This week's AutoWeek Poll Postion survey question is:

"It's a good time to be in the market for a sedan--there are plenty of new entries to put on your shopping list. Which of these new sedans will have the biggest impact?"

Go to http://autoweek.com and vote for the A4. It's at the bottom of the web page.<ul><li><a href="http://autoweek.com">http://autoweek.com</a</li></ul>

I can see the exterior making an impact. I can also see the interior making an impact. But I cannot see the engine making an impact(no way in hell). 2 out of 3 aint bad. So as a whole the A4 isn't as complete as it could have been.

hopefully they will with the new V6 for the upcoming S4

no one compares an A4 to a high volume low price Chevy POS. The interesting results will be between the Merc and the Audi though it's still a vague poll question. Really, lower volume (in US) Euro sedans can't have much of an impact. The correct answer to this poll is the Accord, simply based on the million + units they'll sell and its perceived advantages over the current Camry.

The Malibu should have a far greater potential "impact" on it's market than any other car in that poll.

That takes nothing away from any other car. (whether it's in that poll or not)

<center><img src="http://www.chevrolet.com/i/pic/malibu/2008/photogallery/popup_ext_gallery01.jpg"></center><p>

So highly unexpected. And by unexpected I mean typical.

at the GM Tech Center, and it's a potential game changer for GM and the segment. The Audi and the MB I see as minor players in the segment.

Another car I saw last week is the new Pontiac G8. Photos do not do that car justice. It really looks good in person.

that its always about the engine?

Why didn't you say "Mercedes really needs to up the interior ante"?

Or "the malibu really needs to up the AWD ante"?

Oh well.

If it were to come here in the B8 A4 :-)

decent intterior (not better than Audis but I can definitely deal with it, much better than the last gen), better Nav system imo, mp3 player with hard drive, sd slots and ipod hook up, among other things.

It seems like a really good engine to me because it has power and lower fuel consumption, being faster than the 3.2L V6 even.

It would be especially good for city driving where its usually slow going, so you have the low fuel consumption, but when you can, you have some decent power there. I think the 3.0L TDI is better than what the competition offeres in terms of power, I remember seeing it being better than the Mercedes C class diesel, havn't looked at the BMW one.

Hopefully the S4 gets that really cool looking bi turbo engine. That would be great. Probably good to have a change from the big V8 as well. If you want that you can just go up to the S5. I would think, and hope that the S4 will come down in price because of this engine, what does everyone else think? If its priced similarly to the S5 what would be better? Bi turbo V6 or V8???

I think though at the moment, the 3.0L TDI seems like the best pick in terms of engines. Unfortunately its not available for all of you in the US yet though. I wouldn't mind test driving it against the 3.2L V6 when the B8 comes out. It would be very interesting to see if there is or isn't a noticeable difference. I think there would be because of the large amount of torque in the TDI but it needs to be tried out before anyone can say for sure.

Its better to make up your own mind about things, I know someone who just goes by surveys to rate cars and he's stupid. He says things like "oh this one scored better etc etc." Then I ask him if hes been in the car or anything - answer, always no.

So I think why live through other peoples opinions.

I try to only comment from first hand experience when I talk about cars, or as best I can from reliable sources.

The truth here is that none of us on this forum can say anything about the performance of this car yet cause none of us have driven it (to my knowledge). Some have been lucky and able to sit in it like me, so you can get an idea of the interior and design, ergonomics, materials etc. But thats pretty much it.

Its really not fair to judge a book by its cover which is pretty much what we are all doing here having mainly only seen pictures and specification sheets.

Look at the R8 for example, on paper it doesn't look like anything special but in real life its a masterpiece. I havn't seen one negative review about it and it seems to be beating all of its rivals. Who knows what to expect from the B8 A4, maybe not as much as the R8, but it might have some surprises in stall. Especially when that torque vectoring and other systems are released next year or whenever.

Criticism of one's own team is not necessarily a bad thing. People do it all the time in the sports world.

You're not likely to hear a Yankees fan say, "You know, those Red Sox really need to improve their....blah blah blah."

Instead, they'll often say something like, "I believe this year the Yankees need to do a) b) and c). If they do that they'll have a great year."

Not so much in the front, but from the A-Pillar back.

Chevy Malibu:
<img src="http://www.chevrolet.com/i/pic/malibu/2008/photogallery/popup_ext_gallery01.jpg">

Acura TL:
<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/140995356_4bcbb50232.jpg">

B8 A4:
<img src="http://www.audi.de/etc/medialib/cms4imp/audi2/product/a4/a4_saloon/b8.Par.0029.Image.jpg">

and chinsy on the inside. That matters to me. I don't care HOW good the car looks on the outside.

Is he trolling?<ul><li><a href="http://forums.audiworld.com/a4b8/msgs/2605.phtml">Another poster's opinion</a></li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="http://forums.audiworld.com/a4b8/msgs/2593.phtml">I guess it just me that isn't allowed to have an opinion here</a></li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="http://forums.audiworld.com/a4b8/msgs/2591.phtml">I'm not alone.</a></li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="http://forums.audiworld.com/a4b8/msgs/2613.phtml">Another poster's opinion</a></li></ul>

But I don't agree with your R8 analogy. The R8 isn't the weakest car in its class, nor is it one of the most expensive. The R8 offers value over its competition. The A4 doesn't stack up against its competitors in quite that manner.

Why no additional details about how superior BMW is to everything? You're getting off your game man!

sell more because people drive them for "the emblem". I don't care HOW much Spoonie tries to stick up for them...they are a niche automobile. I'll bet 75% sold here in NorCal are because of the emblem on the front and back. BMW IS a status symbol car...hands down. The new 3 series is nice...but I wouldn't buy one because I want AWD...AUDI'S AWD. Plus I prefer the interior of Audi. Looks wise I prefer the Audi also because I don't like the headlights on the BMW. As for the Malibu or Pontiac. I will NEVER buy an American car again. Every one I've owned is junk. Toyota, VW, Audi, and possibly Acura for me.

Nobody is going to cross-shop an Accord/Malibu with an A4/C Class.

They are in completely different markets.

The qestion is really what car will have the biggest impact in it's respective market.

So while you (and many here) would never consider buying any domestic brand or even an Accord, there are many many folks, in the real world, who would.

The whole point of the marketing of the new Malibu is that it might just, finally, be the offering from a domestic auto maker that could truly compete in the mid-sized $20k-$30 market.

Much as Hyundai has emerged as a real player in that market, GM could too if the Mailbu is good enough to overcome the lasting (and well deserved) perception that domestic cars in that market are all crap.

And yes... We've heard these claims from GM/Ford/Chrysler before.....

They've, mostly, proven false. Time will tell with the Malibu.

because I plan to get one of them. Unfortunately, the "biggest impact" on the market or their maker is certainly the Malibu. They finally look decent and are supposed to be a decent car to drive. GM has really been on the game the last 2 years. Press and public opinion is starting to catch up. Now they don't make what I want (AWD sport wagon), but are miles ahead of where they have been recently. They have been benchmarking Audi interiors and are not there yet, but still doing a very nice job.

"Why no additional details about how superior BMW is to everything? You're getting off your game man!"


- BMW isn't "superior" in everything. I never said the BMW was superior in everything. BMW has big-time flaws. I guess that's not what you wanted to hear me say. OK I'll bash BMW. BMW's have boring interiors, OK exteriors, a horrible I-drive system, Crappy run-flat tires.

Stop trying to make me into something I'm not. And that would be a BMW fanboy. Please.

But since you asked, BMW is superior to Audi in several areas:

1) Performance

2) Fuel Economy (which is even more a triumph because the engines are more powerful)

3) VALUE

4) RESALE VALUE

5) Better lease rates.

6) free maintenence.

it would be cool for you to admit it

Extremely tractable/flexible, one of the most usable powerbands out there (passing is a snap), and some people have reported getting over 50mpg. I do think it's currently the best engine Audi has to offer.

I've said a million times already that BMWs have cheap interiors. I'm no BMW fan boy. Nice try.

even with the cheap interiors BMW holds its value longer than Audi. I guess that has something to do with Audi and their weak engines.

Not!

Why do Audi's have better resale values etc than BMW and Mercedes in England then. Because of the "weak" engines? Even though your not comparing the equivelent engines.

Im not sure if you (spoonie) think that by making complaints here somehow Audi will listen and increase their engine output. Thats what it seems to me. Or you can't think of anything else to talk about regarding the cars which is a shame because these kind of cars have so many features to them, besides the engine.

The more I read the posts here, the more I see how some folks here are out of touch with reality. Over 50mpg for the Audi A4 (3.2 liter V6)? If you beleive that then you seriously need a dose of reality.

Where I live, we get exactly the same models, configuration wise/engine etc as they do in Europe.

Maybe thats why I'm not seeing eye to eye with some people, the US models may be different. I also don't know how to convert Hp to Kw. Where I live we use Kw however in the US Hp is used.

Prices also vary greatly e.g an A4 3.2L costs around $87,000 whereas a 335i costs $110,000 (where I am). Thats my main reason for not considering them competitors, but again prices may be different in the US and elsewhere.