[s-cars] How failtastic is the B7 S4 automatic? Anyone have a line on a manual avant?

[Brett Dikeman]

On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 9:37 AM, brian hoeft <qweblog at gmail.com> wrote:
> Took me a few minutes and suggestions from the owner to properly
> time/prep the tranny for more responsive driving, example; put the gas pedal
> to the floor for about two seconds in sport mode and everything gets ready
> for ?action..

What do you mean?  I would hope in any car putting the pedal on the
floor for two seconds would result in something :)

It seems all relative- the autobox in my folk's 960 is the best
automatic I have ever driven.  Downshifts in "sport" mode are just
about perfect- not overly hyper like Audi's (the C6 A6 is ridiculous
in sport mode), but the transmission seems almost psychic about
downshifting decisions.  First gear acceleration is practically
stump-pulling, and it's not exactly a light car (or a powerful one;
~180hp inline 6.)  Throttle control is excellent- lots of travel in
the pedal, very progressive.

Contrast to a BMW 328 I rented through Zipcar- I could count "one one
thousand two" between when I mashed the pedal and when the
transmission finished downshifting.  Ultimate Driving Machine, my ass.
 However, it was nothing compared to the horror of a Subaru Outback
(another Zipcar selection.)  BREATHE on the gas pedal in "drive" and
the car jumps off the line (with very little to follow it up.)  I've
read that the Legacy GT Spec B doesn't deliver full boost unless you
put it in "Sport Sharp" mode which probably means that if you start
your foot moving towards the gas pedal, the car snorts and seeks the
nearest china shop.  I also found it extremely difficult to believe
that a Legacy GT 2.5 Spec B can get 0-60 in under 5.5 seconds like
Subie claim.  Anyone driven one?  Specs and price-wise, it's right up
my alley, but I find Subes to be badly built and equipped.  The
Outback I rented didn't have an automatic dome light.  WTF?

> My gripe if I owned one regarding sport driving would be the traction
> control kicking in even when its switched "off"

Are you referring to the automatic B7, or all B7's?  I remember
hearing B5 owners gripe about stability control coming on at the track
even when it had been switched off.  The B7 has different a different
torsen (rear bias) and different stability control from the B6.

One of the things that is tipping me in favor of a V70R, despite its
true-to-halo-car-status reliability record (transmission has a splined
collar that strips, the exhaust rubs against the rear driveshafts
after going through a puddle, they go through rear parking brake SHOES
and wheel bearings like candy, reportedly) is that the
traction/stability control has a few different levels and it seems
possible to switch almost all of it off save the Haldex controller-
and it won't come back on unless told to.  I think it's pretty cool
that you can run the traction control in "getting groceries" mode,
"we're at Watkins Glen" mode, or "we're 16 years old and in an empty
snowy parking lot" mode.  Same for the adjustable suspension- 3 modes,
though I wish they hadn't tied it to accelerator pedal mappings.  Gah.
 Looks like it MIGHT be possible to get that "fixed" through IPD.

The Volvo is also a much sharper looking car, it's actually a USEABLE
wagon (there's a lot of storage, and it is is box shaped), and Volvo
tends to put fantastic stereos in their cars (the 960's stereo is
probably the best OEM system I've ever heard in a car.  I haven't
'test driven' a V70R stereo.)  Really comfy seats, too.  The
navigation unit is brilliant in terms of ergonomics (controls are on
the backside of the steering wheel, and the screen pops out of the
center of the dash.) I don't think I've ever seen a vehicle that had
so many OEM accessories.  Roof racks, cup/change/trashbag/sunglass
holders, and about fifty different ways to keep Fido in the back.
Almost every option that you could order on the car can be acquired
from Volvo via parts channels, with install instructions online in
PDF/HTML format.  Nice.

On the flip side, any Volvo made in the last few years requires VIDA,
which is like VAG-COM, a Bentley manual, and whatever Audi calls their
dealer technical network all rolled into one, only with a huge
subscription fee that puts it virtually out of reach of all but the
biggest and busiest indie Volvo wrenches.  Get a load of this BS- Audi
may not ship modules "coded", but Volvo doesn't ship them loaded with
firmware.  You have to use VIDA to encode the module after you install
it in the car- and that requires live internet access, because the
firmware is ENCRYPTED for THAT specific car/module by Volvo!

/rant

Brett