DASHOCKER

iTrader: (2)

It is a blanket statement.. How dare you!

The screwed up door actuators on my Lexus GS400 must be German.

LexFather

That is 100% subjective. Looking at reviews over time and driving all these brands, I cannot and will not say "ALL" is better then "THEM". That is ridiculous. A base E350 is NOT sportier than a GS or M, nor is a base A6. For decades and even today Audi has been hit by reviewers for a lack of steering feel, the same thing they say about Lexus and Mercedes.

So now the RL doesn't match them? Have you driven it? The car has gotten good reviews for its ride/handling mix. That is not one of its negatives.

Infiniti handles/steers better than Audi in most cases where they compete head on.

I am not denying why people buy a Lexus, clearly comfort is high in many cases. But did you read what he said? Basically they handle bad and when they handle good, they ride bad. That is far from the truth. Also other brands were forgotten here as in Caddy, Infiniti, etc.

Also, I didn't say in the cases of "sport" packages many times they are better. However again, Infiniti's seem to meet/beat them outside of BMW so again, you cannot say All Germans are sportier/better feeling than all Japanese. That is far from the truth.

It is a mix of both.

Sadly we don't get blessed with their anemic diesels, and base vehicles. The Germans have done a good job selling their better equipped models and advertising AMG/M at will to make people think every single vehicle they sell is some super saloon.

Thanks again for another stellar post.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Guy get this thread on the topic of the cars and off the people posting in the thread please. As a reminder this thread is about the Audi S4

STIG

I agree.

M3 build quality was sub par compare to my IS350. Just doesn't feel like a luxury car.

Anyway, Thanks MM for a great review. Always love the S4 or RS4.

mmarshall

Lexus suspensions are not as soft as they used to be.....in fact, on some models (the ES in particular), I think they have been stiffened too much over their predecesors.

I agree with you, BTW, that upscale German cars in general, and particularly BMW, do the best job in chassis enginering and in balancing steering response, ride, and handling.



Most Infinitis are set up on the firm side, emphasizing handling over ride comfort. That seems to be the trend with most vehicles nowadays.

The G Man

I agree, the ES' suspension is stiffer than the last generation, but it does not handle that much better. Not a good trade off in my opinion, for the ES's suspension to be that much stiffer, the handling should have improve more than it did. Thats is the difference I was talking about when I was generalizing the difference between Japanese and European suspensions. It the combination of comfort and handling. Like you said, Infinitis handle great, but at the price of a uncomfortable ride. And 1sicklex was right about the RL, it has the best combination of ride comfort and handling in any Japanese sedan, too bad it is selling so poorly.

mmarshall

If the new RS-4 becomes available in the American market, I might (?) try and get a test-drive to compare it...but they will probably be very hard to get.

The G Man

I am sure the RS-4 will make its way across the pond. Its just a matter of time, but as you say, in very limited numbers.

ChronoJ1

iTrader: (2)

I thought RS4 has been scratched from the drawing board.

IS-SV

Wow, almost back on topic. And I'm seeing some new S4's around here.

joe80

great review!

maybe it's just me, but i'm really getting tired of audi interior. not a big fan of exterior because well it looks too much like A4.

mmarshall

Thanks.


Why? You don't like nice trim quality? Or is it because most Audis pretty much look alike in the dash/gauge/steering wheel area?

Well, though they do come in some bright colors, Audi generally does not make their high-performance S and RS vehicles look like boy racers, with spoilers, racing stripes, air dams, etc..... That is just not Audi's way of doing things. People who want that kind of stuff will get a Subaru STI or Mitsubishi Evo.

SLegacy99

Definately a car that I aspire to own. I was listening to a customer at work the other day complaining about how Audi sold out by putting the 3.0L unit in this car for fuel economy. Maybe I am of a different generation, but I prefer the V6 to the V8. I look forward to the day when I am done grad school and can afford a new(er) car that doesnt have a clutch that is like putting your foot into jelly.

mmarshall

Although some vehicles could definitely use a little more power (the AWD Cadillac SRX I just reviewed is a good example), with others, it is a different story......no matter what you put under the hood, some people are just never satisfied with them, and always want more. Your customer there sounds lke a good example of simply wanting overkill in a vehicle (the S4) that already has more than enough power from the turbo V6. And, today, the better V6s can keep up with or outperform a lot of V8s. Take the Audi S line here, for example. I drove the V8 last year in the Audi S5 (the one that your customer probably wants), and the turbo V6 I recently experiencd in the new S4 felt just as strong, if not stronger.

The G Man

If you visit any Audi forum, you will read the same post regarding the new V6 and old V8 in Audi or some other brand of cars. V8 owners need a way to justify their old V8 engines, even thought the new V6 has the same performnace, use less gas and its cheaper in price.
I test drove the Audi 3.0L supercharge engine in the A6 a while back, its one heck of an engine. The torque band is much like like the BMW twin turbo in the 335, it starts at a mid teen in rpm and keeps going like a bat out of hell to well over a 100 MPH. The 3.0L supercharged engine in the S4 is a high performance version of that engine, I can only imagine how much fun is will be to drive that on a open road.