The way I see it is. I like the heavy feeling of my B5, the suspension upgrades in my B5 are night and day compared to the sloppy feeling in my stock B6. I drove Jellers Evo to Ohio from here and really did not like the light tinny feel of the car and did not feel truly comfortable and connected to the road… I guess it just comes down to what you are used to driving…
As for the quattro system I feel it is one of the best AWD system compared to any of the other manufacturers out there… Yeah, maybe not the best car to take to a track event but I feel you really have the best of both worlds in a Audi…
Edit: It’s not the AWD system that is sloppy. It’s the shitty stock suspension that makes the car feel sloppy…
“I’d hate to see how bad the cars would drive without it”. Just go drive a passat of a FWD A4 (which is a waste of $$$)
correct me if wrong, but I thought the modern quattro regulated power using individual brake pads and not via LSDs… sure the heavy feeling can be nice I always picture boris from snatch “heavy is a sign of reliability” but in the S4 I drove I remember turning-in and then feeling like I was along for the ride as the weight of the car shifted and took over control as I fought to get it back.
from wiki:
Manually locking rear differential was replaced by “electronic differential lock” (EDL) (Difflock imitation, detects wheelspin via ABS sensors and applies brakes to the one spinning wheel, thus transferring torque via open differential to the opposite wheel which has more traction)[1]. EDL works at speeds up to 80km/h (50mph) on all quattro models
it doesn’t even work above 50mph at which point both the front and back work as open diffs. the center is a 50/50 torsen.
I think you are thinking of ESP which can be turned off in all the B6 and up chassis. My B5 does not have that option which I like. I keep the ESP turned off in my B6 all the time because I can not stand it in the snow. It has saved my ass once when I was going way to fast onto the 198 form the 33 when I first got my car. It did what it was actually supposed to do, and that was save my ass from spinning out…
ESP looks at differentials between relative wheel speeds and steering wheel position plus input from other sensors to selectively apply brakes and eventually retard the engine as things get crossed up. The ESP systems actions will then pull the car back on it’s intended track.
So, in a straight line, both wheels spinning at the same rate, not much to do. As one wheel slips and loses traction, the ESP senses that and applies brake to that wheel to transfer torque over to the wheel with traction. Clunky, but effective and less money than a Limited Slip Differential.
In a corner, there’s lot’s more inputs and outputs going on, but basically the system selectively applies brakes and engine controls to try and match the direction you are pointing the wheel with the direction the car is headed. A good thing, and it works so well, the Feds are making it mandatory on all new cars in a couple years, and insurance companies give you a discount for having it.
damn it, you beat me on the edit again. (see above)
the new generation 6 looks a lot better
Audi’s new vectoring quattro system, which will allow the dynamic allocation of torque to all four wheels[2] will debut in the B8 S4. This will still use the 40:60 asymmetric Torsen centre differential, but will use an electronically controlled “Active Sport Differential” in the rear axle (instead of the conventional “open” differential with EDL). The front axle will still rely on an open differential with EDL.
No one ever tried to pass an A4 off as a “sport sedan” so I hardly see how ragging on it for under-performing as such is very valid. It was designed for soccer moms to have a comfortable entry level luxo driver.
They are far more entertaining to drive than wrong wheel drive counterparts, and I would take one over the mostly aenemic BMWs that are all over the road.
From a pure driving enjoyment standpoint, sure, there are better cars. However he asked about a DD, and arguing driving enjoyment is awfully subjective.
Who cares what a bunch of magazine racers on the internet think? Go drive both. Add your “enjoyment” factor up with the cost, and its aesthetic appeal, subtract whatever you want for reliability, maint. costs and poser status and you’ll decide which car is right for you.
I think the up front post was spot on, asking for opinions on reliability, however everyone getting in to a debate as to what they prefer is rather silly.
I would have no issue, or self hate, nor would I expect someone else to, if they purchased a reasonable mileage / CPO’d Audi.
So there you have it, some people say no they’re not reliable. Others say yes they are. Now it’s up to you to weed through who’s saying what and why. Although it’s not too hard in this case…
Not to be rude but i am not seeking advice on which one i can afford to insure. Also i already said i don’t live in NYS. But thanks for the input that was related to the car.
Yea i really don’t think many people actually read what i asked and responded to it very well. This would be a daily driver something comfortable for me to get into and drive to the store and work. I will drive one when i am home and decide from there. People are ignoring that i am looking at newer ones with low miles and also ignoring that it will not be my “fun” car.
Yea this thread is a suckfest now. Some people on this site need help. I was so proud yesterday and now…wtf is this crap. I will be home in under 40 days!!!
As far as a DD goes, they seems to be solid cars that get a bad rep from those going beyond that. Quality can be a bit hit or miss, usually coming down maintenance which is a bit more intensive on this car than others. The V-6s while underpowered, work quite nicely. It does feel a bit disconnected however.
I was in the same situation last fall when I was looking for a new DD. I was looking at all pre-enjoyed vehichles including WRX’s, TL’s, RSX’s and an A4. I ended up settling on the 02 A4 1.8TQ with low miles, and it was on the lower end price wise of the other cars I was looking at.
So far the car has been great with no problems at all (knock on wood). All the research I did lead me to the conclusion that if you keep on on the regular maintenance and dont mod the heck out of them they should be pretty reliable.
My A4 does not have the sport suspension, but it still handles pretty well. My biggest complaint was the sloppy transmission and the feeling of it being underpowered. I fixed the slop in the tranny with a new snub mount for $25 and plan on getting a chip to up the HP by 20-30 which runs right around $500. With the extra power I have a great DD that is getting me 20 mpg city that is comfortable, classy, and fun to drive. Thats all I was looking for in the 15K range, so I am happy.
Thats why I kept pointing out that the M3 was not the best choice for a DD…
DD= good gas milage, good insurence rate, reliable, and some what fun to drive…
As for the being able to afford to insure the car. I was not saying it in that sense. I was pointing out that it’s going to be a higher rate on those two cars which is a thing to consider when buying a DD… Why pay a high rate on a DD?
Well what ever you go with good luck in the car search I’m sure you will find what you want when you start test driving…
^^^^^^^^
I wasn’t trying to be a dick about it so my bad if i came off like that. I will probably not buy a M3 as a daily unless the deal of the century was presented to me. I am looking at the A4 and 330 mostly. Other then that i would just buy something brand new like a GXP or 135i. But thanks for the input.
huh, trying to figure out here if you know what you are talking about here
I get 18 city/26 highway if i don’t do stupid shit, my rate is less that that if I had an evo/sti, most issues with M’s are on the early model years, minus the RTAB, put in aftermarket and you don’t have to worry and since when is something RWD, manual, LSD decent power not fun to drive.
I do not think he was saying that the M3 dosen’t get god gas mileage or isn’t fun to drive but that those are attributes to focus on for a dd and maybe an M3 isn’t the best all around DD. I think the M3 would be a great dd especially since i don’t live where it snows much but to be honest it is more then i would like to spend right now on a used vehicle. But like i said between now and nov-dec a ton can change. I would buy an M3 but only if under the CPO and at a screaming deal.
After driving the 2.8L V6 for over 150,000 miles I’m gonna say it’s the best engine for a DD I’ve seen in a long time. Plenty of low end torque, great gas mileage (I average 26 and drive mainly city) and as smooth as they get.
In regard to the AWD, I do fine without it, so it’s not a “requirement” but is nice to have.
I’m not trying to start drama in this thread. I have not one thing against the M3. I very much so love M3s’. I’m just saying IMHO that “I” don’t think it’s a good daily driver for a car in Buffalo. Seeing he is not coming back here or will not be driving in the snow anytime soon. Then I say go for it, and thats up to him to decide what he wants.
