I've recently been given a lift in two Audis, one a two-week old basic A4 the other a year old A3. To be honest I was a little worried that they would shade my ageing M car with it's exhaust boom below 3k, it's firmer Bilstein ride and interior squeaks.
Both cars had well-fitted interior trim, but in places it was hard, scratchable, and cheap. The dash was well laid out but was made of significant amounts of this hard black plastic that journalists are supposed to dislike. The A3 rode reasonably well, but the road roar in the back was harsh in nature, and irritating to me. The A4 did not ride well at all considering what I've read and perceived about it's cornering prowess. Neither car felt remotely inspiring. They did feel safe and solid, but part of that perception came from roof pillars sufficient to support a planet on it's roof and visibility was not helpful. Neither can match the ride of my wife's 8 year old Mondeo - a car I genuinely enjoy giving some stick.
On another note, ergonomics in many modern cars have deteriorated with fiddly controls, and in a Porsche Panamera or Audi with it's multi-button MMI you almost have to study the centre console to find the switch you want. It's no wonder lane warning systems and other driver aids are now de rigeur.
My E34 may be soundproofed with lead, and far from quiet but the noises you do hear are less unpleasant than more these more "efficiently" constructed cars, and it's ride compares with a boggo Audi A4 (if not the Mondeo). But I know that I would quickly grow tired of either of these Audi's.
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Last edited by Baddie; 17th October 2009 at 22:13.
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Audi TT's are lethal. Just about as lethal as Volvo T5/6 , R etc. Those are widowmakers, not Enzo's.
About the other Audis, my friend Oboema and I went to a drift day at Papenburg to accompany and guide some friends who recently took up drifting. Being busy with work, we were happy to simply get into the 2008 A3 from one of the guys, not worry about the racecars (we usually bring 2) and just be along for the ride.
Man. The rear seat of that car. Its like a 90 degree angle. Everything about that car is bad.
Cars made after 2002 are generally very poorly made. That's ok, but when they have Audi's price tag, its theft.
to hell with new audis. to hell with new bmw's as well. all new cars for that matter. None that I've sampled can hold a candle to the feel and drive of the early 90s germans. They all had it back then, none do now. I love my M. It's got power (enough for the street), noise, and looks, not to mention that all important driver interaction that's sorely missing in the newer cars. I also love my S. '91 M5 for sunny days and '93 s4 with a...different...turbo for rain and snow. They provide the best sedan counterpoint I can imagine, and both have been purchaced, refreshed, and tweaked for much less than the cost of a new 3 series or A4. Why would anyone buy a new car again???
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to hell with new audis. to hell with new bmw's as well. all new cars for that matter. None that I've sampled can hold a candle to the feel and drive of the early 90s germans. They all had it back then, none do now. I love my M. It's got power (enough for the street), noise, and looks, not to mention that all important driver interaction that's sorely missing in the newer cars.... Why would anyone buy a new car again???
The thing I find about new cars, aside from assembly and design issues, is that they trivialise speed. This isn't just due to increasing capabilities, IMHO it's down to control weights predicted by computer rather than engineers. In our cars the steering, pedals and gearshift aren't heavy as such, but are imbued with some mass, a sense of inertia that makes you respect and appreciate the forces you are about to bring into play when you stretch your right foot deep into the footwell or arc your wrists into a corner. And this gives you a sense of understanding of the physics at work, and that Newton still applies 400 years on no matter how many gigabytes are deployed.
in my experience of new cars the control weights attempt to disguise the mass of the car. This is a technical achievement, but not necessarily a desirable one if you want to really drive. Floppy non-linear electronic accelerator pedals give the impression of a "sporty" responsive drive, but deny the driver the feel to modulate the torque over a crest to control pitch, for example, when you really want to drive. The heft of the M5's throttle, opening 6 butterflies, is another source of feedback, in perfect proportion with the weight of thrust in your back, that tells you what you are asking the rear tyres to do. Steering that makes 1600kg feel like 1200 makes the car feel nice and pointy at 7/10ths, but it doesn't remind you that in extremis the car's still gonna take a lot of stopping. I think the same can be said of over-servoed brakes...
Ok modern cars are more capable, more efficient, stronger in a crash, and circumstances may yet dictate I buy a diesel estate someday. But the E34 can still get up on her toes and take her driver through a fine tango of nuance and grace, and still make him feel like a champ.
(Ok, back to work now son )
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Modern cars may indeed appear to be more capable particularly at 7 or 8/10 ths but as you approach the edges of adhesion analogue becomes more reliable than digital and in most instances faster. I've always appreciated the balance in my beast which allowed me to make a mistake a higher speeds and correct it without overcorrecting it thus surviving to play another day.
ralph (vadas1)
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I sent an email a while back to a couple of clients (amongst other, some board members) where I asked them what they would think if I would build a limited run of mint E30's with an M60B40 engine,LSD, uprated chassis, brakes etc and every wear&tear part replaced and if possible upgraded, but still remaining a daily driveable car. Many of them said they would buy the car at the drop of a head or even wanted to front money if I could deliver within 12 months.
However, an E30 will never be as sophisticated as an E90. But, V8 power or an alloy 330i engine in an E30, and you'll see how wonderful that chassis actually is.
One of the things I hate the most about my E60 is the throttle response.
There is no feel in the pedal when you call upon it to deliver the goods.....the option of modulation is non existent. They need to imbue the electronic nonsense with some sort of tension so at least we'll be fooled into believing that there's a mechanical link to the engine !
On the limit the car is nowhere near the M5...maybe its the run-flats... maybe I need to compare my E34 to the E60 M5...I don't really know. It has a wonderful chassis no doubt but as Ralph stated its too digital....give me my analogue M5 any day.
And BMW is at the better end of the spectrum.....Audi's, Toyota's, Honda's and their ilk are a monumental mess ! Anyone remember the Honda Accord from 1979 ? 100 times better than the current one build wise. True, the new cars are safer, faster, and more economical but with almost every manufacturer producing cars with power figures in excess of 400bhp speed is no longer a USP....heck all those Buicks and Chryslers that bob and bounce all over the road are now cranking out over 400bhp...What does that tell you ?
BMW got it so right with the E34 M5....I can't now imagine not having one..what else is there out there ?
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