$25k for a clean car + about US$8k for the kit plus extras. A bit more reasonable than the US$80-90k for an RS6.

I'll be trading up from my modified A4 to this setup for the new "family car" soon. 8-)

Cheers,

C

The A6 2.7T is a fantastic car even stock. 0-60 in 6.6 (with tip) is hardly slow for a medium-large sedan with AWD. Sadly, even the used ones carry a premium here in the U.S. and chip-tuning voids all warranty.

But, practically speaking, the same used ones are or soon will be off warranty anyway...

Interesting that you say that.. IIRC if you drive the specification (rather than the car!) they're a lot closer that you might think. Particularly with the Jag being about 100kg heavier.

OTOH - and on the track - a Top Gear comparison (UK TV programme, pretty much an institution over here) rated the S4 above the current M3 for handling.

As I said, not having a go at the S4, but also trying to compare like-with-like.

You obviously wouldn't do this to a new car unless you didn't care about the warranty. Also, if there is a warranty claim, the stealership would have to prove your modifications are the cause of the problem.

Cheers,

C

My local dealers have a way of finding loopholes to void warranty claims. I have a feeling VW instructs them to do so.

..and top speed, and cornering g. Didn't see any figures for braking force, though (IIRC, the Jag has four-pot Brembos, so the relative performance could be closer than the weight difference would normally allow)

The Elise is a beautiful car to drive, but isn't exactly in the same league (or possible even sport ;o) when it comes to touring characteristics. Or top speed.

Neither come remotely close to (e.g.) an Ultima, but that's not comparing like-with-like, either ;o)

H1K

Nice car dave :) $86k for a car jeez I would have to rob alot of banks to be able to even sniff one of them.

Is that years of saving?????

I dont earn bad money thats about 2 years wages, perhaps when I win the lottery :P

Ronny

BTW, looking at your website , this guy looks a spitting image to our PM Tony blair, you sure your not royalty :)

The sticker was $86K. I paid lots less, but still a whole lot of money. When you're old like me, Ronny, you should have saved enough to spend as you want.

Dave

Hahahaha. No, that's a fishing buddy from Maryland. I'll tell him about Tony. LOL. Dave