The standard ATS received strong praises for its excellent driving dynamics, but the ATS-V takes the game a few levels up. It’s built on GM’s lightweight Alpha platform (a platform which will be shared with the next-gen Camaro). It’s a rear wheel drive platform and as you can imagine, it’s reserved for sport sedans and coupes. The engine powering the ATS-V is a 3.6 liter V6 strapped with two turbochargers, developing 464 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque. We think that a V8 can fit under the hood but for obvious reasons (the CTS-V), they didn’t do that. As far as transmissions go, you have two choices: a fast eight-speed auto and a six-speed manual. We’ll take the six-speed manual thank you very much.

The coupe version is slightly lighter than the sedan, and naturally the manual is slightly lighter than the auto. However, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily faster. A manual coupe can hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds from a dig, while an automatic CTS-V sedan will hit the same target in a blistering 3.7 seconds. It’s the same story with the quarter mile. A manual coupe does it in 12.6 seconds at 114.2 mph while a heavier automatic sedan will do it in 12.1 at 116.2 mph.

At the end of the day, does that really matter however? Well, if you want to brag and are into numbers then yes, otherwise no. We love manuals, and we can’t recommend an automatic when there’s a manual option. However, in the case of the ATS-V, it isn’t that simple. The manual is more involving and slightly more fun, but it can also be more frustrating. It’s not one of those buttery smooth, fluid manuals. It’s notchy and sometimes not that cooperative. It will at times annoy you but to be honest, an automatic will annoy us almost all of the time just because you can’t shift gears yourself. Despite the drawback, we’d go for the manual but you have to test drive both for yourself and only make up your mind after.

The handling is, like we said, superb. You get the feeling that this is a sports car first and a luxury second, while it’s the opposite with the Germans. Would we recommend it, even with the current offering of M3/M4, C63s and RS4s? Absolutely. The ride is supple and comfortable when you want it to, and stiff without body roll when you need it to be. The engine is a true powerhouse but it lacks in personality much like the M3’s engine does. That’s an issue the C63 does not have. This is a decision you’re going to have to make with your heart.

Don’t think over it too much. Choose which one makes you happy. That way you’ll be able to live with the drawbacks without regretting your purchase. Whatever you buy, you can’t go wrong. Just make sure to get the one which makes you flutter inside, otherwise you’ll regret it someday.

The handling is, like we said, superb. You get the feeling that this is a sports car first and a luxury second, while it’s the opposite with the Germans. Would we recommend it, even with the current offering of M3/M4, C63s and RS4s? Absolutely. The ride is supple and comfortable when you want it to, and stiff without body roll when you need it to be. The engine is a true powerhouse but it lacks in personality much like the M3’s engine does. That’s an issue the C63 does not have. This is a decision you’re going to have to make with your heart. Don’t think over it too much. Choose which one makes you happy. That way you’ll be able to live with the drawbacks without regretting your purchase. Whatever you buy, you can’t go wrong. Just make sure to get the one which makes you flutter inside, otherwise you’ll regret it someday.

The post American Exceptionalism in the Cadillac ATS-V appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Use really shitty cellphone pictures and don’t bullet list the details. Otherwise, your post will automatically get flagged by the Craigslist bot within the hour, because it’ll think you’re a dealership selling in the private party section. Apparently, Craigslist currently has a problem with asshole dealerships listing cars as if they were selling them privately, which results in buyers getting a letter in the mail to pay taxes.

Super shady. Thanks dealerships.

I made the mistake of taking photos for this listing using my DLSR and properly listing all of the car’s positive and negative issues. And although my photos were mediocre, when paired with my initial post format, everything looked professional enough to trigger the bots—and possible Craigslist newbs—to flag my post. I made five variations of my listing, and all five times, it got taken down. But I was determined not to give up on Craigslist, so in a fit of rage, I went on a caps lock-cursing rampage and created a sarcastic, R-rated version.

Miraculously, that listing stayed up. My obnoxious ad even made it on Reddit.

Since Craigslist was proving a questionable place to list the Audi, I went ahead and posted it on other websites and Facebook groups, which was something I was going to do anyway. When listing a car, it’s always a good idea to post it on multiple sites and forums to expand your reach, or even open up the idea for a potential trade. The proper forum etiquette version of my ad went up on Zilvia.net and a few Los Angeles Nissan owner’s Facebook groups, since I’m currently active there.

Quickly, I came to conclusion that if I didn’t sell the car, I’d be content if I got a trade offer for a 300zx, another 240sx, or a Pathfinder. Hence the multiple listings on Nissan-related groups.

But within two days, I actually heard from a very interested potential buyer via the local Nissan BST Facebook group. He turned out to be a Hawthorne local, and within hours we met up at a plaza two miles from my place. He took the car for a spin and explained this would be a first car for his college-bound daughter, and how he details cars for a living. As we continued talking, as any good person should, I told him everything that was wrong with the Audi when I got it, and what had been fixed since. I was honest, straight to the point, and blunt.

Seriously, If you’re buying a car from someone who doesn’t tell you about the maintenance they’ve done and just runs their mouth about the positives, they’ve likely hiding something. So if you find yourself in that situation?  Run.

A few hours after the test drive, he gave me an offer for $2400. It was a few hundred dollars less than what I’d hoped for, but I figured I could live with it if he gave my other car a detail, and he agreed. We met up later that afternoon, he buffed my Lexus, and we signed all the paperwork. I was happy, he was happy.

After adding up the initial cost of the car and repairs, my total was around $1630. The Audi sold for $2400, making my total profit $770 in a mere three months. Fortunately, at the end of this, I can say yes, it did flip!

The post Will It Flip!? 2001 Audi A4 Quattro Part V: The Conclusion appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

About three hours after the sun had set, I hitched a ride back to the lot where I left the steaming Audi. I popped the hood to examine how low the radiator fluid was. Indeed it was low, but there was no puddle underneath the car. If there was a puddle it could not have dried up that quickly as it wasn’t a hot day. Confused but too tired to care, I filled it up with distilled water, capped it off, and drove home carefully without trying to question what mechanical failure it might be this time.

Now at this point I had spent a little over $790 on top of the $800 value of the car. What killed me was the wheel bearing repair job but I really couldn’t avoid that. Any more shop related repair was going seriously to eat into my profits. By then, I desperately just wanted to get the car running flawlessly. I even called up local mechanics for a quote before looking up the problem. Desperate. One mechanic gave me a quote of $350 to ‘fix it’ although he described it as a “Mickey Mouse” fix, perplexed I asked him how much it would cost to fix it correctly, he told me he would need to remove the dash and quoted me at about $900. What the fuck, and what the shit is a Mickey Mouse fix.

From there I decided to use the power of Google to figure out what exactly was going on. Although the car was overheating, I can rule out that it had nothing to do with the engine bay itself since the steam was coming from the interior. After scouring through the interwebs and forums, I eventually found out that any white smoke coming from the dash vents point to a faulty heater core. Indeed there were two ways to fix. The proper way is to drop the steering column, remove the dashboard, center console, and radio to fully expose the heater core, which you can then replace. The Mickey Mouse method is to completely bypass the heater core and connect the two hoses together. Granted, this method means I will no longer have a working heater, but I live in Southern California. There is never a need for a heater.

Within thirty minutes of looking up how-to remove the dashboard videos, I decided to just go with the half assed bypass method and made my way to Home Depot. I found the elbow pipe that I needed in the sink department for less than $5. With the pipe installed and the heater core successfully bypassed, I let the car idle for about 15 minutes. No smoke was coming out of the dashboard. There was no more coolant smell anywhere. Is everything finally fixed? Although I wasn’t sure, I felt adventurous, so I took the car around for about an hour worth of errands. During the time I drove, it didn’t overheat, it didn’t sputter to a stop, the check engine light never came back on, and most importantly no smoke was arising from anywhere and it didn’t blow up. Instead it was running smoothly. I even hit redline twice, on second and third gear. Both times the turbo spooled up releasing enough power to push me back into my beige leather seat. The car felt great, I felt great. Not to mention I saved $345 from that bypass job. Suck it mechanic shop. Talk about finally coming out on top.

Since the heater core bypass was technically a temporary fix, I went ahead and bought a new one as it only cost about $25. I figured if even if I don’t find time to install it myself, it would be nice to have the new owner know what exactly needs to be replaced, because nothing beats a honest and transparent seller on Craigslist. Besides, I believe in karma.

Now I actually skipped writing about the very first fix I did, that was the rear driver side passenger window. When I bought it, that window had permanently fallen and no amount of tape or fluffing would keep it up. With removal of the door panel the problem was apparent, the cable that runs through the motor was as broken as an unraveled cassette tape. The previous owner attempted a sad half-assed fix of sticking a block of wood to hold it up which had fallen down the door panel. I threw away the wood block but you can see the wood shavings still on the door panel below. I half-assed fixed it with a few zipties but it properly did the job. I additionally unplugged the harness to prevent any more damage to the unit. Now if this car gets sold for an amount that satisfies me, and if the new owner decides they really want the window fixed, I will gladly replace it for them for free considering they provide a working motor. Fair enough right?

Well that’s it! Hood strut, valve cover gasket, spark plugs, coil packs, mass airflow sensor, rear coolant flange, coolant temperature sensor, center wheel cap, and wheel bearing all replaced and fixed. As of now there are only three very minor issues with the car: the temporary rear window fix, the heater core bypass, and a small crack on the windshield that was there since initial purchase. I’m not going to count the minor cosmetic damage since this is a ten year old car that was daily driven to just about 130k miles. None of these issues affect the performance, legality, or drivability of the car.

Since the release of Part III, I have actually been daily driving this car for the past four weeks with no issues. The check engine light hasn’t been on since the coil pack swap, it hasn’t overheated or stalled, and three weeks ago it California Smog legally with flying colors. Despite that all of these fixes, the cost of purchase and maintenance totaled just a little over $1600. I highly believe that there is potential for profit or even a trade up. This car has came a long way since its state of despair. Destined to have its parts stripped and shipped to the junkyard, it is now a fine running and reliable automobile that is serving my temporary needs as well as teaching how how to flip a car.

This week I will be prepping to post it up for sale. Will It Flip!? Check back here soon for the final installment of this saga where we learn how to flip a car.

The post Will It Flip!? 2001 Audi A4 Quattro – Part IV appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

In memory of driving a smoking car home, I can recall that the white smoke seeping out the hood was from the back of the bonnet closest to the firewall the day I drove it home. If you look back at the last photo from Part I, there was a coolant leak that streamed from somewhere behind the front wheels. After a few days of digging around the interwebs trying to figure out why I have a coolant leak, it seemed that this is a common occurrence in all Audi’s. I spent an evening taking off the engine covers and inspecting the leak and all the symptoms point to the rear coolant flange. Interestingly enough, this flange is isn’t visible at glance and is located in the back of the engine block. You see that red arrow? Well it’s under that rubber hose and a bunch of other shit right before the first firewall just for your inconvenience. Yes, I said that right, first firewall. This car has two firewalls because German engineering or something.

Feeling confident I went ahead and purchased the necessary parts along with some of the items the previous owner’s mechanic recommended. Being that I didn’t want to spend too much money on repairs, I made sure to calculate my spending and keep it under $300 if possible. So off to the parts store I went. I purchased the rear coolant flange, mass airflow sensor, coolant, and spark plugs, at just shy of $220. As I was walking away from the store I remembered that the hood strut had a tendency to fail. My cheap ass was contemplating if I really wanted to spend another $30 on a hood strut, but I recalled working on a car in the past with a pole jammed into the fender supporting the hood was not a good idea. I shelled out the extra cash to prevent decapitation and a potentially expensive medical bill. This was probably the smartest idea I’ve had in the past few weeks.

Following with more smart ideas, when working on a car usually you want to get easy stuff out of the way first. So with the hood strut replaced I went to town on the engine starting with the mass airflow sensor (MAF) which is located somewhere in the intake box away from the major work I needed to do. Within a few minutes into working, it dawned on me why it cost so much to service these cars. Changing the MAF sensor on a Japanese car usually takes about 10 minutes with just a few screws to remove. This car took about 30 minutes. It he time to get to the part that needs replacing far exceeds the time to actually replace the part, it’s mechanical surgery at best.

With the mass airflow sensor replaced, I noticed that the area surrounding the valve cover was abnormally dirty and quite possibly looked like it needed a new gasket. My grease monkey senses told me to replace that as well, and good thing I did. Once removed, the old gasket looked like it was probably never changed and was crustier than a teenage boy’s sock. When replacing a valve cover gasket you’ll want to make sure that the back of the cover and the parts where the gasket lay is properly cleaned and degreased before you reinstall. This will prevent any possible leakage upon replacing. Also if you plan on tackling this job yourself, I’d like to point out that once replaced and you start the car, it is normal for smoke to rise from cover due to the excess oil drips in the surrounding area.

Now we come to the dreaded job to find this coolant leak. After removing about a thousand hoses and bolts to get to the back of the engine block including the coolant reservoir tank, I was greeted with a wet and faulty coolant flange. With the flange removed, I saw clearly that the bottom part of the plastic bracket that is responsible for holding the exit hose rightly tightly in place had a big crack in it. I’m pretty sure that has to be the problem. But before installing the new one a new problem arose. The new coolant flange had two holes whereas the stock one that only had one.

This is because all of the new aftermarket flanges that you buy from Autozone or Oreilly’s were created with the intent to also work for newer model Audi’s and VW’s. My patience was tested as I read online and found out that I would need to buy a dummy plug. I decided to just go straight to the VW dealer since it seemed like such a specific part and I didn’t want order online and wait a couple days. Little did I know that stupid fucking dummy plug cost me a whopping $27. It ain’t called a stealership for no reason. By this time I just wanted to get back to wrenching before the sun goes down and I didn’t feel like MacGyverering a makeshift plug because doing a job twice on anything, especially a car, sucks. If you can afford to do it right the first time around, do it.

Feeling good about this coolant flange swap, I plugged up the flange and started screwing the first two bolts connecting the rear coolant flange to the engine block. Except that after about 3 minutes of wrenching the top bolt kept on spinning. Something wasn’t right. I removed the bolt and saw tiny shreds of metal on it. The fucking screw stripped the hole in the engine block at the worst possible location. How did I manage to do this? I was wrenching hard to reach places with my gloves and must have miscalculated the angle of the bolt. Lesson learned, don’t ever wrench tiny bolts with gloves on again. The sun was setting and I was beyond pissed. As I aggressively unscrewed everything to pack up, the other bolt that was supposed to hold the flange dropped somewhere down the engine bay and never met the floor. Feeling defeated with a lost bolt and stripped engine block, I just left it at that and called it a day. So much for this car being ready to go in less than a week.

The post Will It Flip!? – 2001 Audi A4 Quattro – Part II appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Well since I foresaw a future where my daily driver will be out of my possession for a few weeks I had to ask myself, what is the most sensible thing to do? Borrow a car from a friend? Share a car with a family member? No. The answer is to buy a piece of shit off Craigslist for as cheap as you can of course! Which leads to the first installment of Will It Flip!?

But wait, I need to be smart about this. There are a few criteria’s I need to follow. My maximum budget for a temporary daily driver would be $1000, it has to be able to drive, and I can’t loose money on the resale. Which means no blown head gaskets! Here at the Factory, Adam likes to tell me that I have a bad habit of looking up cheap cars on craigslist on my free time. I thought it would be the perfect time to provoke this habit and see if I can make use of it. After about 10 minutes of coming up with this idea and 40 minutes of browsing craigslist. I found a mechanic’s special 2001 Audi A4 Quattro 1.8 liter Turbo for $800 about five miles from me.

Though this whole idea may sound bad, I was convinced that this might be a decent purchase being that this car usually sells for about $2500 in decent running condition. The ad mentions that it only has been through 2 owners and even provided the VIN number. I had a friend do a VIN check and the provided information provided stands correct. I felt a growing sense of trust here. The life of the car has predominately been in Texas and just made its way to Los Angeles last August. No rust. The seller even mentions that it needs ‘minor work’; the front lip fell off and was in the cabin, the rear windows wouldn’t roll up, it needs a new mass airflow sensor, and has some cosmetic wear and tear. Easy fixes. All things I can live with.

After feeling the engine on a quick test drive and a really hard-ball-no-haggle-price of $800 later, I became a proud new owner of an all wheel drive, four-cylinder turbo, sedan in boring beige. The car ran decent for the price. I felt content as I drove home. That was until literally a stop sign away from my driveway, the temperature needle was reading higher than Donald Trump’s nose and the car started smoking out of the hood. That damn bastard didn’t mention about an overheating problem.

I made it just in time to get to my garage. Whatever, it’s okay. I think I’ve done enough work on my car and friends’ cars to trust that I can get to the bottom of these problems. The next morning as I reinstalled the front lip, I noticed the Audi gave me a small gift. It peed a little green. A coolant leak it is!

I’ll be taking you along the process of repairing the car, polishing it up and ultimately finding out if I can break even, trade up, or even sell it for more. Follow me on this multi part journey of…Will It Flip!?

The post Will It Flip!? 2001 Audi A4 Quattro – Part I appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Slowly and methodically, Toyota’s upscale brand has been pursuing a course to make themselves relevant in the eyes of the young and restless. When the LFA came out of nowhere, it signaled the beginning of this strategy. Here was a no-compromise poster car done in a way only the Japanese could have conceived. Then came an expanded F line, as well as a trio of sleek concept cars that the public begged to buy. Begged to buy? A Lexus?!?! This then, was a turn of events.

Now we enter today with their affinity for Testarossa fins and angular bodies, their cutting edge electronics and lighting, and their increasingly modern interiors. Lexus is becoming cool, and I suspect will be the next “it” brand sometime in the next decade. BMW is increasingly pursuing SUV’s and leaving behind their “ultimate driving machine” persona. Mercedes lost the plot years ago and seem content to sell to golfers and retired dentists. Sure there’s a GT or Black Series here and there, but all that lipstick does nothing for this pig. Audi might be the cool car of the moment, but their recent designs have shown that they have no idea where to go forward and with the billions lost on the VW diesel scandal, Audi will likely see their development budgets slashed dramatically. The space is open for Lexus to occupy it – the crown of “It” car is ready for the taking. I think they are going to do it.

Whether the new Lexus will make it into the annals of boy racer legend remains to be seen. It seems unlikely that it will sit in the pantheon of greats like the original Golf GTI or even GM’s Nova – a classic back in the day. The car certainly has that type of appeal and looks like the sort of vehicle that young drivers would use to get into trouble with the law. But these things are inherently unpredictable. It is usually only after the fact that you find out that a vehicle was something special and had a cult following. Hindsight is a wonderful thing in the automotive world.

The post Not Your Grandpa’s Lexus appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

But I have a very special place in my heart, and automotive desires, for the new 2014 Audi S4.  There is something about that car that delivers the perfect amount of balance, excitement, and drive, all packaged in a ride that turns heads everywhere it went.  Granted, it could have been the bright, arrest-me red paint, but I couldn’t help but notice all the eyes on the car as I took it around town.  And it’s not like it’s a rare vehicle at all, or even really that expensive, but the way the full package comes together on it makes it look great all over.  And Audi really has made a dent in the market here in Colorado, so to have a single vehicle stand out enough from the rest makes the appeal even more great.

When Audi announced the new S4 with the 3.0t, I was hesitant.  A supercharged motor was a newer avenue for the S-line, and while it has since proven to be one of the best higher-output motors produced, I initially feared the same issues that were had with the original 1.8T and the timing belts.  And turbos.  And sludge.  And ore timing belts.  God I hated replacing that timing belt.  It took years for Audi to perfect that motor, and here was the new standard being released in the S4.  That was over 5 years ago, and I am very happy to know that I was wrong with that concern.

But the mechanics are just part of the allure.  While the interior feels perfectly laid out with easy and intuitive controls, and the seats comfortable even when taking hairpin turns at what might be too high of a speed, there is one element of this car that truly brings the full package together.  The exhaust.

It growls.  It barks.  It is smooth as a baby’s bottom when driving along.  And it’s surprising every time.  Mid-shift, the exhaust lets out this little burp that can only be described as addicting.  You will find yourself driving the car hard just to get the exhaust to express this little note of joy to the world, and as you do it surrounded by other cars, you might feel a sense of joy knowing your shared it with everyone around you.

The car isn’t perfect, and while this little love letter may make it sound like it is, there are definitely areas that need improvement.  I am not a big fan of Audi’s MMI system, and even though it is connected to Google for constant updates, the controls to get the information in just don’t work well while driving along.  The suspension is a bit soft for my personal liking as well, and the ride does feel disconnected a bit from the road while just cruising along.  And then there is the manual transmission.  I wouldn’t say I am purist in the sense of loving the manual control, but side by side, this transmission can’t even shake a stick at the paddle shift controls in the automatic.  While both work exceedingly well, I actually felt as if the manual was holding the ride back just a bit compared to its automatic cousin.  While that idea might anger a few out there, its an experience I invite everyone to have to see what I mean.

In the end though, through it all, this is the one car I know I will own in the future.  It might not be tomorrow or even next year, but one day, that supercharged S4 will be in my garage,  powering me into some great mountain driving adventures.

The post The Allure of the Audi S4 appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

As a TDI owner myself, it’s not often that a diesel vehicle will surprise me.  Granted, I own a v10 twin turbo diesel, but it still gets 30 MPG and has ungodly amounts of power behind it, and might be considered the most impractical SUV I can own, but I do love it.  My father has the 3.0 TDI Audi Q7, and I used to own the 2.0L TDI Jetta Sportwagen.  You might say I am hooked on these engines, and of course, there is a bias.  But when I got into the Audi Q5 TDI, I was blown away.  All the previously mentioned vehicles are amazing, but not necessarily perfect in every way.  The V10 is still a juggernaut on the road, and the Q7 is a bit under powered, while the Jetta didn’t really surprise most except for how quiet it was while on the road.  But here was this mid-size SUV, one that I have loved since it’s launch, packing this great engine, and all of a sudden, I felt like I was being reintroduced to this amazing engine and technology

From the acceleration to the lack of noise, the technological features such as start/stop and different driving modes, this was the first time I have driven a TDI and felt like it was the complete package.  And with the ability to get over 600 miles to a tank, more than double what I get in my vehicle, in a vehicle with clearance and a pure driving experience behind it, I couldn’t help but be amazed.  And neither could anyone that I was able to get into the vehicle.  Nobody believed it was a TDI, yet there it was, getting great economy and making the whole experience enjoyable along the way.

I often talk about the future of the car, and make suggestions that I hope at least one manufacturer will read, but this is the first time I can truly say that someone beat me to the punch.  The Q5, one of the best selling mid-size SUVs on the market, has such a range of options available that it truly can fit almost any budget and lifestyle.  And with the TDI added to the mix up, it’s hard to see why you would choose anything else.  It’s a very fun engine, one that can handle all the challenges ahead, including the Rocky Mountains, but also fit perfectly as a date-night ride.  It is a status symbol of sorts, and one that has earned its place in your garage.

Audi has done an amazing job at making the case for a TDI luxury vehicle, and has delivered on the promise over and over and over with their full range of options.  I couldn’t be happier about this, and while other manufactures have diesel options like BMW and Mercedes, there is something different about the TDI.  It’s a level of pride to make the claim, to have this vehicle in your driveway, and to brag about it to your friends.  Having owned them for years, I can say that is a fact.  And with the Q5 TDI, there is something that just backs that pride up with performance, comfort, and surprise with every turn.

The post The Surprise in the Audi Q5 TDI appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

Having spent 15 hours in the car equating to about 800 miles I became very familiar with the interior and it is second to none. I’m not talking driving comfort, although that was phenomenal, but rather the in car technology and its ease of use. The most prominent of the in car tech is the Audi MMI Navigation system which is by far the most user friendly system I’ve experienced. From a hardware standpoint the system uses a center-mounted knob along with a series of buttons located just below the transmission. Together the knob and buttons interact with the onscreen prompts to access the various categories: radio, car, navigation and so on. The navigation software is Google Earth 3D which thanks to the MMI connection provides you with real time traffic, POI at each exit along, and the speed limit. All of which were indispensable tools as I navigated unfamiliar roads.

The car also features technological standouts when it comes to safety, particularly Audi side assist. Adaptive cruise control is also present, but I rarely took advantage of the cruise given the ever crowded California highways, but re-enter the side assist. Usually I’m not a fan of blind spot assistance or adaptive braking, I like to just drive on my own, but the side assist was a life saver. Not literally, breathe easy Audi, but figuratively as you inevitably find yourself in stop and go traffic it’s one small feature that has a huge impact.

On acceleration the S5’s six-cylinder 323hp/325lb-ft engine would occasionally seem sluggish before finally kicking in, a trait which was even further exacerbated while the top was down. However, it’s not a dragster and accelerated perfectly at speed in order to pass or take advantage of a non-windy part of the route. On those windy roads the drive settings came in handy as I was able to adjust from comfort to dynamic by the push of a button. The greatest advantage this gave was tightening up the steering wheel on the sharp maneuvers.

Aesthetically speaking I have nothing more to say than, I just love it. The dark blue with the black top, smooth curves rather than harsh angles, Xenon plus LED headlights that come across as more eyes to the car than headlights.

At the end of the week it was hard to let it go. The styling, drivability, interior, and price point have made not only the S5 Cabriolet an excellent choice, but Audi as a manufacturer one that you can’t go wrong with.

The post 2014 Audi S5 Cabriolet appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

This is a completely different A3 from what has come before. The last generation A3 was Audi’s entry-level car for the North American market, and it felt like it. We spent a week with it, and although we quite liked its sporty feel it just wouldn’t be able to compete with this new breed of luxury pocket machines. Audi knew this and came up with an all-new A3 concept that was short on sheet metal but not on opulence so they could go toe to toe with their rivals. Did it work? Well let’s find out…

The 2015 Audi A3 cuts a remarkably more distinct silhouette than it’s predecessor. Where the last model had rounded surfaces and was generally inoffensive, the new A3 is brimming with sharp angles, shadowed areas, and aggressive stance. Also gone is the hatchback body. The 2014 model is launching with a traditional “3 box” design consisting of a small front area, a large cabin in the middle, and another small trunk area. The 2015 Audi A3 is first and foremost a 4 door sedan. The sharp angles liberally sprinkled over the entire body give this A3 a thoroughly modern look and feel, and the head designer explained to FactoryTwoFour that their positioning and rake give the car a animalistic stance and profile. Specifically, and I can’t make this stuff up, the rear wheel well positioning is designed to be reminiscent of a horse’s thigh. Seriously.

Moving into the cabin, the only beastly hints are the great swaths of soft leather Audi has seen fit to drape over the many touch surfaces. Any point where your body or hand frequently rests is covered in a thick layer of cow hide, and the cockpit is a welcoming place for it. This is where Audi really needed to hit the luxury note hard, and although you’ll never mistake sitting in the 2015 A3 for an A8 it certainly stacks up against the Mercedes CLA and thoroughly trounces the BMW i3. Especially nice are the high-design AC vent controls and the instruments pulled straight from more expensive Audi machinery. Stepping into a 2015 Audi A3 is an experience of being immediately greeted with an upscale feel that denies its small size.

On the road that does not mean this vehicle is soft or ponderous. In fact, the ride is quite stiff and even sporty. What we have here is a small car with a long wheelbase, meaning stable running and a planted feel, but unfortunately also a poor turning radius. This A3 is aimed squarely at the young and upwardly mobile, and as such is planning on most of its life being spent in urban environments. This vehicle’s ride is such that I would not relish taking it up the coast on a scenic tour, but it is tailor made for zipping in and out of traffic and maneuvering into tight parking spots.

The 2015 A3 is a departure and new beginning for Audi’s pint-sized warrior. Gone is the stigma of being “entry level.” This machine is just as plush and refined as Audi’s lineup that costs twice as much. The A3 is today’s Audi concentrated, reduced, and refined. This is a pure shot. This is the espresso of Audis. With the 2015 A3, they have showed us that size doesn’t matter, but quality does.

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