A8 test drive

[Tom Nas <tnas@euronet.nl>]

Hi all,

One of my colleagues (currently drives a '91 100 and a Voyager) has decided
to go all-Audi and asked me if I liked to join him for a test drive. Boy,
would I! So we went to the largest non-franchised Audi dealer in Holland,
located in the south near Eindhoven. They had four A8s- three 2.8 FWDs and
a 4.2q. The 4.2 was rather overpriced (a '96 for $45k) and the sales guy
said the '95 2.8 ($30k) was a good alternative, so we took that for a spin.
The 174 hp 2.8 is an OK engine for the car- it doesn't feel slow but it
doesn't feel fast either. It's certainly laid-back and has more than enough
torque to waft along at seriously illegal speeds, but it's not inviting you
to do so. It feels best when you're cruising at 60-70 mph and sitting back
in the sumptuous seats, enjoying the space and the quiet progress.
I really liked the A8 for its agility in corners, its steering and
excellent brakes. I didn't have to park it, though- which I presume takes
you back to the 'big car' idea. All in all, it didn't feel that much larger
than a 100. The four-speed autobox (no Tip in '95) was very smooth, and and
axcellent companion for the engine. All in all, a car with a large
feel-good factor.
As insurance premiums go through the roof for cars with a price when new of
$50k and over, and the fuel consumption is a lot better on the V6 than on
the V8, my colleague was tempted to try a V8, too. Especially since he's
driven a quattro once and liked it a lot. You can bet I'll be there for
_that_ test drive, too...

Tom
Zeist, The Netherlands
'87 90q feeling rather downmarket.

PS the same dealer also had an '87 UrQ in black metallic, asking price
$8.5k (way too expensive for its condition) and a '95 RS2 Avant, the
ropiest I've ever seen (on one original badly-kerbed alloy, two crappy
imitation Cup wheels and the emergency spare) for $35k...