SimonRS4

I'm driving home after a golf game last Friday on the Taconic Parkway in New York. For you non-New Yorkers, it's a twisty, narrow, two-laned, sometimes steeply hilled divided highway (at least most of it).

There's a favorite sharp curve of mine that, when relatively clear of traffic, I take at about 80mph (posted limit for it is 30mph) just to feel the Gs and admire the lack of my RS4's tire squeal. Anyway, half way around the curve I burn past a Corvette (C6, I think).

About 30 seconds later, I reach a steep uphill grade, also with lots of curves. At this point I'm cruising at about 65 or 70. What do I see in my wing mirror, but the 'Vette coming up really fast. The road right here has no shoulder, a stone wall on one side and the guard rail on the other...at high speeds a bit of a white knuckle stretch. For context, most cars trundle along below 50...especially when cars are in the lane next to them as there's barely a foot between vehicles.

I dropped down a couple of gears and floored it. The 'Vette was almost level with me at that point. I was actually quite surprised to see him slowly drop back. Glanced down at my speedo and I was doing 115! He never caught up to me until I backed off to preserve what's left of my life.

I think the 'Vette C6 has more torque and gets up there a mite quicker than an RS4 too. I guess the narrowness and curves of the hill made him nervous. Anyway....it felt pretty darned good and might make him think twice next time he challenges an RS4 on anything but a straightaway.

ghoonk

but being rwd, it takes some big cojones to play catch with an RS4 in the mountain pass.

I'd also go as far as to say that a stock Evo 9 GSR or Evo X might keep up or (gasp) outrun an RS4 in the same passes, but it'd never feel as comfortable doing so.

Vijay

For all but pro or near-pro drivers, all wheel drive will allow you to push the envelope with far more safety and control than two-wheel drive. The Vette's absolute limits are higher than an RS4's but only in the hands of a precious few.

Most likely, the Vette driver was pissing his pants.

1 Jedi

The Taconic is tight and you have to be on rails or you are off the road

TwentyValveB5+S4

If it was a C6, you're probably right, just made him a little nervous. The C6s actually handle quite well.

sillyboy

I've had more than a couple of 50 yr old guys egg me on only to have that WTF? look on their face when I pulled on them, especially the convertible model..

SimonRS4

Exactly 1 Jedi! Doing 115 on the curves there in any of my previous rides would have been unthinkable. Funny additional anecdote is that I was on the RS4's Bluetooth phone system at the time, on a business conference call. Someone asked me to mute as there was a lot of noise apparently coming from my line. I wonder why

SimonRS4

Just checked pics of C5s online...they have the pop-up headlights. This guy had to be in a C6. Nervousness had to be it...didn't want that rear-end smacking the guardrail if the back drifted.