C63 AMG vs RS4 vs M3

dino_martini

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http://www.caranddriver.com/compari...-benz-c63-amg-v-07-audi-rs-4-v-08-bmw-m3.html

'08 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG v '07 Audi RS 4 v '08 BMW M3 - Comparison Tests 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Gluttons for Punishment: Three of the best cars on God's Earth run hard in the German countryside, without complaint. And first shall be last, as prophesied.

Introduction

There?s probably no better place to run a comparo of three examples of automotive gluttony than in Bavaria, one of 16 German states and the one we think has a lot in common with the mind-set found in our own swaggering state of Texas.
Like Texans, Bavarians are pugnaciously independent, quick to recite what makes them and their region so special, and believe that the best way to settle an ?issue? is to put you on all fours in search of your front teeth. Texans invented the beef critter; Bavarians discovered the pig. The menu stops about there and shifts directly to the drinking section. In the Bavarian south, indulging in swine and pilsner is no sin?it?s an inalienable right. Walk into the famous Hofbr?uhaus drinking hall in Bavaria?s capital of Munich?it escaped allied bombs in World War II, proof that God exists?and order up three liters of super-strength German suds to kick off your noonday antics, and no one blinks an eye in horror. To go with it, how about a slab of Limburger, maybe a two-pound pretzel?

So Bavaria?s culture of carpe diem?Seize the day! Hell, carpe everything!?is an appropriate backdrop in which to run free in three sedans that any Bavarian would be thrilled to call his or her own.

Throw in Bavaria?s many unrestricted autobahns, bucolic and pothole-free secondary roads, the glorious foothills of the Alps to the south, and it?s the place to unleash the power and handling possibilities of three 400-plus-hp sedans.
It should come as no surprise that two of the three cars tested here are made in Bavaria. From Ingolstadt comes Audi?s all-wheel-drive RS 4. The premier model in the A4 range, the RS 4 comes from Audi?s sporting subsidiary, Quattro GmbH, the performance outfit that builds the R8 supercar. In that spirit, the RS 4 and the $114,100 R8 share the same direct-injection V-8. Although the RS 4 is now facing its final year of production, it still feels frisky enough to be pitted against some new competitors.

Then there?s the ?08 BMW M3. As the first M3 to be powered by a V-8 engine?a 414-hp 4.0-liter?the M3, now in its fourth generation, has some worried that V-8 power has changed its character from race bred to overfed. The new one might in fact be closer in concept to the previous-generation V-8?powered M5 than to the old M3. Even if that?s correct?and we?re not convinced that?s true?that M5 was an astonishingly impressive performer.

The final player in our ?It?s better in Bavaria? comparison comes from a neighbor to the west, the state of Baden-W?rttemberg. It?s not Bavaria, but its inhabitants like to say, ?We can do everything any German can do, except speak good German.? For them, doing everything includes building the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Unlike M3 devotees, Benz loyalists would never complain about a V-8 in the C-class. After all, Mercedes has been providing V-8?powered C-classes since the 1998 C43 AMG. Displacing a very American 6.2 liters, the C63?s V-8 puts out the biggest numbers here?451 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. It?s the only car here without a manual transmission, but the seven-speed automatic has one more gear than the others and will do exactly as commanded from its paddle shifters....

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/14278/2007-audi-rs-4.html

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/14279/2008-mercedes-benz-c63-amg.html

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/14280/2008-bmw-m3.html
 
C63 averaged 10 mpg? That equals 23.52 l/km. That is so insane fuel consumption, it drinks like a Ferrari :lol:
 
They were saying in the mag (didn't read above) that the fuel consumption on the Mercedes turned into $200/day during their testing. OMFG.
 
C63 averaged 10 mpg? That equals 23.52 l/km. That is so insane fuel consumption, it drinks like a Ferrari :lol:

They were saying in the mag (didn't read above) that the fuel consumption on the Mercedes turned into $200/day during their testing. OMFG.

So much for those efficient, better engineered German V8's. :lol:

If I actually had the cash to buy either car, I doubt I'd really give any bit of a damn about fuel consumption. Though I'd expect a bit more than 10mpg from such a small v8.
 
The RS4 is being upgraded soon. I like the M3 but the sedan is ugly and I hate the exposed CF roof. I'd have a C63 just for the crazy engine, plus the C-Class looks quite mean in AMG clothes. The interior is nicer than the M3's weird art deco design too..
 
Pah!
Alan_Partridge.jpg

url
 
for me RS4 is the winner, I prefer the looks to Merc, or the new M3..
 
I'd have the M3. It looks amazing, and i'd prefer the RWD configuration to the AWD of the RS4. Though the RS4 is a very close second to me.
 
RS4 for me. There's just something about it that seems like understated-badassness.
 
It's all about livability. That's why I've put my name on the list for a new M3, as it'll be my one everyday car (that I'll be taking to the track). To own the C63, you'd really need something else for daily driving and if that's the case, then you might as well get an old Ferrari, something made for the garage.
 
^ And why exactly is a C-Class sedan hard to live with?
 
easy choice here, M3 without a shadow of doubt. BMW has always been track biased when it comes to designing a performance car, driving experience > all.
 
The RS4 is being upgraded soon. I like the M3 but the sedan is ugly and I hate the exposed CF roof. I'd have a C63 just for the crazy engine, plus the C-Class looks quite mean in AMG clothes. The interior is nicer than the M3's weird art deco design too..

Absofreakinlutely. That C63 just looks the business, and its got that stompin' V8 that'll outpull the other two. I'm not a big fan of auto's, but that 7-speed box must be a dream in town. Exhaust note is much more visceral than the rest, and I agree that it wears the nicest suit.

I've seen a few RS4's around town, and I always have to double-check the back to see if it is indeed an RS, not 'just' an S or a lowly S-line A4. Every C-Class gets my attention, however; even the base models look great.
 
Car and Driver comparo vid:

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=gmNglK1ww3c[/YOUTUBE]



Just the C63, with only the car providing the soundtrack:

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/watch?v=rYcVA2djGQw[/YOUTUBE]
 
4 most important things i look for in a daily driver (importance changing by my mood): Exhaust sound, style and design, comfort, tactile communication (steering)

If everything i have read is right, then the only car i can see working for me is the C63. The RS4 is second, but having ridden in one it somehow feels a bit Volvoish, its too sublime for me.

After hearing about how the M3 has crap steering i could really care less about it, as it definitely isn't styled properly (especially the interior) and the exhaust sounds like a weed wacker with a wet cloth stuck on top of the tailpipe. I could deal with the under steer in the C63 because of the communication at the helm of the wheel and by the seat of the pants, not only that but I'm sure it would be more fun once you finally figured out what made the C63 handling tick.
 
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