B8 RS4 or SQ5 (stop me buying the latter!!)

[Graeme4130]

Rs6 and rs4 are very different cars, but that power in the rs6 and it's surprisingly nimble for a near 2tonne car...

[marc1]

Which do you prefer Graeme? Does the '4 still handle better or has the gap closed through the latest generation '6? Obviously the additional space would work well with the bikes and all, but are there any sacrifices from your experience so far?

[doodlebug]

For me, the 6 wins on all fronts. Bid say it handles better too. I certainly feel more confident in it. It's a country mile away from c6.

[Graeme4130]

Which do you prefer Graeme? Does the '4 still handle better or has the gap closed through the latest generation '6? Obviously the additional space would work well with the bikes and all, but are there any sacrifices from your experience so far?

It's an odd conundrum ; The 6 is by far the faster car in a straight line, but in the tighter stuff, it's still a big car and it weighs a tonne
Audi do a great job of disguising the size of it and it handles pretty well, or certainly much better than it should for such a lump, but it's still a big, heavy car compared to an already sightly porky 4
The RS4 is much more pointy and the noise of the N/A engine is (in my ears) much better than the noise in the 6
However, the 6 is just too big for my everyday life. it doesn't fit well in parking spaces and manoeuvring it around things like multi storey car parks etc is a bit unnerving
I'd say the 4 would be faster around most circuits too, but the 6 would give you the bigger buzz when flooring it on the open road and overtaking stuff. It's really very fast and in a straight line would pummel an RS4 on something like a motorway slip road or traffic light grand prix
The 6 is a much better mile muncher too, and the air suspension on the car I had is very comfortable on longer motorway journeys. HUD display is very good too, but does't work with Polarised Raybans. Could do with a rev display on there like I had in an M5 previously though.

For comparison, I have a decent set of Cotswold a/b roads near to me that i drive regularly. In my Rs4, a friend of mine with a new M4 can just about keep up. In the Rs6, I couldn't keep up with him in the corners until we hit a longer straight and then i could reel him in fairly easily
The gearbox in the Rs4 is much better than the 6 one too, which is a bit slow IMO, and the big flares of revs on downshifts in the 4 trump the rather subdued noise in the 6 (the car I had didn't have the sports ex, but I've tried a sports Ex'd car previously, and there's not much difference between the two options)

Saying that though, I've recently put a deposit down for the 2016 R8v10, so Audi Swindon were kind enough to lend me a current V10+ for a week to use whilst my car was in getting sorted ( i did 800ish miles in it up around North Wales just to be sure ), which, by chance coincided with Audi UK lending me an Rs6 for the week to live with (I also did 500 miles in that too, again just to 'try it out' )

Of the two cars, as much as I loved the noise and power of the R8, the special feel and the attention it gets, it's the RS6 that has left the biggest impression on me, which wasn't something I was expecting at all and only really has come in retrospect now they've both gone back

The original plan was to keep my Rs4 for 3-4 years rather than the normal 18months or so before replacing, and having the R8 as a 'Sunday special' kept tucked up in the garage for special occasions, but I'm now starting to consider cancelling the R8 order and chopping my Rs4 in for a 6 when the time comes (about a year or so), just having one car for everything and putting up with the inconvenience of the sheer size of it
I'll change my mind 15 times before commitment times, so who knows what I'll end up with or how business will be over the next 18months

For another cool comparison - There's very little in it in a straight line between the R8 and RS6 too, which is hugely impressive
The 6 genuinely keeps up with the R8 up to around license losing speeds, after which, it starts to pull away, but not by as much as you'd expect
In the corners or under braking, of course, it's another matter altogether

Hope this helps ?

[Graeme4130]

For me, the 6 wins on all fronts. Bid say it handles better too. I certainly feel more confident in it. It's a country mile away from c6.

I'd agree with the confidence part. The 6 inspires confidence and you can really lean on the front end grip knowing exactly where the limits are. In an Rs4, you have to learn where the limits are rather than feel them.

[Astonished]

Thanks Graeme

Great comparo Rs4 v 6

I decided against the 6 and for the 4 for the same reasons as you but also have been subsequently pondering the next step and when, such that a similar but refreshed view on the 6 is good to hear. All make sense ... But I am still loving the 4.

Somehow the extra space on the inside of the 6 (but dislike the extra outside size) combined with more shear torque and power is an appeal that I'm finding harder to move on from.

Meanwhile the lesser cost of the 4 is a none too insignificant bonus .... But not the decider

Thanks again

[Astonished]

Oh yeh ... And should add that my brothers back from an overseas posting and is getting seriously close to an SQ5 .... Thinks that Wagons (or Estates) look too boring!!

So I'm letting him read this lot ...

[Graeme4130]

Thanks Graeme

Great comparo Rs4 v 6

I decided against the 6 and for the 4 for the same reasons as you but also have been subsequently pondering the next step and when, such that a similar but refreshed view on the 6 is good to hear. All make sense ... But I am still loving the 4.

Somehow the extra space on the inside of the 6 (but dislike the extra outside size) combined with more shear torque and power is an appeal that I'm finding harder to move on from.

Meanwhile the lesser cost of the 4 is a none too insignificant bonus .... But not the decider

Thanks again

It's a decent chunk difference though. Think £20-£30k + running bills when you get the spec right
The only other downside (if you can call it that) is that the turbo'd nature of the rs6 engine makes it very difficult to apply a measure of part throttle out of a corner, where in the n/a RS4, you can turn into a corner hard, allow the car to weight up the front wheels and then push the power progressively as you pass the apex. In the 6, you need to brake in, hit the corner speed, balance the weight of the car up and then just plant the throttle when you think you need full power again.
Applying 80% power is tricky and you find yourself missing the point where you could be on the power only to have to wait a bit before you can use somewhere like 100% late on the way out.
It's not a big thing, but it makes smooth, fast progress a bit more tricky than in the 4 - getting a bit of oversteer in the 6 is a scary thing though, whereas is in the RS4, you can feel the diff working the balance of the rear quite nicely
Still, it's not a bad problem to have and most RS6's get used for point and squirt driving, which it's amazing at

[marc1]

Great reviews Graeme. I like your style in 'just trying them out', haha. Wasn't expecting you to be considering the 6 over the others in the end though. A conundrum it certainly is, but great to be in the position of having to make that decision.

[Oak]

Got an RS4 b7 and a Q5 3.0tdi sline which is the go to car for any long journey, very fast but you can really feel the weight when you slam on the anchors. Ours has needed a new gearbox and I get the feeling its not quite as well bolted together as our first Q5.

Been looking to replace my B7 with a B8 RS4 but have just about had enough of Audi dealers and find myself looking seriously at the BMW 435d xdrive Gran Coupe which seems to tick a lot of boxes for me, Nav and other tech looks to ahead of the current Audi offerings in the B8 and Q5.

[boff]

Naah, if it's tech you're after go for the bmw diesel.... If its a passionate hardcore petrol, go for the rs4

[Oak]

True but your local Audi dealer will soon dull the passion........... if their unfathomable pricing hasn't done that already.

[boff]

True, for a decent deal on an rs4 epsom and city audi are still in the mood for price. I've put the service pack on mine, expensive but means i just throw the keys at them when theres a problem

[doodlebug]

Not quite, service pack just means they'll service when it's due.

Problem = warranty.

[boff]

Not quite, service pack just means they'll service when it's due.

Problem = warranty.

Valid comment; for me i did it to smooth the running costs, and it was a bit for that throw the keys in effect.