Audi A8 2004: The Weekly Driver Review
Value is an integral purchasing factor for many car buyers, and it’s often
a simple equation. If a consumer has $2,000, $20,000 or $200,000 to
spend on a vehicle, what can they fairly expect get for their dollars?
But as the price increases into the luxury vehicle category, is there a
point of diminishing returns?
If a consumer has $75,000 to spend on a vehicle, the Audi A8 L Quattro,
for example, do they care if it requires premium fuel? Do they care if in
severa.l consumer guide tests, it fell far short of the manufacturer’s
touted 17 mph in city conditions.
Or does the purchaser of the Audi A8 L Quattro prefer to revel in its
extreme quietness, its front and rear seat spaciousness and comfort and
its superior ride quality as the flagship sedan in Audi’s fleet?
If the latter is a priority, then my weekly test drive was as good as it gets.
A redesign for 2004, the Audi A8 includes a 2.5-inch longer wheelbase,
an inch more leg room and and increase of 20 horsepower to 330
horsepower. The engine remains the same, a 4.2 liters with five valves
per cylinder. A 6-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift gate
replaces a 5-speed automatic. Other changes include optional 18 or 19
inch wheels instead of standard 17-inch wheels from the previous
generation, and optional heated front and rear seats and steering
wheel.
Having not driven an Audi Quattro in its previous edition, I obviously
couldn’t make any comparisons. Nonetheless, it was hard not to be
impressed with the vehicle from its platinum beige pearl exterior and
perfectly matched leather beige interior to its elegantly designed and
positioned birch wood trimmings.
In short, the Audi A8 exudes elegance and drives accordingly. Steering
and handling and ride quality were all extraordinary in city and freeway
conditions. It accelerates well and seemingly commands respect on the
road.
The vehicle also has the OnStar emergency contact system and
HomeLink system to remotely engage houselights upon near arrival.
Plus, the Quattro also features the Parktronic system. It provides a
beeping noise when one backs out or enters parking spaces. The
feature seemingly was engaged whether anything was in front or behind
the car.
But with a base price of $68,500, a vehicle should have a lot more to
offer, and the Audi does. The standard feature list is long, not the least of
which ia permanent all-wheel drive, 16-way front seats and eight
airbags, powerglass sunroof (tilt and glass) and a 12-speaker sound
system.
But my vehicle also included various options that added nearly another
$6,000 to the price. Those features included the aforementioned 19-inch
wheels ($1,900), a Launch Convenience Package (electronic rear
sunshade, rear vanity mirrors and tire pressure monitoring system,
$1,200) and Cold Weather Package (heated front and rear seats, ski
rack and heated steering wheel, $1,100). Two other options and a
destination charge brought the car’s price to slightly more than $75,000.
A buyer interested in purchasing two vehicles, could do well while
spending $75,000 or even considerably less. But as the adage goes, if
money is not an object, the Audi A8 L Quattro is a fine luxury car with
little, if anything, not first-rate.
Safety features — Driver and front-seat passenger front-seat
airbags; Two rear-seat mounted side airbags, two front knee airbags,
headlight washer system, front and rear fog lights.
Fuel Mileage (estimates) — 17 (city), 24 mpg (highway).
Warranty — Bumper to bumper, 4 years/50,000 miles;
Corrosion, 12 years/unlimited miles; Roadside assistance, 4 years/
50,000 miles.
Base price — $68,500.
James Raia is a syndicated journalist in Sacramento, Calif., who writes
about sports, fitness and business topics as well as the free electronic
newsletters Endurance Sports News and Tour de France Times and The
Weekly Driver, a car review column.
Samples of Raia’s writing can be viewed on his web site: ByJamesRaia.com.
His car reviews and newsletters can be viewed at The
Weekly Driver and
Endurance Sports News and Tour
de France Times
What To Look For In Motor Homes
Whether you are purchasing or just renting one of the motorhomes
that are available for sale or rent, there are several things
you should look for. First of all, best motorhomes are reliable.
The manufacturer should be a trustworthy company that builds
vehicles that don’t break too often. Motorhomes should also be
comfortable to make sure that they can provide you and your
family the possibility to take the enjoyable and relaxing trip.
Motorhomes that you look at should suit all your personal and
family needs and should include all the necessary amenities and
equipment. Since there is such a wide variety of motorhomes
offered for sale or for rent, you can be sure that you will find
the one that will satisfy all your requirements.
First off all, you should make sure that you consider only the
motorhomes with appropriate size and number of beds. Motorhomes
will also usually include several seats and a table that can be
used as a dining table. You will also find different kitchen
amenities in motorhomes. For example, you might want to consider
motorhomes that include a kitchen sink, water system with hot
and cold water, microwave, refrigerator (very useful for long
trips), gas stove or oven (check the gas bottle specifications)
and inside or outside grill. Most of the motorhomes will usually
include a large storage section (many times with outside access).
If you are planning to purchase a motorhome, you should create a
list of different motorhomes that you like and compare them.
After comparing technical specification, you might want to check
the feedback written by other owners of these types of
motorhomes. All you need for that is access to Internet and the
model numbers for several best motorhomes that you selected from
the list. There are many technical motorhomes review websites
that will allow you to find out what different owners think
about specific models of motorhomes and how good their
experience is with these motorhomes. This will usually help you
to make the final selection.
Consider a Performance Exhaust System
Is it time for you to replace your car’s exhaust system? Have you noticed rust around your muffler and tailpipe? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then consider replacing your stock exhaust system with a performance exhaust system. Up front you will pay more, but in the end a performance exhaust system just may be the last one you will ever need to purchase for your car.
Nothing lasts forever, right? Well, in the case of some performance exhaust systems you can come darn close. Consider this: one top manufacturer of cat-back exhausts [more on what one is a bit later] produces an exhaust system with a one million mile guarantee! How can they do this? By making a product from aircraft quality stainless steel, that’s how. That’s right; the same steel used by aircraft manufacturers goes into every Borla brand exhaust system to produce a product that is durable and long lasting. Other brands have similar warranties, so I am not saying Borla is the end all or be all product for your car.
So, just how does a cat-back system work? By keeping all the important emissions parts in place, a cat-back system incorporates large width exhaust pipes and low restriction performance mufflers into your car thereby lowering exhaust back pressure. A side benefit is the deeper, throatier tone produced by the exhaust system. Because your car’s engine is essentially an air pump, a cat-back a/k/a performance exhaust system allows the engine to pump and flow air with less interruption. In summation, more power is freed up and horsepower increases of 5 to 15 percent are well within the range of possibility. One side benefit: you will notice an increase in fuel economy because a performance exhaust system allows your engine to run more efficiently.
So, what’s not to love about a performance exhaust system? Not much! Even if you aren’t planning to keep your car forever, the resale value of your vehicle will also increase with a performance exhaust system installed on your car. You win now with more power and better fuel economy and you can win later when it comes time to sell your car. A true win-win situation, don’t you agree?
Copyright 2005 — Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for the Auto Parts Warehouse, a wholesaler of fine Flowmaster and Borla performance exhaust systems.
Honda Turbochargers at Inner Auto: Excellent Quality at a Low Price
A turbo is an ingenious little design that harnesses the wasted
kinetic energy we dump out through the exhaust system force more
air into the engine. A turbo can be a simpler, more compact way
to add power, especially for an aftermarket accessory. The basic
turbo system comes with the turbo, exhaust manifold for turbo,
waste gate, blow-off valve (bypass valve), lines for oil supply
and return and the intercooler, which is optional.
Your Honda’s turbocharger is ultimately the most powerful of all
forced induction systems. While turbo charging a Honda car motor
increases the amount of air that can be flowed into it, it has a
negative effect on how easily we can flow it back out again.
This weakens positive pressure difference between these two
fundamental sides of the engine, and causes both cam timing &
exhaust system design to become extremely important to producing
more power.
An area of the turbo acts as an insulator from the exhaust heat
to keep the intake air compressor side as cool as possible.
Keeping the intake air cool increases power since more air
molecules enter the cylinders at a given pressure. Yet in most
current forms of racing where the rules do not prohibit the use
of turbo or slap restrictions on their use, the turbo reigns
supreme in terms of engine power output.
Inner Auto offers Honda parts
focused on reliability, quality, great designs and affordable
price. With the Honda tradition of designing efficient and
innovative cars, Inner Auto has in its stock the widest array as
well high standard Honda Parts, Performance Parts, and
Replacement Parts. With only a few clicks, visit http://www.innerauto.com/Honda_P
arts and you will find Inner Auto’s impressive array of
highly durable and reliable Honda Parts to match the equally
impressive performance of your Honda.