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Post by racingteatray on Dec 8, 2017 10:34:54 GMT
Agreed.
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Post by ChrisM on Dec 18, 2017 8:39:56 GMT
Heathrow T5 to Swindon, New Year's Day, without exceeding the speed limits. Any takers?
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Post by Big Blue on Dec 18, 2017 13:26:36 GMT
We land at T3 on NYE so you're on....
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Post by alf on Jan 3, 2018 15:02:23 GMT
Interesting - the M4 does not sound like much of a daily driver. And if it was a toy I would want a snarly NA engine, who cares about MPG for a toy?
Regarding putting 500 bhp through the rear wheels only in winter conditions, it is obviously always going to be a challenge! But with decent traction, handling, and throttle response it can be a lot of fun. The way the current M3/M4 scared a lot of journos was always a concern to me. The Giulia QF is always reported as having a great ride and great traction (much as the XFR was) so should be much better. But you are never going to deploy all the power all the time as with 4WD - for me that is a big part of the appeal, having to drive the thing.
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Post by PetrolEd on Jan 3, 2018 17:52:58 GMT
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Post by Big Blue on Jan 3, 2018 19:00:55 GMT
Nice colours on the B4S. Price is bath time in terms of resale. Still prefer B3S as a Touring.
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Post by ChrisM on Jan 3, 2018 22:09:45 GMT
We land at T3 on NYE so you're on.... The M4 competition was sadly abandoned due to family circumstances over Christmas. I did end up going from J3 to J17 but there was an extended stop at Membury for lunch and a catch-up teleconference on how mum was doing in hospital. As for the numerous 50mph restrictions that could have been lifted, but weren't as there was no sign of any work going on at all ........ |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2018 11:44:13 GMT
"As for the numerous 50mph restrictions that could have been lifted, but weren't as there was no sign of any work going on at all .......".
Agreed but, that has never stopped them before.
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Post by johnc on Feb 1, 2018 18:08:06 GMT
Booked a longer test drive in the M4 for tomorrow and called Audi to see if I could test drive an RS5 - apparently it's not available at the moment: I bet if I drive in wearing my suit it will miraculously appear. Never liked them in that garage when my wife had the A5 and nothing changes.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2018 8:50:01 GMT
Our Audi dealership was firmly stuck in the eighties experience until being taken over. By Sytner.
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Post by johnc on Feb 2, 2018 9:26:28 GMT
I think all the central Scotland Audi dealers are now owned by Lookers who provide a nice superficial gloss to service with lots of smiley people and coffee but when it gets down to real customer support and sorting problems that matter, they revert to Arthur Daley mode. |
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Post by Tim on Feb 2, 2018 12:49:56 GMT
Looks like a nice weekend to try to tame 400+BHP of rwd turbomotor!
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Post by PetrolEd on Feb 2, 2018 13:11:20 GMT
I think I'd take the gamble on the M4 as they seem good value compared to the c63 or even Alfa Guilia
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Post by johnc on Feb 2, 2018 15:31:12 GMT
Well,
I had my test drive and still can't be sure. The ride is firm and it was still easy to light up the rears even in virtually dry conditions: on a slip road which comes up to the motorway, I accelerated hard in 3rd and had the back end squirming around for grip to the extent that it blunted the performance. The real performance difference between an M4 and my car is when the M4 reaches about 5,000 rpm and the push in the back is definitely greater but on the acceleration up the slip road, my car would have taken a couple of lengths out of the M4 quite easily, with no drama or wheelspin.
It is a nice place to sit though and I found the seats very comfortable and as I said last time, there is nothing wrong with the noise from inside the car. In fact there is lots right with it. The carbon fibre trim lifts the interior to a much more expensive appearance and the bulge in the bonnet is a constant reminder that this is a quick car. The steering is fairly heavy even in its lightest setting but I never felt I didn't know what the wheels were doing and the turn in on the few roundabouts and country road corners I was on was impressive - the chance of understeer feels remote and with the DSC on, the car reigned in any over oversteer exuberance with ease although it did blunt the throttle response almost completely at times.
The car feels really well tied down and structurally very rigid and I am sure it would be great fun if I could extend it a bit further on country roads. It also rides well on the motorway but not any better than mine and is a bit noisier too from tyres and exhaust.
I think I could probably live with the ride but I still haven't got that "must have one" feeling. There was a good bit of pressure to consider a new car but at £15K more than one which is 6mths old, that's just £15K down the drain as far as I see it - in 3 or 4 years the difference in value might be £500 at most and I won't have gained anything from it. Perhaps the right car in the right colour and spec, sitting there in front of me might have been more persuasive but I think I need to chat this one through a bit more to get it clear in my head. It's not often I talk cars with my wife in any kind of detail but this might be a first! |
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Post by Andy C on Feb 2, 2018 17:57:16 GMT
I’ve got to be honest , it doesn’t sound very appealing at all - iffy ride, traction issues like that in the dry , and the cost
I’d keep with that you’ve got and wait for something like a Quadrifoglio to depreciate hard
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Post by Martin on Feb 2, 2018 18:39:58 GMT
Doesn’t appeal to me at all either, for the same reasons, such a shame. Will the Alfa be any better? Especially if you changed to tyres that would last more than a few weeks! From what I’ve read/seen, I think the Alfa would be quite frustrating as well, it would be a bit harder to live with than what you’re used to and everything has to be in race mode to get the best sound (which some say isn’t as good as the BMW iirc)
Unless it’s a sportscar with decent traction, 4WD would be essential for me in anything that has much more than 300hp.
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Post by Boxer6 on Feb 2, 2018 22:10:53 GMT
I think all the central Scotland Audi dealers are now owned by Lookers who provide a nice superficial gloss to service with lots of smiley people and coffee but when it gets down to real customer support and sorting problems that matter, they revert to Arthur Daley mode. I seem to recall a Lookers in the Isle of Man when I was there with minimal, well, any sort of customer service or interactive pleasantry. Or interest in solving any problems whatsoever once he car was sold. I don't know if they were any 'relation' to this lot, but I know they didn't last too long on the Island! |
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Post by Big Blue on Feb 3, 2018 11:57:27 GMT
Nope. Current m3 / m4 don’t even register in my brain compared to ogling E9x Models on an hourly basis.
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Post by PetrolEd on Feb 4, 2018 0:27:12 GMT
Doesn’t appeal to me at all either, for the same reasons, such a shame. Will the Alfa be any better? Especially if you changed to tyres that would last more than a few weeks! From what I’ve read/seen, I think the Alfa would be quite frustrating as well, it would be a bit harder to live with than what you’re used to and everything has to be in race mode to get the best sound (which some say isn’t as good as the BMW iirc) Unless it’s a sportscar with decent traction, 4WD would be essential for me in anything that has much more than 300hp. Seems that putting a set of Michelin PS4s on the Giulia does the trick giving nearly as good grip as the Pirelli’s in the heat but providing good enough grip in the winter. It’s the first thing I’d do to the QF if I got one |
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Post by johnc on Feb 5, 2018 14:59:06 GMT
Oh Dear the dealers must be desperate. I was phoned on Saturday, I was phoned on Sunday and I received an e-mail from them today wanting to know if I was going ahead with buying the new car they had found which had an OK spec, but not the one I would spec if buying new!
On Saturday when I told him I wasn't buying new because I felt there was little value over the virtually delivery mileage cars available, I got the script from the "dealers book on how to force a sale out of a moron" - if you delay this, the value of your car will fall and we won't be able to match the deal we have offered (but it wasn't a deal that interested me!), the offer on that car can only stand if you order it this month (maybe), the prices are going up on 1st March and it will be considerably more expensive (in that case I wouldn't buy one). I asked him, out of interest, what the best deal was they could do on winter wheels and tyres. He said he would find out and get back to me but all I have is his email with "do you want to move things forward on the car we offered?"
I had a bit of a blast in mine over the weekend and on the road it really isn't that much slower than the M4 and it is much more comfortable. Even in the softest suspension setting on the M4 it makes my Sport setting feel compliant and I have zero traction issues except in snow.
I am going off the idea of an M4 pretty quickly and have lined up a drive in a C43 to see what that's like. |
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Post by Big Blue on Feb 6, 2018 10:36:14 GMT
Try a 440i GC as well.
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Post by PetrolEd on Feb 6, 2018 11:31:13 GMT
I might have missed it above but any reason why your going for the C43 over the C63
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Post by johnc on Feb 6, 2018 13:32:16 GMT
I might have missed it above but any reason why your going for the C43 over the C63 4WD and about £12K |
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Post by johnc on Feb 12, 2018 17:57:21 GMT
I might have missed it above but any reason why your going for the C43 over the C63 I was in town with my wife at the weekend and a really nice C63 coupe in the brilliant blue pulled up at the lights and then made a swift exit when they changed to green. She turned to me and said she really liked it and thought it looked much more classy than the M4.
I have just booked another bash in a C63 at Mercedes World at the end of March when we are down for my daughter's swimming bootcamp. I have asked for a go in a C43 as well so that I can compare them back to back.
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Post by racingteatray on Feb 12, 2018 18:07:57 GMT
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Post by johnc on Feb 13, 2018 10:12:43 GMT
I saw that M3 at the weekend and thought immediately of you.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2018 10:52:20 GMT
I really like the idea of a C43. Until I see a C63 on the road. That wider body just looks sooo much better!
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Post by Tim on Feb 13, 2018 11:09:58 GMT
Is it odd that there are 2 pre-reg M3s in that green now, given that green hasn't been a popular colour since, er.....
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Post by racingteatray on Feb 13, 2018 14:47:27 GMT
Is it odd that there are 2 pre-reg M3s in that green now, given that green hasn't been a popular colour since, er.....
Fashion is nothing if not circular. |
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Post by cbeaks1 on Feb 13, 2018 16:47:10 GMT
My codpiece and ruff disagree
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