Quote:
Originally Posted by NYHoustonman
Audi vs. BMW (RS4, R8 aside) always boils down to this: like heavy, understeering pigs with lifeless steering, no adjustability, but tons of grip and straight-line speed? Buy the Audi. Like driver involvement, and a lighter, more sports car-esque feel, perhaps sacrificing in straight line speed? You'd better be buying the BMW (or a Porsche, if you have the money  ).
As for trinim3, I guess he falls into the former category, which is okay. He's a badge snob, too, which isn't okay to me, but to each their own...
...And apparently he hangs out with women who like understeering pigs  . |
Gotta love guys like this. The guys holding on to the past and choosing to ignore the present. What you said is mostly true... IF it were 2006. But it's not, it's 2014. I suppose you also think the Lakers are still the best team in the NBA as well?
[Apologies for the long post - I tore my achilles and have too much time on my hands sitting around at home]
Do you really think BMW still makes light weight, driver-involving cars with great steering feel? When I drove an E46 M3 (I drove a Ford Focus prior to that btw) I swore that I would only buy BMWs for the rest of my life. Then I bought an e92 M3 and you know what? It was big and heavy and after that things were never the same with BMW. So I had the common sense to not have blind faith in a corporation that has no loyalty to me and instead have an open mind to try out different brands. I've driven over 100 cars (I keep a list), everything from a Geo Metro to Formula Mazdas and the cars that impress me the most are actually Hyundais and Kias - badge snob I am not.
Moving back to BMW, do you know how much a M5/M6 weighs? Or even a F30? Might I remind you that BMW M now straps M badges on X6s and X5s which is the antithesis of everything BMW M stands for? And that they have a partnership with Toyota to build sports cars? TOYOTA. Get real with the times. The F30 and F10 have been losing comparison tests left and right, namely BECAUSE they lack steering feel, are bloated and are less engaging. The fact is BMW wants to sell more cars. Well what's the most popular cars in America? It's a Toyota Camry/Corolla. So they are using that as their template now to build cars and sell more of them outside of the driving enthusiast niche that we fall under. This is natural for any company in search of greater profits.
Now yes the M235i and the M4 seem to be a step in the right direction but they aren't slam dunks. The M4 has already lost comparison tests to the old C63, a Jaguar F-type V6, 911, etc. The M235i has lost to at least a WRX and a base Cayman. That doesn't mean they aren't great cars but in the areas of "sports car-esque feel" and driver involvement, BMW isn't what it used to be and there are better out there in those regards (still tough to beat BMW on the all around package though). On paper both the M4 and M235i are phenomenal cars but in reality they are missing the "je ne sais quoi" of BMWs of old. People who buy BMWs now, openly admit they want a more luxurious less raw experience (exception being M235i buyers) - and that's what BMW has prescribed.
Now on to Audi. Yes Audi's steering is lifeless. I cannot argue against that. Yes they are heavy - can't argue that. However, Audis didn't build their brand around those traits and they don't try to act like they aren't those things. They build technological wonders with sensational grip in spite of those things. If you're driving a modern Audi with a sport diff and torque vectoring and are still experiencing understeer then you probably should take a driving school to learn vehicle dynamics. (PS if they have schools for learning how to drive pigs please sign me up
)
Here's what Randy Pobst (a renowned race car driver) had to say about the RS5:
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Given how high Randy was on the 507, we figured the less powerful, heavier RS 5 had no shot. We couldn't have been more wrong. Posting a best lap of 1:42.97, it was 0.48 second quicker, but Randy's comments suggested more like 4.8 seconds. "The R8 should be half this good! This car is fantastic. I adore it. It does such a great job utilizing all-wheel-drive traction off the corner, with zero push. You just drive in there and you think it's too early, but you just floor it and you're like, man, I should've gotten on the gas sooner. And no push, no oversteer -- it just drives right out of there, beautifully carving an exit line, using all the power. The gearbox is also very friendly. I just got more confident with carrying speed in and trusting the grip
Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...#ixzz36jxp2FN2
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In response to the other guy who sold his S5 and picked up a M sport. Both cars are great. Simply a matter of personal preference. CarandDriver apparently preferred the S5.
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test
Here's the pecking order:
428i - A5
435i - S5
M4 - RS5
TL;DR: Audi isn't what it used to be. BMW isn't what it used to be. Both make great cars. It really comes down to personal preference and as someone else mentioned at the track, it'll come down to driver-skill since they are so evenly matched. I'd encourage you to have an open mind and try out both and not be loyal to a brand that has no loyalty towards you.