Drove a neighbours A4 Avant 1.9TDi 130 with sports suspension, nice hard
ride, stuck to road like NORMALglue, bl**dy brilliant

I'll explore having an Audi next then

Tested a 1.8T Cabriolet quattro for 4 days, nice hard ride, stuck to
road like SUPERglue, bl**dy brilliant, U -Turned quicker than a
politician, circumnavigated roundabouts on rails, went wherever you
might care to point it.

Tested a 3.0TDi quattro saloon that had "sports suspension" - but not
the S-Line that I am considering, although it had every S-Line extra
except those subtle (nigh invisible?) body bits (even 17" std S-Line
wheels). Soft armchair ride, stuck to the road like..... any old but
comfortable car you care to mention - NOT sporty

Dealership say S-Line is a much firmer ride (I hope so) than std sports
suspension, but all this implies that the suspension is the determining
factor for grip and not quattro.... which I find difficult to believe is
the case.

Would the 3.0Tdi Q be too heavy in the nose to upset the balance?
Does anybody have data / opinions on sports suspension differences?
Anybody mildly disappointed by the roll / grip on their quattro?
Is servotronic steering to blame?
Is Tiptronic to blame? This model had it but I'm up for a manual

Appreciate your thoughts

 

Well, in the US we got the 'standard' suspension and a 'sports'
suspension. I've only driven the latter. The standard suspension was
apparently the same as the sports suspension for the previous
generation A4. We received an 'Ultrasport' version that I understand is
comparable to the S-Line that everyone else gets, but the suspension
was the same, but with 18" wheels and tires (along with cosmetic bits).
I am not sure of the suspensions available foor the 'new' 2005.5
models, but you probably get more choices than we do....

I haven't driven a 3.0 but have heard that it is a little less
responsive handling-wise than the 1.8T due to the additional weight.
Generally, people in the States say to get the 1.8T if you plan to mod
it, as it can be made to put out a lot of power. Get the 3.0 if you
value smoothness, a more luxurious car than the 1.8T, which would be
more sporty. Again, with your choice of drivetrains, it's not as cut
and dried for you....

I bought the 1.8T 6-speed with the sports suspension because I wanted
the higher gas mileage of the 4. I haven't regretted it, although I do
plan to chip it once I get closer to the end of the warranty.

Dan D
Central New Jersey USA

 

Well, in the US we got the 'standard' suspension and a 'sports'
suspension. I've only driven the latter. The standard suspension was
apparently the same as the sports suspension for the previous
generation A4. We received an 'Ultrasport' version that I understand is
comparable to the S-Line that everyone else gets, but the suspension
was the same, but with 18" wheels and tires (along with cosmetic bits).
I am not sure of the suspensions available foor the 'new' 2005.5
models, but you probably get more choices than we do....

I haven't driven a 3.0 but have heard that it is a little less
responsive handling-wise than the 1.8T due to the additional weight.
Generally, people in the States say to get the 1.8T if you plan to mod
it, as it can be made to put out a lot of power. Get the 3.0 if you
value smoothness, a more luxurious car than the 1.8T, which would be
more sporty. Again, with your choice of drivetrains, it's not as cut
and dried for you....

I bought the 1.8T 6-speed with the sports suspension because I wanted
the higher gas mileage of the 4. I haven't regretted it, although I do
plan to chip it once I get closer to the end of the warranty.

Dan D
Central New Jersey USA

 

Well, in the US we got the 'standard' suspension and a 'sports'
suspension. I've only driven the latter. The standard suspension was
apparently the same as the sports suspension for the previous
generation A4. We received an 'Ultrasport' version that I understand is
comparable to the S-Line that everyone else gets, but the suspension
was the same, but with 18" wheels and tires (along with cosmetic bits).
I am not sure of the suspensions available foor the 'new' 2005.5
models, but you probably get more choices than we do....

I haven't driven a 3.0 but have heard that it is a little less
responsive handling-wise than the 1.8T due to the additional weight.
Generally, people in the States say to get the 1.8T if you plan to mod
it, as it can be made to put out a lot of power. Get the 3.0 if you
value smoothness, a more luxurious car than the 1.8T, which would be
more sporty. Again, with your choice of drivetrains, it's not as cut
and dried for you....

I bought the 1.8T 6-speed with the sports suspension because I wanted
the higher gas mileage of the 4. I haven't regretted it, although I do
plan to chip it once I get closer to the end of the warranty.

Dan D
Central New Jersey USA

 

charles blassberg wrote:
> Drove a neighbours A4 Avant 1.9TDi 130 with sports suspension, nice hard
> ride, stuck to road like NORMALglue, bl**dy brilliant
---8<---
> Anybody mildly disappointed by the roll / grip on their quattro?
> Is servotronic steering to blame?
> Is Tiptronic to blame? This model had it but I'm up for a manual
>
> Appreciate your thoughts

I've tested quattro but gladly settled for FWD. I noticed that the
quattro gave a bit more when drilling it into corners, but it was pretty
extreme driving, lots of roll, that was required for me to see the
difference. All this with the traction control turned off, of course.

On snow and ice, the quattro gives better acceleration, but of course
braking is not any better, contrary to some dreamers' beliefs

Here in Sweden only a small proportion of Audi drivers choose quattro,
which is not what you would expect, given the weather for 4-5 months of
the year. But Scandinavians are generally excellent snow and ice
drivers, so the extra 2 wheels driving is not a high priority, at least
in relation to the fact that quattro is said to worsen fuel consumption
by 5-10%, all other factors (e.g. driving style, tyre choice etc) being
equal.

Note that fuel prices here have gone to about EUR 1,25 per litre (GBP
0,86, SEK 11,20) which is just over 6 dollars for a USA gallon. So we're
just not as fanatical about quattro as the USA are, where I have yet to
hear of a non-quattro Audi being delivered.

Can't comment on the sequential box or variable rate steering, but they
sound interesting.

/Robert

 

charles blassberg wrote:
> Drove a neighbours A4 Avant 1.9TDi 130 with sports suspension, nice hard
> ride, stuck to road like NORMALglue, bl**dy brilliant
---8<---
> Anybody mildly disappointed by the roll / grip on their quattro?
> Is servotronic steering to blame?
> Is Tiptronic to blame? This model had it but I'm up for a manual
>
> Appreciate your thoughts

I've tested quattro but gladly settled for FWD. I noticed that the
quattro gave a bit more when drilling it into corners, but it was pretty
extreme driving, lots of roll, that was required for me to see the
difference. All this with the traction control turned off, of course.

On snow and ice, the quattro gives better acceleration, but of course
braking is not any better, contrary to some dreamers' beliefs

Here in Sweden only a small proportion of Audi drivers choose quattro,
which is not what you would expect, given the weather for 4-5 months of
the year. But Scandinavians are generally excellent snow and ice
drivers, so the extra 2 wheels driving is not a high priority, at least
in relation to the fact that quattro is said to worsen fuel consumption
by 5-10%, all other factors (e.g. driving style, tyre choice etc) being
equal.

Note that fuel prices here have gone to about EUR 1,25 per litre (GBP
0,86, SEK 11,20) which is just over 6 dollars for a USA gallon. So we're
just not as fanatical about quattro as the USA are, where I have yet to
hear of a non-quattro Audi being delivered.

Can't comment on the sequential box or variable rate steering, but they
sound interesting.

/Robert

 

charles blassberg wrote:
> Drove a neighbours A4 Avant 1.9TDi 130 with sports suspension, nice hard
> ride, stuck to road like NORMALglue, bl**dy brilliant
---8<---
> Anybody mildly disappointed by the roll / grip on their quattro?
> Is servotronic steering to blame?
> Is Tiptronic to blame? This model had it but I'm up for a manual
>
> Appreciate your thoughts

I've tested quattro but gladly settled for FWD. I noticed that the
quattro gave a bit more when drilling it into corners, but it was pretty
extreme driving, lots of roll, that was required for me to see the
difference. All this with the traction control turned off, of course.

On snow and ice, the quattro gives better acceleration, but of course
braking is not any better, contrary to some dreamers' beliefs

Here in Sweden only a small proportion of Audi drivers choose quattro,
which is not what you would expect, given the weather for 4-5 months of
the year. But Scandinavians are generally excellent snow and ice
drivers, so the extra 2 wheels driving is not a high priority, at least
in relation to the fact that quattro is said to worsen fuel consumption
by 5-10%, all other factors (e.g. driving style, tyre choice etc) being
equal.

Note that fuel prices here have gone to about EUR 1,25 per litre (GBP
0,86, SEK 11,20) which is just over 6 dollars for a USA gallon. So we're
just not as fanatical about quattro as the USA are, where I have yet to
hear of a non-quattro Audi being delivered.

Can't comment on the sequential box or variable rate steering, but they
sound interesting.

/Robert

 

Robert, that's interesting, I certainly would have thought that quattro
woould be more popular than FWD in Sweden.... But I suspect that part
of it is that snow removal is very well done there.... I know here in
New Jersey, snow removal is terrible in general, so quattro certainly
comes in handy. Most people in the lower snow belt don't get winter
tires, either, so good all-season tires with quattro has been very
effective for me. And a lot of fun as well! But you're right about
braking, the laws of physics still reign regardless of how many wheels
can drive the car forward.

Dan D
'04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6
Central NJ USA

 

Robert, that's interesting, I certainly would have thought that quattro
woould be more popular than FWD in Sweden.... But I suspect that part
of it is that snow removal is very well done there.... I know here in
New Jersey, snow removal is terrible in general, so quattro certainly
comes in handy. Most people in the lower snow belt don't get winter
tires, either, so good all-season tires with quattro has been very
effective for me. And a lot of fun as well! But you're right about
braking, the laws of physics still reign regardless of how many wheels
can drive the car forward.

Dan D
'04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6
Central NJ USA

 

Robert, that's interesting, I certainly would have thought that quattro
woould be more popular than FWD in Sweden.... But I suspect that part
of it is that snow removal is very well done there.... I know here in
New Jersey, snow removal is terrible in general, so quattro certainly
comes in handy. Most people in the lower snow belt don't get winter
tires, either, so good all-season tires with quattro has been very
effective for me. And a lot of fun as well! But you're right about
braking, the laws of physics still reign regardless of how many wheels
can drive the car forward.

Dan D
'04 A4 1.8Tq MT-6
Central NJ USA