B7Quattro Pete

the 3.2 obviously competes very well with the 328xi!

B7Quattro Pete

now you'll take a heavy tranverse mounted 3.6 Passat POS boat over the 3.2 A4, why....because it has more power? hilarious! The Passat can't even win a comparison against a V6 Accord

justhacking

As far as price/performance is concerned, the 3.2Q is made to compete with the 330i. I don't know what you guys in the US are getting the car for but over here the 330i/3.2Q prices are closely matched. When you look at the performance figure they are within 0.1s for the 0-62mph dash.

Do I hear people complain that the 330i is slow? No, because it's a BMW, and we all know that even a 318i will be faster than a RS4.

jwj

As for comparisons, one can compare any car they want against the 3.2. I stated my opinion and you have yours. There is no mention of the G35 or G37 or the IS350, just the 335i. So, if you compare to a 330i you'll have closer performance results. To a G37, (which is about 8k less then a 335i) or 335i performance results will be lacking. But people will compare to whatever car they are interested in and so will automotive magazines.

What about the 2.0? Would you have liked to have seen at least a 2.2 with more power. 3650lbs is a lot to move for 211 HP. A loaded 2.0 will cost what a 330 HP G37 will.
This is why I liked the 3.0 TDI. HP and torque with fuel mileage. I understand it runs to 60 in 5.9 sec or a little quicker then the 3.2 while getting 40 mpg cruising.
Anyone have any idea of what the cost of the 3.0 will be? I was thinking in line with 3.2 but not sure after reading article. Interesting fact, 80% of Q7's sold in Europe have the 3.0 TDI. The article on the A5 stated how well this engine performed and a lot of driving was left in 3rd gear as trq. was produced from around 1500-3500 rpm.

justhacking

but if you go ask the product planner of Audi, they will tell you that the 3.2 is intended to take on the 330i, and not the 335i. Don't forget that the 335i was also introduced later in the product cycle. The 330i was the top 3 series for awhile. Same thing that the 3.2 will be the top A4 until the S4 arrives later.

To me (or most Audi enthusiasts), the strategy is quite clearly. The 1.8T is up against 320i while the 2.0T later will take on the 325i. 3.2Q is for 330i and S4 is for 335i. Later in the product cycle, the RS4 will take on the M3. This is how it works out and pretty simple.

I am also dying for a diesel as well and I believe that the 3.0TDI will be the best real world engine. Hopefully the legislators in my country come wake up and start letting diesel passenger car in sooner.

jwj

Audi's engine line up and said the 3.2 will not be competitive in the performance category against Infiniti G37, IS350, 335i some MB and Caddy's. No one mentions anything else but the 335i. Since it will be the first car out, it will be compared against many cars, including the 335i. Then, when the S4 comes out, they can compare those.

Now, as far as the diesel. I've been saying it's going to be the hottest engine going as there is so much power down under 3300 RPM. This is more to my point- 300 HP and lots of torque while getting great fuel economy with an engine that will last many hundreds of thousands of miles, (and doesn't have coilpacks)!

DimaA6_ABC_Kiev

since forum is mostly visited by Americans, your point is 100% valid. I would do the same if I would live in USA without any hesitation - buy S4 and forget about regular A4 - price difference is not that much. In Europe we have prices sometimes twice bigger than in the US - price in Euro often higher than price in dollars in the US (I mean - without conversion, just comparing numbers, like $56K and Euro 60K, note 1.46 conversion ratio).

Ukraine should join WTO (hopefully this year), after which custom barriers for cars should be dropped by about 15-20%, especially with big engines. If this will happen, I consider buying S4 rathen than A4 - I see no sense buying 2.8/3.2 if I can buy 3.0 bi-turbo.

jwj

So I completely understand your point. I feel many of the new cars are expensive, (not just Audi).
When cars are available, I will look at the 3.0 TDI and the S4. Personally, I am excited about the TDI, it seems it will offer great longevity, performance and economy, (both costs and fuel mileage).

B7Quattro Pete

Excellent write-up!

JoeO

right.