Upcoming RS5 will do 0-62 in 3.9 seconds; holy crap!!!
I will say now that Audi has gone more mainstream, their special models seem less special. Especially if you spend any time in a major suburban area; in Boston I would see an RS5 or RS7 at least once a week. I still see RS6's once in a while albeit considerably less frequently; I think I have seen maybe five or six since buying my car in 2013. I feel the same with BMW's; there's an M3 or M5 sighting almost weekly. My mind tells me I should buy an Aston Martin if I want something really rare... still can't find that elusive '07/08 DB9 Sports Pack with manual trans...
2017 Subaru BRZ Limited w/ Performance Pack 6MT
2003 Audi RS 6 quattro 5AT - sold
I have not seen a single RS6 in my area in 5 years but arcleast 2 RS7s
2003 Audi RS6 Daytona/Silver, 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo S, 2016 Golf R 6 MT, 2018 Porsche Macan GTS
More bad news this morning
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSKBN16M0XP
Avus Silver RS6 - Viper Stage 2 ECU/TCU - Water/Meth Injection - Frozen Rotors - Hbars - clear corners - Hella smoked tails - gutted precats
I'm going to guess that this diesel fiasco killed Audi's endurance racing program?
I'll be honest; I'm far more concerned about how this might affect Ducati and Ducati's MotoGP/World Superbike racing budgets. It's unlikely I'll be shopping for an Audi (or perhaps any car at all) anytime soon, but I buy a new Ducati every two years. They've reached very un-Italian levels of reliability, low maintenance, and build quality; it'd be a shame to see that all fall apart.
Das Silberkugel - Eurocharged Stage 2/MTM/Level 10/Hotchkis/Koni/H&R
2015 Ducati 1299S Panigale
2014 Ducati Multistrada Granturismo
Dam, you are reading my mind.(response to the RS5 comment above) (I have not issue with a nice dual clutch auto though).
Mike
Last edited by Aronis; March 16th, 2017 at 18:13.
'18 BMW M5, '19 Porsche Boxster GTS
(prior '94 325is, '97 M3, '00 A6 4.2,'03 RS6,'08 A4 Cab,'13 A8L,'15 Q7,'16 BMW M2,
not gonna lie, to me Mercedes has the most compelling lineup currently of the big 3 German luxury makes. BMW disappoints every time I test drive one, no matter how much I want to love it. And ironically it's the AMG cars that have the sound and edginess that I'd have expected from an RS model.
My concerns with Dieselgate remain apart from Audi's product planning - watching 24 hours of Le Mans last weekend felt truly empty with Audi missing. And the rumors that VAG is exploring the possibility of selling off Ducati...their quality and product lineup has improved dramatically since Audi took over ownership. Ducati's flagship superbikes were once vicious machines that really only ran well on the track; in the city random sudden stalling and left-hand cramps from the racing dry clutch used to be part of the "Italian character" inherent in the riding experience. My Audi-era Ducatis have every bit of potency on the track yet are perfectly usable as city commuters, and my 200+ horsepower Panigale has been as reliable as a Toyota Camry. No Ducatista wants to see Ducati sold off.
In any event, my opinion is that Audi's lineup would be just as staid without the diesel scandal. Much has to do with styling, and we can blame the Koreans (well other Koreans, not me lol) for that - Kia poached Audi's Peter Schreyer (the man who penned the design of our RS6s) and whoever took over hasn't really inspired me visually. Kia's remain mediocre cars but they look pretty decent now, so to me it's plainly evident where the styling talent went.
Das Silberkugel - Eurocharged Stage 2/MTM/Level 10/Hotchkis/Koni/H&R
2015 Ducati 1299S Panigale
2014 Ducati Multistrada Granturismo