RE: Audi RS4 (B8) | PH Used Buying Guide
Discussion
I really liked my non Sport pack B8. Lovely daily driver apart from the fuel consumption and the engine undertray coming off.
The engine was a peach, a rival for my old E92's S65. The chassis was great for cruising but while it had great grip, the body control was a bit lacking compared to the E92 M3, but I don't think it was meant as a rival the the M3 at all.
A superb autobahn stormer. I was a bit meh about it while I had it, but i miss it now more than ever. Strange, isnt it?
The engine was a peach, a rival for my old E92's S65. The chassis was great for cruising but while it had great grip, the body control was a bit lacking compared to the E92 M3, but I don't think it was meant as a rival the the M3 at all.
A superb autobahn stormer. I was a bit meh about it while I had it, but i miss it now more than ever. Strange, isnt it?
Bought this as the last one from the local stealers back in 2015. Have loved it ever since, though having only covered around 19k , its only just broken in!
The Good:
Soundtrack is amazing at high revs with sports exhaust. Doesn't have the AMG type of burble but its still epic. Grip is amazing and in sport the torque is awesome. Interior is 2 gens old but still has good satnav and bluetooth. usual Audi quality inside and nothing has broken or is rattling. Insurance is relatively low considering (no points or accidents in last 5+ years). Mine is black with privacy and has the panoramic roof and black pack so its a "stealthy" beast. The B&O sound system is very good and with dolby surround is tuneable and provides good bass and sounds quality. Controls are easy to use too.
Tha bad:
Dynamic steering is a bit lifeless and the 20in wheels are particularly vunerable to curbs, but most of the low profile ones are. It drinks fuel, and the tank is bloody small it seems (55l?), but my daily commute is quite low so i stick about £80 every 2 weeks (V power only of course). I tend to find it needs a good blast down the motorway every couple of weeks to blow out some cobwebs and then seems more responsive at low speed for a week or so.
Back seats don't have a huge amount of leg room considering its an estate, especially with the seats back (i am tall). The radar assisted cruise is ok though the lane assist is gen1 so not as good as the basic one you have in a VW Golf MK7.5 (missus has one and its excellent!). Dynamic mode is bone rattling and not pleasant to use though it sticks to the road even more! The S-Tronic box is very good, but i think a normal DSG is quicker at shifting. Its not a bad thing, but its not the fastest.
I'm currently looking at chopping it in for an F-Pace SVR, but in 2 minds as to whether its a good idea. The RS is fantastic and some of my mates are saying it's a bad idea. I drove the F-Pace and the soundtrack is utterly outstanding which is what is drawing me to it.
The Good:
Soundtrack is amazing at high revs with sports exhaust. Doesn't have the AMG type of burble but its still epic. Grip is amazing and in sport the torque is awesome. Interior is 2 gens old but still has good satnav and bluetooth. usual Audi quality inside and nothing has broken or is rattling. Insurance is relatively low considering (no points or accidents in last 5+ years). Mine is black with privacy and has the panoramic roof and black pack so its a "stealthy" beast. The B&O sound system is very good and with dolby surround is tuneable and provides good bass and sounds quality. Controls are easy to use too.
Tha bad:
Dynamic steering is a bit lifeless and the 20in wheels are particularly vunerable to curbs, but most of the low profile ones are. It drinks fuel, and the tank is bloody small it seems (55l?), but my daily commute is quite low so i stick about £80 every 2 weeks (V power only of course). I tend to find it needs a good blast down the motorway every couple of weeks to blow out some cobwebs and then seems more responsive at low speed for a week or so.
Back seats don't have a huge amount of leg room considering its an estate, especially with the seats back (i am tall). The radar assisted cruise is ok though the lane assist is gen1 so not as good as the basic one you have in a VW Golf MK7.5 (missus has one and its excellent!). Dynamic mode is bone rattling and not pleasant to use though it sticks to the road even more! The S-Tronic box is very good, but i think a normal DSG is quicker at shifting. Its not a bad thing, but its not the fastest.
I'm currently looking at chopping it in for an F-Pace SVR, but in 2 minds as to whether its a good idea. The RS is fantastic and some of my mates are saying it's a bad idea. I drove the F-Pace and the soundtrack is utterly outstanding which is what is drawing me to it.
Still like these a lot. I can imagine a £16K one with a thorough inspection plus a few ££ kept in reserve might be a good daily chariot. If DRC fails - fit coil overs, a few tweaks here and there and could be a nice long termer.
Mind you I wouldn’t swap my F80 M3 for one as that’s a car that’s more challenging to learn to drive, more modern and it’s another Jekyll and Hyde kind of car.
Mind you I wouldn’t swap my F80 M3 for one as that’s a car that’s more challenging to learn to drive, more modern and it’s another Jekyll and Hyde kind of car.
G30001 said:
Which coilovers/ARB setup did you go for? and who set it up?
I have a 034 Motorsport x brace with CR-15 strut brace and it made the world of difference, Mine doesn't have DRC but I still want to sort the choppy low speed ride out.
I went for KW V1 and they are perfect. That choppy low speed ride will be gone! Comfort is perfect and mine is set really low. I must admit I cannot fathom how they get the comfort and yet keep it really planted.I have a 034 Motorsport x brace with CR-15 strut brace and it made the world of difference, Mine doesn't have DRC but I still want to sort the choppy low speed ride out.
I have the Cr-15 to and the difference is quite amazing.
I went with H&R for the ARB and makes a noticeable difference when pressing on in the corners.
Spinitboy said:
Dynamic steering is a bit lifeless and the 20in wheels are particularly vunerable to curbs, but most of the low profile ones are. It drinks fuel, and the tank is bloody small it seems (55l?), but my daily commute is quite low so i stick about £80 every 2 weeks (V power only of course). I tend to find it needs a good blast down the motorway every couple of weeks to blow out some cobwebs and then seems more responsive at low speed for a week or so.
61 litres - I get about 340 miles out of a tank on a run, or 240 miles if pushing on agree - the dynamic steering is s
te, in comfort it's too light and in dynamic it's tugging left and right for no reasonHad one of these for almost 3 years and loved it. The engine and the noise it makes, particularly when cold and in sports mode makes the car what it is. Mine had new shocks all round which required two visits to the dealer and would have been mega expensive out of warranty. I never replaced the disks or pads during my ownerhship which I am thankfull for as they are eye watering like the warranty which like most cars of this ilk is pretty much mandatory if you want to sleep well at nights.
Spinitboy said:
The S-Tronic box is very good, but i think a normal DSG is quicker at shifting. Its not a bad thing, but its not the fastest.
S-Tronic is just Audi's name for DSG. It's a different gearbox to the DSGs found in the transverse-engined VW Group cars though on account of needing to be mounted the other way around.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff