Autobahn

It is said a tree shall be known by its fruit. Indeed, and a corollary of that adage may be found in the words from Grant's Auto Rant:

"Show me a nation that has produced the likes of Audi, VW, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, BMW, and Porsche, and I will show you a country with one hell of a modern highway technology."

To the above one may be inclined to add some appropriate reference to sufficient freedom for the proper enjoyment of the fruits of one's labour without the fear of impending state collusion against such indulgence. And much enjoyment there are to be had from some of these fruits, if only briefly and substantially mired by caution for repressive law enforcement as well as witless motorists stuck in the fast lane on their afternoon snooze.

One particular fruit grown on the tree of the industrious German society is my recently acquired Audi A4 2.0T. Much has been written on this model since its arrival on the US shores; mostly positive, but for reservations over a somewhat less sporty nature and lack of rear leg room. After almost three weeks with my silver exemplar I have few gripes over its nature and even less over the rear leg room.

Yes, the A4 is not the world's sportiest sedan - for that you dish out $40000 for an S4 or $50000 for an RS4, both of which cars come from the Audi stable and use the A4 body. Actually, rumour has it that the A4 2.0T uses much of the suspension parts from the S4, except for dampers, springs and anti-roll bars. But the A4 is equipped with the world's best all-wheel-drive system for passenger cars and in New England that counts for a lot.

Having said that, the A4 is quick and deceptively so. From a standing start, it feels lazy compared to my previous car, a VW 1.8T GTi. With 20 HP more than the GTi and 200kg more girth to drag along, it only seems lazy up to about 80 mph. The acceleration does not feel dramatic, but remains persistent well beyond 80 mph. But it is a civilized car beyond the reach of the $10000 cheaper GTi. It is an essay in subtlety.

It goes around corners too and rather well at that. The suspension is firm, yet absorbs Boston edition road surfaces with aplomb. The 2007 A4 has better road-holding than the 2004 GTi, with better poise and less under-steer due to the excellent all-wheel-drive system and stability control. Even so, steering feedback can be somewhat vague at times and turn-in into corners not as sharp as one might have wanted. The rebound damping at the front end could have been a tad stiffer in my opinion.

The car is quiet to the point that deception is part of its nature. Hundred miles per hour on the free-way is a matter of fact - no fuss, no drama. Eighty miles per hour seems like pottering along. What goes fast preferably must stop fast too. The brakes are not as sharp as in a BMW 330, but quite in control of high speed deceleration.

Generally, the stability at speed is impeccable. However, at a steady speed there is some tendency to tram-line from the wide tyres on the rather worn-out free-way surfaces. But even this occasional, slight wandering of the rear end is very subtle and may be fixed by a slight adjustment of the rear suspension toe-in.

Quality is an evasive quantity in all products, being in essence subjective beyond the realms of corporate quality control divisions. Yet, the A4 is a statement in automotive quality. What impresses me beyond the obvious form, fit and finish, is the attention to quality and detail behind the obvious. Peep under the bonnet, open the boot and check in the nooks and crannies. Open the fuse box and marvel at the details of switch mountings, electrical connections and mechanical fittings behind the dashboard. This car displays quality under the skin to the core of its being.

Alas, the car is not faultless in terms of build quality. For an all but faultlessly built new car, one looks east, beyond the borders of Germany, Europe and Asia to the islands of Japan, where Lexus is cultivated. But since to go fast in Japan requires hopping on the bullet train, Toyota still does not grow on its tree the equivalent of Audi in terms of driving enjoyment, detail design and the tactile feel of mechanical engineering mastership. So back to Germany we go.

My Audi emits a noticeable vibration from either the engine or exhaust at 2400 rpm under power. When maneouvering at parking speeds, there is the occasional roughness typical of an exhaust pipe briefly touching an engine subframe. But worst of all, there is a thing that goes bzzzz behind the dashboard, in conspicuous proximity to the fuse box. The thing only goes bzzz under certain excitations, mostly from road rumble, which can intrude into the general tranquillity, but also sometimes in sympathy with the engine or exhaust vibration at 2400 rpm. I hate in equal proportions mosquitoes; flies; buzzers; whinging women and anything that goes bzzz more than once in its existence. Why must my Audi have a bzzz thing behind its fuse box? It is the proverbial fly in the ointment. Das geht gar nicht, mein Herr. Needless to say, the dealership is already on red alert over these oversights.

These days I look for an excuse to go for a drive. The tactile sensation of opening the driver's door, followed by the solid thunk as it shuts, regardless of the window being up or down; the well-composed interior; the gear level snicking into each gear; the smoothness of the engine with that raspy exhaust tone that subtly snarls at one; the solidity of the body that brings a sense of imperturbable security to the driver - these are a few of my favourite things. One delights at these things every time one takes the A4 for a drive. But these days, I long for the Autobahn more than ever before.

Life free or die.

Zum Wohl

On Monday a new era dawned upon my motoring landscape. I signed a lease for a brand new Audi A4 2.0T Quattro with six speed manual transmission, ending 26 years of Volkswagen dynasty. One may call it a brand upgrade, a marriage of sorts into the better side of the family, so to speak.

Since its inception in 1980, the Audi Quattro concept has intrigued me. When the Audi Quattro rally cars swept the World Rally Championships in 1983 and 1984, I was drooling over every press release that came into my possession. As a car fanatic teenager set on becoming a mechanical engineer, I marvelled at the engineering simplicity and genius of the Quattro configuration. It was a car I wanted to park in my driveway one day. That day came to pass on Tuesday.

My first car was a tatty second-hand VW Golf 1100. Yes, in South Africa Volkswagen thought it fit to install the VW Polo 1100 engine into the bigger Golf I. The poor thing was undergeared and underpowered. It was like a toddler trying to make a run on legs too short for the job. It overheated easily and the clutch cable mounting would work its way through the front bulkhead with a crunch, leaving the car stranded in neutral. But it was fun to drive, willing and chuckable.

Then came an upgrade to a Golf 1.6 GL, courtesy of my benevolent, late father. Now that was a decent little car. It stayed together much better than the 1100, could cruise with relative ease across South Africa and had a beautiful, metallic burgundy paint finish.

Came my second graduation - for my Masters - and my first job enabled another upgrade. This time, my father negotiated the living daylights out of the local VW dealership to get me a decent trade-in value for the 1.6 on a new Golf II 1.8. Now that was a great car. It was fun; it has proven to be endless. It has also chewed two gearboxes - the first due to my cost cutting on a replacement clutch plate that threw a piece of metal into the gearbox at high speed on the free-way to Cape Town and the second due to my cost cutting on a replacement gearbox. Don't cut costs with maintaining German cars. The Brits have a saying: Penny wise, pound foolish.

When my father died of cancer in 1996, I bought his Jetta CLi out of the estate and partly paid for it with my Golf, which my mother still drives today. The Jetta was a decently fast and perfectly reliable sport sedan. When I left South Africa for the USA in 2001, I sold the car to one of my best student friends, who was also a house mate of mine at one point. He still owns the car.

The US greeted me with no credit record and nothing on my name on this side of the pond but my academic qualifications and a new job. Being stricken with homesickness, I had my eye on a Jetta 1.8T. VW of USA came to my rescue with their financing for foreign professionals and I drove out of the yard in a black Jetta 1.8T Automatic. Yep, moi in an automatic. The saving grace for male pride was the so-called Tiptronic - some sort of semi-manual override of the automatic gear shifting with its own mind at times. The car was a distinct upgrade to previous VW samples, but only mildly satisfying.

In 2004 the lease was up and it was time for another dream: To own a GTi. I wrote at length on that troubled relationship in previous blog entries. The car brought me moments of enjoyment interspersed with bouts of frustration. I modified the silly, original suspension set-up with mixed results. Twice I tried to terminate the lease prematurely in order to get into something more suave and satisfying. Twice I failed due to lack of equity in the car. Yet, third time lucky popped up this past Monday.

Labour Day in the USA: The day for spenders of all manners. Bargains galore, car dealers have past year inventories to clear and sales quotas to fill. Their sales teams are only half as cocky as usual- even at snotty Audi dealers. I went in determined to turn as many rubber arms as I could find. My sights were set: An Audi 4WD of some sort will become my wheels for the next number of years.

First choice did not reach the negotiating table. The desired second-hand TT was unavailable, except in exchange for silly money. I do not do silly money. Second choice, the A3 2.0T did not come in 4WD for mystical reasons beyond the grasp of normal car enthusiasts and Audi salesmen alike. Slipping to third choice, the A4 2.0T Avant Quattro with sport suspension was off the map. We went into compromise mode.

The salesman, a newbie previously from a Honda dealership, apologetically offered me an A4 2.0T Quattro bare bones edition but for a set of optional 17" rims. It was a rare sight in the US market: A car with nigh on no options. This car had no leather seats, no winter package, no navigation systems, no sunroof - thank God. No wonder it was still in stock. I wonder which salesman ordered it. He's possibly now working for Honda, selling baseline Civics.

But, stripped of my dilutions, that Audi was exactly what I wanted in the end: An Audi 2.0T with the proper Quattro 4WD and six speed manual transmission. OK, I wanted the miraculous Direct Shift Gearbox instead, but that was not available on the Quattro. Moot point. No unwanted extras that came in multiples of $500/$1000/$2000 a throw; just all the basics in the right quantities.

The rubber arm got the twist of the year and the GTi disappeared into the system at no cost to me. A handy discount on top of all that eroded somewhat under wheel and tyre insurance plus maintenance package. Remember, don't pinch on maintenance... But I still came out with a "profit" on the MSRP.

Tuesday I took delivery, on time, without issue. It was a fine moment to savour. This was the best car ever to come into my stewardship if not ownership (it is a lease car after all). The Germans have a saying: Zum Wohl!

Or as the Brits put it: Cheers!