Country Road Blasts..

[kam100]

After having my RS4 for approx 2.5 months now, i have racked up about 2200 miles, unfortunately due to work commitments i have been driving about in our A8 or C220 CDI back and forth from the office so haven't had chance to drive it everyday, but whenever i get the chance i dust off the cobwebs and take it for a blast.

Tonight after finishing a business dinner quite early, 10pm ish, and seeing as though the roads were near enough dead, being the end of a bank hol, i took the RS4 for a quick country blast.. Through Earlswood and Lapworth, it really takes your breath away, flying through the national speed limit roads in third gear.. wow it never seems to end, and the grunt and low down torque when in a higher gear, makes it seem like an auto, i.e. leave it in 5th and it will still go from 40-70 quicker then most cars dropping down into 4th! Really enjoyed the drive, seems summer is quickly drawing to an end, as the roads were quite damp tonight, but the 4wd is truely inspiring, and the turn in is so precise and predictable. Sometimes i have felt the 60% split to the rear slip, but im not brave enough or skilled enough i don't think to play along and let the back end slide, always end up coming off the throttle and bringing it back to line.

Did my IAM test through these roads some years ago, so know them quite well, and where all the villages are etc, but it was a totally new experience doing it in the RS4, truely moving brisky and for the first time i have loved having the adaptive xenons, moving round the bends.. its an awesome piece of machinery and mine is really starting to open up!

Had some issues with a notchy gear change before as well, but presumed it was my coming from an Auto more then the car, but despite me now getting used to the manual change again, i still get a notchy change from 1st to 2nd, the rest are very slick though, but like simple1 said, i sometimes have a bit of resistance going into first from neautral, hopefully this will loosen up too with more miles under the belt.

Am really thinking, i have truely spoiled myself with this car, i usually get bored of cars quite quick and rarely keep them more then 12 months max, but with this car, im struggling to think of something else that would tick the right boxes and give me so much in 1 package. Bit of a bigger fuel tank would be nice, but people driving M6, and M5 Bmws are also moaning about the size of their tanks and not getting a whole lot of range out of a full tank of the black stuff.. I think im fortunate to be running a couple of oil burners for this point, as i do most of my more economy needed driving in the other cars, but i don't know if i would like to run it every day, due to my mileage through work.

Is nice to come home to it in the evening though and take it out, and on the long bank hols like tonight. Can't wait for my next installment! Anyone else know of any fantastic roads where it doesn't need excess speed to have a good time in the RS4? I don't think tonight i breached any speed limits, and the car still literally took my breath away and left me with a real adrenaline buzz. Worth every penny in my book! Averaged 24mpg too, so not a bad run!

[dxben]

Great stuff! Congrats! I agree with what you said.. except the part about 24mph.. WTH!?!? Are you sure?

Nonetheless, great writeup, I wish we had more writeups like these on the net, just stream of conciousness, about drivint these cars..

[Davey_B]

Nice write up Kam but if you got 24mpg while on a blast you either a) weren't trying very hard (which I doubt) or b) your trip computer is way off.

If I'm getting a move on I'd be lucky to see 12-14mpg.

[simple1]

On a blast from Monahan to Newry, lesser quality than B road and at silly speeds most of the time...... 17 mpg, on the A350 which is a slightly better road surface wise.......... 22.7........ and I wasn't hanging about. Seems that once you are moving at reasonable speed low twentys is the norm, get 25 ish on the motorway. 12-14 mpg is track day stuff unless you are in a 996tt which drops to about 6...........

[PaulL]

24mpg!!!!

God mate, I must be driving mine way too hard!!

I get 15mpg max around town and 20ish on the motorway. Total average mpg 18.9 over 2700mls.

By the way, I got totally caned by a 996 GT3 (one from the cannonball run 8000) on the M40 yesterday!! Had no chance keeping up, but did try!!!

Cheers

[Davey_B]

On a blast from Monahan to Newry, lesser quality than B road and at silly speeds most of the time...... 17 mpg, on the A350 which is a slightly better road surface wise.......... 22.7........ and I wasn't hanging about. Seems that once you are moving at reasonable speed low twentys is the norm, get 25 ish on the motorway. 12-14 mpg is track day stuff unless you are in a 996tt which drops to about 6...........

Is that what your trip computer is telling you, or are you working it out from fuel used/mileage? Because my trip computer is nowhere near those figures.

[kam100]

Well my drive did end with a dual carriageway where i was crusing in 6th approaching Knowle from Warwick, so this probably knocked it up over the 20mpg mark. My average speed through the lanes was around 60 in 4th, so a nice blast really. Don't get me wrong guys, am still seeing the wrong side of 12mpg when driving 'normally' RS4 style around town.. that sport button engaged and the noise through enclosed built up streets is far too tempting, specially on 0-30mph sprints from light to light.

I just came back from a mates in the next town in our A8 3.0 TDI Quattro, and its such a waft mobile..
absolutely hooned it home, riding the torque wave, really does shift for only a 3.0 TDI.. would love to have a go in a 5.0 TDI Toureg or a 4.2TDI A8..

Paul wouldn't worry about it mate.. its the taking part that counts! hehe.. on the way back from the motorshow on the M25, there was a lorry overturned which held everyone up for a good 20 minutes, when we broke i had an E55 AMG in front of me, and we were both keen to make up the time, in the clear stretch aftermath of the build up of traffic, and the driver of the E55 clearly had no regard for his license as we easily doubled the speed limit and he kept on going!! he knew the road, thats all im saying, and i didn't so i held back.. plus i had another roughly 100 miles to go, and would never have managed the range on our Tanks doing that kind of speed, was just under half before we sprinted away and it was closer to quarter after our little sprint away..

[PetrolDave]

would love to have a go in a 5.0 TDI Toureg or a 4.2TDI A8..

I'd love Audi to build an S4D with the 4.2V8 TDi - that would be a real hoot

[Davey_B]

Got a trip to Cornwall on Saturday so I'll see how she fairs. Last time I did the trip in a Saab 2.3T and we got to Lands End on just over half a tank. Got a feeling I'll be filling up at least once on the way down this time.

[kam100]

Davey B, here is one for you, if you feel like a hooligan one evening..
When coming down the monskpath hall road towards the field house from shirley side, as you pass the last road on your right (one with the shops precinct on it - shelly crescent is it?) absolutely hoon it down the hill in 3rd gear, and you will touch just under triple figures as you go through the face fronting camera and the funny thing is, it goes off, as you pass it, so you're out of camera shot! mint.. have more then ample time to come back down to normal level speed before the island.. obviously only do this at night when noone is around...

You can do this on streetsbrook road too, but obviously not as high speed, on that camera the first shot gets you, but you're out of camera shot on the second flash, i love wasting their film reels by doing this..

[Krammer002]

Davey B, I can tell you where all the Optimax pumps are.....

[simple1]

Optimax.........optimax..........its V-max now............and 7p ltr more than optimax.........

[Krammer002]

Still Optimax at Taunton Dean M5 north, as of 11AM today..... waiting for the old stock to go ....allegedly

[simple1]

And still 110 p ltr no doubt..........might take some time to use up that particular stock

[Davey_B]

Davey B, here is one for you, if you feel like a hooligan one evening..
When coming down the monskpath hall road towards the field house from shirley side, as you pass the last road on your right (one with the shops precinct on it - shelly crescent is it?) absolutely hoon it down the hill in 3rd gear, and you will touch just under triple figures as you go through the face fronting camera and the funny thing is, it goes off, as you pass it, so you're out of camera shot! mint.. have more then ample time to come back down to normal level speed before the island.. obviously only do this at night when noone is around...

You can do this on streetsbrook road too, but obviously not as high speed, on that camera the first shot gets you, but you're out of camera shot on the second flash, i love wasting their film reels by doing this..

You're a brave man Kam, although I know forward facing camera's can't get you, you're certainly going to attract some attention if they get a number plate shot. Interesting that they should go off at all actually, I thought they were trigged by road sensors and if so, why are they trigged when you are on the opposite side of the road? Unless you are on the opposite side of the road?

My favourite place for a quick fix is coming out of Solihull on the Warwick Road to the island by Brueton Park and then hoofing it round onto the bypass. 110 my best effort so far. Make a quick glance for the boys in blue who sometimes wait in the exit to the car park for Brueton park.