R&T Mag Test: S4 vs M3 vs C32
12-16-2003, 08:56 PM
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R&T Mag Test: S4 vs M3 vs C32
If combining the soul (and performance) of a sports car with multi-passenger usefulness is an art, then consider the Germans master artisans. Thumb through a stack of R&T magazines from the 1980s and you'll see plenty of historical precedent in those sweetly musty pages: the original "E30" BMW M3, the born-for-the-Autobahn Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16, the Audi Quattro of rallying legend. These cars, each based on its manufacturer's U.S. entry-level offering at the time, rose above their blue-collar origins to become highly sought-after performance machines. Asphalt-hugging suspensions, grippy rubber, deliriously rev-happy engines and steering, braking and shifting systems capable of tactile reward were key, but more important was how these elements worked together to not only satisfy, but inspire the driver. Appearance was important too, but instead of shaker hood scoops or screaming chicken decals to tip their hand, the Germans chose to project a more understated mien, with a different wheel design, discreet spoiler or throatier exhaust hinting at their intentions.
The formula is as valid today as it was back then, and we have proof with the Audi S4, BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG. Yet helpings of horsepower have skyrocketed, and roadholding and grip have increased to levels that nearly make sports cars redundant. Practicality, though, is a constant. They're still perfectly adept at hauling three of your friends (or four really close ones) in reasonable comfort, and perform just fine as grocery-getters...but if the soup cans are rolling around the trunk after taking the long way home, don't say we didn't warn you. They're low-slung and fat-tired, aggressively styled without pegging the bling-meter, all begging for an over-the-shoulder look as you head for the parking garage elevator.
BMW's 333-bhp M3 coupe has been the aggressor of the class recently, but both Ingolstadt-based Audi and Stuttgart-headquartered Mercedes have responded to the slap not with red faces, but with potent small sedans as foils to the Munich-designed Über-coupe. This begs for a comparison test, no? So Joe Rusz (sage veteran), Shaun Bailey (representing youth and exuberance) and I (somewhere in between) gathered these three adversaries for a two-day romp through California's Anza-Borrego National Park, famous not only for its springtime wildflowers and searing summertime heat, but for a sinuous network of highways that make an ideal playground for our hard-cornering group. After much scrubbing of tires, revving of engines, grabbing of shifts, scribbling in notebooks and searching of souls, we arrived at a winner in a closely fought race. No fair skipping ahead!
-------------------------------------------
3rd — Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG
556.3 points
Merc's interior has a sporty feel and excellent seats, but it cries out for a more distinctive and readable gauge treatment.
Affalterbach-built supercharged V-6 can't be faulted for its power and responsiveness, only for its raspy sound relative to the others.
Plaque on blower (above) gives credit where it's due.
Mercedes' now-internal AMG division has something of a Midas touch with its sedans and coupes, with virtually every model now benefiting from what Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher (the "A" and "M" in AMG, the "G" standing for Aufrecht's birthplace of Grossaspach, Germany) started in 1967. And that's infusing huge amounts of power, rarefied roadholding and visual dazzle into, well, cars that are pretty good to start with. Here, the focus is the C32 AMG, the smallest U.S.-market 4-door Benz that's sort of a miniaturized S-Class in appearance and available features.
In AMG's newly expanded Affalterbach engine factory, producing 100 powerplants a day for the entire AMG range, a single technician is responsible for assembling the C32's Lysholm-supercharged 3.2-liter sohc V-6 that will ultimately produce 349 bhp. That technician literally signs off on the engine, with a plaque bearing his signature affixed to the supercharger housing.
It's a fiercely strong motor, with ripping tip-in torque, a fat midrange and unceasing pull to a somewhat thrashy 6000-rpm redline. It's second-quick in our trio, edged out by a mere tenth in 0-60 and quarter-mile acceleration contests by the BMW, at 5.1 and 13.6 seconds, respectively. That's Porsche 911 territory.
Without 911 music, however. The C32's mid-throttle metallic gargle was judged to be cheap-sounding ("It doesn't let you forget it's a workhorse, not Sea Biscuit," opined Rusz), but it's paired to a 5-speed automatic with an AMG SpeedShift sequential-shift mode that was universally liked (see "Paradigm Shift" sidebar).
Throw a twisty road in its way and the C32 puts its fat Pirelli P Zero Rossos to good use. Press hard and the Benz ultimately settles into safe understeer, albeit at a satisfyingly high level of lateral grip. With the stability control disengaged, a boot-full of throttle will pop the tail out in a predictable manner, easily countered with steering that's a nice balance of isolation and road feedback, if a little slow-geared. Bailey's take: "Feels sluggish compared to the other cars." You sense that AMG's chassis tuning department is willing to trade a little corner-slicing precision for some real-world civility, and succeeds. Ride comfort ties with the Audi, with the Mercedes' shock valving absorbing small, choppy inputs and suspension-bottoming dips with equal ease.
We can't be as kind about the interior. First, the bright spot: the seats are fantastic. They're aggressively bolstered yet comfortable for widely varying body types, have inserts of perforated leather and earn the highest compliment for canyon driving — you don't notice them (you always notice the ones that don't provide enough support). But the odd bevel-faced gauge cluster seems out of character, with a puny pie-wedge tach tucked off in the left corner and only a silver AMG appliqué at the speedometer's center to jazz things up. Controls for the stereo and ventilation system aren't the most easily deciphered, and the murky orange display readouts look dated and could use more contrast. Outside rearview mirrors are ridiculously small, and none of us was enamored of the strange dentist's-chair appearance of the headrests...although we do appreciate that the rear ones can be lowered with a push of a console-mounted button for better outward views, a Mercedes exclusive.
Quick, comfortable, solid, but with a coarse-sounding engine and a few character flaws, the C32 AMG is a highly desirable machine, but not quite the class of this class. Summed Rusz, "A family sedan that wants desperately to be a performance car, the C32 comes darn close to pulling off the ruse."
----------------------------------------------------------
2nd — BMW M3
577.7 points
If there's a car here that's defined by its engine, it's the M3...3.2 liters of 6-throttled inline-6 with 8000-rpm capability.
Interior is a match for its seriousness, but for some, the seats are a little too broad between the ample bolsters.
About three turns into Route S22, a ribbon of asphalt nirvana that clings to the mountains rising out of Borrego Springs, and it's obvious: The M3 is the right tool for the job. "Absolutely fabulous," said Shaun. "Drives like a race car; sounds like a race car." Joe added, "I would feel foolish saying something derogatory about its performance/handling aspect...it's a serious car." Steering that didn't feel especially information-laden in boulevard mode comes alive with cornering force; spring rates that had your intestines doing the Macarena over potholes help this chassis slice Montoya-esque arcs down to apex after apex (the optional 19-in. forged wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport tires play a part too) with the closest-to-neutral balance of the trio. Brakes? The most firm, direct and confidence-inspiring of the lot.
A glance at the Performance section of our ratings shows a clean sweep by the BMW, a feat accomplished only when there's acceleration to back up the roadholding. There is, courtesy of six pistons furiously reciprocating within a cast-iron inline block. The work of BMW's M division, the M3's powerplant breathes through six individual throttle bodies, employs an oil scavenging pump similar to dry-sump systems and has a dedicated high-pressure pump to more quickly alter the timing of intake and exhaust camshafts. At 7900 rpm (100 shy of its redline), it makes peak power of 333 bhp, with a thrilling mechanical cry that can practically reawaken the dead.
With its 3430-lb. curb weight more than 200 lb. less than the next-lightest car (the Mercedes), the M3 paddle-clicks to top honors in acceleration with a 5.0-sec. 0-60 clocking and positively hurtles through our slalom at 68.3 mph with the mildest of understeer. Braking distance from 60 mph is a praiseworthy 112 ft., a distance bettered by only a handful of cars typically manufactured in Zuffenhausen and Maranello.
The M3's interior matches the rest of its serious demeanor...no giggling. There's a higher sill to negotiate, a pair of aggressively bolstered front seats and a three-spoke wheel whose leather covering is stitched with thread in the colors of the M logo. Gauges, with red pointers over gray faces, are nicely readable, and center-stack controls for the audio and climate systems are logically laid out, with clear markings on large rectangular buttons and, thankfully, not an iDrive controller or video screen in sight. It's not perfection — the seats seem to be sized for wider-than-average humans (said Shaun: "I slide around in them a lot, but once I hit an edge I stay there"), the rim of the steering wheel feels overstuffed with squishy padding, and it's missing the extra two doors the others possess. Like the Mercedes, outside mirrors are small in the name of style.
Fast and focused, firmly sprung and rewarding, the M3 might be too extreme for those seeking a modicum of comfort to go with their driving enjoyment. It certainly has the most intimidating exterior — all muscle and sinew, with headlights that stare you down. In our price-independent rankings, the M3 comes out on top. But when the excitement/value is considered, a brash interloper wearing a linked-rings logo comes to the fore.
------------------------------------------------------------
1st — Audi S4
579.2 points
Despite slightly more understeer than the others, the S4 is capable of remarkable over-the-road pace; you're hardly ever aware of the all-wheel drive's presence, but it's there when you need it.
Torquey 4.2-liter V-8 makes all the right sounds (and 340 bhp).
Recaro seats blend support with comfort and the level of interior sophistication, style and use of materials set the Audi apart.
We have a winner, though not through brute force. To use a tennis analogy, the M3 is Andy Roddick who flattens you with 140-mph aces, where the Audi is a crafty serve-and-volleyer with the touch of John McEnroe. In the words of a famous announcer, he gives you a little nick here, a little cut there, and before you know it you've bled to death.
Let's not say the S4 is slowest... "least quick" is fitting, because it's capable of a stellar 5.4-sec. 0-60 blast and a quarter mile still in the thirteens: 13.9 sec. at 101.2 mph, to be exact. It's also the heaviest, at 3900 lb., the result of having standard Quattro all-wheel drive and a couple of extra cylinders, pistons and rods. But that's not a recipe for lethargy, as we found during our back-to-back mountain road evaluations. Yes, there's a little more understeer than the others (evidenced later by the well-polished outer edges of the front ContiSport Contact 2s) and some body roll, but the stability of the chassis lets you bomb deep into bends with authority, and pick up the throttle early to let the Quattro system pull you through the corner's exit. "You're not going to get oversteer by locking up the rears through a screwed-up shift," said Shaun.
Steering is accurate and gives a nice sense of what the front tires are doing, though a shade more filtered than the BMW's. One quirk we noticed was how suddenly the steering weights up as speed increases, say, accelerating on a freeway cloverleaf.
No complaints whatsoever from the engine room, where Audi's 4.2-liter, 5-valve-per-cylinder V-8 is shoehorned longitudinally into the car. The fit is snug, necessitating a change from a rubber timing belt to a slimmer roller chain, relocated to the rear of the engine to reduce its overall length. Whereas the previous-generation S4 made 250 bhp with a V-6 fortified with twin turbos, the aspro V-8 makes 340 lag-free horsepower. "It makes all the right sounds and delivers the performance I expect from an image car," said Joe. "I especially like the way it responds from midrange on, pulling itself up by its bootstraps to send the S4 flying down the road, without breaking a sweat." And its 6-speed manual transmission is a treat, its shift lever slipping into well-defined gates with ball-bearing smoothness. Only the driveline's slightly finicky clutch take-up prevents a perfect score here.
What really clinches the deal, though, is the S4's cutting edge style and attention to detail in virtually every area of the car. The exterior form is powerful, clean and modern — "a beautiful shape that will age gracefully," said Joe. Open the trunk and it's carefully finished; beneath its floor is a full-size spare on an alloy wheel that matches the other four, which can't be said for the other Teutons. Lift the hood and you can see the V-8's metal cam covers and plenum, nicely accented with red plug wires and framed in black wrinkle-finish plastic. And the interior is simply sumptuous — great form-fitting Recaro seats, big gauges that are classy in presentation and easily read, a satin-black finish to the center-stack controls, an especially rich-looking headliner. Controls and buttons are intuitive to operate and satisfying to the touch, and everything fits together with a near seamlessness.
It's the total package, kind of like the gorgeous homecoming queen who just happens to be the president of the chess club and runs varsity track. At the 10-year reunion, will BMW and Mercedes relive their glory days, or remake themselves to the Audi's level of completeness? Pick up the December 2003 issue to find out.
---------------------------------------------------
Paradigm Shift
So where is it written that a pedigreed sports machine need have a conventional manual transmission? In our travels with the Audi S4, BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG, we had a chance to compare three vastly different cog-swappers in a variety of situations, and came away mostly impressed (and occasionally disappointed) with elements of each.
Audi, conventional 6-speed manual: obviously the purist's choice. Smoothness varies with operator expertise and, to a degree, with how easy the clutch is to modulate. Certainly more work on mountain switchbacks, but the reward is increased interaction with the machine, and more driver involvement. Pulling off a perfectly timed heel/toe downshift will impress your friends and satisfy the soul, but snappy stoplight get-aways require more focus than the mash-and-go gearboxes.
BMW, Sequential Manual Gearbox: a manual 6-speed gearbox whose clutch actuation and shifting muscle are provided by hydraulic servos that take cues from steering-wheel paddles or a console mounted toggle. Blindingly fast, foot-to-the-floor shifts — in as little as 80 milliseconds, depending on which of six manual modes is selected — are possible. The driver can skip gears on downshifts by clicking the paddle rapidly, and the engine's electronic throttle blips itself to match engine and road speeds. The downside? Paddles can be hard to find when spinning the wheel in tight sections, and the automatic mode's somewhat jerky, fussy operation, especially at low speeds, needs development to match the smoothness of a conventional automatic.
Mercedes-Benz, AMG SpeedShift 5-speed automatic: essentially a conventional torque-converter automatic with a sequential mode, summoned by tilting the shift lever right (upshift) or left (downshift) while in the D position. Reaction time is quite speedy for a manu-matic, whether in kick-down mode from throttle input or taking orders from the lever, but can't match the SMG's quickness. Adaptive logic senses when the car is being driven hard, delaying upshifts — just the ticket for low-flying canyon sorties. And smoothness is exemplary around town. In all, a surprisingly sporty alternative to synchros and shift forks. — DK
In My Opinion...
While I admire the M3's no-compromise cornering and virtually raceworthy engine, and the C32's insta-torque and superb seats, the Audi wins my vote as the car I'd most like to have in my garage. It's plenty quick, makes the right sounds, soothes with its spot-on interior and shows aggression through stance and proportion, without baring its teeth. And Audi's unrelenting attention to detail, in every nook, cubby and crevice, reinforces my pick. — Douglas Kott, Executive Editor
The M3 is the vehicle for performance-oriented drivers, the sharpest tool for carving up a back road. The focus of the car is edgy steering with tight controls and an engine that likes to rev. While driving the competition I longed to get back in the M3. SMG II adds civility to an already awesome package. The extra price associated with the M3 is justified with performance numbers that can make a daily commute exhilarating. — Shaun Bailey, Assistant Road Test Editor
Decisions, decisions. Do I want to feel like a wanna-be Montoya, tapping at the shift paddles of my BMW M3? Or do I want to enjoy the sheer supercharged performance of an AMG-built V-6? Actually, I'd like a bit of both — plus the crisp acceleration and wonderfully sonorous note of a throaty V-8, the positive shifting of a closely-geared manual 6-speed, plus the snappy styling and generous room of a 4-door as personified by my slam-dunk choice, the Audi S4. — Joe Rusz, Editor-at-Large
----------------------------------------------------
Points gained:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....ber=6&preview=
Specs here:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/d...3200310434.pdf
The formula is as valid today as it was back then, and we have proof with the Audi S4, BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG. Yet helpings of horsepower have skyrocketed, and roadholding and grip have increased to levels that nearly make sports cars redundant. Practicality, though, is a constant. They're still perfectly adept at hauling three of your friends (or four really close ones) in reasonable comfort, and perform just fine as grocery-getters...but if the soup cans are rolling around the trunk after taking the long way home, don't say we didn't warn you. They're low-slung and fat-tired, aggressively styled without pegging the bling-meter, all begging for an over-the-shoulder look as you head for the parking garage elevator.
BMW's 333-bhp M3 coupe has been the aggressor of the class recently, but both Ingolstadt-based Audi and Stuttgart-headquartered Mercedes have responded to the slap not with red faces, but with potent small sedans as foils to the Munich-designed Über-coupe. This begs for a comparison test, no? So Joe Rusz (sage veteran), Shaun Bailey (representing youth and exuberance) and I (somewhere in between) gathered these three adversaries for a two-day romp through California's Anza-Borrego National Park, famous not only for its springtime wildflowers and searing summertime heat, but for a sinuous network of highways that make an ideal playground for our hard-cornering group. After much scrubbing of tires, revving of engines, grabbing of shifts, scribbling in notebooks and searching of souls, we arrived at a winner in a closely fought race. No fair skipping ahead!
-------------------------------------------
3rd — Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG
556.3 points
Merc's interior has a sporty feel and excellent seats, but it cries out for a more distinctive and readable gauge treatment.
Affalterbach-built supercharged V-6 can't be faulted for its power and responsiveness, only for its raspy sound relative to the others.
Plaque on blower (above) gives credit where it's due.
Mercedes' now-internal AMG division has something of a Midas touch with its sedans and coupes, with virtually every model now benefiting from what Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher (the "A" and "M" in AMG, the "G" standing for Aufrecht's birthplace of Grossaspach, Germany) started in 1967. And that's infusing huge amounts of power, rarefied roadholding and visual dazzle into, well, cars that are pretty good to start with. Here, the focus is the C32 AMG, the smallest U.S.-market 4-door Benz that's sort of a miniaturized S-Class in appearance and available features.
In AMG's newly expanded Affalterbach engine factory, producing 100 powerplants a day for the entire AMG range, a single technician is responsible for assembling the C32's Lysholm-supercharged 3.2-liter sohc V-6 that will ultimately produce 349 bhp. That technician literally signs off on the engine, with a plaque bearing his signature affixed to the supercharger housing.
It's a fiercely strong motor, with ripping tip-in torque, a fat midrange and unceasing pull to a somewhat thrashy 6000-rpm redline. It's second-quick in our trio, edged out by a mere tenth in 0-60 and quarter-mile acceleration contests by the BMW, at 5.1 and 13.6 seconds, respectively. That's Porsche 911 territory.
Without 911 music, however. The C32's mid-throttle metallic gargle was judged to be cheap-sounding ("It doesn't let you forget it's a workhorse, not Sea Biscuit," opined Rusz), but it's paired to a 5-speed automatic with an AMG SpeedShift sequential-shift mode that was universally liked (see "Paradigm Shift" sidebar).
Throw a twisty road in its way and the C32 puts its fat Pirelli P Zero Rossos to good use. Press hard and the Benz ultimately settles into safe understeer, albeit at a satisfyingly high level of lateral grip. With the stability control disengaged, a boot-full of throttle will pop the tail out in a predictable manner, easily countered with steering that's a nice balance of isolation and road feedback, if a little slow-geared. Bailey's take: "Feels sluggish compared to the other cars." You sense that AMG's chassis tuning department is willing to trade a little corner-slicing precision for some real-world civility, and succeeds. Ride comfort ties with the Audi, with the Mercedes' shock valving absorbing small, choppy inputs and suspension-bottoming dips with equal ease.
We can't be as kind about the interior. First, the bright spot: the seats are fantastic. They're aggressively bolstered yet comfortable for widely varying body types, have inserts of perforated leather and earn the highest compliment for canyon driving — you don't notice them (you always notice the ones that don't provide enough support). But the odd bevel-faced gauge cluster seems out of character, with a puny pie-wedge tach tucked off in the left corner and only a silver AMG appliqué at the speedometer's center to jazz things up. Controls for the stereo and ventilation system aren't the most easily deciphered, and the murky orange display readouts look dated and could use more contrast. Outside rearview mirrors are ridiculously small, and none of us was enamored of the strange dentist's-chair appearance of the headrests...although we do appreciate that the rear ones can be lowered with a push of a console-mounted button for better outward views, a Mercedes exclusive.
Quick, comfortable, solid, but with a coarse-sounding engine and a few character flaws, the C32 AMG is a highly desirable machine, but not quite the class of this class. Summed Rusz, "A family sedan that wants desperately to be a performance car, the C32 comes darn close to pulling off the ruse."
----------------------------------------------------------
2nd — BMW M3
577.7 points
If there's a car here that's defined by its engine, it's the M3...3.2 liters of 6-throttled inline-6 with 8000-rpm capability.
Interior is a match for its seriousness, but for some, the seats are a little too broad between the ample bolsters.
About three turns into Route S22, a ribbon of asphalt nirvana that clings to the mountains rising out of Borrego Springs, and it's obvious: The M3 is the right tool for the job. "Absolutely fabulous," said Shaun. "Drives like a race car; sounds like a race car." Joe added, "I would feel foolish saying something derogatory about its performance/handling aspect...it's a serious car." Steering that didn't feel especially information-laden in boulevard mode comes alive with cornering force; spring rates that had your intestines doing the Macarena over potholes help this chassis slice Montoya-esque arcs down to apex after apex (the optional 19-in. forged wheels shod with Michelin Pilot Sport tires play a part too) with the closest-to-neutral balance of the trio. Brakes? The most firm, direct and confidence-inspiring of the lot.
A glance at the Performance section of our ratings shows a clean sweep by the BMW, a feat accomplished only when there's acceleration to back up the roadholding. There is, courtesy of six pistons furiously reciprocating within a cast-iron inline block. The work of BMW's M division, the M3's powerplant breathes through six individual throttle bodies, employs an oil scavenging pump similar to dry-sump systems and has a dedicated high-pressure pump to more quickly alter the timing of intake and exhaust camshafts. At 7900 rpm (100 shy of its redline), it makes peak power of 333 bhp, with a thrilling mechanical cry that can practically reawaken the dead.
With its 3430-lb. curb weight more than 200 lb. less than the next-lightest car (the Mercedes), the M3 paddle-clicks to top honors in acceleration with a 5.0-sec. 0-60 clocking and positively hurtles through our slalom at 68.3 mph with the mildest of understeer. Braking distance from 60 mph is a praiseworthy 112 ft., a distance bettered by only a handful of cars typically manufactured in Zuffenhausen and Maranello.
The M3's interior matches the rest of its serious demeanor...no giggling. There's a higher sill to negotiate, a pair of aggressively bolstered front seats and a three-spoke wheel whose leather covering is stitched with thread in the colors of the M logo. Gauges, with red pointers over gray faces, are nicely readable, and center-stack controls for the audio and climate systems are logically laid out, with clear markings on large rectangular buttons and, thankfully, not an iDrive controller or video screen in sight. It's not perfection — the seats seem to be sized for wider-than-average humans (said Shaun: "I slide around in them a lot, but once I hit an edge I stay there"), the rim of the steering wheel feels overstuffed with squishy padding, and it's missing the extra two doors the others possess. Like the Mercedes, outside mirrors are small in the name of style.
Fast and focused, firmly sprung and rewarding, the M3 might be too extreme for those seeking a modicum of comfort to go with their driving enjoyment. It certainly has the most intimidating exterior — all muscle and sinew, with headlights that stare you down. In our price-independent rankings, the M3 comes out on top. But when the excitement/value is considered, a brash interloper wearing a linked-rings logo comes to the fore.
------------------------------------------------------------
1st — Audi S4
579.2 points
Despite slightly more understeer than the others, the S4 is capable of remarkable over-the-road pace; you're hardly ever aware of the all-wheel drive's presence, but it's there when you need it.
Torquey 4.2-liter V-8 makes all the right sounds (and 340 bhp).
Recaro seats blend support with comfort and the level of interior sophistication, style and use of materials set the Audi apart.
We have a winner, though not through brute force. To use a tennis analogy, the M3 is Andy Roddick who flattens you with 140-mph aces, where the Audi is a crafty serve-and-volleyer with the touch of John McEnroe. In the words of a famous announcer, he gives you a little nick here, a little cut there, and before you know it you've bled to death.
Let's not say the S4 is slowest... "least quick" is fitting, because it's capable of a stellar 5.4-sec. 0-60 blast and a quarter mile still in the thirteens: 13.9 sec. at 101.2 mph, to be exact. It's also the heaviest, at 3900 lb., the result of having standard Quattro all-wheel drive and a couple of extra cylinders, pistons and rods. But that's not a recipe for lethargy, as we found during our back-to-back mountain road evaluations. Yes, there's a little more understeer than the others (evidenced later by the well-polished outer edges of the front ContiSport Contact 2s) and some body roll, but the stability of the chassis lets you bomb deep into bends with authority, and pick up the throttle early to let the Quattro system pull you through the corner's exit. "You're not going to get oversteer by locking up the rears through a screwed-up shift," said Shaun.
Steering is accurate and gives a nice sense of what the front tires are doing, though a shade more filtered than the BMW's. One quirk we noticed was how suddenly the steering weights up as speed increases, say, accelerating on a freeway cloverleaf.
No complaints whatsoever from the engine room, where Audi's 4.2-liter, 5-valve-per-cylinder V-8 is shoehorned longitudinally into the car. The fit is snug, necessitating a change from a rubber timing belt to a slimmer roller chain, relocated to the rear of the engine to reduce its overall length. Whereas the previous-generation S4 made 250 bhp with a V-6 fortified with twin turbos, the aspro V-8 makes 340 lag-free horsepower. "It makes all the right sounds and delivers the performance I expect from an image car," said Joe. "I especially like the way it responds from midrange on, pulling itself up by its bootstraps to send the S4 flying down the road, without breaking a sweat." And its 6-speed manual transmission is a treat, its shift lever slipping into well-defined gates with ball-bearing smoothness. Only the driveline's slightly finicky clutch take-up prevents a perfect score here.
What really clinches the deal, though, is the S4's cutting edge style and attention to detail in virtually every area of the car. The exterior form is powerful, clean and modern — "a beautiful shape that will age gracefully," said Joe. Open the trunk and it's carefully finished; beneath its floor is a full-size spare on an alloy wheel that matches the other four, which can't be said for the other Teutons. Lift the hood and you can see the V-8's metal cam covers and plenum, nicely accented with red plug wires and framed in black wrinkle-finish plastic. And the interior is simply sumptuous — great form-fitting Recaro seats, big gauges that are classy in presentation and easily read, a satin-black finish to the center-stack controls, an especially rich-looking headliner. Controls and buttons are intuitive to operate and satisfying to the touch, and everything fits together with a near seamlessness.
It's the total package, kind of like the gorgeous homecoming queen who just happens to be the president of the chess club and runs varsity track. At the 10-year reunion, will BMW and Mercedes relive their glory days, or remake themselves to the Audi's level of completeness? Pick up the December 2003 issue to find out.
---------------------------------------------------
Paradigm Shift
So where is it written that a pedigreed sports machine need have a conventional manual transmission? In our travels with the Audi S4, BMW M3 and Mercedes-Benz C32 AMG, we had a chance to compare three vastly different cog-swappers in a variety of situations, and came away mostly impressed (and occasionally disappointed) with elements of each.
Audi, conventional 6-speed manual: obviously the purist's choice. Smoothness varies with operator expertise and, to a degree, with how easy the clutch is to modulate. Certainly more work on mountain switchbacks, but the reward is increased interaction with the machine, and more driver involvement. Pulling off a perfectly timed heel/toe downshift will impress your friends and satisfy the soul, but snappy stoplight get-aways require more focus than the mash-and-go gearboxes.
BMW, Sequential Manual Gearbox: a manual 6-speed gearbox whose clutch actuation and shifting muscle are provided by hydraulic servos that take cues from steering-wheel paddles or a console mounted toggle. Blindingly fast, foot-to-the-floor shifts — in as little as 80 milliseconds, depending on which of six manual modes is selected — are possible. The driver can skip gears on downshifts by clicking the paddle rapidly, and the engine's electronic throttle blips itself to match engine and road speeds. The downside? Paddles can be hard to find when spinning the wheel in tight sections, and the automatic mode's somewhat jerky, fussy operation, especially at low speeds, needs development to match the smoothness of a conventional automatic.
Mercedes-Benz, AMG SpeedShift 5-speed automatic: essentially a conventional torque-converter automatic with a sequential mode, summoned by tilting the shift lever right (upshift) or left (downshift) while in the D position. Reaction time is quite speedy for a manu-matic, whether in kick-down mode from throttle input or taking orders from the lever, but can't match the SMG's quickness. Adaptive logic senses when the car is being driven hard, delaying upshifts — just the ticket for low-flying canyon sorties. And smoothness is exemplary around town. In all, a surprisingly sporty alternative to synchros and shift forks. — DK
In My Opinion...
While I admire the M3's no-compromise cornering and virtually raceworthy engine, and the C32's insta-torque and superb seats, the Audi wins my vote as the car I'd most like to have in my garage. It's plenty quick, makes the right sounds, soothes with its spot-on interior and shows aggression through stance and proportion, without baring its teeth. And Audi's unrelenting attention to detail, in every nook, cubby and crevice, reinforces my pick. — Douglas Kott, Executive Editor
The M3 is the vehicle for performance-oriented drivers, the sharpest tool for carving up a back road. The focus of the car is edgy steering with tight controls and an engine that likes to rev. While driving the competition I longed to get back in the M3. SMG II adds civility to an already awesome package. The extra price associated with the M3 is justified with performance numbers that can make a daily commute exhilarating. — Shaun Bailey, Assistant Road Test Editor
Decisions, decisions. Do I want to feel like a wanna-be Montoya, tapping at the shift paddles of my BMW M3? Or do I want to enjoy the sheer supercharged performance of an AMG-built V-6? Actually, I'd like a bit of both — plus the crisp acceleration and wonderfully sonorous note of a throaty V-8, the positive shifting of a closely-geared manual 6-speed, plus the snappy styling and generous room of a 4-door as personified by my slam-dunk choice, the Audi S4. — Joe Rusz, Editor-at-Large
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Points gained:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....ber=6&preview=
Specs here:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/d...3200310434.pdf
12-16-2003, 09:04 PM
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I am surprised at the S4's short gearing. It's the shortest set of the bunch by a lot. I would expect the M3 to have the shortest gearing configuration....
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gavriil
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11-19-2004 10:55 AM
