I also have piercings and tattoos. Please judge me as you wish.
And to think, I thought you were alright! How wrong I was.
I also have piercings and tattoos. Please judge me as you wish.
And to think, I thought you were alright! How wrong I was.
Whilst we're on the subject of handling vs comfort, I did wonder what would happen if I put say an Eibach spring kit on my Passat. Is it possible to lower it a bit and stiffen it up without sacrificing much if any comfort?
Have you driven the entire range (including the R8), or are you just regurgitating what you've read elsewhere? Genuinely curious like.
A mate has an R8, I have driven loads of Audis inclusing the S3, RS4, S4 and loads of lesser FWD models so yes I have and no I don't regurgitate car mags.
Mike - part of it is annoyance. Dad had three uR Quattros and they were utterly brilliant. If anyone was going to be a lifelong Audi fan it would be me - but since the mid 90s they have just churned out average handling cars that they charge big money for. And yes this does mean a lot of drivers feel the need to prove themselves (as with earlier BMWs) and feel the need to drive very badly/aggressively. It's a shame but apart from their "halo" models (even lots of those handle badly), the are just overpriced Seats/Skodas/VWs.
If I wanted a FWD comfy car with a bit of space and a bit of poke, I'd get a Volvo.
Mike - ermmm - I don't give two hoots about stuff like that. My sister has a pierced tongue and tattoos - who cares?
Molgrips - Yep that's the way my motoring is drifting these day, New car is some way off for me too, I don’t think I’ll be looking at a Prius but I think “Real world fuel economy” coupled with basic functional features (Boot space, Roof rails/Tow bar) in a Comfortable, Drivable package is all I really want/need…
Make/model isn’t an issue for me, and from what your say it’s not for you either but as a Aesthete the environment you’re in makes a difference to your enjoyment/comfort when driving so a reasonable interior is a significant point for you, Hence you’re considering the Audi, Right? if that’s the case then I reckon it does have some value over other VAG Units but don’t totally count VW/Skoda/Seat out on that front with some selective use of the options I reckon you could have a similar level of comfort/finish for a touch less spend…
Surf Mat. Have you actually had an Audi? You seem to have strong views against them.
I'm off to my sisters to drive her Porsche turbo, but you'll probably say thats crap too....
And yes this does mean a lot of drivers feel the need to prove themselves (as with earlier BMWs) and feel the need to drive very badly/aggressively
I disagree. I think a lot of Audis are driven badly because they are driven by reps who cover 50k miles a year. Familiarity does breed contempt, and mostly they just want to get home fast after a day being assertive and forthright in their sales meetings. Hence the angry driving
Cokeaa - right on. I dunno about less speed from the other VAG cars since they still have the same engines. And to be honest, the cost is a factor. I mean Audis can be pretty but if it's a case of a fully loaded VW versus a base Audi, I think I'd go for the VW because I do like equippment.
Although if a Prius could tow, I'd have two - of the new model. Fuel economy as good as the best eco diesels (in that size class) but petrol rather than diesel. Which is less energy intenstive to make apparently, and much cleaner at the tailpipe. And often cheaper.
Re other VAG cars - I find Skodas a bit ugly inside and out (my mate had a recent Octy and I didn't like the look of it at all), and I did test drive Seat when I was looking last year. They were an iteration behind VW and it showed. Older PD engines, and the Altea had loads of wind noise and was just.. plain. All the cars were plain really apart from the Honda Civic, and the VWs which looked and felt nice and classy inside. Which is ironic because Passats are 10/1p down here.
And yes this does mean a lot of drivers feel the need to prove themselves (as with earlier BMWs) and feel the need to drive very badly/aggressively
Hmmmm, you've driven the full range of Audis, on a track presumably in order to ascertain the handling is inadequate? Or were you on public roads in an RS4/RS6/R8 pushing the limits? In which case I would you fall into the category of drivers above.
People who tend to drive like ****ts will drive like a ****t regardless what car they're in.
I should know, as I used to drive like a ****t, but then I got married, had kids and calmed down (not had a speeding ticket for over 9 years).
The folks had an A4 and it was just about the least reliable car they ever owned, it started to go wrong about a month out of the factory when the heat matrix went on the blip, it leaked coolant for all of it's eight year life despite visiting the garage on many occasions. The engine management warning light kept on coming on with no apparent problems as did the brake warning light, once again several trips to the garage didn't sort the problem out. Toward the end of ownership it started leaking oil as well as coolant, the brakes also started screetching terribly, again sent back to the garage who couldn't sort it out. As by this stage warning lights were coming on all the time, fluids leaking all the time, hideous brake noise all the time we got fed up and got rid. On an unrelated note my brothers VW polo of 2002 vintage blew the head gasket after about 30,000 miles of carefull driving leaving the engine un financially viable to repaire so VAG group cars arn't at the top of my list for reliability which is a shame as thats why we bought them in the first place! However, Just got a VRS (third time lucky) for a lot less than the equivalently specced VW, or Audi and hence it has a better engine spec etc and if you can get over the skoda bit it's really good.
Iain
I'm driving through France tomorrow night in my parents' RS6
Sure it doesn't handle like sports car, but it still isn't exactly a blancmange....
Doesn't really matter with 444bhp and bucketloads of torque on N and A roads anyway
FWIW, I wouldn't buy a lower priced audi over most of their rivals, especially the 2.0 TDi models, bleuurgh!
Leggy blonde - take plenty of money for the envitable fines and amount of petrol you will use.
I'll contact your dad about having the speed limiter put on!
I'll stick to my humble diesel estate
It's already limited
We're sharing the driving with 2 hour stints, and he's bringing his credit card!
HAve you bought something new then Tony? I have a love/hate relationship with my Laguna estate
Captain - what Porsche Turbo? Could be a 944, 911, Cayenne or a few others. Porkers are most definitely not crap - a 997 Turbo S is my dream "slightly realistic" car in fact.
I've not had an Audi but I've tested many assuming I'd want one - to date, none so far. Plus driven mates/relatives and hired a few.
I like a huge number of cars from Micras (underrated) and Fiestas to Porsches and Range Rovers. I just don't "get" the last 15 years of Audi models.
Leggy - enjoy! Lovely sounding engine.
Hmm, I have driven a newer model Micra and thought it was rubbish...
Iain gilliam - sounds like you were going to a rubbish garage if they kept not being able to fix stuff.
yep leggy blonde - pm me
I used to have an Audi, it just felt like someone at the airline was going to tell you you couldn't use it cos you needed special Audi air, which you could only get at the dealers, for £200, In 3 weeks time.
I do like the "look" of Audis, even the pimped up lower power models.
However, the few that I have test driven - and I admit, not current A3 and A4 models, were disappointedly uninvolving. For my first company car I chose a Fiat Bravo over and A3 (!!) and later a 3 series over an A4. 156SW was better than all 4 of those though
TBH I'd err on the side of styling vs power anyway - too few occasions when the bhp can be called in to play. Id rather have an engaging fun car upto 70-80, rather than a technical and power tour de force that only shines at 130+
The German cars that I have owned (3 series, C class, mk5 Gti) have all been brilliantly capable - but that capability has been their undoing.... not enough fun on normal speeds / roads.
On the other hand, the French and Italian cars I've owned have not measured up to the Germans in terms of build quality, but have all been hugely entertaining.
Buy a car thats comfortable to you.
Crashy horrible ride is not a function of stiff suspension, my 993 is the most comfortable car I've ever been in and its a sports car. My S3 is slightly crashy on rough roads but the r32 i had for 2 days was worse, more noise, painful to drive, Golf R was the same. And our roads are sh1te.
So i bought the blue one because my wife liked the colour and quite frankly i'm not jackie stewart so i'll leave my hardcore driving for the porsche and the track thanks.
Its much easier here because ALL drivers are sh1te, honestly.
NZ - I really enjoyed driving in NZ, especially on the South Island. Had a 2.0 Honda Accord but wish we'd had something pokier!
If you like the styling, can afford one and get on well with it on a test drive then go for it. Not sure I'd buy an Audi though, mostly because I to keep noticing the majority of **** on the road seem to be driving them and that's turned me off the brand (although I drive a BMW so perhaps they just drive like **** around me :p ). Not really a whole lot of options around £30k for a premium brand smallish car if you rule out BMW, Audi and Mercs. You can certainly get a lot higher spec. Mondeo for £30k but I'd need to test drive one first and then decide if I could buy into the brand/image (yeah I'm shallow).
Surf - oh yes , i might have got the ferry during the summer on a friday at 8pm with the 993, driven through Nelson, round Lewis Pass and back to ferry and home ! Clear moonlit night, warm, roof of the targa back and the paaaaarp as i hammered through Lewis pass at 3am avoiding all animals and driving well within my ability (
). Best most spontaneous bit of fun i've had in ages. Got home, wife came back the next day and was gutted she missed out !
Paarpp? People like the sound of those things? I mean the cars are nice and all, but I can't stand the noise they make.
Col - I saw both a 911 Turbo and a Ferrari 550 several times on our tour - I assume they were doing a similar trip but in much more style?! Very nice.
Areas around Haas Pass, lots near Queenstown and surrounds were utterly sublime driving roads.
I'd love to go back there in the Bimmer and give the roads a damn good torquing to... (oh dear)...
My R32 Golf "paarped" on the overrun - wicked noise!
Pah.. noise.. Gimme an electric sports car any day
electric sports car
Das ist ein Oxymoron
Snapped this at Le Mans this year...looks amazing:
Das ist ein Oxymoron
Lol, definitely not.
Have you heard of the Wrightspeed X1?
0-60 in 3 seconds
0-100 in 6.8 seconds
0-100-0 in 11.2 seconds
The video on this page shows it not just beating a Ferrari and a Porsche, but absolutely weeing all over them from a very great height.
It's basically a fullsize version of an RC car but with performance scaled up to match
That's basically an electric Ariel Atom and will have a range (like a Tesla) of about 16 feet, then it'll need overnight charging.
Hardly useful; the "practical" and useable electric sports cars is a long way off. Not hard to make an electric car go fast - they have massive instant torque. But to make it go fast for any useful distance is still nowhere near being developed.
Mat, I didn't say that a practical electric sports car was a viable option. But the point about sports cars is that they need not be practical, no? You only have to look at it to see that it's not meant to be.
The clue is in the name - sport. And I can imagine having an enormous amount of fun in that thing
my dad has a 4.2tdi A8 - awesome car, quick powerful ace on long drives -
also bit of handfull round corners - fun is a scary 2tonne kind of way
but is not the sort of car that make you think 'bolly knickers fire up the quattro' (yes i know the car in the tele is not a quattro just a coupe)
neither is my sis's A3 tdi
but still a bit dull, like all modern audi's
it's audis rather than BMWs that are driven by the sort of people who sit 5mm off your bumper at 80 when you're overtaking. The bloody stupid led lights rather single them out as bellendmobiles too I'm sad to say. Not that I suppose you should be put off a nice car by the people who tend to drive them, but I am.
YUUUP and yuuup.
tossermobiles.
Middleclasstrackworld members who drive audis with "look at me" lights on them, could you help me on a few genuine wonderings i have please?
1: Can you turn them off, or are they "automatic"/always on (as automatic as on volvos, RTFM)
2: do you find people in little french cars, or anyone else for that matter, flashes you a lot to tell you youve left your lights on.
The 'lookatme' lights are there so people see you - effective, are they not?
mmmm, very good at hiding cyclists, creating glare in dappled woodland, and if it hadnt been noticed by anyone else, they do actually flash very fast, which some people find HIGHLY irritating.
Audi drivers irritating you is your problem, not theirs.
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