I'm currently happily married to my B7 RS4 - I’ve had the car for two and a bit years and in that time have realised that to this day, there are few very better 'all-rounders' out there. On top of this she is nigh on full loaded and considerably stronger in the engine department following some tuning work.

After working through all the alternatives the only car I would consider selling the RS for is the GT-R so went for a drive in one to make up and mind.... and have come away more confused than I was to start with!


It’s been a while since I have sat in one so was good to see the cabin finish is better than I remembered. (One of the best things about the RS4 is the cabin - with buckets and carbon fibre trim you feel special every time you get in the car)

Space wise, I’m 6"2 so there is no chance of anyone ever sitting behind me! Most of the time it would just be me in the car but the wife & 3 year old would also be in tow from time to time – I’d like to hear how any owners with kids cope?

The only thing I do wonder about the GT-R interior is how quickly the silver plastic around the engine start/stop button and doors will mark up - it's pretty poor quality and I think it will age badly....

It was a strange sensation coming from a manual gearbox to the twin clutch set-up and think it would take a few days to adjust and get the best out of the car, but it goes without saying the car is a total weapon!!- Acceleration, traction, & grip are outstanding as are the brakes (mind you have to really stand on them to bite!!) it’s all so damn easy..... almost too easy?

Literally within seconds of pulling off for the first time I was well into triple figures (private road of course) only the salesman had to point it out for me to realise! Very soon afterwards I was going round corners far quicker than I previously thought possible! The car just inspires so much confidence I can’t help thinking you lose some of the sensation other cars give in trying to deliver the same performance?

I have private buyers interested in my RS so need to decide quickly whether I should let her go - my worry is in 6 months once I have got use to the obscene performance from the GT-R, I might find myself wishing I still had my 4???

The RS4 just ticks so many boxes - luxury, class, all the toys, loads of room, massive boot, discrete when needed, V8 soundtrack, pace, 4wd etc etc etc

As appealing and amazing as the GT-R is - would I look back and regret it in the long run?

Any help needed as I’m starting to do my own head in!!!

 

The only thing that puts me off the GTR currently is the running costs, and the rumours or lets say suspect reliability. Some people say that Nissan see the GTR gearbox as a consumable and needs replacing very often? Not my idea of fun tbh.

Couldnt you keep the RS4, and buy a lotus exige with the differnce youd save over not getting a GTR for a toy?

 

I have never driven either so cant comment from experience but my personal view would be I would have the RS4 over the GT-R everytime, I can see the GT-R novelty wearing off and wishing for the RS4 back

 

Have a chat with John Banks

Tony

 

Tbh I was hoping he would contribute to this thread, could do with a chat me thinks!

 

He must be out enjoying his GT-R, does that answer your question

 

I have posted in your thread on the other forum under a prickly pseudonym.

Nearly 600 BHP doesn't feel like a novelty

 

I don't see the point in a car masking its performance unless you need a long distance high speed cruiser, and can use it where you won't lose your license. If you like performance then its nice to feel it, so maybe keep what you have and get a toy for bigger kicks.

 

I have a GT-R, never owned a RS4 but have taken one out for a test drive on two occasions in the past.

The GT-R is a two seater, like yourself i'm 6ft2 and the rear seats might as well be nonexistent. For general day to day use i can’t find any problems with the GTR, in slow moving traffic Auto mode may not be in its most comfortable zone as it seems to hunt through the gears and can be quite annoying. The suspension is hard, and with just over 2000 miles on the clock its showing signs of breaking in, however unless pressing on i still find myself putting it in Comfort mode. In Race mode on a less than smooth road a few fillings can be shaken out! I still find the VDC in Race mode is a little too intrusive than i would like, it pulls the power too quickly and when it does it is like hitting a brick wall! Gearbox in manual mode is sublime, really enjoy flicking through the selection and a nice little blip on down shifts always brings a smile to my face! As you say the car goes from A to B exponentially quick, with huge levels of traction and grip. Bang for buck i don't think there is anything that comes close to it!!

The cabin is a nice environment to be in, plastic is a bit disappointing however there are already aftermarket facias available. The silver in the centre console has marked slightly on my motor, but again a carbon fiber replacement isn't a million pounds to buy so maybe think about that....

Running costs are higher than the EVO and STI i have had previously, but then again the brakes are bigger, the tyres are bigger etc. You pay to play at the end of the day! my only gripe with the GTR isn't the car itself, it's the pre and post sales treatment by the HPC. I was one of the fools who purchased through the pre-order chaos and since then have had a fault on my car for which i have not heard back from HPC despite phoning them and leaving messages everyday last week!

 

Thanks guys,

Alloy, saw you post re the HPC, let me know if you decided to sell

 

Advert went on PH today mate!!

Still not sure i want to sell as i don't think there is anything out there that comes close to it at the moment, but i'm not adverse to cutting my nose off to spite my face! If i get a good offer it's gone, if not and once it's returned to me with a new gearbox and i fire it up it could entice me into keeping it as it's such a joy to own, otherwise back into the Scumbaru fold in the guise of a T25 from Litchfield i think!

 

you have pm

 

You are selling the GTR? If so why? You've waited a long time for it iirc. Has the aftermarket experience put you off that much?

 

There's quite a few on PH, don't know what to read into that? I guess a few may have been bought with the hope of selling on for profit to those who wanted to bypass the waiting list.

 

Deep, the whole pre and post sales treatment by Nissan to those customers buying into their "flag ship" model has been non existant in my experience! The car is sublime in every respect however in my life i treat people as i expect to be treated and after spending £55k on a car i expect some form of service from Nissan, they didnt even have a drop of fuel in the tank on delivery day let alone the massive **** up in pre-order allocation etc

Having said this though since complaining and raising this issue Nissan have shaped up and thrown me a bone. Just got off the phone to them to confirm that all work is covered under warranty, that it is a solenoid problem and whilst they know the problem and how to fix it they want to give me a brand new transmission to avoid any woes down the line (£12k a pop ouch!) and also so they can do R&D on the failed gearbox, apparently second one in Europe, and they are sending me a 350z in the mean time and on the Race Academy 19th Oct. But this was after leaving me in the dark for over a week and not returning my calls from Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat, a hassel i can do without in my life!

If there is a reasonable offer on the car then right now i wouldnt be too sad to see it go, however when it is returned to me if the passion for it is still there then i'd would be foolish to sell out of such an enjoyable motor.......plus the 997 Turbo was very enjoyable......tough decisions

 

I'd keep the RS4 since it does everything so well and since you've thrown cash at it to get it driving how you wanted it must really tick almost every box. Thats a rare thing to have IMO and until that feeling starts to wear off I'd be staying put.

There will always be a few GT-R for sale if/when you decide to jump ship but there will only be one RS4 that you know so well and love so much.


Cheers,
Grant

 

Pippyrips, I'm interested in what work you have carried out on the RS?

Also, are you the guy on RS246.com with the grey one?

Nick

 

I was sent some V-box acceleration times today from a GTR with just a remap. They quarter mile times and terminals match the Santa Pod quarter mile times, so I tend to believe them.

0-60 2.9 seconds
0-100 6.9 seconds
30-50 1.1 seconds
50-70 1.5 seconds

I think the times of a GTR with a remap are closer to a Veyron than they are to an RS4 with or without a remap? The cars really aren't comparable at all.

http://www.car-videos.net/performanc...1=30&Speed2=70

 

Those times

Mates dad works for nissan and has a GTR as a company car. Hes gonna be getting the updated version shortly.

How much more power does a mapped one have. Have seen a standard GTR versus a modded pulsar GTI down excel not long ago and the pulsar just about pipped it. Both rapid as ****

P.S

Apparently this will be the last RS4 for a while. Audi have supposedly canned it for the B8, due to the imminent existence of the RS5 which is rumoured to run about 450hp in NA spec using a reworked 4.2 v8 with a higher rev limit than the last RS4.

 

Nice work if you can get it!

Probably about 570 BHP depending on the dyno.

 

More F1 than Veyron

TX.

 

GTR 30-70 time is closer to F1 than Veyron, but is the GTR 30-70 in 2.6 closer to the Veyron or the RS4?

 

30-70 in 2.6 seconds... thats comically fast, wouldnt mind sampling that for myself. Don't suppose you know if Arnold Clark in Dundee have a demonstrator John??


Cheers,
Grant

 

2.5s on this morning's logs

It is indeed comical. I think the reason it does it as quickly as cars that have a higher power to weight ratio is that in the dry at least it can just about get traction.

You have a PM.

 

John, what mod's do you have on your car? You're not anywhere near London by chance, would love to experience this power in the GT-R would be a deal maker in keeping and modding mine

 

I'm in Scotland. These performance figures are with no mods other than a Cobb Accessport with custom mapping. I'm pleased your gearbox issue was "just" a solenoid as that is eminently fixable without transmission replacement if you had no warranty. I think someone even fixed it just by flushing, but it depends whether the solenoid has burnt out or there was just a blockage I gather.

 

Yeah i'm some what happy that it could be a cost effective fix, however changing the gear box is one way to have your tranny fluid replaced on the house haha

Have you not got a y-pipe on at all? I know witht the evo you cut sections out of the airbox for a marginal improvement over stock, have you looked at the airbox on the GTR? Seems that these aren't really constraints on the motor...would you agree?

 

There are two of them and they look about as good as what you'd get one of on an Evo, so plenty for 600 BHP.

I like silence, although some resonated Y-pipes aren't too bad.

 

Thanks. Its a real shame your ownership experience has been spoiled, hopefully the car itself (once you get it back) will make up for it.

 

You could always supercharge the RS4...

YouTube - Audi MTM RS4 Clubsport