cabrioA4
09-26-2002, 04:27 AM
Well, I finally got a chance to test drive for an hour the cab 3.0. These are my impressions and I would like everyone to comment.
Exterior: (A-) Clearly a neat, unpretentious look with no extra dodads that do not belong. My only problem was that looking at the car at all angles, I could not get 'excited' about any of the styling cues. It follows the lines of the sedan and rest of the series, but I feel it needed something more. Of interest, drove the car for any hour through Connecticut, and did not attract ONE stare. (Car was silver with black interior) This look does not have the panache of the 330cic or Mercedes CLK 320. Maybe that beutiful red Amulet would help, but do you need to get a red car to get excited??
Interior: (A+) The sport seats are fantastic. These are the best seats I have been in. The steering wheel has a long amount of travel to telescope and move up and down. No problem with leg room (Yeah!) The dash has neet vents ala TT. I would have likes the additional 2 guages for oil temp and volts ala A6.
Radio: (A) Bose sounded great and CD 6 in dash was wonderful. All with the top down.
Brakes: (A) They were a bit mushy but great short stops and easy to modulate.
Suspension: (A+) This is where Audi put the bucks. They softened the ride and stiffened the structure to the tenth degree. I went over severel bumps and hardly felt them. This suspension you could drive anywhere all day and not get tired.
Steering: (A+) Telepathic, no need to say more
Tranny: (A) First experience with the multitronic and it clearly was pleasant . I did not notice the initial lag noted by others. This tranny is the BEST AUTO I have been in. I still miss the manual but my wife prefers automatics for crusing.
Engine (B) Nice 'throaty' sound but where is the beef?? The car accelerated fairly smoothly and aggressively, but there was little or no feel of thrust to put you back in your seat. It reminded me of the time when I compared the last 4 vs 6 cylinder A4 sedan, and knew that I would always be looking for that addded OOMPH. I had to look at the sticker on the key to be sure I had the 6 cylinder not the 4 cylinder. That 47k sticker cleared that right up!!
Bottom line, I agree with UTMD95 and RobertKim99 that at the present time the car is great for the nonenthusiasts, Audi will have no troulble selling these cars (Great Britain sold out the initial run). For the rest of us, the 47k sticker and lack of thrust put this car in question for alot of us. (Even w/o quattro)
For me, I will continue to wait for the right combo from Audi (for awhile) All good things come to those who wait, but you can not wait forever.
I am still looking for the enthusiasts cabrio, with quattro, for 4 seasons use. Audi had a great chance to blow the competition behind, but as usual they left us hanging. Keep you eyes to the future or move over the the Bimmer or Mercedes board. Sorry, no camera for pics.
Exterior: (A-) Clearly a neat, unpretentious look with no extra dodads that do not belong. My only problem was that looking at the car at all angles, I could not get 'excited' about any of the styling cues. It follows the lines of the sedan and rest of the series, but I feel it needed something more. Of interest, drove the car for any hour through Connecticut, and did not attract ONE stare. (Car was silver with black interior) This look does not have the panache of the 330cic or Mercedes CLK 320. Maybe that beutiful red Amulet would help, but do you need to get a red car to get excited??
Interior: (A+) The sport seats are fantastic. These are the best seats I have been in. The steering wheel has a long amount of travel to telescope and move up and down. No problem with leg room (Yeah!) The dash has neet vents ala TT. I would have likes the additional 2 guages for oil temp and volts ala A6.
Radio: (A) Bose sounded great and CD 6 in dash was wonderful. All with the top down.
Brakes: (A) They were a bit mushy but great short stops and easy to modulate.
Suspension: (A+) This is where Audi put the bucks. They softened the ride and stiffened the structure to the tenth degree. I went over severel bumps and hardly felt them. This suspension you could drive anywhere all day and not get tired.
Steering: (A+) Telepathic, no need to say more
Tranny: (A) First experience with the multitronic and it clearly was pleasant . I did not notice the initial lag noted by others. This tranny is the BEST AUTO I have been in. I still miss the manual but my wife prefers automatics for crusing.
Engine (B) Nice 'throaty' sound but where is the beef?? The car accelerated fairly smoothly and aggressively, but there was little or no feel of thrust to put you back in your seat. It reminded me of the time when I compared the last 4 vs 6 cylinder A4 sedan, and knew that I would always be looking for that addded OOMPH. I had to look at the sticker on the key to be sure I had the 6 cylinder not the 4 cylinder. That 47k sticker cleared that right up!!
Bottom line, I agree with UTMD95 and RobertKim99 that at the present time the car is great for the nonenthusiasts, Audi will have no troulble selling these cars (Great Britain sold out the initial run). For the rest of us, the 47k sticker and lack of thrust put this car in question for alot of us. (Even w/o quattro)
For me, I will continue to wait for the right combo from Audi (for awhile) All good things come to those who wait, but you can not wait forever.
I am still looking for the enthusiasts cabrio, with quattro, for 4 seasons use. Audi had a great chance to blow the competition behind, but as usual they left us hanging. Keep you eyes to the future or move over the the Bimmer or Mercedes board. Sorry, no camera for pics.