Initial impressions of the Beast

[Habiline]

Hi everyone,

I've had the Beast a week now and I still can't wipe the grin off my face.....I'm sure The Brit would understand...:D... and believe me, it's very hard to be grinning when you are driving in Los Angeles rush hour traffic....anyway, here goes:

I love the ride....:addict:...I am being somewhat gentle with it as it still has only around 350 miles on it. I have generally not gone past 5000 rpm. I do notice a slight turbo lag up to around 3000 rpm after which the engine just floors you. I'm sure that this would be a lot less noticeable once it's fully broken it . I have gone to around 5500 to 6000 rpm just twice and the power band up there is EXTREMELY addicting....and this comes from an ex-M3 guy. It is definitely a very fast ride more so than my previous '99 MB E55. There is a very welcome civility to it....the '03 M3 and '00 911 were fast but they felt extremely raw and bone jarring.

When compared to the current '03 E55, I agree with the reviews that it is a hair slower, BUT I love the smoothness, handling and the brakes WAY MORE on the Beast. It makes for a PERFECT daily driver. The current E55 has a disconcerting non-linear power delivery, fast, but nervous at the limit. The steering feel of the E55 also goes from light to heavy in a non-linear fashion. Of course, IMHO.

And finally as they say...driving an understated, unknown Q-ship, AND having the Quattro...PRICELESS!!!:bow:

Sorry about not posting pictures yet, but I haven't been able to tear myself away from the wheel long enough to get the camera! Will post pictures next week once I send it for a proper detail.

:cheers:

Habiline

[avdh]

Thanks for your post.
Good to know your enjoying your new ride!

[Snow]

Great to hear your opinions. Turbo lag you say, is it enough to bother or is it hardly noticeable?

Enjoy your ride!:bye:

[schvetkaaks]

You speak as if you test drove an '03 E55 - interesting, because no dealers offers test drives of the E55 (not allowed to), and I doubt any are sitting in dealership showrooms. At this point, they are all delivered to those who ordered them...

[RS6FEVR]

:cheers: Habiline

Thanks for the review and glad the car is living up to the hype. The comparison automobiles you reference seem to me to be "in the same class" and it's good to know the RS6 measures right up and outperforms!! :D :D

Look forward to those photo's when you get around to it. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

:addict: FEVR :addict:

[Habiline]

Hi all,

Replies to questions & comments:

avdh - yup, enjoting the ride might be an understatement.

Snow - The turbo lag is definitely there, it dosen't bother me though. I use the age old cure for turbo lago - THE RIGHT FOOT!! :D Stomp on the pedal and wham..no more turbo lag...:cheers:

schvetkaaks - Yes, I have driven the 03 E55....TWICE, as a matter of fact...one was about a 10 mile ride in the canyons and another one was a 5-6 mile ride in the city.....Yeah, most dealers tend to be snorty about that "special car"...I live in L.A. though, over here there is enough competition between dealers for the business and thus the test drives. I drove it first from the dealer that I had purchased my old E55 and C36 ('99 & '95, respectively). Then I found that over here there are quite a few car brokers that had the car and were selling them for a much lower markup than the dealers. Brokers are also WAY more receptive to prospective customers unlike most M-B dealers....this is the guy that brought me for a great ride in the canyons.

RS6FEVER - The RS6 definitely outperforms all cars in its class, IMHO...and what aclass it is....I know you are looking forward to your car and I'm sure you will be thrilled with it....Pictures nect week for sure.....

OK people, got to go for a ride....ciao...

:cheers:

Habiline

[AvusRS6]

Why does our RS6 feel sooooooooooooo much more torquier from the passenger seat? When I drive my baby it doesn't seem as torquey as it does from the passenger seat.

[AvusRS6]

Originally posted by Habiline
Hi all,

Replies to questions & comments:

avdh - yup, enjoting the ride might be an understatement.

Snow - The turbo lag is definitely there, it dosen't bother me though. I use the age old cure for turbo lago - THE RIGHT FOOT!! :D Stomp on the pedal and wham..no more turbo lag...:cheers:

schvetkaaks - Yes, I have driven the 03 E55....TWICE, as a matter of fact...one was about a 10 mile ride in the canyons and another one was a 5-6 mile ride in the city.....Yeah, most dealers tend to be snorty about that "special car"...I live in L.A. though, over here there is enough competition between dealers for the business and thus the test drives. I drove it first from the dealer that I had purchased my old E55 and C36 ('99 & '95, respectively). Then I found that over here there are quite a few car brokers that had the car and were selling them for a much lower markup than the dealers. Brokers are also WAY more receptive to prospective customers unlike most M-B dealers....this is the guy that brought me for a great ride in the canyons.

RS6FEVER - The RS6 definitely outperforms all cars in its class, IMHO...and what aclass it is....I know you are looking forward to your car and I'm sure you will be thrilled with it....Pictures nect week for sure.....

OK people, got to go for a ride....ciao...

:cheers:

Habiline

I felt the same way about the Turbo lag and on the first "try" I opted not to buy the car, then my S4 buddy advised that the lag would be less noticeable after break in. My car has 2200 miles already and it feels a lot more responsive than when I first bought it and the same S4 buddy stated that the car needs about 10K miles before it "really opens up"...enjoy this one of a kind BEAST! it gets better!

[Erik]

A lot of torque is difficult to handle for the neck, especially if it comes when you're unaware.

I've driven the A8 W12 and that left me almost seasick.
The 500 hp / 690 Nm RS6 by Hohenester I was in as a passanger is sensational - I had the Audi Test computer in my lap and was reading increasing Nm-figures as the revs came on. Wonderful, but you better start looking at the road if you don't want to start feeling really sick in an instant.

[Benman]

great review. :D i CAN'T WAIT to get mine. only a few more weeks:cheers:

Ben:addict: