A8 to SUV?
11-15-2017, 07:41 AM
#11
Yes, Q7 is shorter. More like A6, which was platform it started from back at Gen 1 relative to C6.
FWIW, I don't have same impression w/ new Q7. I wanted to like it, but getting one for a loaner for a couple of days while they had the S8 for service was a wake up call. In particular, to me virtual dash eventually came off as "meh" and just another gimmick after first drive or two. Kids also pointed out that like mobile phone screens, they thought it is more likely to feel dated a few years later as displays and resolutions change. Probably more important though, it was a sea of mediocre plastic, all over the whole vehicle. Immediately strongly reminded me of the two minivans we had as a family along the way--Town & Country and Sienna. That the dealer couldn't be bothered to clean it and so it had the kids' junk food wrappers and such under the middle seats didn't help. No more minivans, SUV drag or otherwise for us. At least at my (nice) S8 level, interior was/is in an entirely different league. Has now reset me to hoping Q8 gets released and it is more upscale as speculated.
FWIW, I don't have same impression w/ new Q7. I wanted to like it, but getting one for a loaner for a couple of days while they had the S8 for service was a wake up call. In particular, to me virtual dash eventually came off as "meh" and just another gimmick after first drive or two. Kids also pointed out that like mobile phone screens, they thought it is more likely to feel dated a few years later as displays and resolutions change. Probably more important though, it was a sea of mediocre plastic, all over the whole vehicle. Immediately strongly reminded me of the two minivans we had as a family along the way--Town & Country and Sienna. That the dealer couldn't be bothered to clean it and so it had the kids' junk food wrappers and such under the middle seats didn't help. No more minivans, SUV drag or otherwise for us. At least at my (nice) S8 level, interior was/is in an entirely different league. Has now reset me to hoping Q8 gets released and it is more upscale as speculated.
11-16-2017, 04:30 AM
#12
AudiWorld Member
Earlier in this thread I commented that I preferred my new S8 Plus to my 2014 Cayenne S. Let me expand on that. As I noted, I preferred my D3 to the Cayenne when taking a trip, and I recall from my first test drive of a 2011 NWB D4, that it was an upgrade in the driving experience vs the D3, and I attribute that, basically, to the aluminum chassis. Rated power for the 2011 was up a bit, but probably achieved at top RPM, so largely irrelevant for sedan driving. In fact, I was going to comment in my previous post that the 400 HP Cayenne with the similar ZF 8 speed transmission was powerful enough In just about any sedan type driving situation verses the S8 Plus, but I feared that sentiment might provoke an attack, so I kept that thought to myself. Point is, I thought the base D4 4.0 engine was very impressive, and I doubt that there is a perceptible difference powerwise between the S8 and the S8 Plus. Purely marketing, in my opinion. I bought my Plus based upon driving dynamics and interior luxury. No pre Plus S8 owner should feel shortchanged.
Something else about horsepower. I am fortunate enough to own two 911's, one rated at a little over 200 HP, and another one with a power to weight ratio not too far behind an S8. These cars see WOT nearly every time I take them out, as opposed to a sedan or a SUV, so I actually experience rated HP in them, and I am at least as happy blasting through the back roads in my 200 HP, non stability control 1985 911, which I have owned since new. Point is, HP is not the be all and end all to me.
Mike
,
Something else about horsepower. I am fortunate enough to own two 911's, one rated at a little over 200 HP, and another one with a power to weight ratio not too far behind an S8. These cars see WOT nearly every time I take them out, as opposed to a sedan or a SUV, so I actually experience rated HP in them, and I am at least as happy blasting through the back roads in my 200 HP, non stability control 1985 911, which I have owned since new. Point is, HP is not the be all and end all to me.
Mike
,
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