[JamieA]

All this talk about Audis got me curious again, so last night I drove a friend's Audi A4 B8, 2.7Tdi V6 last night, and it was very interesting to jump from that straight into my car.

The engine feels strong thanks to that 400Nm of torque, but the torque steer on the FWD chassis is brutal.

The overly light steering is a shock, and tends to exaggerate the perception of torque steer. Because the steering was light, I didn't feel fully in control of the car like I do in the E90, and I think this has a lot to do with the fact that the steering gives zero communication to the driver as to what is going on at those front wheels. A contrast that was immediately obvious when I jumped into my car with its more meaty steering and great steering feel.

Multitronic is much improved since last I drove one, and this could also be because the diesel engine was strong. Engine sounded better than I expected and was generally smooth.

Cabin surrounds you. A fact brought home when I got back in the E90. Cabin is well made, but I have always had a problem with those cheap plastics on the centre console, and that didn't change last night. But the execution of the other elements like the leather and other trim items was first rate, and I must admit that I felt like I had stepped into a lower quality interior when I first stepped back into my E90. A feeling which was quickly pushed to the back of my mind when I started driving and realised that the E90 is a superior driver's car.

The Audi didn't encourage me to drive fast, or want to fang it around corners. It was a comfortable cruiser - in fact you virtually idle around town at 1000rpm at 60km/h. Having owned an A4 (B6) it was an interesting trip down memory lane, but I still love my BMW, and I can't see myself going back to Audi any time soon...