Re: car magazine on the new s4 (and blah blah blah)

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

> You think the S4 will have a different engine, or are you resigned to it
> not making it at all?  (Audi's reps at the Seattle auto show, the most
> pathetic auto show I've ever been to, told me it won't make it to the USA
> due to emissions, but the published rumors are that it will be here in fall
> '98.)

after many frustrating years of seeing rave reviews of fantastic stuff
being tested across the pond and never making it here, i'm adopting the
attitude of "i'll believe it when i see it."  actually dealers do learn a
couple of months in advance, so let's say, i'll believe it when i hear
confirmation from the dealer. 

maybe i should stop torturing myself and terminate my CAR magazine
subscription.. :)

> The A6 is incredibly ugly, according to a sampling I took at the auto show
> which included my mate.  The rear is very curvy - very Ford-like, not at
> all Audi - and generally was not a favorite.

i like the european version much better with the black belly and chin.
oh well.  the a6 is not for me anyway, regardless of styling.  i'll
take a S4 and a A4 2.5 TDI and drive them on alternate days to alternate
between sin and redemption!  but seeing that the chances of either
coming over here is slim to none, i'll just have to patronise a sister
company.. ahem..

['nuff about the wood trim already!!]

> Meanwhile, the A4 is sold mostly in Quattro form, which is a first in
> America for Audi.  Perhaps that's one big reason they're so back-ordered.
> Most lots here (you know the ones... Barrier, University, and Sunset) have
> the FWD units in stock, just not the Quattros.

i was told that univ. only orders quattros and that fwds have to be
specially ordered with a non refundable deposit.  does that say something
about the popularity of quattros here or what?

( i saw a lot of fwd ones when i was down in SF last summer though )

the one fwd car that you see on the lot is the same one that AoA ordered
for the motor show.  it's not moving, apparently!  yup, AoA can't even
catch a clue from the sales statistics that the seattle market is almost
100% quattro and they bring in a fwd for the motor show.  indicative of a
much larger problem! 

ok, i'll give them credit for offering sports suspension on the 1.8T and
pricing it soooo competitively.  my flicker of optimism tells me that
perhaps by selling so many A4s AoA will finally be motivated to start
diversifying the range beyond colors and trim options.  CAR said that
the 2.5 TDI could be had with any combination of quattro, tiptronic,
regular slush or plain manual.  (the S4 is manual 6 speed only though,
because there isn't enough room for a slush) 

but model lives are not very long nowadays and the next generation A4 is
already being discussed.  more widespread use of aluminum, hence lower
weight and lower inertia quattro implementation, using lighter materials. 
(why don't they consider using carbon fiber driveshafts!?) given the
somewhat cyclical nature of models it's very hard to see them top the
current A4, which is why i certainly would not complain if it hung around
a while... 



eliot