B9 Audi RS4 Carbon Edition
Discussion
As is tradition on my threads/journals, there will be a bit of background to the purchase first... so feel free to scroll down the first few paragraphs to miss that out and get to the new car details/photos, I won't be offended. 
This purchase came about after looking at the cars I currently had and seeing how little the majority of them were being used. The current line up (with clicky links to make it easier/remind me to update the threads!) was:
2015 F80 M3
2008 E90 M3
2010 8P S3
2002 EP3 Type R (Supercharged)
1996 Volvo 940
2000 EJ9 Civic 3dr
- The S3 was being used as my daily driver, however, it's not the most practical solution with Barney the labrador to cart around.
- Both of the M3s have sat and done next to nothing this year.
- My EP3 track car had done 21 miles between MOTs and the test station is an 18 mile round trip.
- The Volvo 940 and EJ9 Civic have been put away in a workshop/unit and forgotten about for years.
Initially I had thought about selling the F80 and replacing it with something a bit more of a sports car than an uber-saloon so I test drove a few cars: V10 R8, Aston 4.7 V8V, 981 Boxster S; with varying levels of success/enjoyment.
However after really thinking about it and realising I have very little time to actually enjoy an occasional/weekend car just now (hence the lack of use my cars have seen) and that I now spend most (>95%) of my time in my daily driver going to work, visiting friends/family and taking Barney out.. the idea of continuing with the S3 as a daily driver and having something worth a large chunk of cash sitting doing a thousand miles a year or so didn't seem sensible. So I started to look at upgrading my daily driver with something a bit more special that could cover a multitude of bases and therefore mean I was getting more use and enjoyment out of my purchase.
Options I was considering were:
- Macan GTS/Turbo
- Panamera Sport Turismo
- W205 C63 Estate
- F31 Alpina B3/D3 Touring
- B9 RS4
The two Porsches were counted out because I eventually decided I didn't want an SUV and the Panamera ST was too big (part of the reason an E63 and C7 RS6 didn't make the list) to thread around villages/towns locally to me or take on a run down some Scottish B-roads.
F31 B3 Alpinas are like hens teeth and when they do appear, they looked to be more than I was comfortable paying for a car. I found a grey F31 D3 which was within budget, but while I'm not a stance junkie, the sizeable gap between the arches and wheels looked awkward. Ultimately I want to be able to tweak something to my own taste visually/handling-wise if needs be.. and having felt a little constricted in that regard with a couple of rarer previous cars I've owned.. I felt like I'd be in the same position with the Alpina. Also, the ride/handling is a bit of an Alpina signature dish so throwing on some aftermarket suspension would feel like I'd removed a big chunk of what makes an Alpina special.
This generation of C63 was a strong contender. I really like the look of them and with a bit of searching I could find an attractive (read: not white/grey/black) specification car. However after going to look at a couple of them in person, I was left a little disappointed by the quality/feel of the interior on them.. some trim pieces felt a bit low rent... unlike the engine, which was absolutely fantastic.
My budget allowed me to look at both B9 RS4 and the facelift B9.5 RS4, however, given that there are no mechanical differences between the two cars which I could find.. there are a couple of things which steered me towards a B9 rather than later B9.5 cars.
Firstly the infotainment has been altered on the later cars; removing the spinning MMI wheel in front of the gearstick with a (larger) full touchscreen instead. Being very used to having BMW i-Drive set ups in my cars for the last decade or so and luckily having lived with a B9.5 A5 Sportback courtesy car with the touchscreen set up recently; I knew that I didn't want to lose a manual wheel to spin through the menus with. I actually think it's a bit of an oversight from Audi.. it is nice to have a touchscreen, but the later BMW F-series i-Drives manage to have both the touchscreen and manual wheel to navigate the various menus. The wheel/shortcut buttons have only been replaced with an awkward little cubby in the B9.5 too, so I can see no reason for it other than cost cutting.
The second reason is a very subjective one; I prefer the the exterior design of the earlier cars with the more angular/sharper lines of the headlights, the frame on the grille (facelift cars are frameless) and solid indicators rather than sectional versions that reminded me of my eyebrow when I was a wee boy and tried to copy Jonah Lomu with the '11' he had shaved in to his eyebrow.
So after all that, these are the details of the car which I've ended up with:
B9 RS4 Carbon Edition
Audi Exclusive Nogaro Blue
RS Sport Suspension Plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC)
Comfort & Sound Package
Parking Assitance Pack Advanced
Dynamic Steering
TPMS
Folding/Dimming Mirrors
Heated Front & Rear
Electric Memory Seats
Storage Package
Heated Steering Wheel
Audi Phonebox with Wireless Charging
Link to the Audi brochure at the time for the full spec list: RS246 Link
The obligatory 'first fill up' photo:
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Some interior photos courtesy of the advert/dealer:
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Gratuitous V6 Twin Turbo shot:
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
562 miles from dealer to my front door, including the hellish M25, hellish M1, hellish A66 and then making reasonable progress on the M6/M74 returned:
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
I don't think that's bad considering the terrible traffic that I had to deal with and the pace at which I managed to cover the last leg of the journey. Before I reached the M6 the average consumption was sitting at ~37mpg.
...and here it is after I'd arrived home:
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr
Once the monsoon has finished here and I get a chance, I'll be cleaning it up and taking some more photos of it.. a wee shakedown up my favourite B-road is on the cards too. However so far I'm really impressed and happy with it, covered the mileage up the road with ease and in total comfort.
This purchase came about after looking at the cars I currently had and seeing how little the majority of them were being used. The current line up (with clicky links to make it easier/remind me to update the threads!) was:
2015 F80 M3
2008 E90 M3
2010 8P S3
2002 EP3 Type R (Supercharged)
1996 Volvo 940
2000 EJ9 Civic 3dr
- The S3 was being used as my daily driver, however, it's not the most practical solution with Barney the labrador to cart around.
- Both of the M3s have sat and done next to nothing this year.
- My EP3 track car had done 21 miles between MOTs and the test station is an 18 mile round trip.
- The Volvo 940 and EJ9 Civic have been put away in a workshop/unit and forgotten about for years.
Initially I had thought about selling the F80 and replacing it with something a bit more of a sports car than an uber-saloon so I test drove a few cars: V10 R8, Aston 4.7 V8V, 981 Boxster S; with varying levels of success/enjoyment.
However after really thinking about it and realising I have very little time to actually enjoy an occasional/weekend car just now (hence the lack of use my cars have seen) and that I now spend most (>95%) of my time in my daily driver going to work, visiting friends/family and taking Barney out.. the idea of continuing with the S3 as a daily driver and having something worth a large chunk of cash sitting doing a thousand miles a year or so didn't seem sensible. So I started to look at upgrading my daily driver with something a bit more special that could cover a multitude of bases and therefore mean I was getting more use and enjoyment out of my purchase.
Options I was considering were:
- Macan GTS/Turbo
- Panamera Sport Turismo
- W205 C63 Estate
- F31 Alpina B3/D3 Touring
- B9 RS4
The two Porsches were counted out because I eventually decided I didn't want an SUV and the Panamera ST was too big (part of the reason an E63 and C7 RS6 didn't make the list) to thread around villages/towns locally to me or take on a run down some Scottish B-roads.
F31 B3 Alpinas are like hens teeth and when they do appear, they looked to be more than I was comfortable paying for a car. I found a grey F31 D3 which was within budget, but while I'm not a stance junkie, the sizeable gap between the arches and wheels looked awkward. Ultimately I want to be able to tweak something to my own taste visually/handling-wise if needs be.. and having felt a little constricted in that regard with a couple of rarer previous cars I've owned.. I felt like I'd be in the same position with the Alpina. Also, the ride/handling is a bit of an Alpina signature dish so throwing on some aftermarket suspension would feel like I'd removed a big chunk of what makes an Alpina special.
This generation of C63 was a strong contender. I really like the look of them and with a bit of searching I could find an attractive (read: not white/grey/black) specification car. However after going to look at a couple of them in person, I was left a little disappointed by the quality/feel of the interior on them.. some trim pieces felt a bit low rent... unlike the engine, which was absolutely fantastic.
My budget allowed me to look at both B9 RS4 and the facelift B9.5 RS4, however, given that there are no mechanical differences between the two cars which I could find.. there are a couple of things which steered me towards a B9 rather than later B9.5 cars.
Firstly the infotainment has been altered on the later cars; removing the spinning MMI wheel in front of the gearstick with a (larger) full touchscreen instead. Being very used to having BMW i-Drive set ups in my cars for the last decade or so and luckily having lived with a B9.5 A5 Sportback courtesy car with the touchscreen set up recently; I knew that I didn't want to lose a manual wheel to spin through the menus with. I actually think it's a bit of an oversight from Audi.. it is nice to have a touchscreen, but the later BMW F-series i-Drives manage to have both the touchscreen and manual wheel to navigate the various menus. The wheel/shortcut buttons have only been replaced with an awkward little cubby in the B9.5 too, so I can see no reason for it other than cost cutting.
The second reason is a very subjective one; I prefer the the exterior design of the earlier cars with the more angular/sharper lines of the headlights, the frame on the grille (facelift cars are frameless) and solid indicators rather than sectional versions that reminded me of my eyebrow when I was a wee boy and tried to copy Jonah Lomu with the '11' he had shaved in to his eyebrow.
So after all that, these are the details of the car which I've ended up with:
B9 RS4 Carbon Edition
Audi Exclusive Nogaro Blue
RS Sport Suspension Plus with Dynamic Ride Control (DRC)
Comfort & Sound Package
Parking Assitance Pack Advanced
Dynamic Steering
TPMS
Folding/Dimming Mirrors
Heated Front & Rear
Electric Memory Seats
Storage Package
Heated Steering Wheel
Audi Phonebox with Wireless Charging
Link to the Audi brochure at the time for the full spec list: RS246 Link
The obligatory 'first fill up' photo:
Untitled by Grant F, on FlickrSome interior photos courtesy of the advert/dealer:
Untitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrUntitled by Grant F, on FlickrGratuitous V6 Twin Turbo shot:
Untitled by Grant F, on Flickr562 miles from dealer to my front door, including the hellish M25, hellish M1, hellish A66 and then making reasonable progress on the M6/M74 returned:
Untitled by Grant F, on FlickrI don't think that's bad considering the terrible traffic that I had to deal with and the pace at which I managed to cover the last leg of the journey. Before I reached the M6 the average consumption was sitting at ~37mpg.
...and here it is after I'd arrived home:
Untitled by Grant F, on FlickrOnce the monsoon has finished here and I get a chance, I'll be cleaning it up and taking some more photos of it.. a wee shakedown up my favourite B-road is on the cards too. However so far I'm really impressed and happy with it, covered the mileage up the road with ease and in total comfort.
Looks great, such a great colour too!
Invest in a Hatchbag boot liner to keep the boot and rear seats tidy.
https://www.hatchbag.co.uk/
Invest in a Hatchbag boot liner to keep the boot and rear seats tidy.
https://www.hatchbag.co.uk/
That’s a great colour (although not as good as the S3). Fuel economy is pretty impressive too given the performance available.
I agree about the wheels for the infotainment; they’re so useful in the real world plus they cut diwn on finger prints in the screen which I can’t handle
Is the S3 staying or getting sold now you’ve bought this?
I agree about the wheels for the infotainment; they’re so useful in the real world plus they cut diwn on finger prints in the screen which I can’t handle
Is the S3 staying or getting sold now you’ve bought this?
and yes it is a thing..Thanks everyone, I know I'm still firmly in the honeymoon period (and will be for a while yet!) but I'm over the moon with it and have no regrets or irritations to report.
I was semi-considering a Sonoma Green car too... but as rare and lovely as that colour is, I've wanted to own a Nogaro Blue car since I saw pictures of an RS2 as a kid so there was only ever going to be one winner there.
I was semi-considering a Sonoma Green car too... but as rare and lovely as that colour is, I've wanted to own a Nogaro Blue car since I saw pictures of an RS2 as a kid so there was only ever going to be one winner there.
Percy. said:
Looks great, such a great colour too!
Invest in a Hatchbag boot liner to keep the boot and rear seats tidy.
https://www.hatchbag.co.uk/
I've been looking at boot mats/liners. I've had good service and longevity from Boot Buddy solid liners before, so I'm tempted to go that way again.Invest in a Hatchbag boot liner to keep the boot and rear seats tidy.
https://www.hatchbag.co.uk/
Does the Hatch Bag fit snugly with heavy duty/strong velcro? I've only used cheaper liners with fairly average velcro fastenings before which became a bit of a PITA after a while, when the dog(s) jumped in and pulled the velcro away from the carpet/trim so the liner flopped down... which is the main reason that we switched to the solid Boot Buddy system.
Court_S said:
That’s a great colour (although not as good as the S3). Fuel economy is pretty impressive too given the performance available.
I agree about the wheels for the infotainment; they’re so useful in the real world plus they cut diwn on finger prints in the screen which I can’t handle
Is the S3 staying or getting sold now you’ve bought this?
It's a colourful driveway for sure!! ...although depending on which car I'm in at the time, I may have to avoid certain areas of Glasgow. I agree about the wheels for the infotainment; they’re so useful in the real world plus they cut diwn on finger prints in the screen which I can’t handle
Is the S3 staying or getting sold now you’ve bought this?
I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the remaining cars yet. As you know, I'm very unsure about the E90, which is now due for collection after the bumper has been resprayed... and the S3 certainly fulfils the 'fun' brief for me given the little handling upgrades I've made and the fact it has a manual gearbox.
That being said, if I'm to reach my '2-car only' target and given the breadth of the RS4s talents.. I'm wondering if I maybe should look to have something a little more sporty tucked away; finally getting into my first flat 6 from Stuttgart would be the obvious choice, although I really miss my old S2000 too.
T_S_M said:
That is LOVELY! The colour looks great with the silver trim and wheels. Much better than the usual Nardo Grey too!
How does the performance compare to the F80?
My F80 was a non-Competition LCI model and a 6spd manual, so may not reflect a true auto-to-auto comparison.How does the performance compare to the F80?
Given the age of my F80, the power delivery was 'sudden' and pretty brutal. I wouldn't have liked the car as much as I did if it had been DCT gearbox. With traction control off, the sharp DCT kickdown and gearchange ferocity screwed up to the maximum it's little wonder a lot of people climbed trees or ended up in ditches/armco and forced BMW to dial the power delivery down with the later/Competition cars.
The RS4 is much smoother power delivery; you can still be travelling very fast very quickly but there feels like a lot more control to it. That's probably partly/mainly due to the 4WD system I guess, the F80 would flick the rear out at will with the traction control in MDM or fully disengaged. I've obviously not had the car for long and this may be a sweeping statement, but I can see why people who like the rowdy M-cars and AMG stuff get bored if they switch to the RS-cars.
In a straight fight between the F80 and the RS4, rolling from 30-40mph onwards, I'd think the BMW would pull away a touch... but it's a good chunk lighter and only slightly down on power.
But it's the usability of the RS4 which is the big appeal to me because I plan to use this car every day and (aside from freak winter periods) want a car with 12 month ability in Scotland and that's not something the F80 would ever get close to managing. Had BMW made an F81 M3 Touring, then I might have been tempted to give it a crack on winter tyres... but they didn't... and while I've softened to the front of the G81 M3 Tourings a little, in my world £90k-£100k is absolutely wild money for a daily driver.
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