Hearthly wrote:
GazChap wrote:
My boss had an S4 (B6 shape) and yes, it was quick (4.2 V8) but only in a straight line - I borrowed it for a couple of evenings and driving on the twisty roads to and from Jem's house was horrible, despite the quattro it felt horrifically unsafe and not planted at all compared to the Celica.
She has a 60-plate RS5 now and I'm not hugely impressed with that either.
Having never driven an S4 I can't comment, so it's nice to hear a personal experience
However, I do wonder if there's a difference between a car 'feeling' unsafe and actually
being unsafe.
(The obvious example for me is the Scooby, which had an ability to stick the road that was borderline magical, so every car I've driven since then 'feels' unsafe even though it isn't. I've had the Type-R step out on me a couple of times now (where the Scooby would have stayed on rails) but it's controllable and manageable. With your Celica you're talking about a rally bred 4WD car with legendary handling, so it's understandable that a big Audi is going to feel a lot different, maybe even unsafe, without actually
being unsafe? A mate of mine here had a GT-4 (generation before yours) and it was incredible on the back roads over here.)
That's the other thing with buying an S4 locally rather than bringing one over, the option to take it for a blast over the mountain on a test drive before I commit to buying, because it is possible that I won't like them so much after driving one.
The selection of cars at dealers over here is often shit, I swear to god we get the rubbish that dealers in the UK don't want to have to try and peddle. You really to have to keep your eyes open for the occasional gems that crop up, it's no coincidence that a lot of clued up folks source their cars personally from the UK.
Well, I've never driven an S4 either - but have driven a c.2009 S5 (which, in true Audi style is basically the same car), and it was 'orrible IMO. Fast in a straight line, made all the right noises but stupidly nose-heavy, default-understeery beyond redemption, light/numb steering and, as Gazchap notes, far too much body roll, but massive, foolproof traction and grip, "super safe" handling that'll never surprise (nor delight). Basically, it's an "M25 car", looks good on the motorway with all those Xmas daytime running lights that Audi charge you about £2k extra for, and it's a mile-munching overtaker, great for tailgating, any fool can drive it relatively fast. Fancy interior, too, if you like that sort of thing.
So, I hate this kind of thing, but you seem to like traction, grip and 'safe' handling? Me? I can't stand 4x4 cars like Scoobies; apart from looking chavvy (you need to be 30 or younger to drive one IMO, same as the new Type R Honda thingy for that matter, box-fresh from Max Power/Halfords). I like a rear-driver that keeps you on your toes; the Cayman's arse never stops stepping out even when on full comfort mode, let alone when on Sport or Supersport/dampers (and, heaven forbid, if ESP is off - and it really IS off). I'm pretty shit I'll be the first to admit, but when even I manage to rear wheel throttle-steer round a corner, when I get the opposite lock exactly right, when I can feel everything through the uncorrupted, undriven front wheels/steering... man, it's petrolhead heaven. For this reason, I'd take a rwd 116i MSport BMW over any 4x4, but that's just me. (I regularly drive my mates Stage 9 GTR, he's spent over £30k on the engine alone and it smokes GSX-Rs off the lights, and lights up all four tyres in the dry. As funny as this is for 2 mins, I'm always so glad to get back into my vastly slower, cheaper but so much more rewarding Cayman)
If grip and "safe" handling are your thing, then, and you want a smart, fast car that you look good in, a 4x4 Audi probably isn't a bad choice (but don't expect it to be anywhere near as 'core as your old Scooby, unless it's the aforementioned RS4 2008 model I recommended to you earlier). However, I'd urge you to try a rear-drive driver's car first - a really decent nick E46 gen M3 (conventional manual) would be my pick. All-time engine, fabulous balance, but don't expect "safe" handling at all times because these cars love to misbehave and will bite you, just like all good cars should.
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