Audi A4 2.0 TDi auto

kraftwerk · Audi A4 2.0 TDi auto

Rented one of these last weekend in Glasgow. It's the first really modern car I've driven in ages and I didn't like it one bit. The driving experience was just so sterile, with what felt like little actual contact between the driver and the machine.

There are so many electronics at work - shouting at you, flashing at you, and the electronic parking brake was deeply irritating - that I wasn't sure where to look most of the time. The controls for the ventilation and radio are needlessly complicated; the indicators flash a minimum of three times, which I found particularly annoying; press the accelerator and nothing much happens for a good while, before some violent and juddering wheelspin ensues; as far as I could tell, the boot can only be unlocked by pressing the button on the key. Again, fucking annoying.

The seats can be set satisfyingly low, but the wheel doesn't drop low enough and the rim is too thick.

Eurgh.

Humphrey The Pug

Weren't impressed then?!

Mark

Thought you had a Mercedes of some kind booked?

kraftwerk

Mark

That's a shame. The Audi sounds rubbish.

Colin

What makes you think a C Class will be any less endowed with all those "advanced" (fg) features?

Twelfth Monkey

The engine is deeply, deeply horrible, and the mapping in first is an abomination. In an attempt to quell torque steer, the throttle requires a mighty push to summon up any gusto in first, though shift to second and a much gentler prod of the throttle has it giving the former part of the all-or-nothing TDi delivery. Every time I drive one as a courtesy car, I am staggered by how different my car feels, in every respect. None more so than the steering.

Dr. Hfuhruhurr

I'm guessing Kraftwerk had the current model A4 - and I wonder if it was a "proper" automatic, or some foul CVT thing.

kraftwerk

Mark

Nice Guy Eddie

This is interesting. I have been thinking for some time that when the Golf is due for renewal if I should just change it for a low spec bore box and then take the cash difference and pile it into a classic.
The interaction between car and driver is being lost and this is not just the preserve of the boring mid range vehicles. I love the Golfs speed and its ability to do everything very well but the car just doesn't pull at the heart strings. The most fun cars I have driven were either an E-type roadster or a 70's 911. They both seemed to have, if I dare say it, some sort of soul. I'm sure I could get a similar feeling form a modern car but I think I'd have to spend 911 money before I found that feeling.

Gurney

Strangely I was thinking along similar lines. Now I love the GTA to bits but remember fondly my old 105 series Bertie and the Spider that followed it. An occasional use 1750 GTV would suit me down to the ground.

Summat like this-
http://www.motorbase.com/classifieds/viewad.ehtml?a=676357899;

Re Krafts Audi, when I was picked up from Southampton airport by the dealer who had imported my GTA it was in the latest A4 2.0TDi. I remember being interested but ultimately totally underwhelmed.

Had it been an RS4 things would have been a tad different.....

Boxer6

Despite the various delights of the Leggy, I have had a real hankering for another Mirafiori recently.

Bloody hard to find now though. (Most appear to have rotted away!!!)

"him"

I don't think we have to go back to the "dark ages" to find cars that still feel connected to the road, I am sure a drive in Blarno's Clio would confirm that... (or mine if you can drive wearing a balaclava?)

I think it is easy to remember our early cars with great fondness, but I think if driven today they would not really be as great as you remember. Particularly things like poor brakes and the degree of body roll exhibited by them would be unacceptable to most of us.

Though I am sure there are exceptions...

SpecB

Blarno