Audi S5 vs BMW M3

valkia

valkia

valkia

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A friend of mine is looking to buy either an Audi S5 or a BMW M3, looking towards 2010 age wise but he's having a tough time deciding between the two for their own unique points.

I said I'll post to get some ideas throwing around to see in which way he will be tempted. He'll be signing up to the forums at some point.
 
Just buy the M3, really, just buy it. The Audi is all (subjective) style over substance, the M3 is one of the great super saloons. If he drives both and prefers the Audi he should buy it of course, if he really likes driving he will buy the M3.
 
The issue with the S5, like virtually every Audi ever built, is they are built to be safe on the limit and to look nice and have nice bits before drive well and feel good. The steering is pretty crappy on the S5 and they are not well set up being stiff but not well sorted. The nose will be pushing into understeer when pushed too hard, my RS4 feel apart on track once over 90%, the S5 is no RS4 so I should imagine lots worse. Audi's just don't give you nice feelings when pushed hard, they feel unsorted and BMW's are simply better. The engine in the M3, whilst very thirsty is a gem and sounds incredible. It is sharper than the S5 and just more sorted, by a long distance.
 
Housey said:
The issue with the S5, like virtually every Audi ever built, is they are built to be safe on the limit and to look nice and have nice bits before drive well and feel good. The steering is pretty crappy on the S5 and they are not well set up being stiff but not well sorted. The nose will be pushing into understeer when pushed too hard, my RS4 feel apart on track once over 90%, the S5 is no RS4 so I should imagine lots worse. Audi's just don't give you nice feelings when pushed hard, they feel unsorted and BMW's are simply better. The engine in the M3, whilst very thirsty is a gem and sounds incredible. It is sharper than the S5 and just more sorted, by a long distance.
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Great feedback, will pass it on! I'm pretty sure I knew the majority will be M3 and this was the same view that I had really.
 
There is no tough decision.

Does he want a high performance car or a refined quick coupe?

The M3 is in another league to the S5 - the S5's real benchmark is the 335i M Sport, not the M3, which is a significantly more powerful car.

It is the Audi RS models which compete with the genuine M power models, not the S models.

If he wants a high performance car, he should buy the M3. If he wants a quick coupe, he should consider a 335i and then decide whether he wants a 335i or an S5.

Buying a 2010 version of either would seem a bit daft though - the 2010 ones are quite expensive but fundamentally the same cars as the much cheaper, older versions. The S5 came out in 2007 and a 2010 S5 is largely the same, so why pay the significant premium?
 
Never driven the Audi but I've driven the M3 quite a bit and it's genuinely one of the very few cars which have impressed me in the last decade. If I had more than a 4 mile commute I'd have one in a heartbeat, truly brilliant cars in every way.
 
I wouldn't want a V8 S5 anyway, the 3.0T V6 is the far better engine.

That said, I'd take an M3 over even the supercharged V6 S5, as nice as it was driving my mates S5 cab, it never felt that precise, even with Drive Select in dynamic, and the optional sports differential.
 
As a review, I found the E92 M3 fast, but actually a bit boring? I've driven NickXX's E46 M3 from time to time and it's slower, but more exhilarating.
 
I own an S5 4.2 (albeit only the last couple of weeks). Great car, more of a grand tourer than a sports saloon/coupe. You can push on, but its not what its good at. The 4.2 is too lazy if you want to be bouncing it off the limiter through the gears. All that said, its still bloody quick, especially with the quattro... and if you do want poor weather performance its the only choice its obviously v.good. Oh and the noise is epic...

Having said all that it depends on what you want. All the talk of understeer and pushing the front is probably true but id hate to think at what kind of speeds you need to be doing to find out! My S5 drives like its on rails tbh. its very very stable and doesnt really have any body roll. just my 0.02 from a non-test pilot.

The S5 got a new engine in 2012 as the 4.2 got discontinued and replaced with a 3.0 super charged which had been used in the cab since it came out. I think the RS5 still has the 4.2 and also has a supercharger.

Also think that the S models are much more special than the equivalent BMW models which are just the same but with a bigger engine. They just feel more special tbh. A 335i just isnt the same as a S5.
 
Quattro is a good point. Even with a 'measly' 350 HP and RWD in mine, I find it a bit messy in anything but good conditions.
mikeh501 said:
Also think that the S models are much more special than the equivalent BMW models which are just the same but with a bigger engine. They just feel more special tbh. A 335i just isnt the same as a S5.
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What do you see as the extra differentiating points?
 
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I know what mike is saying, The "S" cars have those nice little touches that make them stand out over the "normal" models in the range, muchlike how an M3 feels and looks different to an M-Sport.

Granted this makes them (Audi "S" models) a bit "style over substance", but as a whole, it gives the car more of a sense of occasion over say a 335i M Sport.
 
Hi there

I've driven the S5, RS5 and new M3 with DCT.

Audi S5 - Sounds great, looks very pretty. The drive however was un-inspiring, it did not feel that quick and was understeer city.

Audi RS5 - Sounded even better, had a Milltek on it I think, and it did go like a rocket ship. But in handling it felt no better than the S5, just felt heavy and well falling apart at the limits of handling.

V8 M3 DCT - Was also a rocket ship, the way this thing accelerated beyond 3 digits was quite impressive, the sound was OK, but the Audi's seem to win it for noise. Handling wise though the M3 just felt in a different league, it felt more natural better balanced etc. Out of the three I'd take the M3 everytime, even if it always rained, because if your not a great driver, leave the DSC/DCT on, it will prevent you from doing anything stupid in the wet within reason.


But I'd not buy any of those three, as quick as the M3 is, to me it still felt heavy and certainly not the hooligan or as fun as the previous E46 M3's were. Hence I purchased a 911. :p
 
Being an M3 owner, I'm not biased at all! Agree with Gibbo, if you want a fast proper sports car you have to look at a Porsche (drove a Cayman R the other day and was this close to putting my M3 up for sale!), not a BMW or definitely an Audi!

The M3 DCT is an awesome car - especially with the latest DCT software update - really changes the characteristics of the gearbox and power delivery!

Audi on the other hand, look really nice, sound good too and in a straight line are super quick, but with 4WD or not the handling is poor - at best!

I would get the M3 again in a heartbeat but you never know I might be driving a Porsche by then ;)
 
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