Audi Executive Fesses Up

Stephan Reil, director of technical development at quattro GmbH (Audi's performance tuning division), is the man largely responsible for the RS 4's driving character. He told us Audi benchmarked cars like the M3 CSL and Porsche 911 Carrera 4S when developing the RS 4.

Notice who the benchmarks are and who is trying to emulate them? Nuff said.

PlanoA4 - 8/15/2006 4:27:25 PM

+1 Boost

Hey you need a target, and the M3 had the bulls eye taped to it's back. Now the RS4 has the bulls eye.

IamEvilHomer - 8/15/2006 4:32:52 PM

-1 Boost

and he also said the 911 don't forget / BMW come catch the flag right now Audi has it

IamEvilHomer - 8/15/2006 4:37:10 PM

+1 Boost

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii don't think that is fessing up that is telling what was out there and what they have to be better then/

BMW will not go and tell you how much they copy Audi

Good examples are the new X5 (right down the stat sheep)
BMW's new DSG copy
BMW's new #335 Turbo (come on for years I have heard from BMW dorks that real cars don't use turbo)
X Drive in genteral
FSI in the 335
Tiptronice vs their knockoff tronic (steptronic)

take if from here Plano or Chewey

jeffy210 - 8/15/2006 4:46:54 PM

+1 Boost

On top of that, benchmark varies drastically from emulate. Benchmarking can mean: "we want to do x,y and z" (thought independantly). "Okay now who is the benchmark in each of these areas that we wish to exceed".

Copying or emulating is nothing more than "hey, that's a good idea, let's do that." You can't copy performance, that has to come from the creativity of your engineers.

UPshift - 8/15/2006 4:57:19 PM

+1 Boost

Here we go again!

chewy - 8/15/2006 5:06:21 PM

+2 Boost

logical

It must really hurt you deep down that the RS4 is better than the M3.

AlexTx - 8/15/2006 5:15:52 PM

+1 Boost

So who was the first one to introduce FSI then?
DSG has been used by Audi since the mid 80's in their rally cars.
Yeah, Audi was the first manufacturer to put AWD into a street car; if that is not innovation I don't know what is.
If it wasn't for Audi and it's Quattro the car world would be very different.

polkbkk - 8/15/2006 5:32:17 PM

+2 Boost

What a junk posting. What is the reason for it? Obviously just to start a flame war. This site should be used for news in the auto industry, not a personal forum to start fights.

chewy - 8/15/2006 5:33:52 PM

+2 Boost

MDalle

Mitsubishi had direct injection first, but Audi had it first with turbo. Also, Mitsubishi seemed to drop it, it didn't work for them really. FSI has worked for Audi, they have put in all of their cars. No one except VAG has a dual clutch gearbox, everyone wants one tough. Also, it seems that everyone is putting all wheel drive on their sedans, especially the luxury makers, who started that?

chewy - 8/15/2006 8:11:31 PM

+2 Boost

Can't compare with the CSL as it isn't sold here and it is a stripped down car. The RS4 does compare very well with the 911 Carrera 4s, read the Road & Track comparison between the two.

IamEvilHomer - 8/15/2006 11:21:14 PM

+3 Boost

FSI was first used with a Turbo with Audi

FSI is now being developed by several companies now like BMW

Yes Porsche did Tiptronic and Audi was there at the design table just like the DSG. but BMW came out with steptronic right aafter

No the Wright brothers didn't fly first but they got the whold think started

IamEvilHomer - 8/15/2006 11:22:02 PM

+3 Boost

efox54
porsche ownes like 1/3 of VAG

I wish VAG changed the name to Auto Union but that is another topic

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 8/16/2006 12:16:18 AM

+3 Boost

Logical!!
Have you ever driven the RS4 ???
I can answer that, the answer is NO.
If you had you would have realised that the nose-heavy issue was sorted out, Watch the video on the link posted below and please stop talking nonsense.
The engine has been placed in the reverse direction so all the heavy parts are further back and it is a very light engine.
Part 1
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sc78RszZmtI
Part 2
http://youtube.com/watch?v=CPGTG6y0ajM&mode

Enjoy
And for the heck of it also watch this video of the previous gen RS4 and M5 beating traffic THE EUROPEAN WAY

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SMwfM83XGF0&mode

DarkOneForce - 8/17/2006 10:25:30 AM

+1 Boost

The benchmarks for the new M3 are the 997/S and AM V8.
Audi RS4 is a AWD (FWD biased) car, not even considered.

Also that old RS4 is actually a highly tunned one that appeared in a lot of videos.

Also BMW used Turbos succesfully long before Audi.
The first Direct injection car the 1956 MB 300 SL Gullwing.
OK, so it didn't used FSI, but neither does BMW.

Also a little facts about the Twin Clutch:

1. Audi doesn't build the DSG, BorgWarner does, and they call it DualTronic;
2. Nor Audi or BorgWarner have invented the twin clutch/dual clutch;
3. Porsche used a twin clutch way before Audi in the endurance race car from 1980s, I think it was the 956 group C that it first appeared;

A couple of facts about AWD:

1. Audi din't invented AWD;
2. Audi were not hte first to use AWD on production cars;
3. Audi were not the first to race and/or win with AWD cars;

DarkOneForce - 8/17/2006 10:33:25 AM

+1 Boost

Also Porsche doesn't own VAG, only a part of it ~ 25 last time I've checked.

Also the quattro rally cars used manuals, for the name of God.

DarkOneForce - 8/17/2006 10:48:06 AM

+1 Boost

Later they adopted the Porsche PDK, but by then Quattros
were no longer the stars.

Also:
“The first model of a double clutch gearbox seems due to French engineer Adolphe Kégresse who was at 25 years old the technical director of the garages of the Tsar Nicolas II..” maybe Tsar Nicolas II asked Audi to develop the idea further..