I was wondering if any of you could tell me how well the A4 would do against Japanese cars like Eclipses, Integras, raced out Civics, or the Accord V6. I think I already know what the answer is but I want to hear it from someone that knows for sure.

Also, do you think a 96 A4 V6 2.8 quattro could take a 96 525I?
Thanks for any info.
-R

Correct me if I am wrong 12v owners, but a 96 A4 can't beat a whole lot off the line.

the jappanese cars are easyer to get parts for and there are more of them than a a4. if you can can afford the mico back seat of the a4 get it... it is a very good quality car. the accord v6 had been done... every one in the world has a jap car. i personally think that the a4 is a better car because it is not seen as often. allthough when you need to get the a4 fixed it doesn't come cheap. if you are into modifying your car get the jap if you are into style and luxuary get a 2.8Q

the a4 has hidden nuts.. most honda owners think they can take you but they can't even the accord v6 is still like 500lbs heavier than my 96 2.8

I'm assuming we're talking about new cars.

A $28k Civic with $11k+ in performance mods will destroy the A4 in 0-60, 1/4mi. and on the track. However, you're driving a Civic. You're still stuck with the economy interior and basically, an economy car, albeit one of the best (IMHO) economy cars.

The A4 is far more luxurious, so if that is a factor, you have to think about that, along with resale value, streetability and many other things.
For drag racing, I'd say a Camaro or a Mustang is a better choice.

Overall, I would take an A4 1.8TQ over any of the cars you mentioned.

TM

The Integra is very good driving car at a good price/performance ratio. It also has Honda reliability (read: good, not perfect), good ergonomics, and a slick shifter. You can get the 170 HP GS-R version for about $22k.

That said, it's not as good of a *car* as the A4. The A4 is smoother, quieter, has Quattro, and comes with two much more "drivable" engines (i.e., they have torque under 4000 RMP). It's bigger, safer, and has more options too.

Bottom line: Both countries make good cars, but they're *different* cars.

(The 2.8 compares to the Acura TL 3.2 more than the integra, but the TL just isn't there in the performance department.)

Doug

How is the A4 1.8TQ off the line? I want something that will destroy other cars in its class (mostly the Japanese ones). There are a lot of Civic/Integra(No Type Rs)/Eclipse drivers in my area that think they are pretty tough stuff, so I would like to waste them with a German car to show them up. Will the A4 1.8TQ do this for me?
Thanks
-R

but I figure if I can get 80% reliability of a Japanese car out of a German car, then I'm a happy camper.

Why do u want to take a Bimmer 525? A lot of cheaper cars are capable of that, i.e. prelude etc..

As for A4 or any european cars vs the Japs...putting image aside, the main difference is the FEEL of driving it. The european cars just feel so solid and the handling is superb!

The best thing to do is drive one of each!

Japanese cars generally are very reliable and high resale value; however, cars like Acura 3.2TL, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are the typical blend taste of design. People will give you thumbs up if you happen to drive an Audi A4 or Volkswagen New Beetle because of their long lasting yet attractive design. But will they give you thumbs up if you drive a Toyota Echo, they think if you are crazy enough to drive such a crazy non-sense design compact car.
Integra is efficient but the chassis is dated so does the exterior/inteior design and styling. The car still handles greatly and value-for-money but the interior ergonomics are not as friendly as ever. I will take a Celica GT-S if I am decide between an Integra GS-R cause of its newer design. Rumors told Integra will based on the S2000 rear drive platform, things should look promising which no longer based on Civic platform.
We don't have Mitsubishi in Canada, so I can't comment on the Eclipse.
The raced out Civic should not be considered as a contender cause its "raced out", did I told you this? In my college, there's a base Civic CX hatchback automatic with hub caps have a big Type-R badge. I will be ashamed with my Type-R if I happen to own an Integra Type-R.
Accord V6 is a decent family car which has nothing to criticize except lack of character and very blend. It has good handling, spacious interior and high resale value. Too bad there's no personality whatsoever, everyone is driving their Honads mean "who want to give thumbs up to your damn popular Accord?"
The 96 12V 2.8 A4 definitely could take on the 96 BMW 525 cause the Bimmer is very slow especially with automatic and its just handles so-so for a Bimmer.
Tom
97 A4 1.8TQMS
99 BORA GLS 2.0
00 (OR 01) NEW BEETLE GLS 1.9TDI (ON ORDER)
98.5 A4 1.8TQAS WETTED

First off why do you want to waste these people off the line. Pardon the bias, but I have very little respect for stop light racers...if you want to race then go to a track or autocross. Sure we all have the occasional indescretion, but if that is an important part of your decision to buy a car, then the A4 is not for you. The A4 is a total car, in fact one of its weaker areas is straight line acceleration.

Good choices for what you want to do would be Mustangs, Camaros, Eclipse turbos (all wheel drive), and the BMW E30 M3's (E36's are a bit out of the price range). For a new German car, the choice would probably be the turbo Beetle. It's inexpensive, lighter than the A4 and the 1.8T engine is very tuneable.

Regards,
Rodney

'99 A4 1.8tqms

...a 1.8tqms will do nicely with let's say a K04 upgrade & exhaust...then you'd be toasting those cars. You can get Neuspeed's K04 upgrade for about $1600 US. You'd also be able to beat most of these guys with a good 1.0 bar chip upgrade...there are many of these to choose from like Wetteraurer, Garett, APR etc. Check out the archives and the ads on this page and you can get links to all their websites.

-Ash 98.5 1.8TQMS

PS: Take it easy on the street racing stuff...if you really want to show these guys up, take your car to the track.

Remember there is a huge aftermarket for Japanese cars and with a lower starting cost, you can put together a much faster car than the A4 for the same money. Not sure why anyone would want to spend ten grand making a Civic turn 10.0 second 1/4 miles, but it's been done.

Regards,
Rodney

'99 A4 1.8tqms

You need to realize that you're dealing with two different types of cars. It's obvious that you just want to smoke a bunch of "ricey" cars out there, am I right? If that's the case, go out and buy a Camaro.

The A4 isn't about speed and 0-60 times (well, at least stock, it's not). 1)It's heavy. A raced out Civic would probably beat a stock A4 0-60. 2)Go do some research and check out the 0-60 times, and you'll get your answer. 3)Who cares?

But if you really want to have some fun with an annoying Teg with I/H/E, etc, hit the twisties and see how long it takes before he's a speck in your mirrors. (uh, only if you have Quattro....)

Buy a used Mazda Miata, stiffen the chassis,
tune up the engine and then turbocharge it. You'll have a car that costs about the same as a new Civic Si that will run circles around it and the Eclipses and such. Of course, you'll be stuck driving a very small sports car all the time. That may not be a bad thing, though.

If you want to go nuts (like the $12k in mods Civic route), put a twin-turbo 13B from the RX-7 in there. That would smoke pretty much everything out there short of an exotic and still do pretty well in the corners.

Sorry of the off-topic post. I prefer the A4 myself.

TM