[BzzzBom]

I drive a 2009 M-sport 335i coupe with a GIAC stage 1 tune. Yesterday I test drove an Audi S4 Prestige with a Stasis ECU flash and suspension. From what I have read I was anticipating being blown away by the S4. My impressions are listed below:
1. The interior of the S4 was more "inviting" that my 335i but looked less sporty.
2. The steering in the S4 felt more like a Mercedes than my BMW. It was very numb.
3. The S4 clearly accelerated faster than my BMW but it seemed to have more lag. I was expecting less lag than the BMW since the Audi is supercharged.
4. The suspension felt more "floaty" than the BMW.

Overall the Audi did not have the tight, driving on rails driving experience that I am used to. At a sticker price of over 65K, I think I'll hold on to the BMW for a bit longer.

[1997gtx]

Oh man. Not another thread like this.

[TommyK]

^ lol

[infinitigor]

honestly.. after driving a bmw, its kind of hard not to be negatively judgmental towards any other car, unless its a porsche in my opinion. Having a bmw has completely changed what i expect from a car, and it really has a lot to do with the handling/ steering feel in my opinion.

If you drive a bmw, and then drive almost any other car, you will be disappointed because odds are the steering wont feel as tight. I used to have an audi, the steering did feel slightly loose, but thing rode and handled like it was on rails since I had suspension work done.

The s4 with a chip is definitely a very fun car, my cousin has it, and even though the steering does feel floaty, dam is that thing obedient beyond my wildest dreams

[mithiral67]

Originally Posted by 1997gtx

Oh man. Not another thread like this.

There are never enough as long as the OP stays a bmw owner

[1997gtx]

Originally Posted by infinitigor

honestly.. after driving a bmw, its kind of hard not to be negatively judgmental towards any other car, unless its a porsche in my opinion. Having a bmw has completely changed what i expect from a car, and it really has a lot to do with the handling/ steering feel in my opinion.

If you drive a bmw, and then drive almost any other car, you will be disappointed because odds are the steering wont feel as tight. I used to have an audi, the steering did feel slightly loose, but thing rode and handled like it was on rails since I had suspension work done.

The s4 with a chip is definitely a very fun car, my cousin has it, and even though the steering does feel floaty, dam is that thing obedient beyond my wildest dreams

Yes, BMW has mastered the stiff FEELING. But the "feeling" of stiff steering is a personal preference. I'd personally rather the car that atually did handle better. And yes, many times, that is the BMW. But many times, it's not. If the S4 goes around the track faster than the 335, you'd still say the 335 "feels" like it has better handling. But who cares?

[Ink330]

Originally Posted by 1997gtx

Oh man. Not another thread like this.

[BenTrovato]

Which one is better? Tuning into to find out.. for the 100th time

[hipnotic]

hahhaa

[bbbradley]

Originally Posted by BenTrovato

Which one is better? Tuning into to find out.. for the 100th time

And as always will be the answer - neither, both, or either!!!

Both are great cars; both have areas where they shine over the other; both have areas they fall flat over the other.

Which is the best flavor of ice cream?

[Nalod]

I just wrote "Eyelashes vs Angels" on another comparison.

My when test driving the Audi was certainly being more critical than testing a Highlander.

No, the Audi was not "MY BMW" but it did not have runflats, and was not a coupe.

Coupe you sit lower. Car is around you.

Bottom line is not "What is best" but perhaps what makes us happy!

I have owned Audi's before and they are great cars.

BMW are drivers cars. Others are nice to drive and be driven in.

Lexus certainly builds a nice car and I once read years ago the are for people that don't like to drive. Very comfortable cars! A Lexus owner might think BMW's are "too stiff, too hard, not comfortable". To each their own!

[ChipB]

There's only one right answer - get both!

[ss134]

Originally Posted by 1997gtx

Yes, BMW has mastered the stiff FEELING. But the "feeling" of stiff steering is a personal preference. I'd personally rather the car that atually did handle better. And yes, many times, that is the BMW. But many times, it's not. If the S4 goes around the track faster than the 335, you'd still say the 335 "feels" like it has better handling. But who cares?

1 or 2 seconds on a race track is neither hear nor there to me - the car that feels and sounds right while putting a smile on my face every time i drive it will be the one i choose every time.

Driving pleasure cannot be measured in lap times. When and if Audi ever manage to capture that same feeling i'll be the first one in line to buy one.

Who cares if the 335i only 'feels' like it has better handling? Well, pretty much every person on this forum.....thats why they drive a BMW.

This sums it perfectly:

[tony20009]

Both are fine vehicles. Get the one that you feel most comfortable owning/driving or the one that you can get at the best price.

[1997gtx]

Originally Posted by ss134

[/B]

1 or 2 seconds on a race track is neither hear nor there to me - the car that feels and sounds right while putting a smile on my face every time i drive it will be the one i choose every time.

Driving pleasure cannot be measured in lap times. When and if Audi ever manage to capture that same feeling i'll be the first one in line to buy one.

Who cares if the 335i only 'feels' like it has better handling? Well, pretty much every person on this forum.....thats why they drive a BMW.

This sums it perfectly:

I mean that a "feeling" is a personal preference. I personally prefer the "feeling" of the Audi handling. It's a very different experience. You, and many others, would choose the BMW. That's great. That's what an 'opinion' is all about.

What I meant by the lap times was that the cars handle similarly, and the allure of the BMW handling was a "feeling," not an actual competitive advantage.

[ss134]

Originally Posted by 1997gtx

I mean that a "feeling" is a personal preference. I personally prefer the "feeling" of the Audi handling. It's a very different experience. You, and many others, would choose the BMW. That's great. That's what an 'opinion' is all about.What I meant by the lap times was that the cars handle similarly, and the allure of the BMW handling was a "feeling," not an actual competitive advantage.

If you prefer the feeling of the Audi to the BMW then of course thats fine - that is the point i was trying to make!
Youre initial post seemed to suggest that the 'feeling' was unimportant in comparison to the lap time........

[TheStigsTwin]

Originally Posted by 1997gtx

I mean that a "feeling" is a personal preference. I personally prefer the "feeling" of the Audi handling. It's a very different experience. You, and many others, would choose the BMW. That's great. That's what an 'opinion' is all about.

What I meant by the lap times was that the cars handle similarly, and the allure of the BMW handling was a "feeling," not an actual competitive advantage.

Audi's numb steering feel is a notable disadvantage to most drivers. Audi drivers will say it's just a "feeling" but it's a "feeling' that 95% of the drivers out there notice. The other 5% are enthusiasts known as Audi drivers. They don't care about that "feeling". More power to them. But the Audi's do have nice interiors and headlights.

[1997gtx]

Originally Posted by ss134

If you prefer the feeling of the Audi to the BMW then of course thats fine - that is the point i was trying to make!
Youre initial post seemed to suggest that the 'feeling' was unimportant in comparison to the lap time.........you did say 'who cares' if the 335i feels better!!

Then we agree =)

The "who cares" was in response to the comment "after driving a bmw, its kind of hard not to be negatively judgmental towards any other car, unless its a porsche in my opinion."

I guess people care more about how a car's handling "feels" than how it actually handles. I guess I'm in the minority here.

[dtc100]

Did C&D track test list show 335i faster than the new S4? The previous poster made a good point, the track times of 335i and S4 are so close, and most drivers do not track their cars, so the track time is of no significance. The feel of driving is. BMW clearly separates itself from its competitors in this aspect. But if one does not like the kind of connection to the road, one definitely should not drive a BMW. There are plenty of other cars in the same category that will do more to separate you from the road.

[1997gtx]

Originally Posted by TheStigsTwin

Audi's numb steering feel is a notable disadvantage to most drivers. Audi drivers will say it's just a "feeling" but it's a "feeling' that 95% of the drivers out there notice. The other 5% are enthusiasts known as Audi drivers. They don't care about that "feeling". More power to them. But the Audi's do have nice interiors and headlights.

See, this is what I'm talking about. If car A "feels" like it has tight handling, but car B actually has better handling, along with a better motor, interior, etc... then who in their right mind would choose car A?

It seems like you're saying that if a mini van had a great "feeling," that'd be the best car.

I personally think if you put 100 "typical" people in a car, the steering "feeling" wouldn't be among the top-5 things listed as important when buying a car. For enthusiasts, I would think actual handling would come far ahead of steering feeling.

[1997gtx]

Originally Posted by dtc100

Did C&D track test list show 335i faster than the new S4? The previous poster made a good point, the track times of 335i and S4 are so close, and most drivers do not track their cars, so the track time is of no significance. The feel of driving is. BMW clearly separates itself from its competitors in this aspect. But if one does not like the kind of connection to the road, one definitely should not drive a BMW. There are plenty of other cars in the same category that will do more to separate you from the road.

Yes - I certainly agree. My point was not really 335 v S4 specific. The two are so close on the track, that the difference is negligible in real-world handling. My point was that people talk about the "feeling" of BMW handling as though that outweighs the benefit of another car that actual does handle better.

edit: ps - IIRC, C&D liked the S4 more.

edit#2: From the C&D article: "We don’t know which to applaud more [on the Audi], the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT tires or the active rear differential, which pushes one side or the other to aim the car. This active diff is so pronounced on a skidpad that it feels like four-wheel steering. Either way, the S4’s grip and path control is dazzling and convincingly outclasses the 335i."

[dtc100]

Originally Posted by TheStigsTwin

But the Audi's do have nice interiors and headlights.

You mean those LED icicles? They are abomination