S4 vs. A41.8tq

[Fringe Ryder <fringe@fringeweb.com>]

As the owner of a '97 A4Q 2.8L who has been in a few 1.8Ts, allow me to
pipe in an unpopular notion:

The difference between the 1.8 and 2.8 is not just the engine, although
that's a biggie.  My guess is it would take $2K just to get the interior of
the 1.8 to match the 2.8, <i>without</i> wood trim.  

The engine adds a level of silkiness and a LOT more low-end torque (even if
it still is a bit anemic there).

If the S4 is similarly advantaged over the A4 2.8, the leap is bigger too.

So you then have to ask whether you're only talking performance, or if you
mean the whole package.  For performance, it will be cheaper to mod a 1.8T,
but to get the whole package as nice, go S4!

And if all you want is performance, buy a Mustang or Camaro and supercharge
it.  You'll blow anything else off the road, as long as you don't try to
turn or drive off asphalt.

>With all the ink our favorite cars have gotten in the new EC, with some
>early reviews of the new S4 in C&D and Automobile magainzes, and with my
>having done some tire kicking at the Audi dealer last week; I've started
...
>Assuming that the price differential is $14,000 (maybe a bit more if one
>assumes the 1.8s will be in greater supply than S4s), how much money does
>one have to spend to make the 1.8 roughly comparable to the S4.
>