Re: Comparing UnitsRe: Comparing Units

[Sargent Schutt <sargent@novagate.com>]

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Frankly, Audi is the Boyscout of the automotive world. (Okay, Girlscout too- I
don't wanna get sent to the ovens by the PC gestappo.) Ahem.... 

A turbo quattro Audi is the closest thing to a "go anywhere-do anything" car
*anyone* has ever made. The turbo quattro wagons are the pinnacle of that
'niche'. Name one other production car that is relatively unaffected by
altitude (turbo) and road conditions (all-wheel drive), and available in
coupe, sedan, or wagon variants to suit your particular needs. Audi is it.
Volvo is pandering around the outskirts of this 'arena', but doesn't yet make
a car that challenges Audi in performance with awd (the current wagon is only
a light pressure turbo, and is the first ovloV awd offering). To qualify that,
I'm not looking merely at what's currently in new car showrooms, but what is
available as a reliable 'daily-driver' on the new or used market. 

There is not one other car that does *everythig* that an audi does in one
single package. Dollar for dollar, apples to apples,  a car like the 91 200q
can be turned into one of the fastest *sedans* on a dry twisty road, and flat
out the fastest sedan in anything less than dry.  That is the explanation I
offer non-quattrophiles as to "why audi". There is nothing that 'does it all'
to the extent that audi does for any money. It is not a Z-car, a Porker, a
Ferrari etc. It is the driver's Swiss Army knife of cars. It can handle a
wider array of situations with more aplomb than any other vehicle. That is the
turbo quattro's 'place in the sun'. Like the Pirelli P7000 Supersport A/S
tires I just bought for it (225/50/ZR16), it is a compromise. As compromises
go, there is no finer automobile.

My .02

Sarge

91 200q yada yada yada