ppith

Well, the evening got off to a slow start with about three stalls (you really can lift off the clutch with a minimal amount of revs to get going, not necessary to bring to 2000 rpm and keep it there the entire time like my sister's integra...but it takes a little getting used to). Must remind myself to ease off clutch slowly... I kept it at 3000rpm - 4000rpm most of the night with two or three slow accelerations up to about 6000rpm. Earlier in the night before I hit 100 miles, I was driving 35mph to 45mph. It's so hard to keep the reins in... Acceleration wise I have been going easy with occasional 1/4 to 1/2 drops on the gas pedal. WOT will wait until I get closer to 1000 miles. My friend took me half an hour outside of Albuquerque to climb the Sandia Mountains up to the crest on these ULTRA curvy roads. Let me put it this way: in any other non-sports car/sedan (or wannabe sports car/sedan) tons of body roll plus the sound of skidding tires would be heard. We were taking turns at 40mph-45mph when the sign recommended 20mph. FYI, my car came with the P6000 tires. It feels like I'm driving in "fast forward" mode as the S4 slices through curve after curve after curve. I kept expecting the ESP sound to come on and it never chirped...neither did my tires.

You know what else sucks right now? I don't have a Passport 8500 (and probably won't buy one until I'm finished breaking in the car). All these posers want to race me and I can't do a thing about it but just cruise on up to 35mph-40mph. And another rant: why does shifting to fourth (sorry, earlier I said third, I meant to say fourth) gear feel so fricking weird?! It's not exactly straight down, feels like kind of down and to the right a little. 5th feels normal, I haven't shifted it into 6th gear yet. Tons of people either drive behind or pull up next to the car and just stare at it. It's cool when they're checking out the car, especially the VW owners. I really like the climate control system. The bose system could use a little bit more bass. The xenon headlights are awesome! I noticed a few "auto adjustments" when I was driving down/up hills. The ergonomics of the center console aren't exactly the greatest...I don't like having to take my eyes off the road to adjust things (so usually only done when I slow down or get to a stop light). I suppose over time I'll memorize the feel of everything in the center console, but it's definitely not natural. It's really cool how everything is digital. Also, what's up with the "OK" everytime I engage the clutch while starting the car properly? If the clutch is only partially pressed down, the car will notify you which is pretty cool. Anyways, there's my first report. I'll probably write another one as things get interesting in the car. See yas!

golem

congrats!

i think the OK is part of a computer self check...

actually i think if you lift the clutch slow enuf, the ecu will automatically try not to stall the car and add gas

for the longest time i couldnt find the clock on the dash... took a pretty concentrated effort to find it

have fun with your new ride!

misen

Congrats on your purchase. I would like to get an S4 Avant soon. Did you get this at Premier Motors in ABQ? If so, how much did you pay and who did you work with?

TIA.

Misen

ppith

I bought my car from Premier Motors in Albuquerque. If you go shop there, please speak with Mas and tell him I sent you! I paid about $44.6K for the car after tax, title, and license. But then again, I special ordered my car. They have a Nogaro sedan on their lot right now. It's a 2001 six speed. It looks like someone's car came in and they changed their mind about buying it. I doubt it will be on the lot long... You may be able to bargain for any cars they have on the lot. I have not seen any S4 Avants here in town since the S4 came out, only sedans. I'd be happy to meet you down there sometime. e-mail ppith at speakeasy.org if you're interested.

DarkDriveT

Buy one! That would make three of us in Albuquerque.