The Reliable A4 (Part 3)

Whenever I drive an Audi, I always get fascinated by the work of power steering, which generates great feedback depending on the driving speed. In a parking lot, you can spin the wheel with your little finger, but as the speed increases, the steering wheel gets heavier and heavier allowing you to accurately control the car. Another undoubted advantage is that you don’t have to gradually change the force during fast rotations of the wheel. In addition, the steering wheel of the A4 TFSI is pleasant to the touch- the cross-section is correctly chosen. The gearshift paddles are ideally set, so you needn’t get used to them.

I pressed the brake pedal and slightly revved up the engine. As the light turned green, I fully pressed the accelerator…the car sped along the road like a bullet making my body shake with adrenaline shock. The only pity was that the turbine whistle couldn’t be heard. The engine was roaring without giving away the presence of the turbine.
The engine is quite flexible. It demonstrates excellent traction after about 4000 rpm. When the sport mode of the automatic transmission is enabled or the gas pedal is fully pressed, the gear will hang on the selected speed till the very last moment and will shift only after reaching the maximal rpm. To the credit of the tiptronic, it should be noted that it copes with the task very quickly and without delays. My friend was even convinced that it was the DSG gearbox.
Is the standard suspension capable of coping with the dynamic capacity of this powerful A4? The answer is YES. Of course, I’d like a little less swings and more composure, but let’s not forget that this is not the S4. The chassis is set up for everyday use. However, comfort keeps up with flexibility. The suspension is very power-intensive and can be broken, only if you try really hard.  Bends and turns are the natural elements of the “Quattro”.
To be continued...

The Reliable A4 (Part 2)

However, the main advantage of the car is hidden under the hood: the 2-liter turbo engine with direct fuel injection (FSI). The Audi is very proud of this technology, since it got its baptism of fire in motorsport.

So our A4 2.0T FSI, is a vivid example of a sport-civic sedan: 200 HP, a torque responsive engine, 19-inch wheels (unfortunately, the car has a standard suspension). I got slightly frustrated with the fact that this wonderful engine is supported by a 6-speed tiptronic transmission- I wish it was manual, or at least the superfast DSG. By the way, the first option is available, as for the second, we will have to forget about it.  But instead, as a compensation we get sporty flappy-paddle tiptronic gear shifters (there is a special algorithm used on powerful A4s and the S4), which makes you feel as if behind the wheel of a Formula One car. However, I never used those paddles. Luckily, I had ridden in a Land Cruiser for a few hours, before I started the test. So, it was very fun to get into a compact 200HP sedan after the huge Japanese” yacht”. 

 Firstly, I’d like to highlight the perfectionism of the interior finishing- it’s almost the same as that of the company’s flagship A8- the same stylistic techniques and the same aura of the impeccable quality. All the parts are perfectly assembled.
Everything is great with emphasized modesty. There is no pathos, but lots of grace. The ergonomics is beyond question; the visibility is also good. “Try to be perfect in everything”, this seems to be the motto of the designers from Ingolstadt.
To be continued...

The Reliable A4 (Part 1)

No matter how much objective approach one tries to provide when writing about cars, the personal taste and preference are always reflected in an article.

The fact that today’s car belongs to the Audi group, suggests that I am going to enjoy the test.
In this article I have a chance to introduce an eccentrically colored Audi A4, the driver of which willingly agreed to put it to the test. The combination of the classic black and aggressive red gives a unique attractiveness to this A4.
Now, let’s see what it’s capable of!

The A4 is not a newcomer in its class, moreover, it’s one of the recognized leaders in the D segment. Before being restyled, the car was good all the same- this is the case, when the unification of design with higher class models (primarily, with the top model A8) has a beneficial influence on lower class representatives. Although the A4 is obtained in the modest mid-size D segment, it can easily challenge some higher rank models in terms of workmanship, materials and respectability.

The restyling added some charm and emotionality to the car. The previous model was strict and kind of icy, like a steel. But our model is filled with romanticism, which is expressed in the slanted headlights with the powerful branded grill, or in the rubies of the rear lights imitating an Italian style, as well as in the light sidewalls which got stylish stampings after the restyling.  Only the black and red colors imply that our German romantic can turn into an aggressive beast, if needed.
To be continued...

The Fastest Lion: Peugeot 407 (Part 3)

The “arsenal” of the 407 also includes such pleasant things for the driver as adaptive headlights, tire pressure control system and an oil temperature gauge on the dashboard.

The driver’s seat is not much different from other cars of this family. The only thing that might attract your attention is the beautiful metallic gear stick. The running of the 6-cylinder engine is accompanied by pleasant sounds of exhaust system. The engine traction is really impressive and provokes you to nothing but acceleration. The gear change is so smooth that there is no doubt as to perfect tuning of the transmission. Strange thing: although I knew that there was a function of sequential gearshift in the manual mode, I never wanted to disturb the harmony by interfering in the perfect performance of the automatic mode.
Unlike its fellows, the top version of the 407 has laminated side windows, so the inside is very quiet and cozy. But this car with the most powerful engine is definitely not for a quiet ride. It easily crosses the line of 200km/h.

This “lion” also has super “instincts” of self-preservation: in difficult situations, the permanent ESP system will come to the rescue of the driver. However, the “instincts” of the 3.0L model not only act for prohibitions and restrictions, but also assist the (reasonable) fulfillment of the driver’s desires.

The Fastest Lion: Peugeot 407 (Part 2)

The slight decrease of the dynamic performance and fuel efficiency is caused by additional concern about the driver and passengers of the 407, which includes specially designed front crumple zones, energy-absorbing inserts in the doors and additional air bags, including the one under the column of the steering wheel- it prevents injuries of the driver’s knees.  In other words, the designers made the car safer to the detriment of dynamics. However, this Peugeot 407 3.0 still remains the fastest and the most expressive car in the family.

The engine and the gearbox are not the only features that make the most expensive 407 differ from its fellows. For instance, shock absorbers with variable characteristics cannot be found on other versions of the family. Nowadays, Peugeot is among the fewest companies that provide domestically manufactured shock absorbers. So, the shock absorbers of the most powerful 407 are also the product of the native designers. In order to maintain good contact with the road, the shocks have nine modes of rigidity and each of them is controlled by own rigidity sensor. Thus, the shock absorbers not only obey the driver’s desires, but also monitor feedback depending on the road surface and changes of the movement nature. For instance, when driving on a bumpy road, the suspension becomes softer; and vice versa, it becomes harder on bends and turns.

The stiffness of the shock absorbers also varies depending on speed, acceleration and slowdown. Of course, the driver can himself add stiffness to the suspension by switching to sport mode.
Another interesting feature of this 407 is the power steering. It changes the force on the steering wheel depending on many factors, such as speed, crankshaft rotation frequency, angle and speed of steering.

The Fastest Lion: Peugeot 407 (Part 1)

Like humans and animals, cars also always have an outstanding leader.  In the “lion family”, the leader is the Peugeot 407 with a 3-liter V6 engine. Of course, car leaders set the tone for technical solutions, trimming quality and rich equipment. However, leaders cannot claim the top lines in sales summaries due to high prices, but in everything else, they don’t give even the slightest chance to their “kin”.

The main difference of the most expensive 407 is in the engine- it’s more powerful than those installed on the rest of the representatives of the company, including the executive 607. So the 3-liter sedan turned out to be the fastest lion in the pride. At the same time, this engine is not at all something exceptional in the world of motors. Yes, it produces 211 HP, which is not bad. Yes, as compared with 3-liter engines of the previous generations, it has 3 kW more power and 5 N m more torque. All this was achieved through an improved control of valve timing and a new muffler. But, for instance, the BMW engine of the same volume produces 20HP more.

 Sad is that the 407 got heavier than its predecessor (Peugeot 406) by 150 kg and almost caught up with the next model of a higher class- the Peugeot 607.  It’s natural that the 407 loses to the 406 in terms of agility conceding half a second (6 versus 5.5) during the acceleration from 80-120 km/h. But the most frustrating fact is that it became more voracious (average fuel consumption: the 407-12.5L/100km, the 406-11.7L/100km). The problem was alleviated (but not finally resolved) by the use of a super-modern 6-speed gearbox, which engages in a sequential manner. This gearbox is installed on all 3L models. Note that the top version of the 406 was equipped with a traditional 4-speed automatic gearbox.
To be continued...

KIA Sportage (Part 3)

Now the suspension: it’s not an example of reliability, in spite of the fact that the rear suspension is built on an ordinary continuous steel bar on springs; the front is equipped with double wishbone suspension. The most expensive thing in the front suspension is the upper ball joint, the wear and tear of which leads to a total replacement of the wishbone.

The replacement is needed about every 50.000-80.000 km. However, the hubs, stabilizers and lower balls break down more frequently.
Functionality is inherent to most cars of this brand and is expressed through good packaging, which includes full power accessories (most of the models are equipped with power side-view mirrors, power steering, air conditioning and ventilation system with a micro filter by default). I was very pleased that the steering wheel had a vertical adjustment.

As for safety, the Sportage has airbags for the driver and passengers, as well as side airbags and inflatable curtains. There are also seatbelt pretensioners with load limiters, ABS system with disc brakes on all wheels, an excellent clutch control system and a stability program.