s3q and s4 coupe quattro

[Brett Dikeman]

At 6:36 PM -0400 10/19/01, JShadzi at aol.com wrote:
>I think Audi needs to be following Subaru's lead here

No, for a whole lot of reasons.

Ever seen a WRX?  Yeah, those bug eye lights are kind of an eyesore(a 
face only a mother could love), but otherwise, it looks great, right, 
especially those nice fenders?  Ok, now ever seen a WRX -UP CLOSE-? 
Like, popped the hood, studied the interior, looked at all those 
hidden parts of the car you don't see standing 10 feet away?

Up close, paint, body, interior, etc are all of questionable quality. 
Dan was like a kid at Christmastime when the WRX was announced(it was 
all he would talk about :-), and after getting a chance to look at 
one before it came out, he was pretty disappointed initially.  The 
car even had rust all over the engine, and it was barely a few months 
old!

Now, go and look at a 2002 A4.  -Everything- is perfect down to the 
last detail; the engine compartment is a literal work of art, and 
it's gorgeous; we were both floored.  Even the glovebox gracefully 
glides open; the ashtray glides up, the grab handles up above don't 
thwack, they glide back up when you let go.  All interior surfaces 
and joints are perfect; the tie-downs in the trunk are a beautiful 
chrome.  Everything screams, as my friends used to say, "hi-budg." 
Now, look at the price tag for a base 2002 1.8t, and a WRX with all 
the accessories.  They're pretty close, the base 1.8 and the top 
WRX...but they are -totally- different in terms of quality, features, 
etc.  What would I do?  I'd buy a 1.8t, chip it after things were 
broken in, and Be Happy.  Among other things, I wouldn't have to 
cringe every morning looking out the window at the car in the 
driveway(I know someone's going to have fun with this sentence :-)


>, the key is affordable and light.  If recent history is any 
>indication, the S3 will be powerful, but offset by weight and a 
>hefty price tag.  I would love to see an S3 quattro model with the 
>225hp 1.8t, lightened interior with minimal sound dampening, simple 
>manual control ventilation, AC optional, with stiff suspension and 
>wide rubber (ok, basically my 80tq but 15 years newer  =)   And, 
>priced below $25k. 
>
>This is best illustrated by the recent Car and Driver challenge, 
>where the S4tt barely beat out the WRX in performance, though close 
>to half the price.

I wouldn't be asking "why is it that at twice the price the S4 can 
barely beat a WRX", I would be asking "why is it that a bare bones 
fast-ultimate-in-handling-cheap WRX is beaten in most reviews, by 
what is in comparison a luxo-boat sports sedan?"  The WRX is spartan 
at best; the only thing with more gadgets than an S4 is Billy Gate's 
house(or perhaps maybe an LS400 with those massaging rear seats.) 
Just doesn't add up, all this business about "spartan=better 
sportyness."  The price makes sense; the fact that the S4 trounces 
the WRX doesn't; a more "pure" sports sedan should win.  It's a 
testament to Audi engineering that it can outclass what everyone 
seems to consider a very serious contender in the "driving 
experience" arena.


>   Keep making all the cushy luxo cars, Audi, but I'd love to see a 
>stripped down, affordable performace model too.

Guess what?  It's already been done, and has been for quite some time.

It's a company called Volkswagen!

:-)

B
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Brett Dikeman
brett at cloud9.[nospam]net
http://www.users.cloud9.net/~brett/
(vm/fax)212-894-3749x5271