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Hi folks,

First sorry I can't bring pictures but I'll try and add some later on.

So yesterday I went off to Le Mans Bugatti track with an invitation from Audi France to test-drive the new RS4 under the leadership of the Audi Quattro Experience Center.

Short version : it's deffo a track-capable "everyday" car, a lot more than the standard V6 RS4, but I'm NOT trading my V6 RS4 MTM 460hp -Movit Brakes - Full Milltek exhaust- for it, "in your dreams honey !"

Long version : nice car, although it's only available in sedan (Avant to come) and has no turbo (won't change) so there dies the RS tradition, shame on Audi.

I had the chance to test drive with a somehow experienced instructor on my side : Patrick Tambay, who won several F1 Grand Prix under the Ferrari flag. The other instructors were in the range of multiple winners of 24H Le Mans Race, Audi FR did a great job in bringing some serious names for the demo. And we drove the cars...
(side note : the guy is SUPER cool and looks like he's really enjoying life nowadays...).

First he showed me the right way to drive on Le Mans (easy ride, relax...), then I drove under his very courteous comments ("good, that's good, try and use your eyes more actively, keep the pressure on the brakes during the turn, etc." -OK, I'm a NOOB but thx for wrapping it in a nice manner^^).
Then he made a serious driving demo of the car (WTF !!!! You are supposed to pretend to be tense, mr Tambay, not as in "this car drives fast with just two fingers and doing the chit-chat about the quattro/DRC systems while throwing the car all over the place...")

The Plus :

- very nice steering wheel/gear lever and seats (it's sporty, both looking and feeling, seriously), they did a great job to correct the V6 RS4 sub-standard specs.
- the chassis is as amazing as on the RS6 (same system), it keeps the car VERY flat on accelaration/braking/turns. You do NOT need to think "upgrade".
- very decent braking power, might be what the DE clients got on the V6 RS4 with the Quattro GmbH kit. Not an immediate need to think "upgrade" again.
- the day started at 15°c and reached 27°c later on, no change in performance (no turbo ?)

The Minus :

- atmo, atmo, atmo.... flat, linear accelaration all the way, don't expect a kick in the butt, it's just not there (no turbo ?)
- the sound is not as nice as the RS6 one, sounds a bit like a US V8 but it doesn't have the nasty growl of the RS6 we heard at Hockenheim in 2003 for the RS Challenge (no turbo ?)
- the S mode is a pain, it's not adding more HP as the new M5, just making the DRC suspension stiffer but more importantly it makes the trottle VERY VERY VERY sensitive. Up to a point where you feel like a blonde girl driving a Renault Twingo in a Parisian traffic-jam. You try to apply a small gas pressure during a turn and the car bursts litterally, shaking back and forth, making it unstable. Very unpleasant.
- cosmetic : not that different from the V8 S4, slightly wider, different external mirrors, you really need to see the car close to detect it's an V8 RS4, not a V8 RS4.

Eric

Great write up Eric - suppose I'll will have to claw my deposit back from Audi and start praying for an M5 Estate

Although I wonder what MTM have in store for the RS - has anybody asked?

KC

Cool write up Eric. I can't see myself getting a B7 just yet.... I'll hold on to the B5 for a couple more years. Send the pics through it you can't sort them.

Although I wonder what MTM have in store for the RS - has anybody asked?

A better induction system with an ECU change and a exhaust modifaction giving an enormous 20 BHP and costing around £5k
Hmmm
jr

kcsun wrote:Although I wonder what MTM have in store for the RS - has anybody asked?

KC

There are rumors of an MTM supercharger for the B7 S4, perhaps a version of that for the RS4?

Urban legend. Too good to be true.

The RS4's the were using as pace cars at Le Mans ove the weekend must of had sports exhausts - sounded amazing

Scott,
were you parked in the green area, near the roundabout ??

I was in the Audi enclosure opposite.

Your right, they did sound nice.

I have video of the Audi leading them out on the warm-up lap will upload when I have recovered - just got in. Also hit a fecking rabbit at a silly speed on Thursday morn, chipped paint and new lower grill required.....Bugger..Thats the problem with living in the fecking country

Yep, that was us - we normally dont park that close to the roundabout - Friday night got a bit too leary for me - I thought someone was going to get killed between the silver audi and guy in the van

I couldnt move my car either so had about 1000 drunken louts walking past my car - luckily no damage was caused

the audi enclosure looked a lot more sedate - we might move over to the lake next year

That transit was mental !
I have a short video clip of it, as well as the pair of Type R Civics, and the 200SX doing burnouts.
Funniest thing was the guy getting out of his lorry (not sure exactly why he did), and the guy who dropped his kecks and was rubbing his ar$e on car mirrors as they went past

As for being leary, we heard a fight kick off some time in the early hours. Comment from one of the guys after being seperated was along the lines of "I'll carve you up like an oyster". Nice chap

We got a bit sidetracked after a while and stopped watching the cars. Some of the women were far more entertaining

i couldnt believe how many women were there this year - we were going to go to the drivers parade on saturday night but then had 6 gizmodo birds sit at the next table at the champagne bar - best view for years

we almost got into a brawl when one of our very drunk crew did a donut in his atom and then an mates SL55AMG on the gravel taking out a few windscreens - very emabrrased and very expensive mistake

oops

very expensive indeed. Glad my car wasn't near your mate !
We saw lots of cars being taken away on trailers following the friday night antics. The Ultima popped its gearbox, one of the Type R's was towed, Mitsi popped his induction hoses, Porker 964 sounded very sick, etc.
All good fun, but proved very costly for some and just not for me.
One of the lads asked for the keys to my car. I told him to go fook himself

kcsun wrote:suppose.......... and start praying for an M5 Estate
KC

No need to pray its happening for sure, me thinks