Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Future Audi Platform Models
I'm starting this because I'm very exctited about the future of Audi. For years they have been chided for being unbalanced, under steering pigs. With this new platform, I think Audi is poised to make a serious run at the segment leader BMW.
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Rumors are that it can be set up for understeer, or oversteer. It's unclear if this will happen electronically, via MMI or some other device, or if it will be a sold order option only.
Hopefully we can discuss the need for Audi to increase horsepower in the 6 cylinder range, with light turbo charging as well, ala BMW, or the older, but excellent 2.7T motor.
This has been the case for years.
These two German Rivals are (and have been) close in performance and the nod for value has often gone to Audi.
My buddy, and I remember this as if it were yesterday, leased a new 2001 5 series (6 cylinder, RWD, no sat nav, no sport suspension, tiny tires and wheels, etc.) Unknown to him, I leased a new 2001 A6 4.2L quattro sport with a built in phone, ESP, sat nav and sport everything.
My MSRP was within $200 of his.
I had an AWD V8 sport suspension equipped German LPS car that was far more car.
An A6 2.7T was less money than the Bimmer and still was able to outgun the 5 Bimmer.
Thus it has almost always been. More performance (year round) better warranty and service agreements, lower lease payments and tail lights shown to the BMW due to far more torque from the Audis (at lower dollars and for equal dollars.)
Audis reputation for unintended acceleration, its financial woes at the time and a better BMW dealer body by far far far has certainly taken its toll.
The product as of the C6 took a major upgrade in feature, function and reliability. I would argue the QUALITY and fit and finish and DESIGN often favored the Audi line.
Reading HISTORY, the BMW reliability was not heads and tails better than the Audis over the years. But the dealer body, er, kinda sucked.
Now, who knows, the Audi quality meter is certainly at a relative zenith but we need at least a few more years of the kind of reliability these C6's seem to represent to cement this with the US buying market.
When you get to drive these cars EXTENSIVELY back to back, you realize there is much to recommend the Audi. But, none of this should suggest I believe the BMW is clearly superior or that the Audi is likewise.
These are similar cars, very similar. The fact that they approach what they do somewhat differently is a given. The fact that they often outsell each other is, at the very least, suggestive.
I would gladly have a BMW 530xi or an Audi A6 3.2, price being the reason for the final decision.
To me, Audi has figured out AWD slightly better than BMW -- but the differences are very very subtle, no matter how you splain it.
The Audi has a better AWD system. The BMW is better balanced. The BMW can be had with a stick shift. What amazes me is how few people who buy BMWS actually buy the stick shift -- Audi figures it is simply not worth marketing in NA, I would assume. Every stick Audi I have had was a special order. Of course the BMW dealer also has zero sticks for sale, too.
Then you go to the Japanese, they are sneaking up on the feel of the Germans, if not quite the look. Audi interiors are so good, one would expect the Japanese would simply copy them as they have, historically, copied so many other things.
Now, however, the Japanese are starting to move away from innovation to invention -- and this is good for the market.
The Americans, who knows what they are doing -- however, American brands have improved so much that I would be happy to have several of them in my garage.
Without driving one, I must applaud Saturn, for one, for producing convincing contemporary cars. There is no reason for Saturn to hang its head when they can, today, produce such vehicles as the Aura and the Outlook (the SUV?, yes?)
Anyway, Audi has a lot of stuff in the pipeline that looks exciting and quite possibly class leading (at least for 15 minutes) -- and I for one continue to believe Audi is more like the cars it is often compared to than it is different.
The S6 beating the M5 in two magazine comparos is certainly a reason to consider Audi as a serious competitor.
Drive it like you live.
I don't know if you've noticed but according to Inside Line, Audi has something set for debut in Detroit, on Sunday at around noon [tomorrow] I wonder if this is the first official NA showing of the R8? Or, could it be the A5, surprising us all?
Fifth Gear has a comparo of the RS4 vs M3csl. The Audi wins the track event, and the acceleration event, but loses the drifting competition. [not quite sure who didn't guess that one]
Anyway, the debate rages on, two wheel VS four wheel
More After I get back from walking my Dogs
What is the horsepower and torque rating on the 4.2 V8 diesel Audi uses ?????
-Rocky
326hp & 560 lb/ft, although it does not state at which rpm's these values were measured.
They do quote a 21 mpg fuel consumption during mixed hwy & city driving.
Also in the Q7 it went from 0-62 mph in 6.4 seconds with a top speed of 147 mph.
The new segment A7, which is covering the space between A6 and A8 is till now been good in impressing all the luxury seekers in its long distinctive look as well as its soothing features. Its rivals like BMW GT and Mercedes Benz CLS seem to be on different tracks and offer a varying platform.
At the end, I guess A7 is gonna have a great future in long luxuries segment, no doubt.