FAO Edcase
29 May 2006, 11:45 AM
#4
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Deep, here was when Mo asked about it (but I see you posted on this thread already 
)
http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=467149
)http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthread.php?t=467149
29 May 2006, 01:27 PM
#5
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Deep, just back from a 1000 mile trip to scotland and back including wringing the things neck across the A68 from Edinburgh to newcastle across the scottish borders and northumberland national park (Kielder forest etc.) so you've picked a good time to ask!
I will give you full and proper feedback later today once I have unpacked
I will give you full and proper feedback later today once I have unpacked
29 May 2006, 07:25 PM
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OK, where do I start?
Probably best if you let me know exactly what you’re concerns are?
Either way I’m pretty sure I will be able to address them…this car is pretty fantastic!
I have seen several owners comment on how they actually like the car more the longer they own it, unlike many cars which impress immediately but you gradually bore of. I sit firmly in that camp. Assuming you can afford 35 – 40k (which I know you can
) I struggle to think of any other car which ticks as many boxes as this one does.
Having spent some quality time with the car this week, and having also given it a workout previously across some of my favourite roads in Dartmoor I’m now in a good place to comment in more detail on its ability.
Firstly, yes, the handling is flawed.
However, in reality most people will never reach the part of the envelope in which the car runs out of ideas, and those that do will either adapt very quickly and learn to drive around those issues or end up in the scenery.
99.9% of the time you will frankly be amazed that this monster of a car is able to rack up that much lateral G, change direction so quickly and practically never even make the tyres squeal! The self-levelling suspension is amazingly effective, making body roll almost totally non-existent. It is also amazingly supple and compliant in normal fast road use, giving a very fluid feeling to the ride and giving huge confidence in the dry thanks to the proven Quattro system.
The area where the car starts to become compromised is very bumpy, cresting and dipping b-roads. It is at this point, particularly in dips, that the weight gets the better of the suspension. I believe one of the Evo road tests also mentions this characteristic. However after experiencing this once or twice recently you simply learn to read the road ahead and either be prepared, or scrub off a small amount of speed to bring it back to a level that will not cause problems.
Much of this problem in the first place is simply caused because you can carry frankly ridiculous speed across almost any type of road. The engine provides comical thrust from very low down the rev range and the combination of the gearing (delimited it will touch 200mph) and the incredible build quality means that you reach 3 figures on a whim, yet it always feels like you are doing 30-40mph less than you really are.
In the wet, the Quattro system makes light work of maintaining traction out of bends even through the really twisty stuff, however you need to keep momentum in check and remember how much weight you are carrying!
My car has the optional 19 inch wheels and this does cause some problems with the ride. Road noise on anything but silky smooth tarmac is verging on unacceptable and you feel every bump and expansion joint. However, for the moment at least I’m sticking with them because on a car of this size with huge flared arches I think the 18 in. wheels look too small. However my advice to others is probably to go for the 18 in. option.
So far I haven’t found any of the issues some road testers have reported regarding the steering weighting and feel, although perhaps that might be because of the larger wheels? In fact I'd actually say this is one of the areas I've been really impressed with.
Not much really needs to be said about the build quality or interior, other than to say that they are the single most comfortable seats I have ever sat in, car or otherwise. Even after seven hours of non-stop driving yesterday from Scotland I was still completely comfortable pulling in to my garage and could frankly have sat there for another hour to watch the GP rerun on the in-car telly
However, when you are really pushing on they could maybe do with some extra shoulder support, although my feeling is this would only really become an issue if you were tracking the car regularly, which lets face it nobody in their right mind is going to buy this as a regular track tool.
Average MPG so far is about 19-20 using optimax. Suggest you register for Shell points immediately upon taking ownership. MPG seems to get much worse if you use 95 ron fuel and performance takes a dramatic and noticeable hit, much more so than the scooby. Must be the twin turbo's.
I also spent the entire trip yesterday using the tiptronic paddles for the first time, which add significantly to the experience when you are ‘making progress’, particularly on A and B roads. As well as allowing you to hold the revs in any gear, it also helps greatly with being able to use engine braking to back up the brakes. Additionally the paddles are always live even when you are in D, meaning you can also use engine braking around town. Having said that, the change down to 2nd gear is jerky if you are aiming to make best use of engine braking. Fine for you but your passenger may complain
Brakes are seen as another weak spot of the car, but only if you are driving very hard for long periods of time. I have always been very easy on my brakes in every car, preferring to use engine braking and (when visibility allows) using all of the road to maximise my ability to carry speed, but so far I have been very impressed with them. (I have the cross drilled examples which also seems to help slightly with cooling, which is where the weak spot is with the current items, as well as the fact that the callipers each hold 4 small pads instead of 2 large ones. However tehy do increase pad wear).
Finally, I should also comment on people’s reaction to the car. This is possibly where I have been most taken aback. Absolutely everybody seems to be in awe of the car, and always in a completely positive way. I can barely get out of a petrol station without somebody coming up to ask or comment about the car. I get thumbs up from white van man, ‘respek’ from Chavs, knowing smiles from M3 owners…and strangely despite probably overtaking over 100 people this weekend (completely safely and responsibly I hasten to add), I didn’t get a single person angrily flashing me or giving 'the bird' or the old 'nescafe' out the window like they usually do.
Oh, should also add you can upgrade to 505bhp for not much more than the cost of PPP, but thereafter things get ridiculously expensive.
If you want to take a closer look at the car, I would be happy to meet up somewhere around Greenwich however I am ridiculously busy at the moment so not sure exactly when
Any specific questions, fire away.
Probably best if you let me know exactly what you’re concerns are?
Either way I’m pretty sure I will be able to address them…this car is pretty fantastic!
I have seen several owners comment on how they actually like the car more the longer they own it, unlike many cars which impress immediately but you gradually bore of. I sit firmly in that camp. Assuming you can afford 35 – 40k (which I know you can
) I struggle to think of any other car which ticks as many boxes as this one does. Having spent some quality time with the car this week, and having also given it a workout previously across some of my favourite roads in Dartmoor I’m now in a good place to comment in more detail on its ability.
Firstly, yes, the handling is flawed.
However, in reality most people will never reach the part of the envelope in which the car runs out of ideas, and those that do will either adapt very quickly and learn to drive around those issues or end up in the scenery.
99.9% of the time you will frankly be amazed that this monster of a car is able to rack up that much lateral G, change direction so quickly and practically never even make the tyres squeal! The self-levelling suspension is amazingly effective, making body roll almost totally non-existent. It is also amazingly supple and compliant in normal fast road use, giving a very fluid feeling to the ride and giving huge confidence in the dry thanks to the proven Quattro system.
The area where the car starts to become compromised is very bumpy, cresting and dipping b-roads. It is at this point, particularly in dips, that the weight gets the better of the suspension. I believe one of the Evo road tests also mentions this characteristic. However after experiencing this once or twice recently you simply learn to read the road ahead and either be prepared, or scrub off a small amount of speed to bring it back to a level that will not cause problems.
Much of this problem in the first place is simply caused because you can carry frankly ridiculous speed across almost any type of road. The engine provides comical thrust from very low down the rev range and the combination of the gearing (delimited it will touch 200mph) and the incredible build quality means that you reach 3 figures on a whim, yet it always feels like you are doing 30-40mph less than you really are.
In the wet, the Quattro system makes light work of maintaining traction out of bends even through the really twisty stuff, however you need to keep momentum in check and remember how much weight you are carrying!
My car has the optional 19 inch wheels and this does cause some problems with the ride. Road noise on anything but silky smooth tarmac is verging on unacceptable and you feel every bump and expansion joint. However, for the moment at least I’m sticking with them because on a car of this size with huge flared arches I think the 18 in. wheels look too small. However my advice to others is probably to go for the 18 in. option.
So far I haven’t found any of the issues some road testers have reported regarding the steering weighting and feel, although perhaps that might be because of the larger wheels? In fact I'd actually say this is one of the areas I've been really impressed with.
Not much really needs to be said about the build quality or interior, other than to say that they are the single most comfortable seats I have ever sat in, car or otherwise. Even after seven hours of non-stop driving yesterday from Scotland I was still completely comfortable pulling in to my garage and could frankly have sat there for another hour to watch the GP rerun on the in-car telly
However, when you are really pushing on they could maybe do with some extra shoulder support, although my feeling is this would only really become an issue if you were tracking the car regularly, which lets face it nobody in their right mind is going to buy this as a regular track tool.
Average MPG so far is about 19-20 using optimax. Suggest you register for Shell points immediately upon taking ownership. MPG seems to get much worse if you use 95 ron fuel and performance takes a dramatic and noticeable hit, much more so than the scooby. Must be the twin turbo's.
I also spent the entire trip yesterday using the tiptronic paddles for the first time, which add significantly to the experience when you are ‘making progress’, particularly on A and B roads. As well as allowing you to hold the revs in any gear, it also helps greatly with being able to use engine braking to back up the brakes. Additionally the paddles are always live even when you are in D, meaning you can also use engine braking around town. Having said that, the change down to 2nd gear is jerky if you are aiming to make best use of engine braking. Fine for you but your passenger may complain
Brakes are seen as another weak spot of the car, but only if you are driving very hard for long periods of time. I have always been very easy on my brakes in every car, preferring to use engine braking and (when visibility allows) using all of the road to maximise my ability to carry speed, but so far I have been very impressed with them. (I have the cross drilled examples which also seems to help slightly with cooling, which is where the weak spot is with the current items, as well as the fact that the callipers each hold 4 small pads instead of 2 large ones. However tehy do increase pad wear).
Finally, I should also comment on people’s reaction to the car. This is possibly where I have been most taken aback. Absolutely everybody seems to be in awe of the car, and always in a completely positive way. I can barely get out of a petrol station without somebody coming up to ask or comment about the car. I get thumbs up from white van man, ‘respek’ from Chavs, knowing smiles from M3 owners…and strangely despite probably overtaking over 100 people this weekend (completely safely and responsibly I hasten to add), I didn’t get a single person angrily flashing me or giving 'the bird' or the old 'nescafe' out the window like they usually do.
Oh, should also add you can upgrade to 505bhp for not much more than the cost of PPP, but thereafter things get ridiculously expensive.
If you want to take a closer look at the car, I would be happy to meet up somewhere around Greenwich however I am ridiculously busy at the moment so not sure exactly when
Any specific questions, fire away.
Last edited by Edcase; 31 May 2006 at 11:21 PM.
Hoping to have my stage 2+ soon.
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29 May 2006, 08:06 PM
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Hi Ed,
Thanks for the very detailed report. As you probably know I've got a RS4 arriving in a few weeks but am probably not going to take delivery. Reasons are that £55k is probably too much for me to spend on a car and as a new car deprec will always be bad. I don't want to lose over £10k in 6-12 months.
My C32 is going to be 5 years old by the end of this year and I'ii have had it for 3 years so fancy a change.
£35K ish sounds like a more sensible amount of money to spend and its done most of the deprec. I need 4 good seats and a decent boot. This doesn't leave many options. There is the E55 AMG, but my C32 lacks grip/traction in the wet and that pisses me off.
What I really want to know is whether you can have some fun in the RS6. I don't mean 'balancing it on the throttle' nonsense because I don't drive like that, but not just drag ability either. Can you take roundabouts at good speed? Or would a good hot hatch catch you out in such circumstances?
Can you take tight bends at good speed?
I agree about the image,the Avant even more so than the saloon. It sort of says I'm fast but not flash/a mercant banker.
Thanks
Deep
Thanks for the very detailed report. As you probably know I've got a RS4 arriving in a few weeks but am probably not going to take delivery. Reasons are that £55k is probably too much for me to spend on a car and as a new car deprec will always be bad. I don't want to lose over £10k in 6-12 months.
My C32 is going to be 5 years old by the end of this year and I'ii have had it for 3 years so fancy a change.
£35K ish sounds like a more sensible amount of money to spend and its done most of the deprec. I need 4 good seats and a decent boot. This doesn't leave many options. There is the E55 AMG, but my C32 lacks grip/traction in the wet and that pisses me off.
What I really want to know is whether you can have some fun in the RS6. I don't mean 'balancing it on the throttle' nonsense because I don't drive like that, but not just drag ability either. Can you take roundabouts at good speed? Or would a good hot hatch catch you out in such circumstances?
Can you take tight bends at good speed?
I agree about the image,the Avant even more so than the saloon. It sort of says I'm fast but not flash/a mercant banker.
Thanks
Deep
29 May 2006, 11:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Deep Singh
Hi Ed,
Thanks for the very detailed report. As you probably know I've got a RS4 arriving in a few weeks but am probably not going to take delivery. Reasons are that £55k is probably too much for me to spend on a car and as a new car deprec will always be bad. I don't want to lose over £10k in 6-12 months.
My C32 is going to be 5 years old by the end of this year and I'ii have had it for 3 years so fancy a change.
£35K ish sounds like a more sensible amount of money to spend and its done most of the deprec. I need 4 good seats and a decent boot. This doesn't leave many options. There is the E55 AMG, but my C32 lacks grip/traction in the wet and that pisses me off.
What I really want to know is whether you can have some fun in the RS6. I don't mean 'balancing it on the throttle' nonsense because I don't drive like that, but not just drag ability either. Can you take roundabouts at good speed? Or would a good hot hatch catch you out in such circumstances?
Can you take tight bends at good speed?
I agree about the image,the Avant even more so than the saloon. It sort of says I'm fast but not flash/a mercant banker.
Thanks
Deep
Thanks for the very detailed report. As you probably know I've got a RS4 arriving in a few weeks but am probably not going to take delivery. Reasons are that £55k is probably too much for me to spend on a car and as a new car deprec will always be bad. I don't want to lose over £10k in 6-12 months.
My C32 is going to be 5 years old by the end of this year and I'ii have had it for 3 years so fancy a change.
£35K ish sounds like a more sensible amount of money to spend and its done most of the deprec. I need 4 good seats and a decent boot. This doesn't leave many options. There is the E55 AMG, but my C32 lacks grip/traction in the wet and that pisses me off.
What I really want to know is whether you can have some fun in the RS6. I don't mean 'balancing it on the throttle' nonsense because I don't drive like that, but not just drag ability either. Can you take roundabouts at good speed? Or would a good hot hatch catch you out in such circumstances?
Can you take tight bends at good speed?
I agree about the image,the Avant even more so than the saloon. It sort of says I'm fast but not flash/a mercant banker.
Thanks
Deep
As for fun. The simple answer is a resounding yes. It handles basically like a heavy, super-fast WRX (not sti, as you don't get the tug from the front diff).
The dock roads up past city airport are a good example...smooth, with a few fast roundabouts with nice cambers. I swear I can take those roundabouts at there or thereabouts the same speed as I ever could the Scooby, and yet coming out and then along the straights I would leave it for dead. It's an incredibly capable car.
Happy to give you a run up the dock roads at some point. I know you aren't the happiest passenger, but I can take it easy enough to keep the heart rate down and fast enough to show what it can do.
29 May 2006, 11:11 PM
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BTW Audi docklands seems to get these in regularly, probably the canary wharf boys....however, they go as fast as they come in, again probably because of the canary wharf boys. Stick your name down with them to get notified each time one comes in used.
30 May 2006, 05:43 PM
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Thanks Ed, and a very kind offer, but there is no way I'm passengering in a car with you again (LOL)
I'll arrange a test drive in the next few weeks and post back how I got on.
Enjoy the car.
ps Did you buy from a maindealer?
I'll arrange a test drive in the next few weeks and post back how I got on.
Enjoy the car.
ps Did you buy from a maindealer?
30 May 2006, 05:55 PM
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Hey, that wasn't me that was Paul N P!! My driving is nothing like that, even I was nervous!
Yeah I personally wouldn't buy an RS6 except from a dealer, with a 1 year full warranty, and with new tyres and brakes and check the cambelt as there seems to be lots of confusion over when it needs doing!
Yeah I personally wouldn't buy an RS6 except from a dealer, with a 1 year full warranty, and with new tyres and brakes and check the cambelt as there seems to be lots of confusion over when it needs doing!
30 May 2006, 05:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Floyd
Good report Ed but I need a some detail on mildly undulating roads through wooded sections please
F
F
30 May 2006, 11:48 PM
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31 May 2006, 12:11 AM
#20
Have to agree the Audi RS6 is a amazing car my neigbour had one and when it come time to replace it he struggled to find a car good enough to replace.
He usually changed cars every 6 months but the RS6 was that good he kept it for 2 years, in the end he found a car good enough to replace with, which cost him twice the price of a new RS6.
He replaced the RS6 with a Aston Martin DB9, So this is the sort of car you will be looking at changing to next Edcase!
He usually changed cars every 6 months but the RS6 was that good he kept it for 2 years, in the end he found a car good enough to replace with, which cost him twice the price of a new RS6.
He replaced the RS6 with a Aston Martin DB9, So this is the sort of car you will be looking at changing to next Edcase!
31 May 2006, 12:18 AM
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31 May 2006, 12:20 AM
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Argh, looking at those pics I want it so bad it actually hurts!
In fact I just did a little sex wee in my pants!
In fact I just did a little sex wee in my pants!
31 May 2006, 02:04 PM
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Edcase - great report. Nothing beats 'real life' evidence - when it is YOUR car & YOUR money.
Everything I hear convinces me I need an RS6 Avant. Just need £40k now to get one in my garage
Everything I hear convinces me I need an RS6 Avant. Just need £40k now to get one in my garage
31 May 2006, 08:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Edcase
I'm still waiting for my apology from Deep thinking it was me driving before.... 
I've just got to make sure I've got a customer for the RS4 first and then I'm off to have a test drive!
31 May 2006, 09:37 PM
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Deep, make sure you get a nice long test drive. I came away somewhat ambivalent after my first drive, though I was comparing it to my 996C2 at the time which was a bit of a hard act to follow in pure drivers car terms. It took a second longer test drive before the RS6 "clicked" with me. But if ever there was a car which is "good to drive, but better to own", it's this one.
Gary.
Gary.
31 May 2006, 11:15 PM
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Originally Posted by GCollier
But if ever there was a car which is "good to drive, but better to own", it's this one.
01 June 2006, 12:51 PM
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I know exactly what you mean. I'm not expecting a car thats going to instantly bowl me over with with its driver appeal, but one that is spacious, well built, has all the toys and has the potential for me to have a little fun sometimes