myopia

["D.J. Bergesen" <achtungvr6@hotmail.com>]

David John's Opinion Corner:

Oh wow. I OBVIOUSLY made a cardinal mistake in claiming ONLY the 1.8T was 
capable of 300hp. Clearly that is not the case. I like the power of my VR6, 
and the distribution of that power. I just have this feeling (notice, I 
didn't say 'I KNOW') that there are more bolt-on goodies, turbo upgrades, 
and chip reprograms available for the highly applauded four cylinder turbo 
than there are comparable parts for the 2.8 VR6.
Plus Audi has the advantage already mentioned of having better fit and 
finish, aerodynamics (than my A3), noise reduction, and AWD. For me at 
least, that makes it an entirely different car.
I think if I had a choice between a 1.8T A4 and a 2.8 V6 A4, and wanted 
nothing more than quick 0-60 times, I'd go with the 1.8. They post 
comparable numbers in stock form, and thinking that an extra $3000 worth of 
pre-manufactured, dynoed bolt-ons could give the 1.8 a serious speed edge, 
I'd go for it. The problem in the whole thing is that $3000 would only be 
able to buy suspension/handling goodies for the 2.8, because engine 
performance components are just not in the same abundance as they are for 
the 1.8T. One HUGE consideration in the search for engines is that the 1.8T 
is considerably lighter, a fact that undoubtedly has a marked effect on 
handling - ever notice how badly your nose-heavy VR6 likes to plow?
As for the VR6, $3000 won't even buy you the AMS supercharger that boosts 
output to 250hp.
I don't profess to know which car is better - heck, neither car is, unless 
you think it is. I still stick to my guns and say that an M3, S4, or CLK320 
are the cars I would consider next.

DJ
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