PICTURE A LARGE Rottweiler, all teeth and steely bunches of muscle. Then look up at the owner straining at the leash. Ten to one says he’s sporting a sturdy heft to the shoulders and similar set to the jaw. So it is with cars. Not that a prancing horse confers any more appeal to a medallioned chest, a bad attitude and a toupee, more that a car allows you to buy a certain personality. You become it behind the wheel. And owners start to live out the things the brand stands for.
We tend to generalise about it, often with good reason. Mercedes drivers hog the fast lane no matter how slowly they’re wafting; BMW owners are taught in the academy of taxi drivers to cut you off, force gaps and raise the finger at your response. Discovery drivers tend to be doing their nails and chatting to their tennis coaches on cell while browsing the leafy suburbs, but that’s another story.
My concern is with Audi drivers. You would think ‘middle of the road, eye for quality’. But picture an A3 and what pops up behind the wheel in imagination is a pouting blonde daddy’s girl with a ponytail or a gelled junior prat who’s managing the family investment account. But it’s the A4 sedan drivers that worry me most. What happened to sensible? They all seem to have become brash, pushy managers on the make; guys driving between lanes while they lizard their way through deals by Blackberry; or overtaking on solid lines as they attempt to own the road in training for a place higher up the corporate pecking order.
So then the Ed asks me to act as temporary custodian of the new 176kW/500Nm 3.0-litre TDI quattro Tiptronic that’s just landed in the Topcar fleet. ‘Yessireee,’ I say, thinking of that superbly crafted interior and impressive torque figure. Followed soundlessly by, ‘Oh no, what will I become. What will my tree-hugging friends think. A lifetime of penance in the Gulag for carbon offenders ahead, etc’
Needless to say I never mentioned any of the latter reservations to the Ed. Thoughts of those low profile tyres clawing at the tarmac as the six-speed auto slipped seamlessly through the gears cast doubts aside. A session with the B&O sound system on full music alert and the sunroof set to toast soon had me in a different grip. What logically followed was the imperious passing of lesser mortals in Toyotas and Nissans and Fiats, because suddenly I can. In fact there’s no choice. Sadly, it has all become a reality. A few hours behind that solid wheel and I have become my own worst enemy: a complete tosser in an Audi. Oh well, someone’s got to do it.
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It's a beaut.
I was sold on the S4, even convinced the wife. Lucky for me the salesman spoke me into the 3.0TDI. I do both long distance driving( live in Durbs, work in Jo-burg) and in town/ traffic driving. It is sublime at both. Every now and then the boy racer comes out, and the A4 allows you to feel 18 again, it is hugely powerful and handles like a treat. When you need to act responsible it is comfortable and easy to live with, even on the 18" wheels. Fuel consumption is good considering the Quattro system and size of the engine.
I love it....even if it makes me a @¥#%*
haha
I am in the process of becoming one of the tossers getting the A4 3.0 TDi. It is a huge decision as I also don't like the stereotypical drivers of Audi's
3.0TDI
I have a 2006 A4 3.0TDI which was an upgrade on my previous 1.8T. Before that I drive the 2.0 version. When I took delivery of the 1.8T, I was astounded at how much performance the the turbo added as compared to the 2.0. The jump from the 1.8T to the 3.0TDI was even more incredible because of the masses of torque (almost 500Nm!). To be honest I didn't really notice the difference that Quattro makes, but perhaps because I am not prone to driving all that hard. One thing I can tell you is that going up passes and rises is an absolute breeze. And when you put the pedal to the metal you really feel the power - irrespective of the road incline. My wife has the A3 2.0TDi sportback and its diesel consumption is MUCH better - both urban and on the open road. I managed to average 10km/l while her car seems to carry on forever on a tank. The 3.0 TDI is a nice quiet ride with considerably less interior noise than the 2.0TDI. Great car all in all. Nice and comfortable - quality interior - reliable - good service and really solid build. It was time to trade and I ordered a Q5 2.0TDI which I am really looking forward to getting. Will definitely miss the power though.
3.0TDI
I have a 2006 A4 3.0TDI which was an upgrade on my previous 1.8T. Before that I drive the 2.0 version. When I took delivery of the 1.8T, I was astounded at how much performance the the turbo added as compared to the 2.0. The jump from the 1.8T to the 3.0TDI was even more incredible because of the masses of torque (almost 500Nm!). To be honest I didn't really notice the difference that Quattro makes, but perhaps because I am not prone to driving all that hard. One thing I can tell you is that going up passes and rises is an absolute breeze. And when you put the pedal to the metal you really feel the power - irrespective of the road incline. My wife has the A3 2.0TDi sportback and its diesel consumption is MUCH better - both urban and on the open road. I managed to average 10km/l while her car seems to carry on forever on a tank. The 3.0 TDI is a nice quiet ride with considerably less interior noise than the 2.0TDI. Great car all in all. Nice and comfortable - quality interior - reliable - good service and really solid build. It was time to trade and I ordered a Q5 2.0TDI which I am really looking forward to getting. Will definitely miss the power though.
Powerfull car
This A4 3.0 TDI drove pass me @ Schoemanskloof road near Machadodorp...I was driving around 170km/h with VW Golf 5 2.0 FSI on the middle of the hill....i felt like i was driving 80 or so....the only Different i sported was the twin Exhaust.... If u know the road this tells u how powerfull the car is, if it manages to pass u like that driving @ that speed.......................Foturnately for him he was caught by the speed camera about 10 ks from the toll gate....thats how i noticed it was a 3.0TDI
CRAP
I was looking for the 'next' button...
tosser in an audi
well i have to agree. my father drives the previous generation audi a4 3.0 tdi quattro. these drivers have no sensibility you see a gap you over take no question it will make it. and the gap between the car in front is maybe a meter at best. I love this car i drive it often and i can actually agree with his driving style you have to drive it at its speed not the traffic speed. My only worry is the handling, the handling is amazing but if you push it to fare it bites and hard. ive been lucky every time ive over cooked it there has been space to put it back in line. This handling issue is caused by one thing only WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION. my mother drives the previous generation aswell non quattro that car handles amazingly. this is the way of a vw/audi family.
Long term test
This is a long term test, the idea of which is to give you an idea of what the car is like to live with, it's not a straight road test so much but over the term that we have the car it gives a good idea of the ups and downs of living with it. If you really want a pure road test on the A4 3-litre diesel then catch the July magazine where we compare it to the Citroen C5 diesel in a mini Le Mans race
All you told us is that you
All you told us is that you don't like A4 owners and nothing about the car.@@@Angus is 100% correct
@@@Angus
Thanx for the article. I still don't know jack sh%t about this car. Just an article about crap and nothing on the car. Please drive the car again and give us more detail. Please. You are waisting time and surely ED's money....
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