Quote:
Originally Posted by footie
The S5 when it gets the V6 and all of the other goodies will provide a much stiffer competition for the M3 and maybe even find flaws in it's armor. Though the problem with most reviewers is that performance is their deciding factor that sways most decisions and not the everyday living with the thing.
DSG in my opinion is better than my experience of M-DCT, though many here say it's all but cured now. The ride quality of my S5 with 19" and on stock suspension was better than my M3 with 18" and EDC, interior design of the S5 blows the M3 right out of the water, same for the seats and the steering wheel, though the M3 is more practical with more rear space from passengers.
I'm not saying that the M3 isn't the better car but given the difference is price (UK pricing I talking about) I simply think the M3 is over priced for what you get. Especially at a simply ECU flash and exhaust can provide the same type of performance for the best part of £8K less and from a more desirable looking car.
And if you take this argument to the E90 M3 vs S4 then it's an even harder decision for potential customers but it's even cheaper again than what the S5 is.
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I tend to agree with you on most aspects, the only real issue I have with the S4/S5 is weight - at over 1700kg DIN (vs ~1550kg DIN for M3) they give away a reasonable amount of weight.
Interior - I prefer the M3 with new iDrive, although I have piano black and extended leather which makes quite a difference. Ride quality on the M3 is definitely better than my old RS4 (which had permanently stiff Sports Suspension Plus option), but I'd imagine the S4/S5 would ride more along the lines of a 335 than an M3.
And what's with the Audi S-Tronic being slower than the manual gearbox? - DCT and PDK both improve standing start performance - guessing that launch control is absent from the S-Tronic
