Quote:
Originally Posted by ThrottleJunkie
Ok...enough of the RS4/M3 comparisons. The RS4 isn't the competition. If anyone has been keeping up on Audi news, they are going to release the RS5, based on the A5 coupe platform. THIS thing, will give the M3 some headaches.
Key specs:
- 4.2L Twin Turbo V8 putting out 450 horsepower and AT LEAST 500 ft/lbs of TQ
- front axle moved up 120 mm to allow the engine to be mounted further back thus reducing the horrible oversteer it had.
- 55:45 front-rear weight balance
- rear-biased Quattro system
- modified magnetic ride dampers lifted off of the TT
- carbon ceramic brakes lifted off the R8
Only rumored performance times are the 0-60 which is rated at "sub 4.5 seconds"
All this for an MSRP of $53,000. Possible M3 killer?
Linky: http://www.tuningnews.net/article.php?date=070512a |
i highly doubt audi would produce a car that could take sales away from the R8. with those numbers who would buy an R8?
btw, as a side note, i think the M3 and R8 might not be too far away in terms of performance:
e92 M3:
415 horsepower
295 ft lbs torque
3485lbs
1/4 mile: low-mid 12s @ 112-113mph (if we go by what the current M5 runs, using the e46M3 vs e39M5 timeslips as a model. i subtracted a couple mph because the M5s tend to always trap higher than their M3 counter-parts)
Audi R8:
420hp
317 ft lbs torque
3450lbs
1/4 mile: mid 12s @ 111-112mph (based on a couple websites that have reported 1/4 mile times for the R8)
the R8 has AWD which will probably cause the car to not produce as much power to the wheels (more drivetrain loss). i'd even go so far as to say that the M3 will probably produce higher dyno numbers than the R8.
also the R8 is going to be double the base price of the M3 so in that sense they are definitely not in the same class...the M3 is going to be a much less expensive option for what seems to be similar performance.
of course we'll have to see what kind of actual performance numbers/laptimes come out when the cars get closer to being released, but from what i can tell they are definitely close.
man, talk about magazine racing to the fullest.