Why UDM & not Vorsprung Durch Technik?

[wysiwyg]

I used to have a B5 A4 1.8T (yr 2000). Mainly because: I thought it was understatedly handsome (at the time at least), it's well made, has airbags, a very good sound system, and frankly, it wasn't yet another BMW.

Let's face it... 3ers especially ARE soooo commonplace. And they seem to have earned a certain bling factor which I'm not really into. The A4 was a pretty good car - 210Nm from a tiny 1.8 and a very good Tiptronic box. It was quite squirty because of the light-pressure turbo, and... well, that was about it la. Oh yes, bcoz it's blown, there are lots of chipping options for big torque gains but I never went there... the car didn't really have the need, nor the chassis for it. Throw it some corners... the usual FF story. But much worse, embarassing even, was how it deals with undulations and awkward cambers at speed. Either your passengers will think you are a prick for not looking into a faulty suspension, or the driver behind you thinks your CAR has been drinking, or you yourself will feel like want to fly off the road like that. Then I did a plus-one wheel upgrade (to 16 only) and the ride went completely to hell - all crashy and hard-edged and unsettling. So basically it was a dog to drive. "Advancement through technology" they say and yes, Audi has some fantastic advancements in engine breathing, transmissions, AWD drivetrains, even materials, but man... they knew bugger-all about FWD chassis/suspension development. Their newer cars do a much better job managing understeer/torque steer and body control is pretty good but... steering feel, brake feel, ride composure... basically everything you're feeling with your hands, feet and the seat of your pants (what else is there some more lah???)... aiyoh... :dunno:

So anyway, I enjoy driving too much and went to the dark side. Which is a much nicer place to be for drivers.

:yes:

 

[bimmerman]

My sentiments exactly WYSIWYG! I felt that even my circa 1974 BMW 2002tii had better road composure than the A4. A pity really as the A4 is so good looking and so well made. On looks alone i'd take an A4 over the E36 anyday! But sadly motoring is not about looks alone.

 

[5series]

Oh, ya! I fully agreed with what wysiwygi said.
Used to have a E34 for 3 years, later found that A6 is a better looking car + "hi-tech" in technology, better build, cheaper price, younger generation of Merc.....bla..bla....bla. So decided to change. What a BIG MISTAKE!!!!

The car is totally a crab.
1. High maintenance (may be not many ppl own the car & have limited workshop servicing its type),
2. Poor Insulation problem. Sound proof was bad, at about 100km, you will find "wind" sound coming from the door gap.
3. I have this "jerking" whenever I start the car despite I have changed all mounting.
4. Funny Character of the car - I don't like it at all compare to BMW
5. Lousy suspension system
6. much much more........

So, finally sold off the car within 6 months & got back another e34 again!!

 

[wysiwyg]

Yeah, now that you mention it, the ownership experience was really bad too. At first I always took my car back to Auto Dunia and I can say, hand on heart, that dealing with AD was bar none, the worst experience I EVER had as a consumer. EVER. I'm not just talking about worst AUTOMOTIVE experience ever, but as a consumer, period.

I had to endure everything from not getting calls from them after they promise to update on status, finding out that the car is fixed then going to the workshop to discover it's not, having tyres re-mounted wrong way round (unidirectionals), lost parts, grease marks left all over the interior after a supposed fix-check-cleanup, not knowing how to fix something eventhough it was all over the Internet, and arrogance to the point of throwing away info that I had sourced online to help the stumped technicians.

Auto Bavaria is better, but still leaves A LOT to be desired. I think all these dealerships have a lot to learn from Swedish Marque which has been absolutely fantastic.

 

[E34EuroTouring]

The A4T is only fun when it has Quattro and tweaked to 225HP. Then it is a nice car. Still the Vorsprung factor is there in words only. Still that "dead" feel in the steering.

Audi seems over-engineered PS2 era without real soul in the car, unlike a BMW that has its characteristic feel and wonderful handling with precision engineered for reality driving on actual road surfaces. Porsche know this very well and held on to their values.

It seems now, even Volvo wanted to get on this bandwagon. Good luck to them , as finding a design formula that extolls such virues is very difficult indeed. Ask Lotus what their secret is, they probably cannot tell you in words but can show you in the race track.

 

[bimmerman]

Spoke to an old automotive engineer who was passionate about BMW and he summed up the BMW magic suspension like that:

1. Relatively soft and long travel suspension - Great ride
2. Firmer than usual antiroll bars - Minimal roll even with soft suspension
3. Simple suspension geometry (anti pitch and dive incporporated into geometry) - Less unsprung weight, less bush flex, better feel
4. Near 50/50 weight balance - Neutral handling
5. RWD - nuff said!

Put that all together and you'll get that magic BMW ride and handling. Mess with your spring rates and ride height too much and your Bimmer becomes an Audi or Volvo. That's why people like Alpina never lowers or stiffens a BMW too much. They know how much is too much and will never mess with the magic formula. People like Hotbits don't get it and are more geared towards track use.

 

[wysiwyg]

Hmm... getting a little off-topic, but what the heck...

Volvos aren't all bad. Most of them are not exactly drivers' cars but IMHO, one model truly stands out... the S40 2.4i. OK, they had help from the C1 team comprising chassis engineers of the 05 Focus (probably the best-handling FWD ever) and Mazda 3. What strikes me most about the driving experience of this little gem is that the handling is decidedly un-FWD. It's very neutral, there's no glaring torque steer, understeer is minimal which is probably in line with Volvo's safety philosophy, yet oversteer is there for the taking, if induced. It also has fantastic high-speed composure on bad roads (much more than the E46 or W203 Merc). The 5-pot engine is also very distinctive and has good output curves. Internal fit and finish is elegant and very well tied down and the driving position is one of the best around.

If anything, I would say that the S40's "problem" is its 5-speed auto box which isn't the smoothest. That, and an uninvolving drive on highways (take it down a trunk road and the chassis really shines). The chassis sweetspot is also quite narrow: in 2.4i form the front-end weight and vanilla suspension makes for brilliant handling. But in T5 form, it gets too front-heavy, the suspension can't cope with the torque steer and the sports suspension with 17" wheels upsets the car's composure and tautness. Amazing (and disappointing) how the performance version is the poor cousin here.