(ZR4 shifter + valentine one= best protection!)

I drove the M3 after switching on the M button with the proper configuration. I know it was the “proper” configuration because if the steering was any harder it would have been impossible to steer. It felt like as hard as having flat tires with no power steering.

Moreover:

Sorry but the whole “I would rather have the car that tries to kill me” argument a little inane. It is very easy to design a dangerous car, it is very hard to design a car with composure under heavy pressure. I cannot appreciate the former.

I see TAC still feels the same. I bought the RS4 and would not even consider another car. It is a brute animal, a bad boy, an incredible rush, and will scare you to death. It is a hot rod. Thanks again for the advice

On a scale of 1 to 10, the M3 gets 9.5 and the RS4 gets 9.6. Both are impressive, but i completely agree with the review. BMW would be well advised to lay off the flame surfacing and electronics complexity, otherwise the next M3 might slip to 9.4.

1. I love the look of the M3, esp. in 4-door
and
2. I can’t support a “sports” car that has the weight equivalent of a Maxda MX-5 over its front wheels (M3 has 50-50)

The other alternative…aftermarket chip it (with dual programming) and keep other mods to a minimum until the warranty ends. Dinan’s high prices are in part because they preserve the warranty.

The discussion of modding a 335i with Dinan products vs buying an M3 is an interesting one. Using rough numbers, there is about $16k difference between an M3 and 335i the way I would option the cars ($60k for the M3 vs $44k for the 335i). The Dinan S1 package (engine software, oil cooler, exhaust, stage 2 suspension, antiroll bars etc.) is $8034 plus 22 hours labor. Let’s call it $10k total to purchase the parts and have them installed. This brings you to within approx $6k of the price of an M3 (and I don’t think this includes the intercooler, so add another $2k for that).

With no disrespect to Dinan products (everything I have heard about them is excellent), the price delta is just too close for me not to go with the M3 vs a Dinanized 335i.

@ Michael Karesh, I agree the 335i can stomp the M3’s performance in almost every way with a few mods and for less money but I do think the M3 is a different enough vehicle to justify its existence.

Also, even if the M3 and RS4 have similar reliability, BMW offers 4yr 50K service and maintenance while Audi does not.

I agree with the comments on the Bimmer’s dowdy interior, especially with the flat black swath of plastic in place of wood or aluminum (~$500 gets you wood/metal). But is it just me or are the current A4 interiors just a bad place to be in? I was at the 08 Chicago auto show and they had a show car with a gray interior that reminded me of a Dodge (not good).

if reliability is a problem with Audi, Consumer Reports and TrueDelta have pegged the A4 as a bit more reliable than the current 3-series, both of which have been pretty good as of late.

So drive both, and as for customer service, every Audi and BMW dealership I have visited has been all over the charts, so visit several, and smoke a lot of tires (that you don’t own!) before you buy.

You won’t be dissappointed with either vehicle.

The issue holding me back is Audi’s reliability record and customer service record. That has me looking BMW’s way.

Still, two great cars.

Great minds think alike. And the dealer showed me how to setup the Mdrive system. We set it to full comfort, and then full “hardness”, and the only difference we could tell was the suspension. I could feel a vibration from the road in sport, and not in comfort. And in Sport, you could hang the back end our a lot easier as the stability control didn’t cut in quite as soon. I left the stability control on as I was on public streets, and I already have one speeding run-in with Clark County’s finest (but no ticket!).

And I was also looking at the reliability ratings on TrueDelta before the review. Amazing how Audi has progressed since the mid-90’s!

@Joshvar

I would like to have carried it out to 1600 words, but I wrote this in a bought of insomnia trying to reset my schedule for night flying. I had to stay awake till 4am, so I could not wake up till at least 12noon the next day for a take-off later that evening. After 800 words, I was done…. done! And my jet broke, so I didn’t take off…. write your congressman, we need more funding!

Just kidding – great review (and I don’t own an Evo).

Jordan: not in the US, unfortunately. Or else I’d have one RS4 in the garage and zero licenses in the wallet.

I love it when a reviewer admits a preference (going for the RS4 despite the M3’s general awesomeness), and showcases it as part of the review.