Markus

One is somewhat tempted by an S4 Avant, or possibly even an RS6 Avant. Just curious to know if there are any existing or previous owners on here, and if so, care to share your opinions of the aforementioned cars.

Are they happy just trundling around, as well as being given a bit of a drive on track?

How good are the standard brakes on an S4/RS6? (I seem to recall the RS6 has 8-pots as standard, not sure what the S4 has).

how about size, in comparison to a WRX Wagon (mainly for the S4, I know the 6 is going to be a tad bigger lol)

Brendan Hughes

Use the search, Luke Put RS6 in the titles, search in other marques.

Also here; http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=393064

From all I hear they are better for trundling around rather than driving on track. FFS man, look at the weight - you want to track it?

Fair bit of discussions about new S4 too, but I think the search doesn't like two-character subjects...

Markus

Cheers matey

I'm far to old and lazy to use the search system lol

I know, the 6 is a bit beefy, and I do recall EVO being miffed after a quick track session and finding the brakes a bit faded, hmm, wonder if the beefy states had anything to do with it

Doubt either of the cars would see track action, well, apart from driving me to a track that is

Trem

iTrader: (3)

I am going to tell you a secret, the most single useful thing I have learnt all week!!

If you do a search for something like S4 it will say your search is too short so do this S4* and it will search for everything with those letters in as long as you put the asterix on the end.

GCollier

I own an RS6 avant, and I've also driven a B6 S4 avant for a few days - a loan car whilst my RS6 was being prep'd. The link Brendan posted is a thread I started when I was close to buying my RS6.

Neither are really the sort of car I'd want to throw around a track. Some people do but personally I can't see the point. They're big heavy cars, handling finesse is not their raison d'etre, and you could probably have more fun on a track with something like a 200SX costing less than the price of a set of tyres for either and without the worry of stacking £30-60k of German metal.

That's not to say either are bad cars. In fact the RS6 is without a doubt the best all round car I've ever owned. But it depends what you're looking for. What makes a good car for me - something ludicrously fast which can swallow family and luggage, has all the toys and can blast 500 miles across Europe regardless of weather conditions - may not be the car for you. If you're looking for something to throw around the 'twisties' at 7am on a Sunday morning you should look elsewhere.

Both cars have superb engines. They sound magnificent, particularly in the RS6, better even than my old porsche's flat 6 apart from across the final 2000rpm of the revband. The twin-turbo engine of the RS6 develops massive torque and despite it being a heavy car there's very little on the road which could outdrag one. I'm also a convert of the tiptronic gearbox, and would never buy another manual car unless it was an overtly sporting car (lotus elise etc). The brakes are very strong in my experience - you're right the RS6 does have 8-pot brembos on the front - but they do still seem to attract criticism by people who drive them hard.

The RS6 is quite a bit larger than the S4. Rear leg room is massive, whereas on the S4 adults could get a little cramped in the back. The load area of the RS6 is also much bigger - the S4 is more of a 'lifestyle' estate. The RS6 does feel heavier to drive though, and although it goes some way to disguising its weight you can tell it's there in the tighter turns. The dash on the S4 is a newer design and is a little better but most of the things which are standard equipment on the RS6 (leather, sat-nav, TV, park assist, dimming mirrors, electric heated seats, zoned aircon etc) are options on the S4. Overall cabin quality of both though is pretty much peerless.

The worst point of the car is undoubtedly fuel consumption. Don't bank on anything over 20mpg and that's on a steady run. 15mpg is the norm for around town, and I'm sure it would dip into single figures if you did choose to track one.

It took a few test drives for me to become a convert. Coming from a proper sports car (996 C2) I was initially disappointed with the RS6, and for a pure adrenalin rush it won't match a 20 minute test drive in something like an evo. It's one of those cars which falls into the category 'good to drive, better to own'. The same is probably true of the S4, but my experience with that car is much more limited.

Regards,

Gary.

Markus

Gary,
Thanks! I did read the thread Brendan pointed to.

To be honest, I never tracked the WRX Wagon, and doubt I'd track the S4/RS6 either, probably get a 2.5RS impreza for that.

Fuel consumption worries me a little bit, but not as much as it should, being that I'm in Canada, so even with the locals screaming at the price hikes in fuel, it's still a damn sight cheaper than in the UK.

Obviously I'll TD the cars before actually purchasing one. The RS6 might be a bit extreme for over here, seeing as there are no real decent roads, but at least there aren't any speed cameras, just plod with a radar gun every now and then (Dozy buggers step out into the road to stop you! I saw one guy in a Caddy Escalade nearly take out the copper who was stood in the road! Madness!)

Now for the question that'll have you touching wood...

Have you had any problems, even minor niggly ones, if so, what were they. PM/Email me if you want to keep it offline.

GCollier

Only problem I've had is a defective battery which meant the car failed to start after left standing on my drive for a few days. Audi assist were at my door under 20 minutes from making the call.

The only other niggle is with the remote keyfobs. They are incredibly over-sensitive, and once before I got used to them I managed to activate the remote 'total closure' and leave the car unlocked and with the windows down in the rain. Fortunately a neighbour knocked on the door and let me know before any damage was done.

Gary.

Skittles

Gary, thanks for a great write up. I am changing my 996 C4 for a RS6 (saloon). Have spent some time weighing up between a new 535d sport and a 2 year old RS6 as they are the same price.

While the 535 is much newer & modern the RS6 is much more special.

I also considered the new S4 but it just didn't seem that special...

Blow Dog

Good write up Gary, had no idea you went for the RS6.

Cem

jonc

Don't overlook a BMW M5 as well, a worthy competitor to the RS6 if big powerfull saloons are your thing.

Brendan Hughes

jonc - does the word "Avant" mean anything to you?

Skittles

Jonc, yes I agree it is an as good, if not better, sportscar. However the E39 5er looks very dated compared with the new one. On every other model change BMW go for a big step, and this has been one of those changes.

jonc

http://channel4.com/4car/gallery/spy...5-touring.html

Brendan Hughes

Fantastic! I only knew about the old ones!

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Have you not also considered the RS4?

Skittles

Phew. Placed a deposit on a Mugello Blue RS6 Saloon today! Going to be pretty different to the 996.

Any of you RS6 owners know if seat position presets are included as part of the standard package?

Cheers

GCollier

Congrats on the new purchase...go find some tunnels and drive through with the windows down Although I sometimes get a twinge of longing when I see a 911, the way I look at it is that the RS6 is a very good car I can enjoy with my family 100% of my driving miles, rather than a truly exceptional car that I can enjoy for 10% of them on my own.

If you mean memory seats then that's not part of the standard package - wasn't even aware it was an option either.

Gary.