Audi A4 3.0 CVT Long-Term Update

I write this in the Pacific Northwest, stuck in a lost zone where I almost receive two decent radio stations from Seattle and one from Vancouver. None would make my preset list in Los Angeles. I contemplate sending an e-mail to lists@northpole.net, advising them that if I can't see the sun, at least bring me XM radio. It is satellite radio, with excellent stations that can be received nationwide with digital clarity. One can drive through farm country and hear something other than Faith Hill's crooning or the Olde Tyme 24 Gospel Hours, or across the desert and hear anything at all. For a business traveler, XM seems perfect. A car radio can be stolen in seconds; I imagine one could learn to temporarily install an XM receiver in a rental car in less than 10 minutes. Even driving to "nearby" racetracks like Buttonwillow and Willow Springs would be improved with XM in the tow rig. In european car's long-term Audi A4 3.0 multitronic, XM is paired with the excellent stock sound system. It is good.

When people ask me, I say that Audi has the best paint and interiors of any car company in the world. My opinion of the paint remains, and the interior retains its quality new-leather smell, not the "Japanese fish leather" scent that prevails in lesser cars. However, I was surprised to have difficulty getting the driver's seat and steering wheel in our long-term car to fulfill the three requirements of comfort, accommodating my long legs and putting my shoulders close enough to the steering wheel. I ended up compromising on the latter. Another driver commented on how high he sat in the vehicle. I hadn't noticed my hair brushing the headliner, but I was surprised when a Dodge Durango to my right at a four-way stop popped out from its hiding place behind the rearview mirror. Audi is not the only manufacturer guilty of this--offering a seat that could be adjusted lower would solve the problem, though. Also, while the buttons on the latest Volkswagen stereo head units are usable, it still takes a considerable amount of focus for me to effectively activate several of the rubber-encased, half-Chiclet(R)-sized buttons for the Audi's presets.

The 3.0L engine is powerful and smooth, as expected of a premium German marque. The CVT is an ultra-cool techno-gadget, with all the more geek appeal because so few non-geeks have a clue. I won't make the argument that shifting for oneself is the only "proper" way to drive. Anything that reduces a driver's effort allows one to focus more completely on controlling the vehicle. However, the torque converter in even the best conventional automatic transmission so reduces the control I have over a vehicle as to offset its benefit when driving the way I like to drive. Audi's CVT is the best "automatic" transmission available in the U.S. by default--it has no torque converter. The changes in ratio are rapid and seamless, and the car actually has engine braking. Editor Brown remarked how much he appreciated the multitronic one evening when his 40-min. commute stretched to two hours.

I can remember driving only one car that paired Eibach's Pro-Kit springs with stock dampers and not hating it. This is not that car. The springs fitted to the car have transformed it from a wallowingly soft and underdamped car riding on marshmallows to a badly underdamped car riding on its long-travel bumpstops, a.k.a., "supplemental springs." What I didn't expect was for the damping to decay in 40 minutes of driving the car on public roads. I would need to perform more-official tests before declaring that the dampers had faded, but they certainly seemed worse at the end than at the beginning. I have never driven a car with the Pro-System (Pro-Kit springs and Pro-Damper) and not liked it, so I expect that when Eibach finally gets Pro-Dampers for this chassis in stock and puts the first set on european car's test car as promised, it will ride very well. If Project S4 is a guide, however, the basic understeer characteristic will remain.

As detailed last time, we also added many Audi Accessories to this car. The Audi Toccata wheels and 235/45ZR17 Continental ContiSportContact 2 tires improved the car so greatly that the change was obvious pulling out of the shop. I have not noticed them wanting to choose tracks on L.A.'s grooved freeways, as many ribbed performance tires seem to, and grip is more than the rest of the chassis can handle. Audi's thick rubber floor mat has snagged the throttle pedal and held it to the floor with at least two drivers. Perhaps a device to better hold it in place would solve the problem.

I haven't found anything to not like about this vehicle that can't be fixed by the aftermarket, and the evidence suggests the things that are right about it can't be duplicated by the aftermarket for any amount of money. Bottom line? I'd take mine with quattro, even though that would mean ditching the multitronic. This Audi could be a great choice for an enthusiast.