Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1 - Jalopnik Comments

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

detroit9000 — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 12:35:45 EST

Come on!

I have owned AWD cars. That's how I know they suck. Sure, they're great in the snow. They're great in the rain. Except, oops, 30 more feet on the skid.

Look, if AWD was so great, don't you think Ferrari would be like, "doh, we need that".

It's not that great. It's totally in the face of the KISS principle.

If you've got rain, mud, or snow, and need to turn in short lap times, AWD is your solution.

Otherwise, no. Certainly not on public roads.

Like I said, if low lap times was my problem, my solution would be not to start with a friggin' Audi A4!

The car's a $70k sucker trap!

detroit9000

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

st3ph3n — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 04:06:11 EST

I'm 6'4" and I've enjoyed a meal or two in my time also, and I find the WRX seats very nice indeed. On the track or on the motorway. Add in a CG-Lock seat belt thing and you're set of hours of back road hoonage.

Jalopnik should review one of them, as they're great - http://www.cg-lock.com/

st3ph3n

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 03:08:43 EST

That's pretty damn tight

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

TexansAreHot — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 01:52:33 EST

I'm with Davey. 6'1" and have had worse long-distance riding experiences in my Volvo than in the STi. Even though my ass has started to hurt during a couple of central Texas hill country and BBQ joint treks. The Impreza seats hold your ass tighter than a middle-aged woman with a drinking problem.

TexansAreHot

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Davey G. — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:55:47 EST

I have short legs, althought I'm 5'11". And the WRX seats suit me fine. Neither a for-or-against, fjork, just an addendum. How tall are you?

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

fjork_duf — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:33:40 EST

Hahhaa... there is a S4 wagon by the way. And europe is lucky enough for an RS4 wagon.

Jonny: As for the wrx seats I dunno if you're tall or not, but I felt the rex seats never extended far enough down the back of my legs, and the seat just jabbed me in the back. The audi's recaro is to me like when you've had a baseball glove for ten years. I just slide right into it and can sit there for hours if need be.

Anyway... how do I get my hands on an RS4?

fjork_duf

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Davey G. — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 22:07:46 EST

Hatchback, fjork. Hatchback.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 21:00:22 EST

For fifteen minutes, the Audi seats are better.

For fifteen hundred miles, WRX all the way.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

fjork_duf — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:43:50 EST

I think the tail-happiness of an AWD car really has to do with the suspension setup as well. I am far from a suspension expert, but I had a WRX wagon, bolted on a 22mm rear swaybar, then I could get the back to step out almost at will. It became much more fun, and the 4-wheel drifts were great.

I moved away from the wrx wagon because I could never get comfortable in the chair. I have no idea why really. The funny thing is that I think the S4 has much better seats than the wrx.

fjork_duf

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:31:09 EST

Wohho:

I made the RS4 step out of line.

A lot.

Stupider drivers (hi Mom!) are the answer.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

wohho — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:19:53 EST

actually, the fact that it takes major stupidity to get some oversteer is an indication of proper design, not flawed design. It's the wet dream of every chassis engineer - myself included - to build a suspension so good that the car can not be made to misbehave.

This tendency reflects the differences in taste when it comes to German and American performance. The RS4 will go like a bat out of hell and can't be made to step out of line, while the Charger SRT-8 barely stays on the road in a corner, but excels at turning rubber into smoke.

wohho

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Davey G. — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:09:47 EST

Texans. If the car is light, you are entirely correct. If it is not, and it is incorrectly designed (as the RS4 is), all manner of measures must be taken to correct such flaws. And no matter how drastic they are (and they're pretty goddamn drastic in the RS4), in my mind, they're not enough. German Precision can only do so much good for a bad idea. But at least they did bias the power toward the rear on this one. Maybe next time they'll find a reason to at least move the mill to on top of the front axle, or better yet, pull a Nissan and move it evern farther back.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

TexansAreHot — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 20:04:18 EST

The people that are saying that AWD sucks are the people who have A.) never driven an AWD car in any sort of inclement weather, or B.) are semi-retarded.

For traction control and recovery after a driving mistake, there's nothing better. I've owned 4x4s, FWD, RWD, and AWD cars, and just as was said previously, AWD is the best.

And you can get the tail out easily with any AWD car that has some decent amount of power. I've done it many times on my Subaru accidentally. All you have to do is hit the gas in the turn and your back end flies out faster than a stripper's.

TexansAreHot

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:06:07 EST

Drew -- write your local Audi dealer.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

drewheyman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:45:20 EST

do you have any pictures of the gun pockets? i'm tired of my guns rolling around on the floorboards of my car, and need some assistance designing proper holsters.

drewheyman

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Davey G. — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 16:41:18 EST

Loverman, yes you did get the tail out. And the RS4 is simply not the worst car in production today. And I don't care if AWD makes a car point-to-point speedier. What I care about is how much fun it is. And the RS4 is simply not as much fun as an Evo, which is also AWD. That said, looks-wise, it's got it all over the Mitsu. Plus, gun pockets!

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

wohho — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:54:12 EST

Not only is AWD totally rad, tail out hoonage is the slowest way to get anywhere. Take one drift car and one track car with the same powertrain and set them off on the track and the track car will spank the living daylights out of the drifter. The slowest way around a corner is with your tail end hanging out.

Sure, oversteer is fun, but neutral is where it's at, an AWD + neutral steer is where speed and control come together.

wohho

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:44:50 EST

Fussy,

Look -- I like people posting comments on my work as much as the next guy, but calling the RS4 the "worst car in production" makes you look... not smart.

Furthermore, you can get the tail out -- you just have to know how. And I did several times with Johnson on board.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

notoboy — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:36:00 EST

Nice article guys! I'm with Loverman and Emil though, this car rocks and no one watching will know the difference till you leave them in your dust.

notoboy

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

fussychicken — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:24:19 EST

I'm all over the AWD sucks bandwagon.

RS4: Worst. Car. Currently. In. Production.

RS4 - AWD = RS4 RWD = Possibly. Good. Car.

If you can't get the tail out, the car isn't worth driving.

fussychicken

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Ray Wert — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:23:13 EST

Acha, problem solved. But wow, I really don't want to tell my friend I've got to lube up his shaft. Brian -- if you're reading, listen to wohho.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

st3ph3n — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:22:59 EST

Surely H+Ting the downshifts should be clutch friendly as you're not stressing it as much?

That's beside the point though. I'm an H+Ter and will be until DSG is more widespread. In fact do Audi not offer it on this?

I'd love an RS4. I'd give up my first born for it. To me it seems like a logical progression from my Impreza, but it's way out of my price league.

st3ph3n

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

wohho — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:12:55 EST

I think I may have misinterpreted the earlier statement. If the clutch pedal is reluctant in returning home when you take your foot pressure off, then something is wrong. A return spring has given up the ghost or a shaft needs some lube.

wohho

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:18:05 EST

I've never noticed what Wohho is talking about vis-a-vis the clutch.

I think the issue with this car is, there is so much torque available so down low in the rev range, that if you don't disengage the clutch quickly (especially in Sport Mode) the power attacks the drive shafts in a brutal manner while the clutch is still released, causing fits and starts.

But, that is the driver -- not the clutch.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Davey G. — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:16:33 EST

Oh, and Burn Rubber and I are singing a duet here.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

fjork_duf — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:15:01 EST

Also the S4 is one of the few cars for me at least that's really easy to kill and drive in a really jerky manner. If you just rub a few inches off of it like I did it's smooth as silk.

fjork_duf

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Ray Wert — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:12:47 EST

Did you guys see the same thing wohho talked about? He says that Audis have a very pronounced friction zone. I think that explains what I felt, but what did the two of you guys think?

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

fjork_duf — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:11:33 EST

Hey guys... if you happen to be in the San Jose area, I'll buy two tanks of fuel if you let me use up at least half of one. Hhahah.. I have the plain jane S4 with the 340hp V8 and I love the car. I think the recaros are great, not sure why you hate them so much.

The S4 is alot of fun over 130 out to Mines road. I'd love to flog an RS4 on that road.

As for the clutch... my clutch is almost gone, and I have about 35k miles on my car. Heel/Toe downshifts, and just thrashing the car on the country roads around here are quickly leading to it's demise. A few weeks ago my clutch was slipping at the top of page mill. hHahha.

Anyway.. I must say that I never had clutch issues on any of my other cars which I drove the crap out of as well. I just think quattro and 340hp is hard on those clutches.

fjork_duf

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Davey G. — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:09:17 EST

The clutch was fine, Ray. I liked it quite a bit. But I did stupidly dump it at a stoplight not-on-purpose and managed to stall it. But the lever's nice and it doesn't throw surprises at you. On the other hand, Emil's wife doesn't like it, and its around-town behavior was one of the Loverman's few gripes. And despite the fact that she's a vegetarian, she is not a vegetable-chewing pussy like myself. But no, the trans is good. Gate action could be a bit better, but that's often the case with six-speeds. I think your friend's car might be bunk.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:06:10 EST

Boys,

I would say it doesn't matter. To crib a line from jezzo -- I wouldn't care if this car was Side-Wheel Drive.

Best. Car. Currnetly. In. Production. Despite. What. Johnson. Thinks.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

wohho — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:03:39 EST

9000, you sir are wrong. having driven all walks of cars, rwd, fwd, awd, 4wd, I can say with absolute certainty that awd provides the best traction and confidence insiring handling.

keeping the car pointed in the right direction is the objective of awd and it does the job well. Any racer will tell you that driving around a track with your ass end flying all over the place is the slowest way to the finish. It may be fun, but that's busch league shit.

wohho

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:02:04 EST

Oh, well... duh.

Anyhow, tomorrow all of your questions will be answered.

But... Davey never got past fourth. He likes the torque.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Ray Wert — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 14:00:03 EST

Jonny, I never went out of first or second gear, except for once -- city driving in downtown Ann Arbor. That's why I phrased the question the way I did.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

detroit9000 — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:48:58 EST

AWD. It's just not all that super great. AWD is a thing you need to win rallies. But it's kind of a bummer to live with. The only reason Audi runs AWD is because BMW and DCX don't.

I'm an AWD hater, and I live in the snow belt.

With a nice RWD, you can blurp the trottle, send the hind out a foot, and give your lady friend a start. You can do this daily. Winter comes, run the winter rubber. Stop faster anyway (less weight).

With an AWD, you can fishtail, but you're going 80 after it's over, and, well, that's just not practical in the Target parking lot. Meanwhile, you're left with twice the broken parts and half the gas.

This car is a solution to a problem that didn't need a solution: how to make the best AWD road car in the world. If the problem is how to make the best road car in the world, the answer includes RWD.

M3 will end this business of an Audi with real performance car buzz. Been driving the 335i? Preview of how good the M3 will be.

detroit9000

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:48:23 EST

Well, you buddy's car is screwed up -- but again -- the clutch should work the same way no matter what gear you are going into or out of... and the "clutch" only disengages the engine from the transmission. Nothing else.

But, thumbs up on the clutch.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

TexansAreHot — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:47:56 EST

The first time I got to ride in an RS4, I shit myself just a bit. Now I'm saving pennies and dollars until I can get up enough scratch to purchase one myself. $69,850 to go!

TexansAreHot

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Ray Wert — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:42:49 EST

Wohho -- ahh, that was what I was wondering.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Buckster — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:40:31 EST

Need video...

Buckster

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

wohho — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:37:01 EST

Ray - That's kind of an Audi trait. My A4 does the same thing, the friction zone is very pronounced.

Burn Rubber - you're driving the wrong Audi's friend. A4's have been vaunted for their handling prowess for the length of their existence. The problem is that they've always played second fiddle to the BMWs in the german sport sedan category.

wohho

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Ray Wert — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:26:46 EST

Jonny, as you know, the "clutch" is the means of transmitting rotation in a manual tranny system. That's opposed to the shift knob, which is the means of selecting the rotation. In the context of my statement, I could have also have included "pedal" -- but figured you'd know what I meant. Both the shift knob and the pedal are both parts of the transmission system. I specifically mean the clutch pedal.

And what I meant was -- when i drove the car a couple of weeks ago (my buddy Brian's) the clutch hung a bit as it was coming back up in between those two gears. I only was able to drive it for a couple of miles, so I didn't have enough time to find out if it was just my imagination, my foot getting used to it, or a problem with his car. So, I wanted to hear what it felt like for you when you were driving -- and what Davey thought it felt like while he was driving.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:12:11 EST

Ray -- Part 2 comes out tomorrow.

Patience my boy, patience. We'll tell you all about it.

But... the clutch would feel the same regardless of the shift.... do you mean how did the transmission feel from first to second?

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Ray Wert — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:11:56 EST

Rabbi Dave, it doesn't work because you must be pure of heart.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Rabbi Dave — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:09:36 EST

OK don't go claiming the he said he said format as your own like you do reporting on all things advertising ;)
we've done it on KT and even back in AB days and so have many other blogs.
As for the RS4, Joe W here said he thought the S6 was the most balanced of the Ss but he sure didn't complain about the RS4. And hey, how come the gallery link doesn't work for me still?

Rabbi Dave

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Ray Wert — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:08:09 EST

Just curious...how'd you think the clutch felt on the up-shift from first to second? How'd Davey think the clutch felt on the same up-shift when he was driving?

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:04:54 EST

Ray -- a very fine six-speed only.

Why?

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 13:02:50 EST

Ok -- link's fixed. Let's hear it for Wonder Woman Girl

Mike Spinelli

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Dr. Spaceman, Esq. — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:57:39 EST

I looked at the picture and assumed the Audi broke down, while the Rex, didn't. Doesn't everyone assume the Audi will break down?

Dr. Spaceman, Esq.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Ray Wert — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:55:36 EST

The RS4 only comes with a manual tranny, right?

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

adamrice — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:45:45 EST

The link is busted.

adamrice

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Audi RS4 - He Said Supercar, He Said 'Meh' Edition - Part 1

Jonny Lieberman — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:34:21 EST

Mr. Burn Rubber:

Drive the RS4 and report back. I think your tune will be changed.

Emil -- 11/30, I'll drive, you pay for gas.