The Unit 20 and RS246 Review of the B8 RS4.....

[535dboy]

Have taken austerity to another level these Germans. Unbelievable that they are charging for things that should be standard in a car 5 years in the life cycle and at the top end of the range (and margin)...

They know us mugs will pay for them!

The mrs new boxster has £17k of options on it which include climate control FFS

[RIV]

Looks like a big disappointment to me, I think Audi have done the bare minimum with the new 4, it's prob a nice car but that's as far as it goes, I don't think I will bother with one now or in the future

[Nickyboy]

I have to strongly disagree with P_G saying it looks like another B8 A4. I initially thought that but when I parked my B8 S4 next to it the S4 must have got small c*ck syndrome and it completely dwarfed it. It was like Linford Christie next to a white man before a 100m sprint.

[andre3k]

I'd like to see an RS4 alongside an S4 in the same colour. Not convinced the RS4 would look so special; not like with the B7.

[P_G]

I have to strongly disagree with P_G saying it looks like another B8 A4. I initially thought that but when I parked my B8 S4 next to it the S4 must have got small c*ck syndrome and it completely dwarfed it. It was like Linford Christie next to a white man before a 100m sprint.

Each to their own opinion Nicky but the rear view of the B8 and then the B7 put the B8 into perspective. Granted the ones following were in Daytona and Black which as said do not do anything for the car but it does not have the silhouette or stance of the B7 to either of us B7 owners who commented on it and surely we are some of the B8's target audience.

It will get orders and buyers but I'm not sure how many B7 owners it will initially capture. One dealer summed up the B8 well, it is designed to do everything pretty well almost all of the time which means that the raw agression has in part been taken out of it. Supposedly B8 owners don't want too rorty an exhaust, agressive looks etc. That is why it may be the ultimate Q car. But B7 owners did get that and maybe that is why to me it doesn't appeal. Plus it will get naff all like the fuel economy they said it will on cycle because it's neck has to be wrung to get the best out of it.

[Nickyboy]

I don't question your comparison against the B7 but against the B8 A4.

[drybeer]

It's been my first couple of days living with a B8 RS4, and having read all the comments about this car, even a few SMS messages from Grizz I was not sure that to expect.

As a point of reference the RS I spend a lot of time driving is C5 RS6 Avant. So this car on paper has a similar power / weight / even body-size ratio. My C5 has a stage 1 remap and H&R coilovers with Hotchkis ARBs as the only relevant mods.

In the B8 I've been leaving the suspension set to "Comfort" as on the roads near me the car is just able to "breathe" with the road so much more and ultimately not be bounced off line.

I find the ride in "comfort" way too spiky but probably due to the 20"s (rotors). I suspect for me I'd like to get a good go in a car with std suspension and 19"s as I'm suspecting this could be a nicer drive.

However I think the engine is epic. I love the monster torque of the C5 but in it the gearbox just isn't the sharpest tool in the box. I'm a fan of 7-speed S-tronic and combined with this N/A motor it performs really well. As with the C5 it's also happy to rumble around being an everyday car and not being hardcore all the time.

I find I've had to alter the drive select individual settings to:

Engine/Trans: Dynamic
Suspension: Comfort
Steering: Comfort

to find my best compromise for a fast drive on my local roads, but that probably says more about our roads!

I'm loving the power delivery and I don't really feel the car is down on performance at all - it's all really useable and the car is alert and "on its toes" (although a little too much in "Dynamic" mode!).

As goes the interior I've always loved the interior quality of the B8 (I do see why people hark back to the B6 and B7 as being more heavy feeling) but this car fits me in terms of the interior space, practicality, and I love the super sports seats (I always preferred the Recaros on the B7).

I'm a big fan of the technology so having HDD Nav, Audi connect, and the Audi Music Stream app on my phone is really important as I can get texts on the MMI screen and access all my music via the MMI without leaving my phone wired into the glove box. In addition the Google Earth mapping available with internet place search, news and weather is a great feature on the dash.

Watch out for this new tech - as of next year week 22 build you will be able to get Facebook, Twitter, flight data, and even upload geo-tagged photos straight into the navigation and more on this system (not available yet on Audi Connect).

For me this makes the car something I can enjoy even when traffic conditions don't allow for spirited driving, so I'm loving this - it's my kind of car - I can set the drive select settings to get my preferred settings and perhaps it makes ame a bit "soft" that I'm finding nothing about it easy to fault - but that means a great deal of the customers buying this car will share my view.

Just my first impressions!