1st Long Drive [Archive] - RS6.com | International Community

Finnus

July 22nd, 2003, 00:55

I drove down to Atlantic City Thursday, about a 5 hour trip. I took a lunch break about 1/2 way. I found the car to be pretty comfortable and more so than my S4. The ride and the seats are firm, but comfortable. As a luxury vehicle, it won't compete with an A8, but then it wasn't designed to.

Interestingly, no one recognized the car on the way to AC or on the way to Englishtown. In fact, I don't think I saw 1/2 dozen Audis in NJ. Only one car noticed the RS6 (and let on that they had noticed it) the whole trip.

But then, the understatement of the car is one of its big attractions. I'm sure there were a few surprised drivers when I passed them!!! One valet in Atlantic City asked me what the hell it was with a 200 mph speedometer. LOL How can you miss it when you turn the car on, especially with the sound enhance?! That sound sure seems to turn heads.

Finnus :cheers:

:addict: :addict: :addict:

jconley

July 22nd, 2003, 01:26

Nickel's worth of free advice- DON'T valet your car- I used to do it summers in high school, and i won't share some of the stories, for fear of prosecution- I was a young dumb kids, working with other young, dumb kids and peer pressure is a powerful thing.

J

bilbozilla

July 22nd, 2003, 03:21

Well, jconley, please share stories that you may have "heard", if you catch my drift. I valet park at work, and I watch them as they pull it in. I'd love to hear what things "could" happen.

AvusRS6

July 22nd, 2003, 03:23

Wow! Totally opposite to my experience. I drove my car from DC to NJ for a business trip and plus I wanted to break it in...it was the most uncomfortable drive I've had in a long time...I think the M5 or E55 may have been more comfortable.

RS6FEVR

July 22nd, 2003, 03:50

:cheers: Finnus

Thanks for the post on your 1st experience with a "longer" 5 hour ride. I'm very interested in thoughts and feelings along this line in that I'm planning on taking a couple longer trips with this machine over the next year. I see that so far, we have two different feelings about the comfort of the ride. :bigeyes: :bigeyes:

Can you guys (AvusRS6 and Finnus in particular and any others who now are proud drivers) share with us your size and weight and some of the particulars of your experiences with the comfort of the car. Are the seats too hard, without sufficient adjustment capability, lacking lumbar support, too small? Or, is the suspension too harsh for interstate condition roads, secondary roads, etc? Is it too noisy in the cabin when traveling? I realize these are subjective questions, but there are no absolutes. It's always in the "eye of the beholder"! :bang: :bang: Therefore all answers are valid!

This is not about argument :argue: but, for me, about the likes and dislikes of the car for longer journey's. I presume that short hauls are an absolute blast and that the sheer power and wow factor of the automobile overshadow any potential discomfort of the ride? Is this a fair assessment? :confused:

Thanks all

:addict: FEVR :addict:

jconley

July 22nd, 2003, 03:59

Originally posted by bilbozilla
Well, jconley, please share stories that you may have "heard", if you catch my drift. I valet park at work, and I watch them as they pull it in. I'd love to hear what things "could" happen.

I have "heard" of some valets regularly taking nice cars for 5-10 mile joy rides...these kids once took a Porsche 993 turbo for a 20 mile ride hitting speeds of over 140mph. These valets don't think twice of drag racing a corvette (especially automatic ones where you can torque brake :) )

Long story short- If i go somewhere with valet only, i give the guy $5 when i drive up to park it my self, and another $5 to get it back myself. Arrogant maybe, but most of them know why.

Snow

July 22nd, 2003, 10:11

Valet parking is very American. I, who live in Sweden, have never experienced valet parking, and I am quite glad I haven't. I wouldn't trust them one second. And certainly not if my car was an RS 6 or some other car with 400+ hp under the hood.

jconley

July 22nd, 2003, 11:45

Yes, it has become very popular at places where it isn't really needed. I can understand it in a large city for convenience, but here in florida (where on only real city is miami) a lot of places have it, and the valet just drives your car 100 feet and parks it for you. Even the hospital my girlfriend works at has valet parking!!!!

:)

J

Finnus

July 22nd, 2003, 12:08

Can you guys (AvusRS6 and Finnus in particular and any others who now are proud drivers) share with us your size and weight and some of the particulars of your experiences with the comfort of the car. Are the seats too hard, without sufficient adjustment capability, lacking lumbar support, too small? Or, is the suspension too harsh for interstate condition roads, secondary roads, etc? Is it too noisy in the cabin when traveling? I realize these are subjective questions, but there are no absolutes. It's always in the "eye of the beholder"!

RS6FEVR,

Let's face it, any 5 hour drive has a certain level of discomfort! I'm 5'6", 155#s, athletic. The suspension, ride and seats are definitely firm, but with good adjustments. The lumbar support is fully adjustable - 4-way - up, down, forward, back. Road imperfections do get "telegraphed" to the driver and you can hear the engine (mine has the sound enhance). I think everything will soften up a bit over time as the car gets broken in. I think how you rate the ride depends upon what you're used to - I'm used to an S4. If you want a luxury ride, buy the A8L (which I think is an awesome car in every respect) and I'm sure that a standard A6 is much more comfortable. But that's not what we bought this car for, is it?

Finnus

:addict: :addict: :addict:

Erik

July 22nd, 2003, 13:35

A friend of mine valet his M5 at a hotel in Gothenburg.
He heard some really strange noises from the garage as he came back after dinner and of course they were driving his car like hell in the garage.

So he went to the reception and asked for his keys. It all ended up with the ladies in the reception protecting the guy who was driving with silly excuses. End of story is the guy doesn't work at the hotel anymore...

RS6FEVR

July 22nd, 2003, 14:32

:cheers: Finnus
Thanks for the response. Totally agree that any 5+ hour drive is going to have an innate level of discomfort. I'm 55, 5'8", 180 and work out daily and don't like long periods on plains, trains or automobiles LOL! Very glad to hear about the lumbar support and seat adjustability. It's my SOP on longer trips to vary my seat position once or twice to allow some different blood flow (same way I get up frequently and walk around on long flights)! At my age, I'm always finding excuses to "take breaks" when travelling longer distances :) if not being goaded by my better half :p
I also have the sound enhanced exhaust and presume that there's no resonance, a slight din from same, but a nice blare at WOT. I'm presuming that if I can feel comfortable in my Vette, which has a sound enhanced exhaust that the occupants are very close to, the RS6 should be more than tolerable (and fun to hear when you're passing!).
Appreciate your time to post.
:addict: FEVR :addict:

Benman

July 22nd, 2003, 15:08

i agree with Finnus. the ride quality is quite good considered. the closest thing i can compare the ride to is the A6 2.7T. my uncle's 2003 has only a very slight advantage over the ride quality of the RS 6. and when i drove the car in Germany i didn't just drive on "glass smooth" autobahn but specifically asked Tobias (the audi rep) if i could take it over some rough in town roads to test the ride quality. not too shabby at all!:cheers:

Ben:addict:

RS6FEVR

July 22nd, 2003, 15:23

:cheers: Ben

Thanks for the information. Obviously will have to make my own subjective decision on the ride comfort, but am very interested in individual assessments of the machine and it's characteristics. I feel that the better informed I am, the better will be my reaction and expectations when the monster finally does get here! :p :p

:addict: FEVR :addict:

BlackRS6

July 22nd, 2003, 15:32

I appear to be atypical. I am 6'5'' and 250lbs and I fit well in the seats, the RS 6 ride is comfortable and much more stable then my old ride. I used to have a 2002 A6 2.7T with sport seats and these seats actually fit a little better although very similar. The variable lumbar support works well for long trips. I save a couple seat settings in memory so that I can adjust during a trip with tried and true options.

Benman

July 22nd, 2003, 15:42

Originally posted by BlackRS6
I appear to be atypical. I am 6'5'' and 250lbs and I fit well in the seats, the RS 6 ride is comfortable and much more stable then my old ride. I used to have a 2002 A6 2.7T with sport seats and these seats actually fit a little better although very similar. The variable lumbar support works well for long trips. I save a couple seat settings in memory so that I can adjust during a trip with tried and true options.

your coments about the seats are right on the money. althogh VERY similar to the A6 2.7T seats they do feel a little better. i think some people are only let down when they compare it to the all new A8 which come on, SCREAMS luxury!:cheers:

Ben:addict:

Bauer

July 22nd, 2003, 16:23

BlackRS6

Thanks for the input, I am 6'4" about 230 and was kind of concerned about the comfort of the seats for taller folks. The pull out on my S8 really helps with the leg support and I know the RS6 seats do not have that option. I am glad to hear that you find them comfortable with a few adjustments.

Bauer
01 S8
92 S4
03 RS6 ordered

jconley

July 22nd, 2003, 16:34

Originally posted by BlackRS6
I appear to be atypical. I am 6'5'' and 250lbs and I fit well in the seats, the RS 6 ride is comfortable and much more stable then my old ride. I used to have a 2002 A6 2.7T with sport seats and these seats actually fit a little better although very similar. The variable lumbar support works well for long trips. I save a couple seat settings in memory so that I can adjust during a trip with tried and true options.

I am 6'6" and about 250- I had a TT before, and an A6- I haven't driven much, but i am resigned to the fact that I will never be really comforablte in a car...it is quite good though..

I wanted a 911 once, and didn't fit!

jconley

July 22nd, 2003, 16:34

Originally posted by BlackRS6
I appear to be atypical. I am 6'5'' and 250lbs and I fit well in the seats, the RS 6 ride is comfortable and much more stable then my old ride. I used to have a 2002 A6 2.7T with sport seats and these seats actually fit a little better although very similar. The variable lumbar support works well for long trips. I save a couple seat settings in memory so that I can adjust during a trip with tried and true options.

I am 6'6" and about 250- I had a TT before, and an A6- I haven't driven much, but i am resigned to the fact that I will never be really comforablte in a car...it is quite good though..

I wanted a 911 once, and didn't fit!

TheBrit

July 22nd, 2003, 16:45

Bauer,

It's a real shame the US doesn't get the Recaros, as they do have a pull out thigh support, hoever it's not as good as the (Recaro-designed) sports seats in the S8 IMHO.

The nice thing about the S8 was that the front and rear of the seat base could be raised or lowered individually. I used to have the thigh support out fully with the seat base tilted slightly up at the front and the seat back quite upright. This used to leave me plenty of leg-room and also keep me quite near the steering wheel (for getting a good grip on those winding back roads!).

In the RS 6, despite the thigh support, I have a similar problem that I had in the A6 where the back of my thigh doesn't rest on the thigh support (because I'm quite close to the wheel), so all the weight is bourne on my heel, particularly my right heel. This makes it sore after a long drive, and also is scrubbing a dent in the carpet mat that I know will turn into a hole given time.

Perhaps I should sit in a different position, but I find it hard to get the seat base low enough for headroom, but high enough that my legs are properly supported.

I'm 6'1" and erm, somewhere slightly over 200 pounds BTW.

Finnus

July 22nd, 2003, 19:12

The pull out on my S8 really helps with the leg support and I know the RS6 seats do not have that option.

Bauer,

I'm not sure what you mean by a pull out on the S8, but the RS6 does have the automatic steering wheel that retracts when the car is shut off. WHen you restart the car, the steering wheel returns to the original position.

The seats also have 3 memory selections. You could set one way back for getting out and another for your driving position.

Finally, the memory can be programmed to each of the electronic keys. All in all, pretty cool and much more sophisticated than my 2001 S4.

Finnus

Bauer

July 22nd, 2003, 19:31

Finnus

On my S8 there is a support that pulls from the bottom fromt of the seat that extends the leg support of the seat. It makes the bottom part of the seat where you sit longer for more support. For those of us with long legs it really helps.

Bauer
01 S8
92 S4
03 RS6 ordered
]

RS6FEVR

July 22nd, 2003, 20:37

:cheers: all
Thanks again for all the comments (I realize these aren't all directed solely for my benefit) ;) ;) as this is exactly the type of information I was personally looking for. My mb has the same seat adjustment for the bottom front of the seat to help adjust for longer/shorter legs relative to back position. For me, I have set the three memory positions and I believe this particular adjustment is the same in all of those memory storage settings so this will not be much of an loss or hardship for me. I can see if you were much taller or shorter where this could be of great benefit specifically on longer drives. Glad to hear that the lumbar support seems adequate and that the steering wheel has a memory setting (much like my better halfs lexus).
Great and information to share - appreciate it.

:addict: FEVR :addict:

avdh

July 23rd, 2003, 09:10

Originally posted by Bauer
Finnus

On my S8 there is a support that pulls from the bottom fromt of the seat that extends the leg support of the seat.
]

Ditto for the Recaro's in the S6, which I understand are identical to the Recaro's in the RS6.

I think "The Brit" was talking about something more than just the front section moving forward.

BTW, I have done many long trips (1450 km in 9 or 10 hours) with the S6 and I found the Recaro's absolutely brilliant.
Never had any lower back pain/aches, whereas with my previous A6 and BMW's I used to get back aches. I even get just a bit of back ache with my wife's BMW which has sport seats.
I'm 1.96m (6'4") and 108 kg.

btumble

July 23rd, 2003, 19:15

Finnus, you must have missed my part of NJ, we're loaded with audis. Glad to here the trip was comfortable. What dealer did you use? My car coming thru Palisades. My salesman told me about their first delivery - the guy didn't want to hear anything, just grabbed the keys and ran.......

btumble
'01 Allroad (swapping for the RS)
'02 S4
'94 C4 widebody

Finnus

July 23rd, 2003, 19:27

Finnus, you must have missed my part of NJ, we're loaded with audis. What dealer did you use?

BT,

Yeah, I expected to see a lot of Audis. I bought mine through Langan Audi in Albany, NY.

When do you get your car? I think we're going to have to arrange a Northeast RS6 meet once everyone gets their cars.

Finnus

btumble

July 23rd, 2003, 19:39

My car landed in the US just a couple of days ago. I'll know better when I reach the salesman tomorrow. A Northeast meet sounds great.

nene

July 23rd, 2003, 20:28

I'd be interested in an RS6 meet anywhere in the Northeast!

eph94

July 23rd, 2003, 22:24

Originally posted by Finnus
I think we're going to have to arrange a Northeast RS6 meet once everyone gets their cars.

Finnus

I'm definitely interested too. Some of us probably won't be getting our cars until there is some snow on the ground, though. If I remember correctly, we got snow the week of Thanksgiving here in Boston last year!! Well, snow is why I opted for quattro anyway over the E55 or next-gen M5.

Finnus

July 28th, 2003, 12:41

I went for another relatively long drive Saturday when I took my beast back to CT to show my family. 2 1/2 hours each way.

The car seemed even more comfortable than my trip to Atlantic CIty the week before. I don't know if I'm breaking the car's seats in or they're breaking me in. LOL

Finnus

Benman

July 28th, 2003, 15:22

Originally posted by Finnus
The car seemed even more comfortable than my trip to Atlantic CIty the week before. I don't know if I'm breaking the car's seats in or they're breaking me in. LOL
Finnus
i think they're breaking YOU in:hihi: :cheers:

Ben:addict: (one more month, argh!)

Kyle

July 29th, 2003, 03:24

I'm 6'1" and 225 lbs. I am very comfortable in the seats --if I take my wallet out of my back-left pocket before I sit down. The RS6 seats have more support on the sides than our A6 does (the wallet doesn't bother me in the A6). My longest ride was 4 hours with a couple of breaks along the way. No aches or pains and I was having fun the whole way!