New RS4 - is it 414BHP or not!

[SimonFV8]

It makes you wonder why the hell Russian dude would post that it just makes him look even more of a fake!

[W8PMC]

This thread is quickly turning into a Classic.

[rs4v8]

great isn't it!! Can't wait for the next episode!!

[ChrisRS4]

Lol, so he's Canadian not Russian. He has (maybe) an RS4, not an M3. Makes me wonder about the user name. Is he really a dude?

[rs4v8]

ha ha, yes you've got to wonder, RussianM3_Dudette??

[RussianM3_dude]

Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful...

[alex_123_fra]

That link was absolutely classic reading. Thanks russian dude.

In a strange way, I'm actually beginning to sympathise with your predicament.

For the love of god, please test drive the next car you buy or this experience would have been pointless. Just goes to show that no matter what reviewers/car journos/other owners say, no test is as good as you test driving the car.

One thing which stands out a bit is just how much less offensive we are towards you in this forum.

[RussianM3_dude]

I am test driving the new M3 Thursday. Will be a very extended one.

[rs4mal]

I am test driving the new M3 Thursday. Will be a very extended one.

good for you ... so why are you in the wrong forum... ?
you should go to bmw forum..

[SimonC]

The guy could be genuine. He also has the right to be a tad offended (why the need to be so offensive about the Russian people?).
As many of you have pointed out, the V8 RS4 feels slower when new. The same is probably true of the new M3. Therefore one must make allowances for this, but there is a risk that the car won't loosen up as much as you hope it will.
Naturally to try and tell a load of RS4 owners (ie enthusiasts) that these cars are not very good is not likely to be well received. But surely there is some validity in what he is saying, and doesn't that warrant some intelligent and constructive discussion?

My experience of a admittedly brief (20 mile) test drive of a B7 RS4 was disappointing. It lacked the feeling of muscular strength in the way you had to rev it to make it accelerate hard. My concept of power is effortless shove. It reminded me of a test drive in an Accord Type R.

My conclusion was this: My old RS4 will still go like stink if you don't take it to the red line in every gear, even if you bodge every gearchange. I am probably a slightly above average driver and spend most of my time driving marginally faster than average and about 15% of the time properly pressing on. For me a B7 RS4 seems like it would be disappointing. I would like to be proved wrong as I will be looking for a used replacement eventually and have no idea what to buy. I honestly think an S4 is the way to go for me.

My daily driver is a Skoda Fabia VRS. It is not fast on paper but probably frequently disappoints drivers of performance cars by almost keeping up. The idea of a much faster car having to change to two gears lower than the one I'm in just to pull away seems a bit pointless.

Another observation I would make is that many lower performance cars seem to provide 90% acceleration on part throttle and therefore seem pretty quick until you want to overtake and you then realise that the next 2/3 of throttle input doesn't do much more.

Russian M3 Dude has made a valid point, he just didn't make it very well. Performance is very subjective and in physical terms torque is power and BHP is just the multiplication of torque. A V8 RS4 is not a fast car most of the time.

And if you ask me to nip out to my car and photograph my hand in front of the badge just to prove that I own one then I can't. We don't all park outside our front doors. Similarly, it is easy for me to simply state my nationality as British (though this is too often cause for slight embarrasment) but that doesn't mean that everyone has such a clear allegiance.

[audijohn]

That link was absolutely classic reading. Thanks russian dude.

In a strange way, I'm actually beginning to sympathise with your predicament.

For the love of god, please test drive the next car you buy or this experience would have been pointless. Just goes to show that no matter what reviewers/car journos/other owners say, no test is as good as you test driving the car.

One thing which stands out a bit is just how much less offensive we are towards you in this forum.

I second that Alex, I happened to mension on BM3W, how I did not enjoy the new M3, and got banned!!!!! am I bothered, poor bar stuwards, honestly half of these guys only dream about the cars we actually buy.

[RussianM3_dude]

The guy could be genuine. He also has the right to be a tad offended (why the need to be so offensive about the Russian people?).
As many of you have pointed out, the V8 RS4 feels slower when new. The same is probably true of the new M3. Therefore one must make allowances for this, but there is a risk that the car won't loosen up as much as you hope it will.
Naturally to try and tell a load of RS4 owners (ie enthusiasts) that these cars are not very good is not likely to be well received. But surely there is some validity in what he is saying, and doesn't that warrant some intelligent and constructive discussion?

My experience of a admittedly brief (20 mile) test drive of a B7 RS4 was disappointing. It lacked the feeling of muscular strength in the way you had to rev it to make it accelerate hard. My concept of power is effortless shove. It reminded me of a test drive in an Accord Type R.

My conclusion was this: My old RS4 will still go like stink if you don't take it to the red line in every gear, even if you bodge every gearchange. I am probably a slightly above average driver and spend most of my time driving marginally faster than average and about 15% of the time properly pressing on. For me a B7 RS4 seems like it would be disappointing. I would like to be proved wrong as I will be looking for a used replacement eventually and have no idea what to buy. I honestly think an S4 is the way to go for me.

My daily driver is a Skoda Fabia VRS. It is not fast on paper but probably frequently disappoints drivers of performance cars by almost keeping up. The idea of a much faster car having to change to two gears lower than the one I'm in just to pull away seems a bit pointless.

Another observation I would make is that many lower performance cars seem to provide 90% acceleration on part throttle and therefore seem pretty quick until you want to overtake and you then realise that the next 2/3 of throttle input doesn't do much more.

Russian M3 Dude has made a valid point, he just didn't make it very well. Performance is very subjective and in physical terms torque is power and BHP is just the multiplication of torque. A V8 RS4 is not a fast car most of the time.

And if you ask me to nip out to my car and photograph my hand in front of the badge just to prove that I own one then I can't. We don't all park outside our front doors. Similarly, it is easy for me to simply state my nationality as British (though this is too often cause for slight embarrasment) but that doesn't mean that everyone has such a clear allegiance.

It doesn't help that the gears are way too long and "too far apart".

As an example, when I up-shift anywhere under 5000 rpm (which is quiet high) The revs just drop to the point where the car is out of the power zone and feels sluggish. So I have to drive like a dork in 2nd gear in the city to have good acceleration on tap. and to me, the car feels a little "strained" above 5000 rpm (I am used to creamy smooth BMW I6s) and I alsways instictively upshift.

What's worse, is that most RS4 drivers here in Switzerland are smelly old farts, who I doubt would drive agressively and would thus miss out on most of the performance.

[RussianM3_dude]

That link was absolutely classic reading. Thanks russian dude.

In a strange way, I'm actually beginning to sympathise with your predicament.

For the love of god, please test drive the next car you buy or this experience would have been pointless. Just goes to show that no matter what reviewers/car journos/other owners say, no test is as good as you test driving the car.

One thing which stands out a bit is just how much less offensive we are towards you in this forum.

I second that Alex, I happened to mension on BM3W, how I did not enjoy the new M3, and got banned!!!!! am I bothered, poor bar stuwards, honestly half of these guys only dream about the cars we actually buy.

I was banned from a BMW forum too and accused of being an "RS4 lover". How ironic.

[audijohn]

[/quote]

It doesn't help that the gears are way too long and "too far apart".

As an example, when I up-shift anywhere under 5000 rpm (which is quiet high) The revs just drop to the point where the car is out of the power zone and feels sluggish. [/quote]

This quote is your undoing

Gears way to far apart Now you are talking out of your arse.
Mine does not need the balls driving off it to go quick, I very rarely ever need red line RPM

[alex_123_fra]

That link was absolutely classic reading. Thanks russian dude.

In a strange way, I'm actually beginning to sympathise with your predicament.

For the love of god, please test drive the next car you buy or this experience would have been pointless. Just goes to show that no matter what reviewers/car journos/other owners say, no test is as good as you test driving the car.

One thing which stands out a bit is just how much less offensive we are towards you in this forum.

I second that Alex, I happened to mension on BM3W, how I did not enjoy the new M3, and got banned!!!!! am I bothered, poor bar stuwards, honestly half of these guys only dream about the cars we actually buy.

Sorry to hear it John, sounds a bit communist of the mods to do that!

I spent some time on BM3W when I had an M3 and although there were a handful of really good blokes on there, it just didn't feel particularly friendly or helpful compared to other forums I've been a member of (including this one...which is superb).