[urq] Aucra RL and other industry musings (some Audi content)

[Jon Linkov]

As an automotive editor I've gotten to spend time in a lot of the production
cars on sale now. No, my magazine doesn't fly to some tropical island and
test the latest, greatest PRE-production model and claim it is best in the
world. But we also don't take advertising or suck up to the industry (can
you GUESS who I work for?). Oh, all of this e-mail is MY OPINION only.

Anyway, the criticisms of Audi (too heavy, expensive, technologically laden)
are industry-wide issues. Let's be honest...we're not going to see sub
2700-pound sports cars. Lotus Elise, you say? I say impractical and not
built for anyone with a foot bigger than a size 9.5 (US). I drove it...fun,
sure, but my size 11.5s couldn't touch the gas without hitting the brake.
I'll have to wear Simpson driving shoes anytime I drive it!

Back to the issue...every car is overweight. There are the nasty-overweight
vehicles like a Pheaton, Touareg, Cayenne...the ones that you just say WHY?
But 4k pounds is gonna be average soon. All the comforts (gotta have heated
cupholders) that people expect add weight, let alone the stupidity (iDrive,
MMI, distronic cruise control, heads up displays, etc) with miles of wiring
and the giant batteries to power them. If you want light weight there is a
Chevy Aveo for sale somewhere, or some Suzuki or Ford entry-level product.
Face it...when a "cheap" car is $20k new, people want features and comfort
for that money, and that adds in the weight.

Safety, too, adds in a lot. Airbags, pretensioners, door beams,
stability/traction control (wires), etc, etc. I don't, PERSONALLY, like the
over-addition of safety devices that compensate for sh*tty drivers, but I
understand and appreciate how effective they are.

Price? $30k is average. Audi played the game well with the first A4, coming
in WELL under the class average. Now, the A3 with the V6 and q will be a
$30k ENTRY level car. What can you expect when a Subey Legacy GT is in the
mid-$30k range? Audi is going to be cheap? They never were...they just took
a look at US market share, adjusted prices, and are now in line with their
competition. They're still cheaper than a 3-, 5-, 7-Series and represent a
good value. But all vehicle prices are up.

Someone mentioned Volvo and the S40/V50...I've driven them both,
extensively. I'm not impressed. They are TINY. The interior is narrow (yet
the door panels are VERY wide), the rear seats are 911-like (ie,
nonexistent), and the engine isn't very happy with either transmission.
Anyone buying that over an A4 or 3-Series (or Lexus IS, etc, etc) will be
disappointed, I think. Buy a Mazda3 hatch and save $$$. The Volvo may
(finally) look nice, but it's too small for the US market. And the S60 and
S80 (and wagon/sporty variants) are old-tech chassis and not really fun.
Sure, specs look great...I wouldn't take any Volvo R product over an S4, M3
or even ....CTS-V - which I don't like due to ergonomic shortcomings and a
cheap interior (in a $50k car).

Hope my contribution is interesting....seems like a good discussion, I just
got in late.

Jon