A4 -- 1.8t and V6 owner experiences requested

[Dan Masi]

> I'm looking to add an A4 quattro to the 
> Fisher scuderia,

Fisher scuderia?  Is there some kind of topical ointment that
one uses for this?   :-)

> What influenced your decision to choose the engine you did?  
> Do you think you made the right decision?
> What's your favorite characteristic of the engine you selected?
> What's your least favorite?

Tough questions.

I owned a '96 A4Q (12V V6), and now own an '01 A4 1.8tqmsxeieio,
so I have a bit of experience with both engines.

The V6, I chose because there was no choice.  The 1.8t this
time around was chosen mostly because of my desire to keep
finances in check.

The nicest thing about the V6 is the silky-buttery-smoothness
of the powerplant.  The entire car has a more refined feeling
than the 1.8t; part of it may be due to the luster of wood trim
and the power seats (and at least one service person I've spoken
with has claimed that they put more sound-dampening material
in the V6, but I'm not sure about that), but some of it is certainly
due to the smoothness and quietness of the engine.  You *do*
hear and feel the 1.8t more than the V6.

Some people might find this "refined" quality to translate to
a less-exciting car.  I don't know.  You really need to spend time
in both and decide which feels like a car you want to be spending
much more time in.  Things like wood trim, power seats, and availability
of leather might be influences if the race is close.  

I don't find that there's as much of a fuel mileage advantage as
I thought there might be; I got 23-24mpg consistently with the '96,
and my 1.8t looks like it's settling on 26-27mpg.

There may be a slight handling difference due to weight, but I can't
comment on it as I've got the sport suspension on the 1.8t, and the
'96 didn't have it.

> Do you have any modifications (chip, bigger turbo, 
> intercooler, exhaust,
> etc.)? 

I installed the Schaumberg modified throttle body in my '96 and
it made a difference of about $300, and maybe a little more
low-end torque.

I installed APR's chip in my '01 about 3 weeks ago, and it's going
back to APR tomorrow.  It just doesn't work well with the car;
I'm actually seeing slightly slower times in WOT test on the
highway from 50-70mph than in stock mode, though it is considerably
quicker at higher rpm.  I'll be playing around with a GIAC chip
next.

Both cars had snow tires for winter; my '96 had Yoko Guardex on
15" steel wheels, and was great on the iciest stuff (but
very squirmy on dry, fast highways).  I've got Nokian Hakka Q's
on a spare set of 16" sport rims now, and so far today we've
received 16" of really nasty snow, and there was a nearby
mountain road that was unpassable by most (many cars tried and
turned away after spinning wheels), but the A4 handled it
without the slightest bit of complaining.


> Completely aside from the engine discussion: what's your 
> favorite thing about the A4?

Quattro, combined with a suspension geometry that just makes this
car handle effortlessly.  And the hundreds of little things you find
around the car that make you think, "you know, these engineers
really like what they're doing, because they're obviously thinking
about things!"

> Least favorite? 

In '96, it was fun driving a relatively uncommon car.  The secret
is unfortunately out.


Anyway, it really is a tough call.  If you're like me, an engineer 
that always has to optimize something, you might favor the 1.8t.
On the other hand, the 2.8 is a really nice package.  If I wasn't
planning on making any modifications, I'd probably favor the 2.8;
it's tough to go from a car that had electric n-way seats to one
where you have to crank a little knob 50 times to change the seatback
angle by a few degrees.

No matter what, keep this thought foremost: you can't go far wrong
with either decision, and so there really is no "wrong" answer.
And if you find you're staying awake too many nights weighing
the upgradability of the 1.8t against the smoothness and finesse
of the 2.8, don't forget that the S4 now comes in sedan and Avant
trim...   :-)

Dan Masi