Test drive Audi S4 Avant 2003 - 2004 station wagon
Elite club "For three hundred"
Three brands, three bodies, one goal to overtake and rule! Weaker gender please do not worry
Sportsman sports car. If any car is sports for you that exchange the first hundred faster than 13 seconds, then you are a woman! Immediately put aside the magazine and take up a manicure, joggin or at worst with lifting. We still try to find out which car is the most mastic.
We make a reservation right away. We did not take into account supercars like Gayardo and modes are too expensive for a simple mortal. We will leave at rest and charged hatchbacks like Klio-Sport or 206RC, for all speed and temperament, they are too compact to become the choice of a man in the very prime. What then? Middle class, golden mean BMW-M3, Audi-S4 and Volvo-S60R. Moreover, all three members of the club for 300, as you can see, are represented in three different bodies. Why? It’s just that, in our deep conviction, the selfish character of the owner of BMW is best emphasized by a convertible, a sophisticated disposition of Audi puts a completely different meaning in the very concept of a station wagon, and Volvo, who has been associated with the word sedan for many decades, has changed a family car at once. The main thing here is not spaciousness, the main thing is adrenaline.
Three funny letters
Surprisingly, a single sign can turn the idea of \u200b\u200ba car upside down. BMW, for nothing that is already prestigious and sports, but with the letter M on the trunk lid turns into a symbol of prosperity and evidence of the owner’s ambitions. And what is the story of this letter! She first appeared in the BMW alphabet at the M1 compartment back in 1978, and the first treshka received the proud title of Motorshport eight years later. In short, BMW-M3 cannot be two opinions in terms of prestige of a direct competitor to real supercars, like Porsche-911.
Modesty is not a vice, modesty privilege! This is what designers of the most powerful middle class audi believe
Litera S from Audi also has a very colorful story. The Kwattro-S1 model, which made it debuted in the 80th, became one of the most famous cars in the history of the world rally. It is curious that the S4-audit universal in the 80s was produced on the basis of the Audi-100 model of the current A6. But some decrease in the rank almost did not affect the prestige of this machine. Already the fact that S4 was developed together with specialists of the Kosworth company, which occupies a very special place in the world of car racing, says a lot. And if the lord of the rings is inferior to the bimer in terms of the image, then this losing is minimal.
And now ... Volvo with a claim to sports? Weren't the psychiatrist for a long time? But we will be fair. At one time, the real racing sedans Volvo-240 won the European Championship in the body ring, and the station wagons are yes, it was the station wagon 850! Fighted in the English championship. Another question is who remembers this now
Remember this face! S60R is distinguished by a three -section spoiler in front of you will see one on the highway, immediately give way to the road!
By the way, at the same time, in the mid-90s he made his debut of the first serial Volvo with a Bukovka R. But 5,000 owners of the 850T5R sedan were lost in conjectures how to cope with a herd of 250 horses under the hood? The engine capabilities then clearly exceeded the talents of the chassis. Perhaps, in eight years, they learned a lot in Gotheborg? And then, look at the emblem of the Swedish company. See an arrow, so ambiguously aimed upward. Male? Well, in general, yes. So do not judge for previous sins to evaluate better new talents. And for the image, so be it so satisfactory. For courage even with a plus.
At the design front without changes?
Close the combat nameplates with your hand, throw out of your head information about the power of the engines and you will not guess that they will cune in front of you. Or will you guess? Still, alloying disks of huge diameter and supernar-profile rubber dumb witnesses of violent temperament. Designers of all three machines achieved just such an effect. Exquisite modesty, sophisticated simplicity, unkind luxury.
If you wander around each model for five minutes, you can notice a few more restrained sports strokes. It is as if by chance that the caliper of the brake system at the Volvo, decorated out by the letter R, decorated out by the letter. Chromeled muzzles of Dodel mufflers BMW, reminiscent of speed -firing aircraft guns. A trained look will necessarily celebrate Afus wheels on Audi. Such wheels appeared on the concept of the same name in 1998 and since then have become the hallmark of the most-most sports audi.
A folding top is lowered or raised, BMW habits remain unchanged by the high stiffness of the open body
20 seconds, and the rain is no longer terrible
Nevertheless, the most conquers restraint. Neither the monstrous spoilers, nor the crazy size of anti -winged, resembling the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci, are literally biting into the asphalt. Restraint, young people, restraint and self -esteem! Leave inappropriate body kit to hundreds of tuning studies, which in Europe, as in America, McDonalds.
Good inside?
If BMW, Audi and Volvo are restrained on the face, then in the cabin they are in the same way restrainedly elegant. Yes, of course, unlike civilian-great-great-fashioned, all three are more complete, and sometimes the most complete equipment. However, in matters of ergonomics and quality, nothing has changed. And who will say that this is bad?
Moreover, each of the opponents has something to show off. Volvo, for example, the seductive color of the leather upholstery of the seats and an incredibly stylish lever of spaces-block gearboxes. And everything is very cool, literally from and to, it is clear intuitively and does not require comment. So in Gotheborg, if they only wanted to, could save on the press of operation manuals.
The interior of the BMW is in a businesslike way and strict, although a little heavy. However, for the smart tachometer M3, you can easily forgive this small sin
An amazing meticulousness in the interior decoration of the Audi Audi corporate party. Attaching in the interior S4 there is simply nothing to be oli-oko-but!
Volvo pleases not only with exemplary ergonomics, but also the most spacious salon. Do you often meet a supercar for four persons?
Audi, for five years now holding the leadership of the most competent interiors, the quality of fitting parts, ergonomics, and upholstery materials are also in its repertoire. This repertoire, by the way, is supplemented by delightful leather seats from the recaro. And the clarity of the switching of all conceivable buttons, which in the cabin is great, simply conquers.
Perhaps the smallest delight against this background causes the interior of BMW. In fact, if it were not for the amazing lilac color of the leather armchairs, there would be nothing to stop at the look. Fans, of course, will evaluate the floor which one more! Gas pedal, and fans of mathematics will throw an eyebrow by finding a speedometer marked up to 300 km/h.
Agree, from the excess chromium on the dialing panel of all three machines, pretty ripples in the eyes, and small characters do not facilitate reading
But the most amazing surprise awaits you when, cold morning, you will turn the key in the ignition lock and on the dashboard, starting from the mark of 4000 row/min, LEDs flash. An excess reminder to hot heads to demand from the motor everything that it can only follows after warming up. A trifle, of course, but how it works on a sense of ownership of a car with a capital letter. No, I can’t give preference to someone again.
Three hearts
The restraint, reverence and solidity of our rivals blows, like the wind, it is only worth starting the motor. That's where it will begin! Moreover, it seems that one outsider is known before the start of the races. Well, of course, Volvo entered the club 300-horsepower, as they say, Tutelka in Tutelka. The power of a 2.5-liter in-line five only with the help of the CKK turbine was brought to the Grandmaster of three hundred. However, we agreed not to gossip for the eyes. In the case, the S60R is not at all a mistake. Due to the system of regulated phases of gas distribution, this motor allows you to roll around the city without problems, and if blood leaps down, then 400 Newtonometers, available from 1950 rpm, pick up Volvo in any gear. So I quickly got used to it when switching not to get into the turbo-yama zone. But the main sound! Not at all howl. With a gas -drowned gaze, the engine works like a super -bike from Suzuki. Something like this: Su-u-u-u-z-u-u-u-k-and-and-and-and-and-and-and-and-and-and And when you switch in the red zone of the tachometer, the S60 rattles almost in a holoconal it is detonated by exhaust gases in the release system. Not bad for a family sedan!
But you transplant to Audi and understand that there is no limit (lawlessness?) Perfection. On the previous S4, the struggle for power was at once two turbines. On the new generation they are not at all. Instead, a 4.2-liter V-shaped eight (by the way, the most compact in the world), with a capacity of 344 hp! Such an unit is not found at all on European middle -class machines. An atmospheric engine of this volume can mean only one traction of a locomotive. And there is. As if by clicking on the gas pedal, I did not increase the fuel supply, but closed the contacts on the conductive rail. And without a shadow, the sucking super -electrode rushes forward. How even, so powerful acceleration lasts up to 7000 rpm. The other is only the sound not an electric half-stall-half-stroke, but a bass-shaped breath like reefs, breathing.
In BMW, of course, six cylinders remained true to their classical scheme, longitudinally in a row. Passing on an entire liter smaller than that of Audi, in Munich, nevertheless, 343 hp were removed from 3246 engine cubes, only one less than in Ingolstadt. This motor is spinning to almost aircraft 8000 rpm, why not Messerschmitt?! And up to a hundred with a tangible metallic howl, M3 accelerates faster than competitors. For the tenth, Audi and two Volvo are faster. A trifle, but how nice!
But not only overclocking dynamics conquer these cars. Brake slowing at 0.5 G! too. It is clear that when it is necessary to pacify the 300-horsepower monster, they do not stand on ceremony with funds. Look through the elegant knitting needles of the wheels inside the brake discs the size of a good pizza. Moreover, this pizza is prepared in completely different ways. A vacuum double -action amplifier is used on the audi. With incomplete pressing the brake pedal, the disks graze half -heartedly, and thus the car remains completely controlled. The brake system of Volvo from the most authoritative professional in this area of \u200b\u200bBrembo. Italian 330-mm front disks, together with 4-piston calipers, provide the most convenient, progressive management of deceleration.
In BMW, the so -called floating brake discs are used. Such do not jar and more steadily tolerate temperature changes. Which is especially relevant with frequent and harsh deceives in the floor.
The navigator checks the last time the route As you can see, the capacities can be achieved in different ways, you can look differently at controllability. Bavarians, for example, even under the muzzle of a gun with foam at the mouth, will insist that the rear -wheel drive is the best. I do not argue, on a dry highway, and in a straight line 343 horses are quite obedient. Thanks to the supranizcoprofilny 225/45 R18 to Michelin. But something will be in the bend? It's OK! Bavarians assure. Especially for the M3, a rear inter -axial self -locking differential has been developed, which feels any mismatch in the rotation of the drive wheels and instantly neutralizes it. I must admit, this adds confidence in a controlled skid. However, do not forget that 300 with the dumps of horses with a rear drive cannot do without an electronic bridle in the form of a DSC stabilization system. So if you want to grab without the help of electronics, our advice is installed in the cabin in the cabin, they say it helps.
No, whatever one may say, but the rear -wheel drive supercar is a supercar for the warm season. But Audi and Volvo are equipped with a drive for all wheels. Does this do them all -weather? It is hard to say. Here are simpler for understanding for sure. A well-deserved but far from reaching retirement age, an all-wheel drive transmission with a coupling torsen as a center differential makes S4 a real car for gambling drivers. More specifically for those who heard that at all -wheel drive you can go faster, but who does not know how to do it. In other words, you can go to Audi very quickly, while very superficially understanding the intricacies of control. The price of the issue is the lowest involvement in the piloting process.
Volvo cannot be appreciated unambiguously. And all because of the revolutionary suspension 4s. Designed together with specialists of Olins, shock absorbers have the talent of Nostradamus for the gift of foresight. Sensors that collect information literally about everything: speeds, corner of rotation of the steering wheel, type of road surface and even transferring the legs from gas to the brake, give the computer to adjust the suspension accordingly. And so 500 times per second. If suddenly you sharply released the gas pedal, Volvo, in anticipation of sharp inhibition, will cure calipers to a combat position. Although this is rather a property of active security than handling.
As for the last in two of the three options for the rigidity of shock absorbers, the comfort and sport S60R behaves like an ordinary Volvo: comfortable, flexible and not at all sports. But know, turning on the remaining 4C suspension mode, you will be shocked. It is not for nothing that it is called Edvenes advanced. I shook. What begins here! A comfortable sedan in the blink of an eye turns into a racing silhouette. I feel the fifth point how the wheels stumble even about the cigarette butt. But on a perfectly flat road, Volvo sticks to the canvas, like a blind to his cane. Moreover, the S60R, being almost front -wheel drive in the usual road situation, thanks to the Chaldex coupling can change its character beyond recognition. At the first signs of the front wheel slipping to 80% of the torque, it is thrown back. This happens instantly. Rather, in 100 milliseconds. You won’t even have time to think about how you are driving a full -wheel drive sedan.
Not everything needs to be paid for
Once, even at the wheel of BMW-M3, you will get tired of crazy maneuvers believe me, it happens not like that! Then you will immediately understand what discomfort the pilots of racing cars are experiencing. Shaking? And how. And he will shake. On such tires, but on such and such a pendant, and on our roads.
Audi is slightly softer, but it is still better for you to go around the wells, and it is advisable to stop and slowly crawl in front of thermal ships on the bridges, so that it would not be painfully painful for the spine and for accounts in the car service. Aluminum levers of pendants, do you know
As for Volvo, it is just a very, very comfortable car. Like the usual sixty, the Sedan with Litera R pammers with high smoothness and complete nonsense in relation to the roadway. All of course until you switch the suspension into an advanced mode. But is it not great to make the car go wrong as he knows how, but as you want. I want to lie on the couch, I want to play very well on the transistor!
Traditions traditions, but suspended pedals are more convenient
1185 liters of the useful volume of this trunk is hardly used at least half
Roings are laid for the state universal, even if under the hood of 300 efforts
Miracles of acrobatics, as eight cylinders, fit under such a small hood?
The seats are the same as on the usual sixty but look what the skin is here!
Pay attention to a practical excavation for the buttons of adjusting the seat, the hands are not stuck between the pillow and the door
The windows of the windows from cheap plastic slightly lubricate the overall impression of the Volvo salon
300 forces and Volvo from now on things are quite joint
Aerodynamic grid behind the front seats BMW allows you to calmly talk in the cabin even at a speed of 100 km/h
Such opera opera for the wind orchestra Mozart and did not dream of
Mirrors do not fold like everyone else
A chair of increased comfort with a retractable front pillow is what you need for distant races
This lever opens access to the back sofa but sit there a dubious pleasure
Fasten seat belts
Supercars, albeit in the middle class, is expensive. Perhaps that is why the most authoritative offices for passive safety research have not yet been defeated by any M3 or S4. Does the hand rise? One way or another, the conclusions, albeit indirectly, can be done about the security of our heroes. After all, ordinary treshka, A4 and S60 showed, if not excellent, then very good results in crash tests. On both sides of the ocean, these models were a good rating. We have no reason not to trust the Euroncap or IIHS specialists.
Money for money?
When it comes to buying expensive things, two proverbs immediately come to the head. The first American: if you ask how much it costs, then you can’t afford it. But then I recall the Russian, the very one, about a penny that saves the ruble. How to do your own personal business with your own savings. We will dry the facts dryly.
So, BMW-M3 in Russia costs 79,900 euros, four more need to be paid for the advanced semi-automatic gearbox SMG II. Moreover, we are talking about the compartment, and the convertible, which will appear on sale only in 2004, will be even more expensive. Of course, the price is by no means dumping, but if you want Porsche-911 with about the same level of equipment and temperament, then, of course, you will have to pay more.
Audi-S4-audit is slightly cheaper than 69,965 euros. It is a little, since ten thousand for such a car is already insignificant. Another thing is that Volvo-S60R is almost half cheaper than BMW! You did not disgrace: a 300-horsepower volvo with an amazing suspension and stunning for a sports car with a smoothness costs 44,500 euros. Given the more favorable conditions for the guarantee of the Swedish company, we come to a very obvious conclusion of a more affordable supercar in the market. Anyway.
We decided:
When it comes to a sports car, many by default imagine BMW-M3. Well, perhaps, in our rivalry, Birimal's average rating of 4.4 turned out to be the most macho: so aggressive, fast and impractical. Flighty? Not the same as in the 80s and early 90s. If you do not disconnect the DSC EMKA system will be obedient and reliable. In any case, in order to at least half reveal the talents of this car for yourself, you will need not only a hundred thousand dollars, but also a driver’s preparation noticeably higher than the average level.
Audi-S4 Avant slightly lost to the Munich in terms of dynamics, but just as a little played at the front of comfort, and as a result, the same assessment is 4.4. The four, of course, is a more sophisticated and at the same time simple car for understanding. The steam traction and all -wheel drive give excellent dynamics and reliability in marginal modes, but take away the excitement. S4 rather, an expensive, prestigious and fashionable accessory than a means of satisfying driver's ambitions.
Surprisingly, it is won in our test Volvo with an average rating of 4.6 points. However, the S60R has one significant lack of image for machines of this class. Still, the combination of Volvo sports car looks wild. But the facts are a stubborn thing. Quite a little inferior to BMW and Audi in terms of dynamic characteristics, S60R, thanks to a unique suspension of 4C, combines racing handling and genuine comfort. And then also the price ... who knows what fate is destined for the fastest Volvo. But it is quite possible that in the near future, the concept of supercar two followers will have two in one.
Andreas Konradt, photo Automood
Source: Magazine "Limousine" [12/03]