98 a4 quattro 2.8 vs. Acura rsx and Lexus is300

[Jeremiah Curry]

Howdy all

My brother and I went to some dealerships and drove a Acura rsx type s, a
Lexus is 300 and an Audi a4 2.8 quattro.  The only quattro I had ever driven
before was a 83 UR-Quattro so I was not sure what to expect, but I was not
at all impressed with the handling of the a4, admittedly it was probably not
the sport package, and the rubber wasn't real impressive, but it still
seemed pretty weak.  The engine pulled hard and smooth, but the grip was way
below that of my Coupe GT and in a clover-leaf on-ramp at about 55 the car
screeched and leaner really bad and kept rotating transitioning from over to
under steer in a very frightening way, as if the quattro system was fighting
over which tires got traction.  The urq I had driven wasn't set up very
well, but it was much better than this.  The rsx was fun, but neither the
styling or performance really impressed me.  I found the IS300 very fun and
fast despite a glaring need for a stick shift.  It took that same onramp at
about 65 with only slight complaint from the rear tires.

Just thought I would give a report.

Thanks,
Jeremiah Curry
'85 Coupe GT (yokahama 205-45-16 A502's abt sports springs)
'85 Honda VF700 Interceptor