Harris sums it up!

[Merlot]

The S6 looks awesome in terms of spec and performance. I specced one on th configurator and it came to 76k though. Won't handle as well as the RS4 though. The gadgets make up for it though as well as tuning potential.

Agree. Personally having owned two A8s and having put the MTM handling kit on the last one, I will never again own an Audi with air suspension. They just don't handle.

[longdog]

Must admit that while I love the B7 RS4 and agree that when it was released it was pretty much untouchable I'd say that the new one will be as good, even if it "hasn't moved the game on much" it still has a better interior, engine and chassis than the B7. I've owned a B7 and now have a B8 S4 and prefer the B8 as it's pretty much as quick and is a nicer place to sit in, I would have waited for the RS4 but to be honest I don't think it's worth the extra money over the S4.

[Nickyboy]

Times move on....as good as the B7 is...stop living in the past.

I like it...it WILL look good in the flesh..the technology is far better than the dated B7...End of.

Loads of great options to choose from.

It will be just as quick if not a little quicker than a standard B7.

What car is there better that you can use every day in this rain soaked congested country than a RS4 of any type..B5 B7 B8????...They all have strengths and weaknesses...but as a all rounder all three types are great for fast driving in Britain.


In time tuning companies will improve as they have with the B7.

When have most people took any notice of what jornos think?..Certainly not me......buy a car because YOU like it...

NO has even seen one in the flesh yet(maybe one or two) let alone driven one....i kinda agree Audi maybe should have looked at a different engine option but they havent so it is what it is...a screeming V8 that in the B7 we all love..whats changed?

Im more than happy with my C6 RS6..HOWEVER...in the future i will change again...and i would seriuosly consider a second hand B8.

So to sum it up i love Audis and as ever i love this one.......cant wait to see my first one in the flesh.......Its 2012 not 2005 times move on as the RS4 has...give it a chance FFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well said, my thoughts exactly which I partly tried to express in another thread somewhere, if I could I would shake your hand.

This whole forum seems to be about the B7 RS4 being the greatest car ever when in fact it is dated now and the time has come to move on.

[adsgreen]

I don't think people are saying that the B7 is the greatest car ever. It's not by a long shot.
The feeling I get from people is that the B8 doesn't appear to be "RS" enough.
Things like buckets and DRC as cost options but rain wipers standard? To me it shows a lack of direction. The B7 may not be the best car in the world but just look at the standard equipment and the options list. You could have a completely standard spec B7 with no options and not be any worse off. From a performance point of view you had everything you needed. Sure, the tech pack or sat nav is nice but it doesn't fundamentally change the car at all.

However the B8 not having DRC or buckets as standard? Hell, you don't get any carbon trim in the engine bay as standard. Yes, I know I go on about it blah blah blah but this I think is a very important point that shows the softening of the RS badge which maybe not a problem to Audi's bottom line but I feel it's a slight shame.

[andre3k]

I don't know why ppl keep saying the interior is better on the B8; it's clearly not as good as on the B7. Fair enough you get more toys & more space but the plastics, materials and design are far superior on the old model. It even looks dated & in need of a refresh as I'm typing this.

My B7 interior looks gorgeous 5+ yrs on, I can guarantee you 5yrs on the B8 cabin will look naff.

[Nickyboy]

I don't know why ppl keep saying the interior is better on the B8; it's clearly not as good as on the B7. Fair enough you get more toys & more space but the plastics, materials and design are far superior on the old model. It even looks dated & in need of a refresh as I'm typing this.

My B7 interior looks gorgeous 5+ yrs on, I can guarantee you 5yrs on the B8 cabin will look naff.

This sums up a B7 RS4 owner!

[Nickyboy]

I don't think people are saying that the B7 is the greatest car ever. It's not by a long shot.
The feeling I get from people is that the B8 doesn't appear to be "RS" enough.
Things like buckets and DRC as cost options but rain wipers standard? To me it shows a lack of direction. The B7 may not be the best car in the world but just look at the standard equipment and the options list. You could have a completely standard spec B7 with no options and not be any worse off. From a performance point of view you had everything you needed. Sure, the tech pack or sat nav is nice but it doesn't fundamentally change the car at all.

However the B8 not having DRC or buckets as standard? Hell, you don't get any carbon trim in the engine bay as standard. Yes, I know I go on about it blah blah blah but this I think is a very important point that shows the softening of the RS badge which maybe not a problem to Audi's bottom line but I feel it's a slight shame.

I take your point. However, remember Audi are a business and know that RS enthusiasts will require these RS type options and will pay for them and make more money. To be honest its clever what they have done. They know if you can afford an RS4 you can afford the options it needs to make it RS. The primary target of any company is making money. Audi have done the hard work establishing themselves and now they can just bleed the customer. Any managers in companies working on the finance side will know this. It is definitely one of my roles at work to make money from the customer.

[longdog]

I don't know why ppl keep saying the interior is better on the B8; it's clearly not as good as on the B7. Fair enough you get more toys & more space but the plastics, materials and design are far superior on the old model. It even looks dated & in need of a refresh as I'm typing this.

My B7 interior looks gorgeous 5+ yrs on, I can guarantee you 5yrs on the B8 cabin will look naff.

Put your glasses on! The B7 interior, while nice, is dated, the B8 is better and nicer. Not sure how it will look naff in 5 years but you are entitled to your opinion.

[adsgreen]

I don't think people are saying that the B7 is the greatest car ever. It's not by a long shot.
The feeling I get from people is that the B8 doesn't appear to be "RS" enough.
Things like buckets and DRC as cost options but rain wipers standard? To me it shows a lack of direction. The B7 may not be the best car in the world but just look at the standard equipment and the options list. You could have a completely standard spec B7 with no options and not be any worse off. From a performance point of view you had everything you needed. Sure, the tech pack or sat nav is nice but it doesn't fundamentally change the car at all.

However the B8 not having DRC or buckets as standard? Hell, you don't get any carbon trim in the engine bay as standard. Yes, I know I go on about it blah blah blah but this I think is a very important point that shows the softening of the RS badge which maybe not a problem to Audi's bottom line but I feel it's a slight shame.

I take your point. However, remember Audi are a business and know that RS enthusiasts will require these RS type options and will pay for them and make more money. To be honest its clever what they have done. They know if you can afford an RS4 you can afford the options it needs to make it RS. The primary target of any company is making money. Audi have done the hard work establishing themselves and now they can just bleed the customer. Any managers in companies working on the finance side will know this. It is definitely one of my roles at work to make money from the customer.

Yeah, I get that, but it's still a shame. Audi and Vag group make enough as a whole that their halo models don't need to bleed the customers dry.
I've just skimmed over the B5 RS4 brochure too and it's a similar thing. Every option is more little bits of internal equipment and make no change to the performance of the package. It was like Audi saying "this is the best we can do with the platform" where as now it's "this is ok, but we can do better... if you give us more cash".
I actually liked the purity of the original vision a kind of "this is our package - take it or leave it". Gives the impression designed by engineers rather than accountants.
The new one just has that distraction which is fine for a S series car as thats a different package entirely. It's not as if BMW have to stoop to such levels to make a quick buck - the E92 M3 has no performance options either (based on the pdf brochures I've found).
Just a shame, thats all.

[Nickyboy]

I see the same where I work in aircraft design (Airbus) in which I am a manager and engineer. The accountants make the decisions without having much of a clue, very annoying but unfortunately it's the reality.

[P_G]

I don't know why ppl keep saying the interior is better on the B8; it's clearly not as good as on the B7. Fair enough you get more toys & more space but the plastics, materials and design are far superior on the old model. It even looks dated & in need of a refresh as I'm typing this.

My B7 interior looks gorgeous 5+ yrs on, I can guarantee you 5yrs on the B8 cabin will look naff.

This sums up a B7 RS4 owner!

I would suggest it sums up an Audi owner who has looked at newer Audi's and not always found the new ergonomics to be as good. Pity because in the A7, A6, new A8 and even the A5 they are but in A3 and A4 I genuinely feel the level of interior trim and plastics is not as good as it has been on previous models. And that appears to be echoed by a number of journalists.

I maybe wouldn't go as far to say the B8 is naff, however it is not a significant move on from the B7. That is the point you appear to miss in all of this Nickyboy. I really do see Audi going the same way as Mercedes and all car companies are cyclical in their prominence for the exact same reason, they milk their brand positioning. Great from a profits perspective, <beep> from a customer loyalty or longevity perspective and just because it can be done doen't mean it should be.

The one thing I was always taught was when you are at your peak business wise, that is the time to go out and get more because it never lasts bur always keep quality at the fore. Yet most rest on their laurels, reap what they perceive to be their hard earned rewards and then panic when it all starts crumbling around them. I see the early signs of this in Audi.

[Nickyboy]

The A4 and A5 have the same interior I thought.

I totally understand its not as big of a move forward as some would like. Trouble is how far can it go performance wise before you start moving into different markets. The cost to move to higher levels probably isn't cost effective for Audi. I see the same in my sector of engineering so totally accept and appreciate what Audi have done. When/if I drive one then I will be more informed so cannot really comment on the actual product at the moment.

I can comment on the interior after being in a B7 and then owning a B8. This was one of the main reasons for buying a B8 S4 over a B7 RS4.

[drybeer]

The A4 and A5 have the same interior I thought.

I totally understand its not as big of a move forward as some would like. Trouble is how far can it go performance wise before you start moving into different markets. The cost to move to higher levels probably isn't cost effective for Audi. I see the same in my sector of engineering so totally accept and appreciate what Audi have done. When/if I drive one then I will be more informed so cannot really comment on the actual product at the moment.

I can comment on the interior after being in a B7 and then owning a B8. This was one of the main reasons for buying a B8 S4 over a B7 RS4.

Although similar family look, different parts.

I feel many people are correct here - the B6 and B7 cars had bulletproof interior quality. The dated label people are giving related to style and technology.

The B8 has been made larger and then built down to a weight. The weight / co2 / mpg pressure on the manufacturers is immense. Not that that matters too much on an RS however if the base car is that same as a 2.0TDie then there are some carry over parts.

However the level of technology as standard is immensely hit. B7 didn't have nav or drive select or S-tronic as std. Also the new car actually features rear seats an adult male can sit in comfortably...

Progress is good, but doesn't mean the previous classic model is less desirable in my book.

[P_G]

See Nickyboy, that is where everyone differs, from owning 6 Audi's when I got to use a B8 A4 I felt some of the plastics in it were not good at all and the rest were very much carry on as you were. It felt a bit like a Vauxhall in bits, in fact the Insignia had better interior feel for me and I haven't liked Vauxhalls for some 10+ years.

[RSKiwi]

LOL
Harm them in what way? I'm pretty sure Audi will follow up a record 2011 with a record 2012 and a low volume model succeeding or not won't really have an impact

I should clarify! I am sure it won't be more than a blip on their bottom line but I believe it will harm their image in the eyes of many performance car enthusiasts. I think we will get to a point where it's 'ho hum the next RS4 is out' and then be genuinely surprised if it turns out to be amazing.

This does not mean they will be bad cars by any stretch of the imagination, I couldn't give a stuff if it comes off a huge production line instead of a bespoke one, overall I just want to feel like a big kid when I look at one and drive one. With that in mind I am looking forward to taking one for a spin!