av

I noticed that a number of posters used to own last generation Integras (94 on) before getting their 1.8Ts. I would be interested in their impressions of the two cars. I am specifically interested in the opinions of those who have moved on from a GS-R to a 1.8T manual. How would you compare the two cars in terms of overall performance, fun factor, comfort, maintenance, etc.?

Both seem great cars, with slightly different strenght areas.

av

ps: The archives didn't turn up as much information as I hoped. Maybe I didn't search enough?

racer

I have a 2.8Q but the handling part should be pretty similar between 1.8 and 2.8. Quattro is very fun! The type R handled really good too. I would say the type are handled better on dry surface, but the steering feel wasn't as good as the A4. A4 is more high class than integra, more practical when going out with girls =Þ

Daveman

We have both a 97 GSR and a '00 A4 1.8T Quattro (5sp, sport pkg). I have lots of miles driving the wife's GSR and now have 5K on the '00 A4.

Surprisingly, the GSR is not much -- if at all -- faster than the A4. Stock, both run 0-60 about 7.1 secs (according to a GTECH pro, which may or may not be accurate, but the 2 cars are dead even). We've done a few mods to the GSR to get it a bit lower, but nothing compared to what a chip would do on the A4. The GSR still feels more sporting under acceleration (especially at 8200 rpm redline).

A few pros/cons:

GSR Pros:
- free revving engine very reponsive
- lots of power above 6000 rpm
- shifter action SWEET!
- reliability (damn near unbreakable)
- handling is good, responsive, but somewhat twitchy
- fun to drive
- blast on the track
- feels fast, plus I can pretend I'm in the Speedvision Cup Touring class (Galati?)

GSR cons:
- visibility is dangerously bad
- engine is NOT smooth
- low torque, feels like a civic unless you thrash it
- rattles like all get out
- it IS a civic on the inside, very tacky
- ergonomics are poor aside from shifter/steering wheel
- seats aren't very adjustable
- TORQUE STEER ARRRGH!!! (gobs of it)
- no frills (what? no leather steering wheel?)
- stock tires suck (esp. in rain!)

A4 Pros:
- classy interior
- much smoother engine
- much faster than I expected (2000 models?)
- lots of luxury features I couldn't live w/o now
- quattro grip is amazing
- handles better (more solid in the corners than the GSR, but not as light footed)
- ergonomics are great
- great visibility and easy to drive
- lots of fun to drive
- great value, IMHO
- great looks
- warranty/service free (vs. $200-400/yr on GSR)

A4 Cons:
- Turbo 4 needs a little more hp from the factory, IMHO (easily fixed though)
- I wish the sport susp was a little stiffer....but I'm a touring car racer wannabe ;-)
- Darn radio is possessed by demons who don't agree with my tone settings and feel the need to adjust them
- perfect so far, but unsure about long term quality


Just my 2 cents. GSR is more fun 5% of the time, but the A4 is just as fun 95% of the time and more enjoyable all the time. But, make sure you can see out of the GSR. We would have bought something else if I'd known how bad the visibility is.

My wife loves her GSR but after driving mine I think is ready for a new car (I'm working her on a used M3, new 323ci, or possibly S4).

-Daveman
'00 A4 1.8TQMS

BillA

Do you know what causes the radio to constantly change the tone settings? I've had my car a month and it's driving me crazy.

Joe

I've heard that if you turn off the radio before shutting down the engine, this helps.

Denver J

I have logged about 2200 miles in the A4 manual now and think that I have a pretty good breakdown of the comparisons.

1) The GS-R is a nice car but it's more of a 'go-kart'. One of the things I noticed coming from the GS-R was that it really does have that go-kart feel to it. The handling is great, but you really do sit low to the ground, and I am not sure if I like the perspective now that I've been driving my A4.

2) Torque is fun! I really like the power band and delivery of the A4 engine. Some have posted that the 2000 model benefited from some improvement in the overall power delivery, all I can tell you is that with seat of the pants as my benchmark, the A4 feels about as quick as the Integra. The nice thing is that I don't have to wind out the A4 motor to screaming banshee-wail RPM level to get the power out of it.

3) The A4 absolutely blows the Integra away in terms of fit and finish...all of the interior materials and even the exterior fit and finish are superb. For example, the hood lip of my Integra had a slight gap to it that could not be fixed, it had to do with the tolerances and alignment of the parts from the factory... nothing like this at all on the A4.

4) The GS-R is definitely more bang for the buck.. keep in mind that even a stripped down A4 is going to cost about $4K more than you can get a GS-R for. That's a lot of money, and the Audi SHOULD be better in every way. For long term inexpensive driving, the Honda is probably your best bet. On the other hand, my Honda didn't feel nearly as tight after a mere 30K miles, time will tell with the Audi.

Hope that some of this information is useful.... keep in mind that these cars are in completely different classes and aimed at different markets. Certainly a GS-R would be great 'training wheels' for someone who aspires to an A4 or BMW 3 series car.

mness

I have an 00 A4 2.8Q and a 94 GS-R sedan. I find the visibility in the GS-R *much* better. I'm always craning my neck in the A4 before changing lanes. I think it's due to the A4 having thicker B and C pillars, and large solid headrests.

CraigB

...I still get to have the best of both, since I "made" my wife buy a GS-R sedan back in '97. 8^) Do you think she would have bought a Ferrari, if I had recommended it? 8^)

CraigB

geoff

<center><img src="http://www.teleport.com/~odoms/teg/teg2.jpg"></center><p>I drove Integras for six years. I still like them but since buying an A4 I don't think I could ever go back. The GS-R is very fun to drive - very light, handling is unbelievable. However, IMO you have to put about $5k into the car to get it to that level of fun. I would never wanna drive a bone stock Integra...yuck. The A4 is pretty much done with the excetion of a newer chip is a necessity. Lastly, the GS-R is much more of a "kid car". I came to feel that I was starting to outgrow it. And coincidently the thief who stole it though likewise. Oh well, I choose an A4 to replace it with and so far after 2k miles and a stage 2 chip i'm pretty happy.

Denver J

Hey, no fair Craig.... you ready for the UUC shifter project, I was going to order tomorrow.