Newbie RS4 Owner - First 3 months.....

[RS4Phantom2007]

Bought an 07 RS4 3 months ago (after part-exing by beloved 540i, which I owned for about 5 years), so I thought I'd share my inital thoughts....

I wanted a properly fast but (relatively) inconspicous car that I could rely on, and narrowed it down to M5 or RS4. Ruled out the M5 becuase of the gearbox, so an RS4 it had to be! (I also ruled out AMG's because of poor reliability and dealerships)

After driving the 540i (auto) for so long, the initial impression of the RS4 was what a fantastic sound, and the precision of the steering immediately impressed. I have to admit though I was disappointed with the low-end grunt. Despite my RS4 having the advantage of low gearing (the 540i was at barely 2krpm at motorway speed), if both were in top gear at motorway speeds, there is not much between them (initially at least!). The only other disappointment was fuel economy, only in so far as I was expecting it to be better (not worse) as it is a lighter car with a slightly smaller engine. (It also took me a couple of weeks to get used to the clutch - its quite a difficult car to drive smoothly, until you get used to it at least).

That aside, I soon realised that the performance is all about the second half of the rev counter, and I have to admit that this car has really grown on me - for something with four wheels (not to mention four doors) it is stupidly fast, and sounds stupendous (especially since I de-flapped it!). It really is addictive to drive, and I'm sure I'll keep it for as long as I had the BM.

In terms of problems, I've had to have the dreaded DRC problems (quickly diagnosed by Stafford Audi, who fitted two new rear shocks and topped the front ones up under warranty). It also uses plenty of oil, but that's more of a characteristic than a problem. The only other concern is that 1st to second (when cold) will almost crunch if rushed. Stafford Audi tested it (albeit when warm) and said it was fine. (Anyone else had this issue???).

Anyway, bored of writing this now. Hope if your thinking of buying one this helps! I certainly have no regrets about my purchase.

[pippyrips]

good to hear you're happy, there has been a thread over the last week or so about 1st when cold, seems to be reasonbly common and put down to the gearbox oil being thick when cold. I've experienced it recently myself.