David Glenn [MS]

Hi all,

I've got some questions regarding the general driveability of a porsche 911
compared to an Audi S4 or S6. I know it sounds stupid but sometimes the
biological clock of a special wife can make a man get stupid thoughts.
I'm thinking of getting a more family oriented car but still want to have a
fun sports car. I like German cars and the 993 has been a kick. In fact,
it's so fun I'm not sure I would sell it even if it makes sense!

My questions are this: have any of you driven an audi s4 avant or s6 wagon?
How is the body roll, stiffness, etc when compared to the Porsche? Does
either of them have anything that compares to winding out 2nd gear on a
freeway onramp in the Porsche? How are the brakes? My wife wants a kickass
sports car with cupholders and room for a run to the Costco (local warehouse
store). I don't really want a full blooded SUV like an X5 or Cayenne...but,
a real sporty station wagon seems like a possibility.

I drove an S6 last summer but haven't found an s4 avant lately to test.

Anyone out there have experience with late model Audi s-model wagons and
care to share thoughts? I know the Porsche is the driving car but I'm
wondering how much of a tradeoff the sport wagons are...

Thanks,

-dave
--
David Glenn

Aaron Solochek

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 13:27:30 -0700, David Glenn [MS] wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I've got some questions regarding the general driveability of a porsche
> 911 compared to an Audi S4 or S6. I know it sounds stupid but sometimes
> the biological clock of a special wife can make a man get stupid
> thoughts. I'm thinking of getting a more family oriented car but
> still want to have a fun sports car. I like German cars and the 993 has
> been a kick. In fact, it's so fun I'm not sure I would sell it even if
> it makes sense!
>
> My questions are this: have any of you driven an audi s4 avant or s6
> wagon? How is the body roll, stiffness, etc when compared to the
> Porsche? Does either of them have anything that compares to winding out
> 2nd gear on a freeway onramp in the Porsche? How are the brakes? My wife
> wants a kickass sports car with cupholders and room for a run to the
> Costco (local warehouse store). I don't really want a full blooded SUV
> like an X5 or Cayenne...but, a real sporty station wagon seems like a
> possibility.
>
> I drove an S6 last summer but haven't found an s4 avant lately to test.
>
> Anyone out there have experience with late model Audi s-model wagons and
> care to share thoughts? I know the Porsche is the driving car but I'm
> wondering how much of a tradeoff the sport wagons are...
>
>

I doubt you're going to get the 911 feel in any wagon, but if you're going
to get close, it'll either be in the s6 avant, or the bmw 540iT.
Unfortunately I never got to drive the s6, but a family member recently
got a 540iT with the sports package and it is one of the most fun cars
I've driven. She got the auto, but I think it also comes with a manual.
I'd say head out to the dealers and drive them both. But beware about the
540 -- bmw is redesigning the 5 series next year and many people don't
like them as much.

-Aaron

Bernhard Wittek

David,

> My questions are this: have any of you driven an audi s4 avant or s6
wagon?
> How is the body roll, stiffness, etc when compared to the Porsche? Does

Being used to a 911 you won´t be happy neither with the S6 nor the stock S4.
I drive a modified S4 avant (B5, 2000 model) with upgraded suspension,
brakes and engine which gets very close to my ideal of a car. I wasn´t very
happy with the stock version too, the engine was too lazy at all revs, the
brakes faded too much when hot, loosing a dangerous lot of force. The
suspension upgrade (lowered and stiffed) brought a tremendous amount of
additional stability, going 160 MPH with that car is like sitting in the
living room, coming along with excellent handling when cornering fast. That
car would be close to the kick *** sports car you´ve mentioned (>350hp, 0-60
in 4.9 sec, top speed 180 MPH) and passing some of the "real" sports cars
and pulling away off them on the higway caused a lot of long faces until
today I guess After having done these modifications, I think it is the
best car I ever had, although you have to take care of some durability
aspects, like allowing to cool down the loaders before turning off. BTW: I
still have the first clutch (75000 miles on the clock)...
Lets consider it to be like a 911 with a large cargo bay.

I also drove the S6 auto for a few days, but was far away from feeling like
being in a sports car either. The car weights too much for the power
provided and isn´t that athletic one would think of. Suspension also is too
smooth but will make a very nice car for cruising of course. The
backseaters will be grateful having additional amount of room for their legs
compared to the S4 , cargo area is more than sufficient in both cars.


just my 2 cents!

cheers
Bernhard

Peter Bell

In message <pan.2003.06.27.22.38.50.645666@aberrant.org>
Aaron Solochek <aarons-news@aberrant.org> wrote:

> I doubt you're going to get the 911 feel in any wagon, but if you're going
> to get close, it'll either be in the s6 avant, or the bmw 540iT.

Why not the RS6 Avant? Ah, unless you're in the US, where you can
only get the Saloon (although there are reports of at least one RS6
Avant having been privately imported and federalised - total cost
$120k!)

There seem to be a number of 911 owners in the UK who have
swapped their porsche for an RS6 and are perfectly satisfied. I've
never driven a 911 but I'm very happy with my RS6 Avant.

--
Peter Bell - peter@bellfamily.org.uk

David Glenn

Thanks Bernhard, that's good to hear. I was looking on the web for
modifications one could do to the S6. The S4 wagon looks good but I need to
go sit in the back seat and see how much room the back has compared to the
S6.

Thanks for all the info,

-dave

"Bernhard Wittek" <bw@infosolutions.de> wrote in message
news:bdjuk3$t7m32$1@ID-53934.news.dfncis.de...
> David,
>
> > My questions are this: have any of you driven an audi s4 avant or s6
> wagon?
> > How is the body roll, stiffness, etc when compared to the Porsche? Does
>
> Being used to a 911 you won´t be happy neither with the S6 nor the stock
S4.
> I drive a modified S4 avant (B5, 2000 model) with upgraded suspension,
> brakes and engine which gets very close to my ideal of a car. I wasn´t
very
> happy with the stock version too, the engine was too lazy at all revs, the
> brakes faded too much when hot, loosing a dangerous lot of force. The
> suspension upgrade (lowered and stiffed) brought a tremendous amount of
> additional stability, going 160 MPH with that car is like sitting in the
> living room, coming along with excellent handling when cornering fast.
That
> car would be close to the kick *** sports car you´ve mentioned (>350hp,
0-60
> in 4.9 sec, top speed 180 MPH) and passing some of the "real" sports cars
> and pulling away off them on the higway caused a lot of long faces until
> today I guess After having done these modifications, I think it is the
> best car I ever had, although you have to take care of some durability
> aspects, like allowing to cool down the loaders before turning off. BTW: I
> still have the first clutch (75000 miles on the clock)...
> Lets consider it to be like a 911 with a large cargo bay.
>
> I also drove the S6 auto for a few days, but was far away from feeling
like
> being in a sports car either. The car weights too much for the power
> provided and isn´t that athletic one would think of. Suspension also is
too
> smooth but will make a very nice car for cruising of course. The
> backseaters will be grateful having additional amount of room for their
legs
> compared to the S4 , cargo area is more than sufficient in both cars.
>
>
> just my 2 cents!
>
> cheers
> Bernhard
>
>

Christopher Roberts

"David Glenn [MS]" <davidgl@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:3efb5733$1@news.microsoft.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I've got some questions regarding the general driveability of a porsche
911
> compared to an Audi S4 or S6. I know it sounds stupid but sometimes the
> biological clock of a special wife can make a man get stupid thoughts.
> I'm thinking of getting a more family oriented car but still want to have
a
> fun sports car. I like German cars and the 993 has been a kick. In fact,
> it's so fun I'm not sure I would sell it even if it makes sense!
>
> My questions are this: have any of you driven an audi s4 avant or s6
wagon?
> How is the body roll, stiffness, etc when compared to the Porsche? Does
> either of them have anything that compares to winding out 2nd gear on a
> freeway onramp in the Porsche? How are the brakes? My wife wants a kickass
> sports car with cupholders and room for a run to the Costco (local
warehouse
> store). I don't really want a full blooded SUV like an X5 or
Cayenne...but,
> a real sporty station wagon seems like a possibility.
>
> I drove an S6 last summer but haven't found an s4 avant lately to test.
>
> Anyone out there have experience with late model Audi s-model wagons and
> care to share thoughts? I know the Porsche is the driving car but I'm
> wondering how much of a tradeoff the sport wagons are...
>
> Thanks,
>
> -dave
> --
> David Glenn
>
>
David

A lot will depend on how you drive your car. If you're near the limits on
the 993 (I'll eat my hat if you are) then you will not match that in any
other car very easily. If you drive like most people do on the road, an S4
is more likely to match the 993 than the larger S6. There's lots you can do
to modify the Audis as there are some great tuning companies around. You
should also look at the BMW M3 and M5 as driving preferences are such a
personal thing and they are also great cars.



--
Kind Regards
Christopher Roberts

Donnie Campbell

Test

"Christopher Roberts" <spamtrap@anywhere.com> wrote in message
news:3eff3176$0$965$cc9e4d1f@news.dial.pipex.com.. .
> "David Glenn [MS]" <davidgl@microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:3efb5733$1@news.microsoft.com...
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I've got some questions regarding the general driveability of a porsche
> 911
> > compared to an Audi S4 or S6. I know it sounds stupid but sometimes the
> > biological clock of a special wife can make a man get stupid thoughts.

> > I'm thinking of getting a more family oriented car but still want to
have
> a
> > fun sports car. I like German cars and the 993 has been a kick. In fact,
> > it's so fun I'm not sure I would sell it even if it makes sense!
> >
> > My questions are this: have any of you driven an audi s4 avant or s6
> wagon?
> > How is the body roll, stiffness, etc when compared to the Porsche? Does
> > either of them have anything that compares to winding out 2nd gear on a
> > freeway onramp in the Porsche? How are the brakes? My wife wants a
kickass
> > sports car with cupholders and room for a run to the Costco (local
> warehouse
> > store). I don't really want a full blooded SUV like an X5 or
> Cayenne...but,
> > a real sporty station wagon seems like a possibility.
> >
> > I drove an S6 last summer but haven't found an s4 avant lately to test.
> >
> > Anyone out there have experience with late model Audi s-model wagons and
> > care to share thoughts? I know the Porsche is the driving car but I'm
> > wondering how much of a tradeoff the sport wagons are...
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > -dave
> > --
> > David Glenn
> >
> >
> David
>
> A lot will depend on how you drive your car. If you're near the limits on
> the 993 (I'll eat my hat if you are) then you will not match that in any
> other car very easily. If you drive like most people do on the road, an S4
> is more likely to match the 993 than the larger S6. There's lots you can
do
> to modify the Audis as there are some great tuning companies around. You
> should also look at the BMW M3 and M5 as driving preferences are such a
> personal thing and they are also great cars.
>
>
>
> --
> Kind Regards
> Christopher Roberts
>
>

Imad Al-Ghouleh

Hi. I would definitely not think twice about going for a BMW M5. It is
a bit heavy but has enough power to match that. You have a lot of room.
M5 definitely beats any other option. Altough the Audi's are more
flexible when it comes to modifications. But with ~400 hp on the M5
maybe you will not need any mods. Its handling is superb. I have never
driven a 993 but would not be surprised if the M5 matched it in
performance. (M3 has better acceleration and braking but is smaller and
has less hp).

David Glenn [MS] wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>I've got some questions regarding the general driveability of a porsche 911
>compared to an Audi S4 or S6. I know it sounds stupid but sometimes the
>biological clock of a special wife can make a man get stupid thoughts.
>I'm thinking of getting a more family oriented car but still want to have a
>fun sports car. I like German cars and the 993 has been a kick. In fact,
>it's so fun I'm not sure I would sell it even if it makes sense!
>
>My questions are this: have any of you driven an audi s4 avant or s6 wagon?
>How is the body roll, stiffness, etc when compared to the Porsche? Does
>either of them have anything that compares to winding out 2nd gear on a
>freeway onramp in the Porsche? How are the brakes? My wife wants a kickass
>sports car with cupholders and room for a run to the Costco (local warehouse
>store). I don't really want a full blooded SUV like an X5 or Cayenne...but,
>a real sporty station wagon seems like a possibility.
>
>I drove an S6 last summer but haven't found an s4 avant lately to test.
>
>Anyone out there have experience with late model Audi s-model wagons and
>care to share thoughts? I know the Porsche is the driving car but I'm
>wondering how much of a tradeoff the sport wagons are...
>
>Thanks,
>
>-dave
>--
>David Glenn
>
>
>
>

Imad Al-Ghouleh

most porbably true. but for what he is looking for, this in my opinion
is the best replacement that will give him a family car and a nice
sports luxury. he can have his whole family on the track along with
their luggage! (i would not recommmend it though!)

Steve Grauman wrote:

><< I have never
>driven a 993 but would not be surprised if the M5 matched it in
>performance. >>
>
>The fact that an M5 can do 0-60 in 4.9-5.0 seconds and a 993 C2 does it in 4.8
>is about as close as those two will ever get in terms of performance. There's
>not a sedan on earth, not even the M3, M5, S6/RS6, WRX STi, or EVO that'll hang
>with a 993 on the track.
>
>

Steve Grauman

<< he can have his whole family on the track along with
their luggage! (i would not recommmend it though!) >>

An RS6 Avant would be even better, or an RS4, or an RS2. Just a shame none of
them are avaliable to us in the U.S. Although I hear it's fairly easy for
someone experianced to do an "RS2 conversion" to the old 5 cylinder engine in
the 90, a 90 Avant with an RS2 style turbo engine would be quite a sleeper.