Re: A4Q vs BMW 328i

[Alex Kowalski <akowalsk@shrike.depaul.edu>]

Ti Kan wrote:
> 
> Carl Cox writes:
> I found that the A4Q has a very long throttle pedal travel.
> You really need to step it in pretty far to get some
> acceleration.  That in itself may give a feeling that
> the car is not ultra responsive.  But the car does accelerate
> with authority once the throttle is fully open.
> 
> -Ti
> 96 A4 quattro
> 84 5000S Turbo
> 80 4000
> --
>     ///  Ti Kan                Vorsprung durch Technik
>    ///   AMB Research Laboratories, Sunnyvale, CA. USA
>   ///    Internet: ti@amb.org
>  //////  UUCP:     ...!uunet!bazooka!ti
> ///      URL:      http://sunsite.unc.edu/~cddb/tikan/

Why do many Audis have such a low "tip-in" accelleration (as I've heard 
it described?).  Most of the Audis my family has owned have accellerated, 
to someone who is accustomed to an American car's immediate 1100 RPM 
grunty, touch-n-go throttle, rather lacklusterly off the line.   I think 
it's because Audis are first very aerodynamic cars and second the 
engineers are interested in driver control at the speeds people 
usually travel...at 60-90 mph, you can modulate your speed to a great 
degree with the longer, softer pedal travel (using that first 1/2-3/4 
inch) without using the cruise control or tiring your right foot, over 
long distances.  I drove my dad's '86 Wagon from Miami to Massachusetts 
and only used the cruise on very long, straight stretches without a lot 
of mileage penalty.  Ti is right...usually you have to step into the 
throttle pedal farther on an Audi to get accelleration comparable to 
other cars.  This does not mean the car is underpowered.  It's a matter 
of habit.  Floor it, it can take it!  And if it is still underpowered for 
your tastes, save the money of the BMW and spend a few hundred on the 
modifications that will make it run more to your liking...

And you will appreciate the greater throttle modulation in wet and snowy 
conditions, which in combination with the Quattro driveline makes the car 
very assuring to drive under these circumstances, while you listen to 
other people spin their tires, and their cars, in futility.

A biased answer...

Alex 




  

Just my opinion...

Alex
'84 4KQ