fjorkduf

I had some extra time this weekend, and I have started the long process of shopping to replace my current '02 Mcoupe. I love the car but it's just too small. I've had fun with the car but I think it's time for a primary car that is a little more rational. (I am not really interested in owning two cars right now)

Well... I have been thinking about the S4, but they are expensive, and with all of the blown engines, and transmissions stuff floating around here I am questioning the reliability. Also currently with the coupe I actually only find about an hour out of the entire week where I can actually drive the car the way it should be driven. Anyone that knows san jose knows that there is traffic everywhere and having a fast car is almost pointless at times.

I have been obviously considering the S4,M3, and the S60R(because I have heard praise on the S4 message board and the car is a super deal).

So yesterday I went out with a buddy and went to test drive. I first went to the volvo dealership to check out the S60R.

--Styling:
I like the way this car looks. Definitely a sleeper. I don't think most people will really know how fast that car actually is. The big 18" wheels look reall nice, and overall the car looks pretty good.

The interior styling is O.K. The interior is definitely well executed, but didn't really have a very sporty feel to me. The biggest gripe I have are the seats. You sit really high up in the car and the seats are really squishy. If I was looking for a luxury sedan this would be great. I just think it was a little too posh for a sports car.

--Drive:

The adjustable suspension is definitely very cool. For those of you who are unfamiliar it has three modes: comfort,sport, and advanced. The comfort mode was what you would expect. I barely felt any of the bumps in the road, and the ride was VERY smooth. Sport mode gave a little more feedback. Not much, but definitely noticeable. Advanced mode I figured would be more like my coupe. Even though it was stiffer than sport it still seemed too soft for a performance car. When I got back in the coupe to leave I could see how refined the volvo was and how raw the coupe is. I think the volvo is almost a little too polite for it's own good.

The car definitely did pull quite good. Its very quiet in the cabin, but you can still hear some of the gratifying turbo noise from under the hood. I definitely feel that they did a good job there. One thing I notice is the clutch pedal didn't feel very tight to me either, I also didn't like that the clutch bites really early.

The car handled well, but didn't provide much feedback from the road. The steering felt overboosted. I definitely felt more disconnected from the road then I would like to be.

It's definitely hard to ignore the value of the volvo. The car is very safe, and you get a lot of stuff for the 41k price tag. I just don't think it's very sporty. I would call it a fast luxury car.

I definitely felt more welcomed there (I'm 27 years old and on some lots I don't get treated with much respect). The woman who took me on the test drive was very courteous and treated me as a serious potential buyer. If I bought a car just on the attitude of the salesperson volvo would definitely have won.

Next I went to the audi dealership. I didn't think I would be able to drive a S4 and I was right. They had one in stock, but it was already sold. I saw a shiny new black A4 Ultra Sport 3.0 sitting there and figured I would give it a spin. I stood around for a while. The guys down there don't really seem to care about making a sale. There is almost this attitude that they are doing me a favor by even being there. After hunting around for a free sales associate I finally got my test drive. The guy wasn't very cool. I could definitely tell that he didn't want to be there because I was up front and told the guy I was comparison shopping. I don't know about you guys, but if I was a salesperson I would treat every test drive as a potential sale. So if I end up purchasing an audi (which I probably will) I will go to a different dealership. Any recommendations?

So I went on a test drive with the unenthusiastic salesperson. The A4 ultra sport definitely impressed me. The interior is awesome. I love the aluminum instead of the wood. Definitely a sportier look. The car sounded much better than the volvo, and the handling was crisp and responsive much more what I would expect from a sport model. Even though it was only a 3.0 v6 it still had good pull, and I think it is definitely sufficient for my needs. After driving the 3.0 I can't really justify paying the extra ~12k for the S4. The exterior of the ultrasport solved all the problems I have with the regular a4. It looks really slick. I think it's funny to mention the salespeople there were very enthusiastic in telling me that I could easily re-badge the car with the S4 badges!!! Isn't that sooo cool? It's easy for me to become a poser! (which I have no interest in doing. I despise those bastards that have ///M 325is etc...)

They did tell me that the Ultra Sport package is availible for the Avant. Which is cool because I do want the avant. They said if I ordered it, I could take delivery in three to four months. I guess they just aren't availible yet.

Just for the hell of it I went to Stevens Creek BWM. Those guys are a$$holes. They had a used '03 M3 on the lot with SMG. I figured this would be my big chance to finally try out the SMG transmission. The funny thing is the dirtbag told me that "the m3 buyer wants to have a car with the least possible miles" I laughed in his FACE!!! I told him the CAR IS ALREADY USED!!! IT HAS MILES ON IT. That is a moronic argument. I don't think having an extra five miles on a USED car is going to change the sale price of that car. What's even funnier is that they were asking 59k!!!!! The funny thing is if you configure a brand new '04 m3 on the bmw web site with the same options you get an MSRP of 57K!!! HAHAH... they must be smoking crack. I am sorry but M3s are not THAT cool, and the interior is nowhere near as good as the interior on the Audi.

I am almost 100% sure (99.9) that my next purchase will be an audi a4 ultra sport. I have not decided if I will get an avant or not, but the A4 definitely won for me.

lawong

and I have nothing but kudos to say about them. Always treated me fairly and with respect. Another dealership you might want to consider is Livermore Audi.

Shaun

This is pretty tempting. One of those "love it or hate it" interiors, but I like it...
<img src="http://new.volvocars.com/r/downloads/volvoR_11_A.jpg">

Boston1.8T

I test drove S60R yesterday...i expect more power from it.

Onie

Try Diablo in Concord, Test drove w/o salesperson

Tsle

I really like the S60R interior, especially the almost metallic blue/black leather.

B_Chicago

I love that leather, but don't think I could have it in a car. In my den next to the fireplace, yes

tonypilot

Nice comparison.

jusatry

I bought my A4 this past summer @ Carlsen Audi in palo alto (just off 101), and they are quality people. Ask for Christopher, he is great. Unlike Rector, they gave me the time of day (i am 20 years old, but was getting help from parents/grandparents).....and they were great on the service (Christopher still doesnt mind answering questions when i call him now 3 months later)....good luck.

JsprZ

this 55 yr old sales man didnt even stop in his tracks when talking to me...he just walked plain pass me without so much as a turn of his head, after waiting for him with my mom for 20 minutes. Note btw, we had just bought a 330ci from them a few weeks earlier.
Go with the A4 3.0 =) it's more than enough fun around the bay area...esp with the moderate rain seasons and tahoe!