B7 A4 handling capabilities? Compared to what else you've driven

[BLACKa4QUAT]

What I like about our cars is that the active safety measure, our torsen quattro diff with ABS traction control, is actually part of the fun in the car.

i agree with this, and also that the safety of these cars are another thing. when i was living in north texas i would get a week or so of ice / snow a year, and i was able to drive on it like it was nothing, took it a little slower, and the abs kicked in alot more, but i felt confident driving.
and another thing that brought me back to audi was this: a ford ranger t-boned me at 50+ mph running a red light in my b6, and i walked away, back was a little tweaked, but i was ok.


sure the steering feels a bit numb, but it feels weighted enough for me, i actually liked the feel of the b6's steering over the b7 (b6 steering feels more weighted). compared to my pop's toy 92 miata (full adjustable c/o's, full poly bushings, scca approved rollbar, no power steering from the factory, motor and brakes out of a 96). the a4 feels like a pig, comfortable to cruise in, and an amazing interior IMO, the miata feels like a go-kart, but traction and control feel confident in all conditions with quattro. try driving a miata in the snow / icy roads. aint gonna work well. atleast compared to the a4

[speedydragon]

...and proper tires

x2. Tires play a big role in handling. I clearly felt a significant loss in grip when I went from 235-40-18 UHP summer performance to 225-40-18 uhp all seasons. But the car still grips superbly compared to some other cars I've driven.

[quattrosaint]

^^^ I agree with that statement. That's why I think the rear sway bar is a great investment to help cut down on understeer. As it's been said on here before... Oversteer scares the passengers, Understeer scares the driver.

I like to scare them both ways! I have very to little understeer, and I can get the cars sideways with a little effort. Yes the RS4 sway, springs, and RS4 full alignment made all the difference! The A4 really does handle mods nicely.

[fromGMCtoAUDI]

and another thing that brought me back to audi was this: a ford ranger t-boned me at 50+ mph running a red light in my b6, and i walked away, back was a little tweaked, but i was ok.

A friend of mine overseas had a horrible accident in a 2001 black A6 a few years ago. He was doing 170 kmph (105 mph) on the left lane and a car cut him off so he swerved to the left and hit the bricks head on. The front half of the car was beyond recognition (looked like a garbage bag) and he only got a fracture in his knee from the steering wheel which tilted down (safety feature). A month later he's walking again, incredible.

[Bmeister]

To add to this, there is more than just the ability to navigate through inclement weather comparing one car over another; any car can do it but some are much better than others.

I'd much rather be in a gas-hog SUV 4x4, a Mercedes 4matic, or an Audi Quattro during poor weather conditions just to be protected from other drivers. Mercedes and Audi have a double firewall design and an outstanding ability to withstand high speed impact which includes being hit by other idiots on the road. Look at that B6 accident photo, for instance

It's true you can "get by just fine" in a RWD car in snow/ice (I've done it), but I'd much rather have 4WD or AWD to give me that extra ability to pull out of the way of an impending accident as I've done many times in my 1,000,000+ miles of lifetime driving. Yes, I've logged over one million miles in cars, pickups and SUVs as part of my business in all weather conditions.

Traction rules in all aspects of driving safely, but no set of super-tires replaces the traction abilities for maneuvering like an AWD system (it's better than part time 4WD and worlds better than RWD). The next Mercedes replacement will be 4matic and I'll get another Audi Quattro when I use up the current A4 and of course I'll keep at least one SUV in the garage.