Re: 328i vs. A4 2.8q ?

["Matt & Jenai" <matjen@xsite.net>]

Hi Mr. Rooke,
Here are some of the pertinent stats and some comments.
0-30 advantage bmw by .3 seconds
0-60 ditto by 1.0
0-100 ditto by 3.2
0-130 ditto by 8.8 seconds
1/4 mile ditto 15.8 @ 89 v. 15.1 @ 93
street start ditto by .6
30-50 ditto by 1.9 seconds
50-70 ditto by 1.2 seconds
70-0 braking ditto by 6 feet
skidpad ditto .80 v. .82
lane change manuever ditto 62.1 mph v. 67.9 mph
Also better gas mileage to boot!

Quotes pertinent to the performance discussion:
"...the A4 is much more nose-heavy than the bmw, with 58.6 percent of the
weight at the front, compared with 50.2 percent.  All this, plus the
long-travel suspension that makes rough roads so tolerable, conspires to
limit the A4's performance when driven 10/10ths."
"the body doesn't feel as tight as the bmw's...it doesn't turn in as eagerly
or with as much feel...and there's a little less body control (than with the
bmw)"
"Additionally the bmw's brakes were significantly better...braking the Audi
down at the end of the back straightaway at Waterford required a lot of
pedal pressure."
"Feels as though there is a lot more grip to work with in the bmw...it has
none of the vertical floatiness you get with the Audi.  The bmw feels more
connected tot he pavement and sends more accurate signals to the driver

They did like the A4's steering  and stick during normal driving (although
not during hard driving) and they said it handled rough pavement better
while the bmw reacted with a bit of chatter.

Obviously both cars are very fine.  The A4 is a tad cheaper and not quite
the performer.

Matt Pfeffer