Not finding love with my RS6
Discussion
It took me a while to reach the conclusion that I wasn't going to get a single car that ticked all the boxes. Tried several, including the new M3 (hated it), E63 AMG - wife hated it, and I can't say I really connected with it. I was hoping the Panamera might be the answer, but interior and boot space weren't quite what I'd hoped for. In the end I bought two cars instead - a Diesel E-Class for the boring motorway commute and family duties, and a 987 for fun. Reality is that this doesn't cost significantly more, but I have a car that I can really engage with on fast road and track drives, plus a practical and 'sensible' car for day to day driving.
Maybe when the kids are bigger and I don't need space for baby buggies / bags etc I may well re-visit the Panamera as a daily, but think I'll still have something smaller and more agile for sunny days.
Maybe when the kids are bigger and I don't need space for baby buggies / bags etc I may well re-visit the Panamera as a daily, but think I'll still have something smaller and more agile for sunny days.
On a similar note, while I love the M5 to bits, it's just not enough of an event to drive to perfectly fill the dual roles of family car and weekend car.
So plan now is to lease a cheap and cheerful Leon Cupra 290 for the schlep to work, with active cruise control (not available on M5) it may be even more relaxing on a motorway, and then chuck £40k on either a Camaro ZL1 or Mustang GT500. Should be entertaining enough!
So plan now is to lease a cheap and cheerful Leon Cupra 290 for the schlep to work, with active cruise control (not available on M5) it may be even more relaxing on a motorway, and then chuck £40k on either a Camaro ZL1 or Mustang GT500. Should be entertaining enough!
-Z- said:
On a similar note, while I love the M5 to bits, it's just not enough of an event to drive to perfectly fill the dual roles of family car and weekend car.
So plan now is to lease a cheap and cheerful Leon Cupra 290 for the schlep to work, with active cruise control (not available on M5) it may be even more relaxing on a motorway, and then chuck £40k on either a Camaro ZL1 or Mustang GT500. Should be entertaining enough!
Sounds like a plan that man! What you've just said is pretty much how I felt. It was only an event under full load, but with family onboard those occasions were rare (despite my daughter repeatedly asking me to go faster!). All other times it was a fat A6 with a leak in the fuel tank So plan now is to lease a cheap and cheerful Leon Cupra 290 for the schlep to work, with active cruise control (not available on M5) it may be even more relaxing on a motorway, and then chuck £40k on either a Camaro ZL1 or Mustang GT500. Should be entertaining enough!
The A8 has a turn of pace, <6 to 60 and when not under heavy acceleration is whisper quiet with toys that I'll still be finding in a months time! Plus in black wiht beige sports leather seats it's quite a nice, albeit non offensive, thing to look at and be in, and hitting 30mpg on the run home was pretty darn good for a big V8 petrol motor!
Good choice in luxo barge. I came out of a wafty old 200k mile S500 Merc that ran on LPG into a CLS63 Shooting brake. Still miss the old S500 but having the estate really ticked all the boxes. Until you factor in how much of 557bhp you actually need and 20mpg. (Accountant head plagues me too!) One more winter and it will be going. May try the whole EV thing and put something light and sporty in the garage alongside it.
QuattroDave said:
-Z- said:
On a similar note, while I love the M5 to bits, it's just not enough of an event to drive to perfectly fill the dual roles of family car and weekend car.
So plan now is to lease a cheap and cheerful Leon Cupra 290 for the schlep to work, with active cruise control (not available on M5) it may be even more relaxing on a motorway, and then chuck £40k on either a Camaro ZL1 or Mustang GT500. Should be entertaining enough!
Sounds like a plan that man! What you've just said is pretty much how I felt. It was only an event under full load, but with family onboard those occasions were rare (despite my daughter repeatedly asking me to go faster!). All other times it was a fat A6 with a leak in the fuel tank So plan now is to lease a cheap and cheerful Leon Cupra 290 for the schlep to work, with active cruise control (not available on M5) it may be even more relaxing on a motorway, and then chuck £40k on either a Camaro ZL1 or Mustang GT500. Should be entertaining enough!
The A8 has a turn of pace, <6 to 60 and when not under heavy acceleration is whisper quiet with toys that I'll still be finding in a months time! Plus in black wiht beige sports leather seats it's quite a nice, albeit non offensive, thing to look at and be in, and hitting 30mpg on the run home was pretty darn good for a big V8 petrol motor!
I had an Audi Allroad V8 for many, many years and absolutely loved it. So it seemed to me that the natural progression would be to an RS6, and I checked it out a couple of years ago when I decided to change.
The thing is that when I looked at the Allroad, it looked like a nice estate. When I got in it, it looked really nice inside. Yes, it looked and felt like a really nice estate. Then I started it up ..... BONUS!!
When I looked at the R6, it looked like a nice estate. When I got in it, it looked really nice inside. Yes, it looked and felt like a really nice estate .... the thing is, I couldn't be bothered to start it up. It was an estate.
For me the Allroad was a practical, well put together estate car with a powerful engine, the RS6 was a powerful engine in a practical, well put together estate car, and there is a difference, for me anyway.
So I bought a BMW 335D Drive, M Sport Tourer, because it is very different, and kept my E93 M3.
I am in agreement with lots of the comments that suggest 2 cars is the way forward.
The thing is that when I looked at the Allroad, it looked like a nice estate. When I got in it, it looked really nice inside. Yes, it looked and felt like a really nice estate. Then I started it up ..... BONUS!!
When I looked at the R6, it looked like a nice estate. When I got in it, it looked really nice inside. Yes, it looked and felt like a really nice estate .... the thing is, I couldn't be bothered to start it up. It was an estate.
For me the Allroad was a practical, well put together estate car with a powerful engine, the RS6 was a powerful engine in a practical, well put together estate car, and there is a difference, for me anyway.
So I bought a BMW 335D Drive, M Sport Tourer, because it is very different, and kept my E93 M3.
I am in agreement with lots of the comments that suggest 2 cars is the way forward.
Edited by VUB on Friday 16th October 10:38
Edited by VUB on Friday 16th October 10:38
Edited by VUB on Friday 16th October 10:40
Disagree, it's entirely possible to have fun in a big powerful barge. Audi's are just the least fun around. Any AMG with the M156 engine is bound to be fun:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Ns8nrXfxo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDLDE1-Dbsk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Ns8nrXfxo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDLDE1-Dbsk
This concept of a "weekend car". It is alien to me.
I spend my weekends ferrying kids around in the car, and doing things that don't require a car.
I probably have more chance of growing wings and flying to the moon that I do of having the time and the inclination over a weekend to drive for the pure enjoyment of it...
I spend my weekends ferrying kids around in the car, and doing things that don't require a car.
I probably have more chance of growing wings and flying to the moon that I do of having the time and the inclination over a weekend to drive for the pure enjoyment of it...
Greg66 said:
This concept of a "weekend car". It is alien to me.
I spend my weekends ferrying kids around in the car, and doing things that don't require a car.
I probably have more chance of growing wings and flying to the moon that I do of having the time and the inclination over a weekend to drive for the pure enjoyment of it...
Exactly why I want a muscle car as a 'weekend' car, epic fun even while tooling around with the kids at low speeds. I spend my weekends ferrying kids around in the car, and doing things that don't require a car.
I probably have more chance of growing wings and flying to the moon that I do of having the time and the inclination over a weekend to drive for the pure enjoyment of it...
I would LOVE a caterham/e46 M3 CSL but just would have no opportunity to have fun in it.
Camaro ZL1 or Mustang GT500 are both great fun at low speeds but if you do find yourself on your own - with approx 600bhp each they will more than entertain also. The rarity of them is an additional benefit.
QuattroDave said:
Bear in mind my last Audi was a 1987 UR Quattro which had character, noise, feedback through the wheel (though I needed to polybush to achieve that) and a sense of occasion. The RS6 on paper suggested it would be an occasion too, but it can't hold a candle against the UR for occasion. I suspect you're right about all fast modern Audis. Think I'll give them a miss for a while, least until an R8 comes into budget!
Just got the missus into a 2.0 diesel Q5 (fully loaded bruv, innit) against my better judgement, mainly because she wouldn't cave in to my suggestion of a clean, good vfm Tiguan and a holiday.It ticks the boxes perfectly; it's an Audi (and therefore impresses her aspirational friends), but does all the things the equivalent VW would for a paltry couple £K more. A quick check of the VIN number revealed that it wasn't one of the VAG-diesel-cheatcode cars- something which she didn't give a sh*t about once she'd seen the 20 inch wheels and sat on the posh leather. Can't live with 'em, etc....
That's what modern Audis do as far as I'm concerned- provide sensible daily motoring at a relatively affordable price with 'premium' badge/ image. They are the last marque Id look to for a modern, engaging performance car. Almost across the model range (and we are privileged enough to have lots of access to new/ newish Audis via a friend who works for them) they manage to be feel numb, characterless and somehow 'detached', to me at least.
Afew years ago I would spot a large-engined, hot Audi and feel some kind of cool factor. I'd at least hold out some hope that there was a keen driver behind the wheel. Now, I tend to think (for lack of a better/ less outdated word) 'yuppie'. I hate to perpetuate TG/ Clarkson clichés, but that's my honest, considered observation. There will be many exceptions to this ofcourse; I mean no offence to true PHers in fast Audis, of which Im sure there are many.
I (respectfully) would say to QuattroDave that you may have been a little naïve in coming from an old UR Quattro and expecting a comparably engaging/ fun experience from the new car. The shortcomings of modern performance Audis are fairly well documented in the motoring press (admittedly with notable exceptions- Chris Harris seems quite enamoured with them for example).
They offer nothing that Id genuinely want to 'explore' in any depth/ for any length of time outside of the R8. The fact that Id feel the need to modify any modern Audi to really enjoy it suggests that Id be a better match for an M, AMG, or similar scary RWD-type-thing.
Bet I'm not the only one...
daveofedinburgh said:
Just got the missus into a 2.0 diesel Q5 (fully loaded bruv, innit) against my better judgement, mainly because she wouldn't cave in to my suggestion of a clean, good vfm Tiguan and a holiday.
It ticks the boxes perfectly; it's an Audi (and therefore impresses her aspirational friends), but does all the things the equivalent VW would for a paltry couple £K more. A quick check of the VIN number revealed that it wasn't one of the VAG-diesel-cheatcode cars- something which she didn't give a sh*t about once she'd seen the 20 inch wheels and sat on the posh leather. Can't live with 'em, etc....
That's what modern Audis do as far as I'm concerned- provide sensible daily motoring at a relatively affordable price with 'premium' badge/ image. They are the last marque Id look to for a modern, engaging performance car. Almost across the model range (and we are privileged enough to have lots of access to new/ newish Audis via a friend who works for them) they manage to be feel numb, characterless and somehow 'detached', to me at least.
Afew years ago I would spot a large-engined, hot Audi and feel some kind of cool factor. I'd at least hold out some hope that there was a keen driver behind the wheel. Now, I tend to think (for lack of a better/ less outdated word) 'yuppie'. I hate to perpetuate TG/ Clarkson clichés, but that's my honest, considered observation. There will be many exceptions to this ofcourse; I mean no offence to true PHers in fast Audis, of which Im sure there are many.
I (respectfully) would say to QuattroDave that you may have been a little naïve in coming from an old UR Quattro and expecting a comparably engaging/ fun experience from the new car. The shortcomings of modern performance Audis are fairly well documented in the motoring press (admittedly with notable exceptions- Chris Harris seems quite enamoured with them for example).
They offer nothing that Id genuinely want to 'explore' in any depth/ for any length of time outside of the R8. The fact that Id feel the need to modify any modern Audi to really enjoy it suggests that Id be a better match for an M, AMG, or similar scary RWD-type-thing.
Bet I'm not the only one...
Yep I knew that modern Audis are characterless, however I'd always wanted an RS6 and when I saw one I thought I couldn't lose money on I decided to give it a whirl (and as it turned out I couldn't lose money on it, in fact I made quite a lot of money!) so I wouldn't call it naive, more a very calculated purchase!It ticks the boxes perfectly; it's an Audi (and therefore impresses her aspirational friends), but does all the things the equivalent VW would for a paltry couple £K more. A quick check of the VIN number revealed that it wasn't one of the VAG-diesel-cheatcode cars- something which she didn't give a sh*t about once she'd seen the 20 inch wheels and sat on the posh leather. Can't live with 'em, etc....
That's what modern Audis do as far as I'm concerned- provide sensible daily motoring at a relatively affordable price with 'premium' badge/ image. They are the last marque Id look to for a modern, engaging performance car. Almost across the model range (and we are privileged enough to have lots of access to new/ newish Audis via a friend who works for them) they manage to be feel numb, characterless and somehow 'detached', to me at least.
Afew years ago I would spot a large-engined, hot Audi and feel some kind of cool factor. I'd at least hold out some hope that there was a keen driver behind the wheel. Now, I tend to think (for lack of a better/ less outdated word) 'yuppie'. I hate to perpetuate TG/ Clarkson clichés, but that's my honest, considered observation. There will be many exceptions to this ofcourse; I mean no offence to true PHers in fast Audis, of which Im sure there are many.
I (respectfully) would say to QuattroDave that you may have been a little naïve in coming from an old UR Quattro and expecting a comparably engaging/ fun experience from the new car. The shortcomings of modern performance Audis are fairly well documented in the motoring press (admittedly with notable exceptions- Chris Harris seems quite enamoured with them for example).
They offer nothing that Id genuinely want to 'explore' in any depth/ for any length of time outside of the R8. The fact that Id feel the need to modify any modern Audi to really enjoy it suggests that Id be a better match for an M, AMG, or similar scary RWD-type-thing.
Bet I'm not the only one...
I too have seen Mr Harris' videos where he's been quite entertained by fast audi estates.
I loved owning my URq but would I get another one, not a chance. Lost most of my hair with the problems it gave me, not helped by Audi's insistence to leech of the URq name for everything and then staunchly refuse to support owners of said vehicle. Lots of NLA issues and a well worn position over a barrel!
When spring comes I'll consider a boxster and have already considered an S2000 and actually an RX8 as even though it's for weekend fun I'd like the option of taking both wife and child out with me in it!
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