I keep reading on here about magazine articles discussing BMW's M cars vs. Audi S cars. I find this debate ridiculous since comparing an Audi to a BMW is rather amusing. As some of you know, I've owned a fair number of BMW M cars, including a few M3's , an M Roadster, an M5, an M6 and a Z8. I even attended the M Driving Experience, M5 Driving Experience and Z8 Driving Experience in Spartanburg, where I got to beat the crap out of various BMW's without worrying about mine. If that doesn't place me in the fairly knowledgeable range, I don't know what will (I certainly will never claim that I'm an expert, because I couldn't tell you one spec about my M3, including the number of HP).
I have also owned several Audi's, including an S6, which is still in my stable of cars.
Let me tell you that I think that Audi and BMW make great fun cars that any would be proud of owning. And I am probably biased toward BMW's for a number of reasons. And I'm most certainly NOT a fan of audiworld.com where BMW-envy is so pervasive that I believe that posters on their require serious therapy and anti-psychotic drugs.
There are key differences between M and S cars that I personally think that Audi just doesn't get. Audi tries to make a BMW, and I believe it fails. Audi ought to make an Audi and be proud of that.
First, Audi has this thing about an automatic transmission. What gives? The RS6 has a slushbox. And I don't want to hear anyone say that the Tiptronic is anything close to the SMGII. The SMGII is truly a clutchless transmission, but you need to be involved in the driving process to use it. Tiptronic is an automatic tranny with a couple of fancy buttons on the steering wheel. Give me a break.
Second, Audi has this thing about AWD. The problem with AWD is that it really is a front wheel drive car with tons of understeer with occasional power to the rear wheels. There are no advantages to AWD, snowstorms included. I put sport snow tires on my M5, and one idiot in an S4 thought he could take me. Let's just say he was eating the snow thrown out of my treads. The point is driving on the snow takes skill, and there are no disadvantages with RWD as long as you have the right tires. And on dry pavement, RWD kicks AWD rear end, as long as you know how to use the oversteer.
Third, Audi has some sort of obsession with HP. The RS6 has a lot more HP than the M5, BUT, if you read every magazine article about the comparison between both cars, most state that the M5 is a better driver's car. I find the Audi's to have imprecise steering, soft suspension, poor throttle response. I had a chance to drive an RS6 in Europe, and it just didn't meet the M5 standards.
Lastly, I just think that Audi has poor fit/finish vs. BMW. My S6 is at the shop getting a shole list of big and little things fixed and it has about 3000 miles on it. It annoys me.
That's it. That's MHO. I think that Audi is a long way from BMW. I wish they knew that.
I have also owned several Audi's, including an S6, which is still in my stable of cars.
Let me tell you that I think that Audi and BMW make great fun cars that any would be proud of owning. And I am probably biased toward BMW's for a number of reasons. And I'm most certainly NOT a fan of audiworld.com where BMW-envy is so pervasive that I believe that posters on their require serious therapy and anti-psychotic drugs.
There are key differences between M and S cars that I personally think that Audi just doesn't get. Audi tries to make a BMW, and I believe it fails. Audi ought to make an Audi and be proud of that.
First, Audi has this thing about an automatic transmission. What gives? The RS6 has a slushbox. And I don't want to hear anyone say that the Tiptronic is anything close to the SMGII. The SMGII is truly a clutchless transmission, but you need to be involved in the driving process to use it. Tiptronic is an automatic tranny with a couple of fancy buttons on the steering wheel. Give me a break.
Second, Audi has this thing about AWD. The problem with AWD is that it really is a front wheel drive car with tons of understeer with occasional power to the rear wheels. There are no advantages to AWD, snowstorms included. I put sport snow tires on my M5, and one idiot in an S4 thought he could take me. Let's just say he was eating the snow thrown out of my treads. The point is driving on the snow takes skill, and there are no disadvantages with RWD as long as you have the right tires. And on dry pavement, RWD kicks AWD rear end, as long as you know how to use the oversteer.
Third, Audi has some sort of obsession with HP. The RS6 has a lot more HP than the M5, BUT, if you read every magazine article about the comparison between both cars, most state that the M5 is a better driver's car. I find the Audi's to have imprecise steering, soft suspension, poor throttle response. I had a chance to drive an RS6 in Europe, and it just didn't meet the M5 standards.
Lastly, I just think that Audi has poor fit/finish vs. BMW. My S6 is at the shop getting a shole list of big and little things fixed and it has about 3000 miles on it. It annoys me.
That's it. That's MHO. I think that Audi is a long way from BMW. I wish they knew that.