My comparison of the V to M3 and S4

Sorry about the length of this, I did not mean for this to be so long but I thought this might be useful to other people cross shopping or comparing the V to the S4 and M3.

Well let me start off by saying that I am a new 05 V (black/black) owner (I have only had it for a little while so far). Previously to this I had a 2004 e46 M3 and a 2001 S4 (b5 gen, not the current generation though I have driven those (both b6 and b7) quite a few times.

First let me get the whole car reliability issue out of the way. With the S4 I had turbo failures (when it was still stock), transmission issues, and a host of other items, which kept it in the shop. Once I started modding the Audi the local dealerships basically would try and deny service at the drop of a hat. Now on the M3 they are known for having engine failures (great thing on a 50k car). I did not have an engine failure, though my vehicle had to come in a few times for recalls relating to oil and bearing issues. When engine failures initially started happening (and even up until now) BMW was happily denying warranty claims on anyone whom had nearly any mod done (they were even trying to deny some claims based on "hard driving"). Other then that, I had electrical system issues (including a dead battery at one point) and synchro issues. All of these were covered under warranty but it didn't make me feel that this was a "superiorly engineered vehicle". I am betting that the Cadi will perform up to the standards of the vehicles above.

The M3's engine requires you to rev it quite a bit before you get any real power out of it and you can't really drive around in traffic at low rpm's easily. The S4 (and V) on the other hand have plenty of torque down low and allow you to easily drive the vehicle in the type of traffic you will spend 90% of your time with the car in. I really do think the V is excellent at this. If you drive your vehicle at all during rush hour traffic you will appreciate this greatly.

On this note, the V's boosted steering response takes some getting used to. It reminds me quite a bit of what the new 5 series steering is like. Once you get used to it though you really do appreciate how well the system works. It makes slow speed maneuvers easy, as apposed to being comparatively somewhat of a chore in either the M or S. Again the reason the I bring these up is for me I spend allot more time doing this then testing the handling limits of the vehicle, so it's nice to have a vehicle that makes this an easy task. Once you get moving though the steering has nice weight and feedback which gives you a great driving experience.

With AWD the current S4 will probably win any street stoplight races among these three unless you get some great conditions and a perfect launch, or you race to quite high speeds. On the other hand, once you are rolling I will say that the V is the fastest of the bunch especially on the highway. I know of at least one e46 M3 owner who learned that the V is faster on the highway :lildevil: (and yes he was trying each of the 3 times). Since in my M3 previously I had my fair share of encounters with S4's (b5/6/7) I can confidently say that the V is faster (stock vs. stock) then all of them.

As far as modified performance, I am not even going to begin. The reason is that with enough money you can make anything very quick. If you start talking "bang for the buck" then you can end up debating until you are blue in the face.

As far as handling goes, all three vehicles handle extremely well. I personally think that the M3 has the edge here mainly due to weight and overall vehicle balance. Both the S4 and V are quite porky compared to the M3 and no matter how well they handle their weight they are not really going to be as nimble as the M3. Let me put one important point here, when it comes to handling at the track/autocross a big part of this is the tires you choose. With the crap tires that some times come OEM (like on the b5 S4) allot of times you can make huge gains in grip/handling (and lap times) just buy getting better tires.

Now I know everyone goes gaga over the Audi's interior. It is also splattered all over the how the Cadi supposedly has a cheap interior. Let me just say please go sit and drive all 3 before you go spouting this crap. All of them have very nice interiors and are quite different.

The materials used in the Audi are very nice, but the seating is cramped (especially in the rear seats) as well as headroom is pretty poor. The vents have popped off into my hands before and it always seems like the Audi interior needs allot more care and feeding to keep looking good. In the M3 the interior is very nice and I really do think they do it nearly perfectly. The center stack (nav/radio/controls/etc) is slightly turned towards the driver really giving you a cockpit like feeling. I really had no problems with that interior other then that brushed aluminum pieces which got scratched easily or got dirty otherwise way to easily. The problem with the M3 is that while the driver and passenger are in comfort, the poor people in the rear seats require great yoga skills to prevent blood loss to body areas if they try and remain in those jokes of rear seats BMW put in the car.

The V on the other hand is roomy (4 normal adults can actually fit in it without cursing), comfortable and very nicely adorned. The seats are firm yet comfortable. Allot of the pieces are plastic based but really by sticking to black I believe it doesn't look all that bad. It is not up to the fit and finish of the M3 or S4 but really it's not far behind at all. After having taken road trips (8 hours or so of driving) in all 3 let me say the V has the best seats of the lot. It is the most comfortable and the only one in which I was able to get out of the car and not have various body parts ache/stiffen up etc.

Overall I am very satisfied with my purchase of the V. It provides me with all of the performance of the M3, with the comfort and drivability of the S4, and room to actually fit 4 adults for long distances. If any of you are looking at all 3 vehicles I would personally suggest you get the V (especially if this vehicle will be a primary means of transport).