Tarmac101

Hello,

I am looking for a new car to replace my 2002 A4 3.0Q. The S4 seems like a great car but I am not sure I can handle the wait and not sure I want to pay that much for it.

So right now, I am looking at alternatives. While the S60R is certainly not as good as the M3 or S4 on the track, I was wondering what do you guys think of it? I think that it is important to mention that I will probably never go to the track with my car, so I care more about the pleasure I can get from its performance as a daily driver.

Thanks.

Tarmac101

LSB

S60R is FWD only until comp senses wheel slip, then goes to AWD. Depending on where you live (weather patterns and all that ****)I would probably keep your A4Q, or consider something else.

While it gets almost no airplay here probably because of HP, the IS300 might be an alternative in that it 1)is a little cheaper and 2) while it doesn't quite have the HP, it is still a fun daily driver with AIRTIGHT quality, not to mention great dealer service.

My $.02 USD

Oaktree

No, current experience with Volvo is not very good.

sly1

And let's not forget about the G35 coupe as an alternative. Big bang for the bucks, and Infiniti also has great service.

Ron O

I tried a TT when they first came out and drove 250 miles to a dealer that had one of the first.
Barb (my wife) and I got in and within 2 blocks determined it wasn't for us. I didn't like the shifting mech , there was not enought foot room for my 12s and she said she felt like she was in a coffin.
That was it, 500 miles to get to it and it was worth it to know definitively I didn't want it.
The key is to do it w/o the sales guy and with your wife -partner or what ever.
Good luck +
I'm P@@ssed at the Germans -- this AM they polled that they considered the FRENCH thier best ally by a 49% tally

So much for the > 20,000 of our guys buried there from WW2- I had relitives

50cal

It does almost everything as well as the S4, in advanced mode its good for about .87 on the skidpad (has a 55/45 weight distribution). Are you bringing the car to limerock to race on the weekends? Any differences in handling I wouldn't notice on the street to be honest.

Braking wise, the S60R and S4 are on par with each other...both are in the 120ft area.

The S4 is slightly faster in the straights (not by much), but there will be an ECU upgrade for the S60R.

Interior, I like the Switchgear in the S4 better (that's a tough act to follow). But the attention to detail in the S60R is great, even the gauge cluster overhang is leather covered stitched in blue. Plus it actually has a 3 spoke wheel with controls on it.

You can't knock the S60s quality, they fair above average in the CR tests (above the A4). The 2004s also got some quality improvements all around.

So, the S4 will be approx $7k-$8k more than the S60R. Of course I would suspect it to do a few things better and it does.

But you have to give credit to Volvo, they did their homework on this one. They are only importing 3800 or so (400 of those V70Rs), so its low volume. It also got European Car Mag. Car of the Year....that's a plus.

Anyway, look at all cars.....G35 Coupe/Sedan 6spd, A4 3.0, BMW 330i with the Perf. Package, etc.

RL53CPA

a test drive is a must. I have a friend who was in the market last year trying to decide between a s60 and the Passat glx. A test drive quickly helped them to pick the VW. They have always liked german cars.

When I was shopping back in 2000, the s40 looks really good on paper but after test drove the car, I wasn't impressed at all. Then I drove the A4, no comparsion whatsoever. Keep in mind, when I test drove the s40, I had never driven a german before so I wasn't biased at all. Back then I was driving my sister's 1992 Saturn coupe and I still wasn't impressed by the Volvo. LOL

S4Frank

a downer. I really want awd at all times so I have just ruled out the S60R. I gather quatro has awd at all times.

Audi S5 TC

Even one of the represenatives at Mercedes Benz of North America says CR is a mediocre at best automotive source due to the fact that CR is excessively general and the least specific automotive source there is when they rate or survey owners of any car. I read this in a road test article for the Mercedes C32 wagon in Newsday last Friday (5-16-03). In the opinions of many automotive enthusiasts (including my own), CR is the least reliable and trustworthy automotive source there is. Oh, and Volvo have their share of problems, too. Most likely, more problems than Audi, despte whay those jerkoffs at CR say.

HiTEC

I've owned both Torsen and Haldex Audi's. People always knock the haldex system saying that's it's not true AWD. Well, I agree with you that's it FWD until it senses that it needs to transfer power which takes place in MILLISECONDS. It's not like you waiting for 10secs for this power transfer to happen.

Driven both AWD systems in the snow I would not be talking down about the Haldex system.