This was a very limited test. I was the car's first real driver (insert rude joke here) with the odometer reading 3.2 when I got in. Car had been pre-delivery inspected, but NO GAS!! "Miles to empty said "5" and promptly went to zero two miles into the drive. Yikes! Thought I might be the first to need roadside assistance on a test drive!

Exterior color was the new pale blue (I forget the name, but kind of a light blue-silver). Looked pretty, but it was after dark so I can't say for certain. Platinum interior (ambition) with walnut. 5-spoke wheels (nowhere NEAR as handsome as my Bauhaus-ers!!) but nice.

Sticker including premium pkg, heated seats front and rear and convenience package was $42.7M+.

Impressions (subjective, of course): Finman's right about the steering wheel (see below). I thought the chrome ring around the steering wheel center insert looked decent if that had been the end of it, but the "matching" chrome rings surrounding all the gauges really looked cheesey. Or maybe ricey. At night, all of 'em picked up some light reflection from the gauges. Weird and distracting since current arrangement has nothing there to reflect, just sweet blackness. I would never have opted for this new look. (Maybe the same designer who "plastic-ed" the steering wheel?) 6-cd changer-in-dash is cool but I thought some of the displays (e.g., volume sliding bar) were sorta odd (although I did not play much with the radio/cd.) ESP and two non-functional switches on left side above radio, cupholder on the other.

Steering response and the feel of the suspension suggested to me, as I think Bollinger opined a few days ago, that Audi's gone to something close to a "sport" arrangement for both as standard. Sorry the drive was so short so I couldn't "flog" it a bit. Rear valance and chrome exhaust tips are most excellent. Very, very cool. Front end duplicates 4.2 look as photos have shown. Engine appearance with revised/reduced shrouds very nice, too. Nifty feature I hadn't heard about...left-side mirror (maybe right-side, too, but I didn't check), controlled from center console as in '01's, but has a setting to fold in/out the mirror (I missed that and accidentally "folded" when I meant to "adjust"...doh!)

Best for last...you can definitely tell this is NOT a 2.8. It moves out nicely. No pig, it.

 

Interesting, informative and entertaining report, thanks! You're going to ruin your reputation

 

Chrome rings around dials, not found of it either. Audi wants to copy BMW's ?

 

Thanks. And I've worked so hard on my reputation, too.