How well do these things handle?

[Atomic]

I have a 2001 2.8 Quattro (Non sport...) and to be honest whilst it's not the fastest thing on the road it's quick enough for me but I'm still not confident with it's handling.

Mainly because I guess I'm used to smaller cars. Just prior I had a E220 which was slower and being slightly smaller I guess I was more confident...

If I get myself up to a fair old speed and have to negotiate a roundabout for example I normally make sure that I've scrubbed off enough speed before I hit it to make sure I dont have to brake and further but when going around the average proper roundabout I get a large about of tyre noise (not skidding etc.) and being a moderate amount of roll (considering the size/weight of the car).

What worries me I guess is (1) confidence, I'm not happy yet that im not pushing the car too far (2) I'm not about to snap something off - laugh at this if you want! and lastly (3) what sorta spectacle I'm making of my self.

I guess in part it's probably because the car is relatively new to me and I do take a while to grow confident with new cars in terms of speed but do you think I should be more/less cautious? Historically I've had some pretty nippy cars but most have been coupes etc.

[A8_Tony]

Atomic, you can never be too cautious with any car. The A8's are a superb car, and handle extremely well for a car of its size. I've had mine nearly 3 years now, and it still scares me sometimes!!

She will handle well, being a non-sport she won't handle quite so well as the sport, as they sit some 40mm (IIRC) lower. This obviously makes a hell of a difference.

Take your time, get to know her, and she'll reward you with plenty of good times.

Oh yeah, and don't worry about bits falling off, these beauties are built to last

[Ska]

The A8 is much much more better than the E class (which one are you talking about W124 or W210?) if its this one:

A8 vs Merc

Thats my dads E220, notice I've put wider alloys on to improve the handling; the mercs got a much softer ride than the A8 but I can take the 8 into corners much quicker than the merc. and mines fwd with the quattro its got to be miles better

And what Tony said I never get into a car for first time and start flooring it... ease into her gently for a couple of days , weeks what ever gets you confident

[Atomic]

My E220 was the new shape - 03 reg. It was also ironically one of the most unreliable cars I've ever owned (albeit it was a company car...).

From new I had the following:

1. Near impossible to select reverse directly when cold for the first 2 years in the winter. I had to Put the car in first, raise the clutch slightly then neutral and then select reverse again.

When asked to fix Mercedes initally stated that they couldnt find anything wrong then after having the car for 3 days declared it as 'a bit notchy but normal for the manual gearbox'.

2. Rear offside windows packed up 2 times in 3 years. Probably the same fault but frustrating none the less, especially as the kids were rarely in the car and I found the window switches so close I frequently hit the down on the rear window and found myself on no less than 6 times driving around until they worked again.

No excuses from Merc other than 'no sir, these cars are very reliable'.

3) The car had a 'temporary parking brake' which activated when you pressed the peddle hard when stationary. There was absolutely no mention of this in the manual for manual gearbox cars, it was documented under the automatic section!. Then the damn thing decided to fail on me! My car was parked on my driveway which as quite a slope. I pulled up, used the brake AND WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDDLE HARD the console flashed red and emitted loads of warning lights as the car rolled forwards and through a closed garage door!. It took the garage door straght off the runners (note the securtity issue - push a car against door and it simply jumps off runners). No damage to the car, the number plate was the only point of contact. Substantial damage to the door, albiet a clubbing hammer straightened the frame and runners back into place.

Mercedes excuse - Driver error. The did not at any time accept that there could be anything wrong with the car. I asked had the brake released and I had not got my foot on the brake would the alarm go off. The said no, as that's standard process when pulling away. I asked them to explain the alarm/warnings... never got an answer...

Few other nigglies... Damn thoing wanted a service after 6 months according to the display, they simply reset it back to normal - shouldnt happen to a £30k car!

Putting that all into context heres a list of my other company cars over the years, ordered backwards in time starting with the car just prior to the merc:

1. W reg 140 Celica. 40,000 miles over 3 1/2 years. Saw the garage once for it's 2 year service. Never had a single problem!

2. R reg 2.0 Xantia Estate. 65,000 miles over 2 1/2 years. Saw the garage 2 times for services. Never had a single problem.

3. M reg 1.8 Xantia. 35,000 miles over 3 years. Saw garage once for service. Never had a single problem.

4. J Reg 2.0 SRI Astra. 30,000 miles over 3 years. 2 Services, 1 recal for wiper blades!

There tell the story why I dumped the merc and didnt consider another lol.

Prior to that I had a 16V E reg Jetta and a Y Reg Metro Turbo and 2 Cortinas... Loved em all apart from the holes in the Cortinas - Cortina = Rust.

Back on topic, yes I just need to get used to the car, and no I dont normally drive around that fast (Wife argues otherwise though...). And glad to hear nothing should fall off (not experiences of the other 'expensive car' eg. the Merc...).

[Ska]

Ahh yes... I get a lot of you newer E class owners comming up to me and saying that the only e class is the W124 all the rest are just plastic mishaps The only thing that my dads E220 had replaced was the MAF sensor and thats because I got trigger happy when cleaning the A8's MAF and broke it; oh and a new water pump and thermostat. Shes got about 140k on the odometer and some examples have been know to do 500k on the same box and mill

[Atomic]

Dont get me wrong, I did love the car as much as any other I've owned. Just a shame it was not as reliable as it should have been. Also, had the newer shape been 3-4k cheaper I probably wouldnt have the A8 now.

[Huss]

[ QUOTE ]

Back on topic, yes I just need to get used to the car, and no I dont normally drive around that fast (Wife argues otherwise though...). And glad to hear nothing should fall off (not experiences of the other 'expensive car' eg. the Merc...).

[/ QUOTE ]

Atomic,

If you really wish to explore the limits of your car - book yourself some track time.

This isn't a crazy, nor as expensive, as it might first appear and you'll have great fun learning. Some days can be head for less than £100. Take along your wife and she'll love it too.

Don't think it's all about Porsches, Caterhams and Ferraris btw. Yes they are there (I've frquently been one of them) but to be honest the most fun I've ever had was in a 2CV (boy that thing had a low centre of gravity). Everybody wanted to do a lap or two.

The biggest problem you will have with the A8 is with understeer (heavy car front wheel drive) so learning to keep the power in - and just how much - in a suitable environment will make you far more confident of the car's and indeed your own ability.

good luck.

[Atomic]

Nothing can understeer like my Metro used too... seriously

I used to be able to boot it mid roundabout (whilst still steering around it) and take the next exit!

Was a laugh though... Also had a fault waste valve - rubber pipe had a hole in it so the only limit on the boost was my foot!!!

[Huss]

Have to say our big barges are superb for everyday driving but if you want a laugh - nothing better than the small car.

The mini (old) was, and would still, be my favourite if my middle age spread hadn't precluded sitting comfortably

Another reason for the 8.

[AnArtist1]

My little beauty handles excellently. It's extremely nimble and chuckable. The car tends to shrink while zooming about.

Having said that I got the back end out of shape on a wet road the other day, excellent fun!!!

[nikw]

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...when going around the average proper roundabout I get a large about of tyre noise (not skidding etc.)

[/ QUOTE ]

I noticed that my front tyres started to make squealing noises when going round roundabouts shortly after I had knocked the tracking out (avoiding an idiot coming the other way down a narrow road in a very wide Ford Transit).

If you haven't had the tracking checked recently it might be worth doing. At the very least your tyres will last longer, and in my case it brought back the steering feel (such as there is) and precision.

[Atomic]

[ QUOTE ]

[ QUOTE ]

...when going around the average proper roundabout I get a large about of tyre noise (not skidding etc.)

[/ QUOTE ]

I noticed that my front tyres started to make squealing noises when going round roundabouts shortly after I had knocked the tracking out (avoiding an idiot coming the other way down a narrow road in a very wide Ford Transit).

If you haven't had the tracking checked recently it might be worth doing. At the very least your tyres will last longer, and in my case it brought back the steering feel (such as there is) and precision.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry let me put it a little more into perspective:

When going around the average proper roundabout (At Warp 4.6) I get a large about of tyre noise (not skidding etc.) I would consider it to be tyre 'scrub'.