Have joined the B6 gang...

[tartan_rob]

Afternoon....

I have acquired djbs4's Noggy Blue S4 saloon.

It has full Miltek, H&R suspension and 19" MTM Bimoto's - but you guys probably know that already.

The car is absolutely immaculate and it is a credit to Dave. Many thanks. After driving 300miles last night my impressions are...

It needs cruise....badly. Engine is very smooth with linear power delivery, exhaust note is absolutely fantastic and it is an awesome cruising car, good handling as well. I am however somewhat dissapointed with the performance, I knew it would be slower but in tip mode, 6th gear is painful. All-in-all though it is a very sensible option and looks the dogs.

I also averaged 29.7mpg with an average speed of 67mph. Cruising speed ranged from 65 - 95....is this as expected? i thought it would be lower. On filling her up this morning I did a mental calculation and the DIS is very close to actual comsumption.

R

[dummi]

well you have gone from 500bhp to 400bhp

[ZeroK66]

Rob... be interesting to see your comments on how the car is to live with everyday vs the older B5. I spent months looking for a B6 S4 - filter on autotrader at <40k and the B5 I own now came up at a dealer... I thought half the price, quicker, turbo'd & from a dealer - means no probs if turbos fail (HAHAHAHAHAHA yeah I know...). I do feel that the B5 is an "old" car - even though mine is immaculate in everyway possible, I still feel like I am driving an older car. Does the B6 go anyway in making you feel like you are in something enwer? My main complaint about the B5 is that it does not seem to ride as well as a newer car... heavy clutch... steering not feeling quite as sharp as a newer car etc...

[CliveH]

well you have gone from 500bhp to 400bhp

you mean 350bhp...?

[Pete.S]

My main complaint about the B5 is that it does not seem to ride as well as a newer car... heavy clutch... steering not feeling quite as sharp as a newer car etc...

..all 3 points which are indeed much improved on the B6 over the B5



Rob - that mpg figure sounds very high. With cruise control, constant 70-ish mph for 2 hours, lucky to get 27mpg. Were you cruising at the lower speeds more often?

[philipwalker]

I have just picked up a silver 03 manual saloon.

I agree the V8 is a super engine much sharper than the old 2.7T. The car feels much newer, lighter on its feet, the brakes are fairly good comparable to the 8 piston brembos.

Fairly standard except for some BBS ch`s and a full Sebring at the moment.

Fuel consumption is slightly more than a 2.7T, 12lts extra for the same distance

Make sure the engine does not make a rattle on cold start up as the cam chain tensioners are starting to cause problems. 22 hours the dealers charge engine out fairly big strip.

[philipwalker]

It also seems to be affected by crosswinds more than the old 2.7T.

Noticed that today as its a tad windy.

[tartan_rob]

Apart from the instant punch the 2.7turbo gives and the obvious reduced power, in my opinion the new S4 is much better and has loads more grip in the wet, not sure if that is purely down to tyres though..? On the fuel consumption side, i did not believe the DIS so did the maths manually and it was almost spot on. If I had to split the 300 mile run, I would say:
20%: <50
40%: 50-70
40%: 60-95
Feels much newer though and the interior is much better...could I liken them to the old F40 being the B5 and Ferrari Enzo as the B6>..? Similiar performance but one feels newer...

[Pete.S]

the new S4 is much better and has loads more grip in the wet, not sure if that is purely down to tyres though..?

Did your B5 have traction control Rob? Mine didn't, & coming from that to the B6, it certainly helps the feeling of cornering security. Notice you've got 19"s, that probably helps too I ran Michelin Pilot Sports on the B5 & use the same on the B6, so I don't think it's tyres. The much improved steering feel also adds to handling confidence - the B5 always felt a bit disconnected from the road. Must take out an RS4 one of these days to see the difference between that & the B6...

[tartan_rob]

I didn't have TCS pm the B5...