Labels: The German Car Blog

iAfrica thinks the Saab wins. They critique the Audi, suggesting the quattro drivetrain makes it less responsive than its rivals. Being an African-oriented review (not so many cold climates where quattro would help on a non high-performance model), and that the Saab's turbocharged, more efficient 4-cylinder is well-liked, one wonders why they didn't compare a 1.8T Front Trak version of the A4.

Labels: Audi

In order to meet a wider range of customer requests, Audi now offers a number of features for “sold orders” only. This means that customers who place an order with the dealer and are prepared to wait for it can select from a broader palette of options and colors depending on the model.

Labels: Audi

Labels: Audi

All new Audi models will now carry DataDot VIN-based microdots, following its successful implementation in October last year on all A6 and A8 models.

All Audi models feature high levels of active and passive safety, however vehicle security is also becoming increasingly important during customer purchase consideration, says Audi’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann.

“The safety of our customers is extremely important. Not only from an occupant protection perspective, but also in terms of vehicle security, giving our drivers peace of mind that their vehicle is hard to steal,” Mr Hofmann said.

For this reason, numerous vehicle safety and security features including DataDot microdot identification are now standard specification across the Audi range, including deadlocks on all doors, speed-activated central locking, safety central locking (two-stage unlocking) and an engine immobiliser system.

All Audi vehicles are delivered to customers with the automatic activation of the company’s speed-sensitive central security locking system which is automatically engaged at 15 km/h and remains locked until the key is removed from the ignition.

Labels: Audi

Leading turbocharger company Turbo Dynamics reveals that turbos for the VAG group head the best selling list.

Everything from early Golf models right through to the current Volkswagen and Audi ranges SEAT cars and Skodas, including diesel versions, have been enhanced by Turbo Dynamics.

Petrol and diesel cars can all benefit from a hybrid turbo developed by Turbo Dynamics with the Golf TDi the most popular diesel car to modify as owners look to take the combination of economy and performance to new levels.

Labels: Audi, VW

The A3's cabin, by contrast, is a whisper of Teutonic restraint. At the moment, Audi's perfectly executed and brilliantly designed interiors are arguably the best in the business. Heated leather seats, dual-zone climate control, auto-dimming mirrors, satellite radio, multifunction steering wheel, onboard navigation, and many other niceties lend the A3's cabin a feel comparable to that of a car costing twice as much. It's a more refined set of surroundings than the Mini, and a bit larger too. (Various versions of the A3 have been available internationally for a decade, but when Audi brought the car Stateside to compete with the Mini in the premium compact category, it tugged the tail a bit and sneaked two extra doors onto the body.) Good rule of thumb: If your kid is under 6 feet tall, go with the Mini; if over, get the Audi.

The A3, on the other hand, is a wonder. Audi dropped its new 200-hp turbocharged engine into the vehicle, and the power plant makes use of something Audi terms Fuel Stratified Injection, which basically means that gas is fired directly into the combustion chamber, allowing a precise air-to-fuel mixture and greatly improving efficiency and power. Next, Audi supplied the A3 with a revolutionary gearbox -- lifted from its racing fleet. Called Direct Shift Gearbox, it is a dual-clutch system that allows the transmission to preselect anticipated gears while the current one is engaged, and then shift instantaneously as required. The system is wildly complex, but the result is all that matters: The A3 shifts faster and more smoothly than any car I've tested. By marrying FSI and DSG (plus a few other things like electromechanical steering and electronic stability control), Audi has created an entry-level vehicle that speeds through its paces as well as most supercars. At any point on my ersatz racecourse -- even heading straight up the steeps -- I could mash the gas and the A3's torque chirped the wheels, shoved me deep into the driver's seat, and tumbled the hapless dog against the hatchback.

Labels: Audi

Labels: Lamborghini

Labels: VW

So the new Jetta uses the excellent Golf as a base, adds some useful extra space and a few more toys and is anticipated to cost only a few more notes more than Golf. Sounds like a good proposition. And it is, but the real difference with new Jetta is the way the car looks. No longer does the booted Golf look slightly short-arsed and rather inadequate, instead there’s a proper flow to the design. As the Passat has grown, now almost qualifying as a full size executive saloon, the Jetta has eagerly nipped into the space left behind.

Labels: VW

Volkswagen has just loosed its sixth-generation Passat on dealer showrooms across the country, and none too soon. The German automaker is in desperate need of a marketplace pick-me-up, and the Passat may prove the right prescription.

The Passat is as handsome a design as any hailing from Wolfsburg these days, with an even higher level of interior refinement than the VW norm—already the leader in the field—and a more elegantly shaped skin.

That added power and the extra cog were evident in our short suburban road drive in the new VW, putting the base Passat drive­train in the hunt with upscale V6 models of the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

Then again, neither the Camry nor Accord can run with the Passat. A V6-powered Camry ($20,915) is good for just 190 horses—10 shy of the base Passat. Honda’s $24,500 V6 Accord maxes out at 240 hp— respect­able, but still 40 horses shy of the six-cylinder Volkswagen.

Labels: VW

Inspired by sites such as The German Car Blog and a similar forum-based news listing at Fourtitude, AudiWorld is setting out to more comprehensively cover all the news out there via the Audi News Forum. Here we will aggregate many different news sources so that readers can come to one spot as a jumping off point.

Labels: The German Car Blog

TCC: How important is Audi's support?
Winkelmann:Without Audi, Lamborghini couldn't exist. They bring money and technology. Audi is becoming a more sporty brand because they are investing more in technology - technology that Lamborghini (otherwise) couldn't afford. We can benefit from these huge investments, but we must maintain the huge discipline that is the pillar of what Lamborghini stands for. Lamborghini is uncompromising, extraordinary - and Italian.

TCC: How is Audi's investment paying off?
Winkelmann: Lamborghini is 42 years old. For the first 40 years, we never sold more than 250 cars. In 2003, it rose to 1300 and last year 1600. We have decided to stay at the same volume this year.

Labels: Lamborghini

Held the weekend of August 19th-21st and centered around an autocross at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport, the get-together was designed to celebrate the older generations of Audis that tend to be forgotten by the public in view of the spectacular "A"-series cars produced from 1996 onward. Participants from Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts traveled to Cumberland to meet other Audi enthusiasts, see some excellent examples of classic Audi models, enjoy some great food, and most importantly, race!

Now in its second year, the Old School quattro gathering, originally organized by Cumberland resident Doug Macy, is a sub-event put on in cooperation with National Road Autosport, a local enthusiast club that runs several autocross events at the airport each year. OSq coincides with National Road's "Summer Sizzler" autocross in late August. In 2004 about 8 Audis attended the event, which is largely dominated by sports cars such as Porsches and Corvettes. This year the count was up to roughly a dozen on Saturday, with several more Audis arriving on Sunday. Some drivers stayed overnight to compete both days, while others limited themselves to just one day on the fast and smooth taxiways at Cumberland.

Labels: Audi

Labels: The German Car Blog

Labels: Audi

Labels: Audi

Wheels can make one of the most significant and dramatic differences regarding the overall look of any car. For some car enthusiasts, stock wheels and tires might never be kept beyond the first full wearing of a set of tires. By then, they’re off to find something new to tailor the look of the car more to their tastes. When it comes time for tire replacement, that’s often the perfect opportunity to spend a bit more and get a nicer set of wheels to go along with the new shoes. The plans for Project TT were really no different, except that the TT's stock tires were already worn through to the cords the day it was driven it home.

Labels: Audi

As July waned this summer, Waterfest loomed ahead in the early stages of our S4 ownership. The S4 Cabriolet is no slouch, but its understated looks might easily be looked in an over-the-top event like Waterfest where some seriously modified cars fight for awards and attention on the grounds of New Jersey’s Raceway Park in, New Jersey. Fourtitude’s S4 was on the docket to do exhibition duty in the VWvortex / Fourtitude display at the event, and we didn’t want it to go overlooked. The show proved an excellent excuse to convince the keeper of the household budget that an upgrade of wheels and tires was “needed”.

Not intending to mess with the handsome Teutonic look of the S4 Cabriolet, we wanted a set of wheels that was more aggressive in appearance than the four subtle stock Avus alloys that came on the car, and yet maintained a “could be” factory look.

Labels: Audi