I'm in love.......but it's not with a woman ;-) (or a man)

[BigTartanJudge 0]

Had a pretty special experience yesterday, so thought a would write a quick note about it.

 

Picture it, 7.50am on a rather dull dreary Monday morning. You arrive at your place of work (at a local urban branch of a large, well-known multnational car-rental company) and do the usual, set-out the cleaning equipment, check-in returned vehicles from the weekend, move them from the pay-and-display parking into the yard, pretty boring really.

 

Then I went into the fleet office to get some keys to move cars blocking in a vehicle that was going out on rent and the fleet controller gets a call from Audi saying that an Audi needs picked up from Edinburgh city branch for a customer in Aberdeen. So, seeing as it's an Audi and better than the run-of-the-mill cars on our fleet I volunteer to go down to collect it. I was allocated a Ford Fiesta 1.6 Ghia to drive down to Edinburgh city in and I asked what I was picking up and only got told the reg and that it was an "Audi A4". Now one of the contracts our company has is to deliver courtesy Audi vehicles to Audi ARCS Roadside Assistance customers (if Audi themselves have no spare courtesy cars or drivers to do it). And the SLA (service level agreement) for Audi ARCS means that all Audi customers who have purchased new Audi vehicles must get as least an equivalent model of Audi that they own or better........

 

So I left Aberdeen about 9am and meandered down to Edinburgh city branch getting there about 11.15am and handed the keys to the Edinburgh city branch fleet controller, who said "Are you the guy that is getting the RS4 and your giving me a Fiesta for that ??!". I was a bit dumbstruck, and thought I had misheard at first.....but then with some more grumbling he said "it's in the garage, as would be expected for a car of that calibre". I went round to to the garage to be greeted by the awesome sight of a '07 plate Audi RS4 in Ebony black, with only 440 miles on the clock........which I was to drive back up north, refuel and take back to my branch.

 

I got into the car and turned the key but in my excitement I had forgotten that RS4's have a push-button start. With barely-contained excitement I pressed that button and the V8 engine rumbled into life, settling down into an idle with a throaty burbbling coming from the fat rear tailpipes. I got one of the guys to shift the Boxster blocking my exit and then I settled back into the cosseting heated electric RECARO seat, dipped the heavy clutch, slowly letting it out and edged it out of the garage onto the road. I tried to relax and be cool whilst driving through town out onto the bypass to head north on the motorway before seeing what she was capable of.

 

I cannot describe just how good this car really is and you will only be able to understand if you have ever driven one and for distance. It handles superbly, and the power delivery is just seamless, effortless and unrelenting. The sound from that NA 4.2L V8 engine is amazing, and the noise produced when the throttle is floored in 4th gear at 60MPH from 3500rpm to 7000rpm makes your spine tingle and the hairs on your arms stand on end. I had a little play with a '55 plate Ford Mustang on the motorway and absolutely destroyed it TBH. I don't think there is a lot on the road today, bar your hugely expensive supercars, that can compete with this car.......It's just a beautiful, stunning capable machine in every way, shape and form and it's also an amazingly addictive car to drive, feeling safe, solid and extemely comfortable. It just isn't comfortable driving at any speed on the motorway under 80mph (would seem to be the ideal cruising speed, although I never drove above 70 mph guvnor !) it just wants to go and go and go !

 

When I got back to the yard in Aberdeen after refulling (BTW ok the fuel consumption is pretty awful, i.e. I used just under half a tank - 40L to do 140 miles = average 20.7 mpg and I wasn't exactly driving slow either........but who cares, it wasn't my fuel), I was asked if I wanted to go for my lunchbreak as it was 2pm, but I refused and said I wanted to deliver the car there and then. It wasn't due to be delivered till 4pm but no matter. Now I ALWAYS make a point of making sure that I get my lunchbreak, but strangely enough, on this occasion I didn't care that I didn't get it...........I delivered the car to the owner of a subsea engineering company (whose RS4 was in for a major service, he was one of the first in Aberdeen to take delivery of an RS4 back when they were first launched) located about 15 miles from our branch.

 

All in all, for me it was the most amazing experience and I have now decided that I HAVE to own one of these cars at some point in the future. We had another RS4 last year for use to Audi customers but it was sent for sale back to Audi last November and I never got to drive it. I also know one guy who owns an RS4, but who rarely drives it (he has his own driver to pick him up from pubs+clubs when he is in town at weekends) as he drives his TechArt 997 911 Turbo normally during the day.

 

Now I have had that chance and experience, my conclusion is that it was without a doubt the BEST car I have EVER driven, and I was sad that my time with the RS4 had to come to an end. I had the most amazing experience and I have now decided that I HAVE to own one of these cars at some point in the future. Sometimes my job is really crap at times, but it's days like this that make it all worthwhile. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I rest my case.........

 

Cheers

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, and did find the Sport button on the steering wheel (actually was pressed permanently.....), which made it sound even more raucous and the seat bolsters move inwards and grip you more tightly, awesome !

 

And Jim, the RS4's are actually apparently supplied "run-in" from the factory niw, so wouldn't have been a problem there !

[ReekieVR 0]

Nice write up man. Sounds like a good day at the office ! Cheers for sharing it.

 

Was it the RS4 that Clarkson raced the rock climbing dood up a mountain ? He loved it too !

[saysomestuff 0]

Was it the RS4 that Clarkson raced the rock climbing dood up a mountain ? He loved it too !

Yep - Part One - Part Two

 

Sounds like a pretty good day Struan 8)

[BILLCOR 1]

Jammy barsteward :lol:

Superb car Struan, wouldn't mind owning one myself but I cant see the price of them dropping by much in the next couple of years, even the first RS4 Avants are 20k plus and thats for a high miler :(

I remember when I picked up my Mk4 R32, zero miles and the first time I had actually driven one, I must have had the stupidest looking grin on my face travelling from Dundee back to St.Andrews, you no the look, kinda when your just about laughing out loud :lol:

[Jim 1]

Sounds like the engine is being gently run in there then Struan! Nevermind! :)

 

You're a lucky devil. The RS4 is truely stunning and i'd consider myself privileged to be able to spend even an hour behind the wheel of one. I think your outpouring about the car is pretty much how most of us mere mortals would feel when given the chance to drive a car of that caliber.

 

Sigh. One day!

[Andy665 0]

If I had to choose one car that would have to be the only car I could have for the rest of my days it would be an RS4 - awesome car.

 

Lots of debate going on at the moment that only the early RS4's had the full 414bhp, lots of later cars are being RR'd and only coming out with 360-370bhp.

 

Some people have said that its due to the variable torque split but if that was the case then I wonder why Audi have changed peoples cars when they have complained about the power defecits.

[junkie 0]

I take it you did press the sport button didnt you.

[Toad 0]

I saw the thread title, and thought you were talking about me.... :lol:

 

I'd love a go in an RS4. See what a properly quick car is really like.

[BigTartanJudge 0]

I have worked out, with the price I paid for my 1-bedroom flat 5 years ago, and the price I could sell it for, I could pay off the mortgage and have enough to buy a brand new RS4 outright...........but then I would have nowhere to live, right ? Ah well, could always live in the RS4 like a hobo, and wash in public toilets etc, LOL

 

And here she is, only have the one pic....shame really, but was more interested in driving her, took this when parked up having a coffee at Costa outlet on road north, having a fag, engine running just listening to her and admiring !

 

[craigowl 0]

OK, Struan, you got us drooling with that good write up. :lol:

 

Re the title, you should have excluded your wooly four legged friends, too, lest there be any doubts :?

 

One lesson from your account? Get a good career in the oil industry. 8)

[vr6corrado 0]

I had one for a day when my S3 went in for a replacement lambda probe (at under 2000 miles :shock: ) and it was an awesome car, loved every minute of driving it.