Steve Sutcliffe on the B8 RS4

[victor2vt]

Mr Sutcliffe quotes in this weeks' Autocar:

"The only time the RS4 makes sense is when it's being door-handled like a madman around a racetrack"

"No, whoever Audi have created this peculiar car for, it's not for me. And that's a shame because, last time round,
the RS4 was an absolute peach"

[PetrolDave]

Mr Sutcliffe quotes in this weeks' Autocar:

"The only time the RS4 makes sense is when it's being door-handled like a madman around a racetrack"

"No, whoever Audi have created this peculiar car for, it's not for me. And that's a shame because, last time round,
the RS4 was an absolute peach"

Just shows how much Audi have lost their way since 2006.

[KernowPete]

Test drive/review in this month's Car Magazine is pretty favourable.

[kidyamlo]

I don't think they've lost their way, they've always been the same. it's more like the B7 was one of the few fast Audis to break the mould. This Chris Harris review (and quick recap of B5 and B7) is really good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HYdVXmY ... plpp_video

[lengster1]

Ive not driven yet but its all sounding very similar to my opinion of the RS5 which was ok if you drove it like a playstion game at full chat,in other situations it could easily be caught napping.Its just not right having so little umph from a 4.2 v8 without getting it up to 6k onwards.

[PetrolDave]

I don't think they've lost their way, they've always been the same. it's more like the B7 was one of the few fast Audis to break the mould. This Chris Harris review (and quick recap of B5 and B7) is really good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HYdVXmY ... plpp_video

I agree that the B7 was an exception to the rule that Audis are boring to drive, but I think on pricing they have definitely lost their way.

A friend was at a SEAT fleet managers presentation last week, and some of their cars are dynamically as good (or even better) than many Audis yet have decent build quality but at a much more sensible price.

[kidyamlo]

I don't think they've lost their way, they've always been the same. it's more like the B7 was one of the few fast Audis to break the mould. This Chris Harris review (and quick recap of B5 and B7) is really good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HYdVXmY ... plpp_video

I agree that the B7 was an exception to the rule that Audis are boring to drive, but I think on pricing they have definitely lost their way.

A friend was at a SEAT fleet managers presentation last week, and some of their cars are dynamically as good (or even better) than many Audis yet have decent build quality but at a much more sensible price.

Couldn’t agree with you more. To add to this - and bear with me here - we recently leased a Grand C-Max and I couldn’t believe how refined it was inside, £ for £ that is (i.e. it’s still not as “finished” as an Audi, of that there is no doubt, but other marques are catching up in the areas that Joe Public really cares about - the obvious areas that “justify” the mark-up). OK, fine, that’s like comparing apples and oranges until you realise that even the majority of new RS4 owners won’t be buying as enthusiasts but (to paraphrase Harris) as “items”. In exactly the way that some people will buy a Leica over a Canon or Nikon. Tell you what I like the look of - the new Astra VXR, and I never thought I’d be saying that in a million years.

[kidyamlo]

And all the needless tech, all the CRAP. I make no apologies for being a big fan of Chris Harris (hell, I’ve dropped his name three times now) but to illustrate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h_IcLn4 ... ature=plcp

[stu]

Tell you what I like the look of - the new Astra VXR, and I never thought I’d be saying that in a million years.

Just googled. See way you mean - it ticks a lot of the aesthetic boxes that the Alfa Brera did for me a few years ago. You won't see me dead in a Vauxhall though, sorry!

[AdamM]

Test drive/review in this month's Car Magazine is pretty favourable.

Yep but then turn the page and see all the Audi Legends, B5 RS4, RS2, C5 RS6 etc..... i cant see the B8 achieving the same status in years to come.

[KernowPete]

Test drive/review in this month's Car Magazine is pretty favourable.

Yep but then turn the page and see all the Audi Legends, B5 RS4, RS2, C5 RS6 etc..... i cant see the B8 achieving the same status in years to come.

Me neither but at least they aren't slaughtering it like they did the RS5.

[neckarsulm]

Forgetting the RS4 model for a mo, the B8 range IMHO just doesn't have the appeal that the B7 did because

a) It's too big and bulky now both as a family car for many (hard to park) and this extra bulk/weight isn't great for an RS either - RS6s are great but they can never be called agile and B8 looks very close to C5
b) The perceived interior quality is poor when compared to B7 - the silver cowling for instrument binnacle is puke and centre console switches are hateful
c) In an attempt to get closer to BMW dynamics they have fitted very stiff bushes which can cause the chassis to vibrate at cruising speeds - not what you expect of a car designed for Autobahns;
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthrea ... amp-others
d) LED running lights on S line models and above were cool for a bit for I personally think they are naf now so would have to switch them off - problem is I think DRLs are a great safety feature..
e) electric handbrake - I am sure there are positives for it but it's a great case of too much tech in cars
f) It's no longer the thinking mans choice to the default BMW - it is now the default choice which means it's dead common

I have an open mind about the S tronic box in the RS4 as my wife has an A3 2.0T FSI with DSG and it's a hoot on B roads but I am not sure I can equate that style of pseudo rally car driving with a big estate car.

On another geeky note, has anyone noticed how the number plates on the german press cars are now 'IN' plated for Ingolstadt and not 'HN' (Heilbronn/Neckarsulm where quattro GmbH are based) which was always a trade mark plate for proper RS models? The TT RS built in Hungary was on 'IN' plates IIRC...

[PetrolDave]

d) LED running lights on S line models and above were cool for a bit for I personally think they are naf now so would have to switch them off - problem is I think DRLs are a great safety feature..

Now that they are a mandatory feature on new cars I'm not sure you can turn off the DRLs

e) electric handbrake - I am sure there are positives for it but it's a great case of too much tech in cars

100% agree - I want a handbrake that I control, not some electronics controls.

f) It's no longer the thinking mans choice to the default BMW - it is now the default choice which means it's dead common

IMHO Audi now has the image problem that Porsche had in the 1980's "yuppie" days.

[neckarsulm]

d) LED running lights on S line models and above were cool for a bit for I personally think they are naf now so would have to switch them off - problem is I think DRLs are a great safety feature
Now that they are a mandatory feature on new cars I'm not sure you can turn off the DRLs..

I think it only became law recently so before that you should be OK to delete them - I had a 2009 MY B8 SE and it had a switch. I know on the new Polo the old chaps who buy them hate having the DRLS on and there is some ambiguity in the manual as to whether it can be done and it couldn't at least not in the traditional way.

f) It's no longer the thinking mans choice to the default BMW - it is now the default choice which means it's dead common

IMHO Audi now has the image problem that Porsche had in the 1980's "yuppie" days.

..I know there are a lot of ex-BMW drivers on here so nothing personal but IMHO the image has gone the way of BMW in the nineties - anyone who comes into some money automatically went out and got a BMW, now it's Audi. I used to buy Audis because they weren't BMWs.

PS I have messed up the quote above so some of my text is within the body of it!

[sakimano]

The drl lights can be turned of with Vagcom

Interesting how the engine..a slightly improved version of ours...is being shat upon by the media. When the b7 was launched the engine was heralded as a master piece.

Shows how the bar has been raised in 6 yrs. I think it also shows that it is now cool to hate on naturally aspirated motors...