man..car looks very nice..I think one of best looking cab ever.
One I drove was billient black/butter scotch interior...priced at 47k...
Power is good, CVT is very smooth..but not fast as 3.0 sedan(of course..) and too easy to wheel spin..(Sudden gas about 1/3 depth will give you good wheel spin on dry road...yeah 3.0 has very good low end)
I would say..this car is more like crusing car than sport coupe.
kr964
10-07-2002, 06:30 AM
I drove A4 cab last week just after I had test drive of BMW 330ic. Audi ride was just so plain and boring... It may look better then any other car but it could have sharper handling and stiffer suspension. The 220 hp engine seems to be quite powerful but what it really needs is 5 or 6-speed manual gearbox...
Audi are you listening ?
AnimaTTor
10-07-2002, 08:52 AM
After 5 days in my new cab, I find it surprisingly dynamic for its weight. It's as least as sporty as my much lighter (and chipped) 2000 1.8T. Only annoyance is the floaty ride cause of lack of sport suspension (too impatient to wait for next shipment). I'm gonna get sport springs ASAP.
Evan (Vogon)
10-07-2002, 08:53 AM
too bad though, i really like it.
docjan_uk
10-07-2002, 12:45 PM
markbradford
10-07-2002, 01:41 PM
markbradford
10-07-2002, 01:42 PM
If you're talking about a non-sport equipped cab no offense, but you are nuts to call is sporty or dynamic. I drove my mom's, and had opportunity to give it a reaming. The thing lists like a sailboat - I mean honestly it feels EXACTLY like driving her old RX300, and I suppose that's why she likes it. Dynamic? The thing couldn't make a weight transition in a crisp manner to save it's life!
It's a nice car still, but let's not even come close to calling it "sporty". Come on.
docjan_uk
10-07-2002, 01:49 PM
fast in reality and on paper :p
AnimaTTor
10-08-2002, 12:30 AM
After 500 miles of break in, I switched over to 'manual' mode and gave it everything up the twisty Sunset blvd. Gear shifting is very responsive and extremely smooth in 'manual' mode. The car exibited no flexing due to its very high rigidity; all the while hugging the road and responding quickly to power shifts. It's steering is also very predictable and responsive. It is a surprisingly sporty car given its unfortunate curb weight. The floating is irrelevant in my assesment of its sportiness, since I will install a new suspension this week.
markbradford
10-08-2002, 05:46 AM
docjan_uk
10-08-2002, 06:52 AM
CVT is detuned as people felt it was too weird, SMG is the system used in formula one and it is the best out there... within the rules, CVT technology was banned back in 93 as it consistantly pulled laps a second faster ;)
CVT may feel boring, but its one of those annoying things which can be really good, if boring :p
AnimaTTor
10-08-2002, 07:30 AM
I've driven a manual, Tiptronic, and now own a CVT.
- The Tiptronic sucks despite its convenience. It's slow and heavy.
- The manual seemed the way to go (or so I thought until the CVT).
- The CVT is really, really smooth and high-tech. The CVT's Tiptronic style shifting is the smoothest I've experienced. It ain't gonna give you the direct control of the manual, but I nvertheless perfer the CVT. It's only boring when you're in Auto mode....
markbradford
10-08-2002, 08:38 AM
markbradford
10-08-2002, 08:40 AM
and if the computer is deciding what my gear ratios are going to be, it's impossible for me to know how to be at the limit.
max_morell
10-08-2002, 09:21 AM
markbradford
10-08-2002, 09:38 AM
docjan_uk
10-08-2002, 11:52 AM
need to worry about how hard you press teh throttle, after a little getting used to, it becomes quite intuitive, you learn it and the tranny also learnts you... after a couple of weeks, it was much better than the first drive.
docjan_uk
10-08-2002, 12:15 PM
theres always the multitronic function.
markbradford
10-09-2002, 05:47 AM
docjan_uk
10-09-2002, 08:12 AM
know the exact amount of power, you can slip it into tip mode, where you have 6 virtual ratios to keep the engine in one band and totally under your command....
Infact, some people who find the 1.8T has a bit of lag due to turbo spooling up when at speed slip it into tip mode, spool up the turbo and then shift, slipping it back into D once whatever manuever they wanted to do is done.
AnimaTTor
10-09-2002, 04:28 PM
...but Tip mode has faster response to sudden acceleration. It's also more fun. I'm hoping that my Auto response times will quicken as it learns my rather aggressive driving style.
I love both modes and constantly switch between the two.
markbradford
10-10-2002, 07:13 AM
docjan_uk
10-10-2002, 02:50 PM
I think that it could be possible to work out a system to use the CVT to reach a decent time on a track given the right inputs, somewhere in between conventional autos and manaul...
In terms of SMG, it will still shift for you before you blow up the engine, given shift paddles, future incarnations of the multitronic will have 0 lag in any situation...
There must be some reason why they banned this technology in formula one ;)
EdP
10-17-2002, 05:14 AM
For several reasons. One, there is NO torque convertor. It's a true wet plate clutch that is electronicall controlled. Second, it can generate a ratio that is better for sending the meat of the torque curve to the wheels, and shift to that ration faster than any person that can depress a clutch shift then let out the clutch.
The reason the sensation is not the same is due to the characteristic of shifting and getting that "push you back into the seat" from the actual shift, not because of any better performance. Sliding thru an infinite ratio will be smooth vs shifting into wide, distinct gear ratios. It may be deceptive, but don't mistake the smoothness for complacency.
docjan_uk
10-20-2002, 02:07 PM
EGan
10-26-2002, 09:56 PM
ferrari modena f1 gearbox(smg) does this but not the m3's smgII. My friend took me to the track with his m3 smgII and the smg doesn't shift up automatically.