1st time buyer 1.8t fwd a4
#12
08-28-2014, 10:41 PM
Question- if you are going to get a FWD B5, wouldn't it make more sense to just buy a Passat? At least then you'd have a backseat more comfortably for adults. And in my opinion the Passat looks better than the pre-facelift B5.
#13
08-29-2014, 10:24 AM
To be honest until I joined the forum I didn't even know that FWD B5s were still a thing. I knew they offered them, but I figured they sold like 4 of them and all were extinct now. Everyone in Pennsylvania that has an Audi has a Quattro.
Question- if you are going to get a FWD B5, wouldn't it make more sense to just buy a Passat? At least then you'd have a backseat more comfortably for adults. And in my opinion the Passat looks better than the pre-facelift B5.
Question- if you are going to get a FWD B5, wouldn't it make more sense to just buy a Passat? At least then you'd have a backseat more comfortably for adults. And in my opinion the Passat looks better than the pre-facelift B5.
Are you talking about a B5 Passat? If not then it's not apples-to-apples. IMO the B5 A4 is much better looking than the B5 Passat.
#14
08-29-2014, 12:55 PM
My kids, my lady, my bank accounts and my life in general make me "feel better" than any car can. Besides: My MDX is AWD, so I already have both.
That was funny though. Thanks!
My reasons for enjoying the benefits of the FWD have already been covered by the folks (below) who have answered this question for me before I had a chance to respond (and yes: Tampa is in Florida).
I daily-drove a FWD B5 A4 1.8T for 3.5 years. Here's my answers:
-better gas mileage
-better gear ratios for manual transmission (IMO)
-less drivetrain power loss
-far fewer components to fail or require replacement (center diff, center driveshaft, rear diff, rear axles, rear bushings/control arms)
-less weight
-still handles great with good suspension, and being lighter by ~300lbs makes it more agile/nimble
-no major driveability benefit (for DD'ing) in places without snow (like SoCal or Florida)
However, since "upgrading" to a Quattro car, there are two major benefits I see:
1) Can put power down through a corner, whereas FWD is more likely to spin tires (where it might understeer under power).
2) Can use throttle to control the rear of the car. In FWD you can't control the car nearly as well as you can with Quattro. I'm finding this even more-so true since I did the 4:1 diff mod last weekend.
-better gas mileage
-better gear ratios for manual transmission (IMO)
-less drivetrain power loss
-far fewer components to fail or require replacement (center diff, center driveshaft, rear diff, rear axles, rear bushings/control arms)
-less weight
-still handles great with good suspension, and being lighter by ~300lbs makes it more agile/nimble
-no major driveability benefit (for DD'ing) in places without snow (like SoCal or Florida)
However, since "upgrading" to a Quattro car, there are two major benefits I see:
1) Can put power down through a corner, whereas FWD is more likely to spin tires (where it might understeer under power).
2) Can use throttle to control the rear of the car. In FWD you can't control the car nearly as well as you can with Quattro. I'm finding this even more-so true since I did the 4:1 diff mod last weekend.
Does that work for you Adam?
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