(LAC) Forgive me father, for I am about to sin

[LL - NY]

Andrew,

You should really talk to Taka, who has a V70R Wagon (autobox) in
his family. I've driven it myself, and it's quite nice, a true Panzerwagon,
but not quite the level of performance of a Stage 1 chipped /UrS, in
either the straight line nor handling areas. I never really did have a
chance to check it's braking abilities, but with the 4 pot fixed Brembos
on all four corners, I think Taka can relay that they're likely pretty
impressive. The car does drive "big" but for that matter, so does the
//UrS.

The issue, at least as Taka has posted in the recent past (like about
a week and a half ago, the Feb 14th NorthEast Storm) the Haldex
on the car seems to cause some rather agressively unpredictable
behavior in the snow at any pace beyond a snails pace. And this
is on Nokian WR's. Again, it's probably best to talk to Taka on this,
and search out his post of the 14th/15th.

Overall, though, the V70R is a pretty decent piece.

LL - NY

On 2/26/07, Mark R <speedracer.mark at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Andrew,
> I've been fortunate enough to drive all of the major AWD systems on the
> ice
> and snow.  Haldex is quite good, but *real* Quattro with a torsen center
> differential is definately the most linear, predictable, and controllable.
> Honestly, there's only a slight difference and the Haldex based systems
> are
> very equivalent in traction to Subaru, Mitsubishi, BMW, etc.  Which is to
> say, very good company and only a slightly below torsen based Quattro.
>
> The '02 A6Q is quite softly sprung, so I'm not surprised with your
> handling
> observations.  Audi of America also lied to myself and my family and we
> have
> difficulties dealing with them.  They ended up buying back both lemon A8s
> or
> face a lawsuit.
>
> The all seasons are really no-season tires, especially in NH where the
> weather can go from one extreme to another in 24 hours.  I'd get the
> P-Zeros
> and plan on purchasing a set of winter tires.  The safety is well worth
> the
> expense of the second set of rims.
>
> Mark Rosenkrantz
>
> On 2/26/07, Andrew Duane <aduane at juniper.net> wrote:
> >
> > My trusty old 2000 A6Q is no longer cutting it for me, I need a wagon.
> > Given the way AoA treated me in my time of need with this A6, and the
> > price they've raised new Avants to, I can't even stomach the thought of
> > a new Audi. So I went looking around. Nothing really struck me, until by
> > chance I got to test drive a Volvo V70-R.  Oh my......
> >
> >
> >
> > It is a basic Volvo V70 (their large wagon) but without the
> > Cross-Country trim (and the big tall tires and SUV suspension that make
> > it drive not very well). Instead, it's the "sport" model. It sports the
> > venerable 20V I5 turbo engine from Audi of the early 90's, beefed up to
> > 2.5L and 300HP. There's an active suspension chassis with 3 settings and
> > dynamic stability control. There's also a tiptronic-like autobox or 6
> > speed stick, and Haldex AWD diffs. So there's at least a little Audi in
> > its soul, the Audi from when we liked them, not the current crop of
> > corporate watered down sales brochures. But, I have a few questions.
> >
> >
> >
> > First, how do folks with the Haldex diffs like them? They are still on
> > the TT's, right? And some other models had them?
> >
> >
> >
> > The car comes with 235/45/17 Z-rated rubber (Michelin Pilot A/S or
> > Pirelli P-Zero). I'm thinking these are not exactly snow-friendly. Am I
> > nuts for thinking about any car with such thin rubber up here in Snow
> > Hampshire? Or am I resigning to twice-yearly changeovers between Z rated
> > summer flats and serious snows (and carefully avoiding every pothole
> > there is)? Stepping down to 16" rims is not an option; there's no brake
> > clearance. Oh, and if you had your druthers between those two tires,
> > which would you choose? I can get either.
> >
> >
> >
> > This car was truly amazing. It stuck to the road and handled better than
> > any Audi I've ever been in, and managed to do it with a grace and
> > refinement that I have yet to see out of any Audi product. And it
> > manages to do it for $5K less than even a base A6Q Avant, much less an
> > All-Road. Oh, and the seats are truly a blessing for those of us with
> > middle aged butts that crave a little comfort.
> >
> >
> >
> > /Andrew
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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