RS2 Driving Impressions

[Dave Eaton <dave.eaton@minedu.govt.nz>]

as i've now had a couple of weeks of driving the rs2, it's time to give some
driving impressions.

1) rs2 vs ur-quattro 20v

fundamentally different cars which are quite similar in some characteristics,
particularly at speed.  the rs2 has better turn in than the ur-q which
surprised me as i thought the ur-q was pretty good.  the result is that the rs2
settles better with less understeer in slow speed corners.  high speed corners
are about even so long as you compensate for the slower turn in with the ur-q.

the rs2 is quicker and brakes better than the ur-q.  in real life, as an 'a' to
'b' machine i don't think there would be that much in it, given the
speed-limited nature of many normal roads.  the rs2 would be able to brake
later and punch out of corners better, but speed through the corners would be
similar.  the rs2's 4-pot brembos are simply superb and are designed to work
hard all day...

the rs2 engine is sharper than the quattro's with the hotter cam making the
engine come into it's own at about 4500 rpm when it really makes the car fly. 
(that last 2000 rpm can become quite addictive).  low down punch is better with
the quattro, but not so as you'd really notice in the real world.  certainly
below 2000 rpm the quattro is better, but once above this figure, the rs2 is
cooking.  the rs2 is rock solid as far as engine temperature goes.  at speed
the quattro is similar, but it gets hot around town.  (my old '85 quattro got
hot everywhere).  you can really cane the rs2 for 45 minutes with continuous
high engine speeds and find that the oil temperature hasn't moved from below
130.  nice.

the quattro is more wieldy than the rs2 with a marvellous 'chuckable' feel to
the car.  the smaller steering wheel helps here with a more direct feeling of
connection to the road.  the rs2 feels a bigger, heavier car (which it is).

the quattro crashes around a lot more than the rs2, which has really impressive
springing and damping.  going over speed bumps in the quattro causes a shudder
over the whole car, whereas the rs2 will absorb the initial bump without
pitching the car violently.  whereas the s2 used to do this, it's springs were
softer overall and lacked the required firmness of the quattro to give good
body control.  the rs2 is at least the equal of the quattro in terms of body
control with no pitching to speak of and virtually no roll.  the damping is
better than both the quattro and the s2.

the rs2 gearbox is simply brilliant.  it works like a switch and makes the
quattro box (particularly in it's vagueness across the gate) feel vague and
slow.  you change gear much more quickly and precisely in the rs2 than in any
other audi i've driven.  (btw, i'm reasonably sure that this is a strengthened
version of the s2 audi 6 speed box which replaced the original 5 speed unit in
my old s2).  the ratios in the rs2 are beautifully spaced (except for a very
low 1st) so that, when you are on a charge, 3rd and 4th are superb, whereas you
tend to use 5th and 6th when you're on the motorways and are looking for top
speed.

quality of fitting and fixtures is similar.  the rs2 is a more modern design
and you notice this in a lot of little details.  it's a heavier and a safer car
as well.  the recaro seats of the rs2 are better than those of the quattro and
more comfortable than those in the s2 (which i don't think were recaros).  it
is easier to get comfortable in the rs2 because of the range of seat
adjustments available to you, although both give similar grip and support to
you when driving hard.  the full leather of the rs2 is a nice touch, as long as
you've got air-con to keep you cool.

got a real sun roof in the rs2 rather than the tilt and remove affair in the
quattro (which i've tilted but never removed).  when 'slid' the sunroof in the
s2 is relaxing, with an aerofoil to keep the air going over the opening and so
you get less buffeting than i remember with my old quattro.

economy is better (decisively) in the quattro which returns about 22mpg for
'normal' driving, whereas the rs2 returns about 18.5 mpg.  added to this the
rs2 has a ridiculously small tank (65l) as opposed to the 90l job in the
quattro.  in the rs2 you get used to visiting gas stations....

overall: the rs2 is a better car to live with day to day than the quattro, and
a faster car point to point in any conditions.  better than a 320hp quattro
with 320mm brembos? - that might be different.

should i sell the 20v now?  absolutely no way....

2) rs2 vs ferrari 355tb

i took the rs2 out with a friend driving his '95 ferrari 355tb.  we went
through the south auckland coast road (kawakawa bay, through clevedon and out
to miranda).  when the roads got clear we went as fast as we could.  the roads
were such that 150km was about the limit, with 160+ available for short periods
down some straights.  lots of corners, with some consecutive hairpins thrown in
(the climb out of kawakawa bay).

for the 1st part of the drive i tailed the 355, and then overtook and took the
lead.  when following the ferrari i was able to brake later than it into a
corner.  i wasn't sure as to why (perhaps awd ?), and was able to hold a higher
speed through the corner than the 355.  punch out of the corners was about the
same.  acceleration was very similar, with the higher torque of the audi giving
me an edge at times.  top speed would be a decisive advantage to the 355,
although in new zealand conditions, you'd rarely see it.

when i took the lead, i was able to leave the 355 behind, and ended up about 2
minutes up the road by the time we stopped.  when discussing the drive
afterwards, my friend said that grip (remember that we're not talking about a
race track here, rather a 2 lane country road with variable camber and grip),
caused him to back off a number of times.  where i initially put the time on
over the ferrari was through the twisties where, with careful left foot
braking, the rs2 was surprising neutral - even in tight turns. (got it wrong
once though and ploughed through to the other lane).

after 20 minutes of high speed and heavy braking the rs2 still felt great. 
engine temperature hadn't moved, the brakes were still strong and the car
seemed to be in it's element.  it was during the drive that i figured the name
for the car.  it's arnold (as in being a square boring name suitable for a
station wagen).  arnold can be shortened however, to give a suitable name for
the other personality side of this machine (ie arnie)....

overall, a wonderful drive over clear roads which tested your concentration and
skill.  must do it again....

so the conclusion is that the station wagon would not be embarrassed by even
the newest v8 ferrari.  i expect that, on a race track it might be a little
different though.  my friend was really impressed, but he'd driven the rs2
already and sort of knew what to expect.

thats all for now
-dave
'95 rs2
'90 ur-q