Thanks for combining my thread with Ron’s…
So, my thoughts on the new B9 after getting a chance to think about it for a few days:
Exterior: Blah. It’s fine, but definitely nothing special. I will say that seems to be Audi’s MO, and a lot of times it grows on me. The overall style is very understated, which is just fine. I like the overall look of the front although the front grille is a bit large, and I like the slightly more aggressive look of the front overall. The front is a good progression of Audi’s current style on the B8.5 (very evolutionary). The rear from the C-pilar back just doesn’t work for me. The C-pilar, trunk, rear bumper, and diffuser just seem a little off. Maybe that will change when I see it in person? I don’t like the slight hitch in the C-pilar as I don’t think it flows well into the rear section of the car (the A/S3 has this also, but I thought it was more for headroom). I don’t like the fake added grille look on the rear bumper. I’m sure it’s there to visually break something up, but it looks like crap… Overall, the rear is just off to me. My guess is, that will get fixed in the mid-cycle refresh.
Interior: Overall, I like it a lot. There are some minor gripes like the placement of the cup holders, but overall it is very Audi. I absolutely hate the tacked on MMI screen on top of the center dash, but to Audi’s credit, I am sure it is retractable like the 3/6/7 lines. That is my one gripe about the new (very nice) C-class interior. Not only does the Nav screen look like an afterthought, but you can’t move it out of the way. At least Audi got that part right. I also don’t love the way the vents carry over across the dash in front of the passenger. I like the idea of the continuity of it, but I think it just ends up looking weird and easy to break. With all that said, I think the interior overall is a winner compared to the exterior (or at least the rear of the exterior). Pretty much what I’d expect from Audi.
Engine: I love the idea of a turbo engine. Especially one that is as responsive as they say it is with a single turbo. That’s quite an accomplishment when compared to turbo applications of even 5 years ago. As I stated in my post, I expect it will be a twin scroll to eliminate as much lag as possible, and very possibly top mounted in the “hot-V” position as it is on the 4.0 TSFI engines. That’s the only easy way I can see them going with a single turbo, and eliminating turbo lag as an issue. Upgrades should be easy, but I am curious how much headroom there is with the factory turbo. If it is top mounted, upgrades could be super easy.
Transmission: This is obviously the biggest point of contention. First off, boo on Audi if they don’t offer a true manual. I won’t be surprised if they don’t as this seems to be the way most German manufacturers are going especially in Germany, but I’m not will to call the manual dead just yet. They’ve been known not to release one in Europe, but to do so in the US. All my cars up until the B8 S4 were manuals, and I wanted to try a good “auto” transmission to see if I could live with it. I found out I could, but I think I’d like to go back to a real manual in my next car. I know it won’t be quite as fast, but there is a certain level of engagement that’s just not there with any form of an auto transmission.
I also have mixed feeling about going from the DSG to ZF 8-speed for the auto transmission of choice. I’ve driven all forms of the current ZF 8-speed (A6, RS7, BMW applications), and while I think it is a fine transmission and definitely the best torque converter automatic I have driven, it still leaves something to be desired in my eyes. It just doesn’t always do exactly what I want it to in any of those applications, and it is a tad slow. However, the DSG is by no means a perfect animal either. While I like the speed of the shifts and I feel like it does a better job of doing what I tell it to, it is clunky as hell at low speeds, and reliability is a huge issue. For 95% of people, the ZF is probably a better choice so I can’t fault Audi. It makes sense, and with the reliability issues of the DSG, it probably goes a long way to addressing several issues Audi had with the DSG. I do think they need to offer a real manual option if they go the ZF route. They will alienate a certain segment of enthusiasts by going with the ZF as the only transmission option; albeit a pretty small percentage of their market (which you could argue Audi doesn’t give two shits about based on how they deal with modifications/TD1…).