Top Gear: 2008 BMW M3, Mercedes C 63 AMG and Audi RS4

awesome episode... i love when may shows up with the crappy RS4

I think everyone but you will agree that the RS4 is anything but crappy...

Otherwise, great episode

Cat-Boy...

The Only Thing 'Crappy' is Your Ability to Asset Automotive Greatness!

Hey! How's your civic working out! I love that 3 series front end you tacked onto it!

wait... what??? we are talking about C63, M3, and RS4. How did GT-R and LF-A get into the topic?

Or are you just that idiot who wants a flame war?

Wow. You are a car enthusiast right?

The RS4 is crappy? Where on Earth have you been hiding?

The RS4 is one of the best sedan ever made, and is unanimously heralded by all journalists all over the world.

You have never seen these guys before? Where have you been? Outer Space?

Enjoyed last night's alot, one of the best episodes so far. And ALL 3 are stunning vehicles with different advantages and disadvantages.

Either way, you get a great car.

The current generation M3 won out of the three. However, all the critics have stated that they preferred the last generation M3 and M3 CLS over the current one.

Not really. They did say the old one was more insane, but the new one is a better overall car.

I haven't driven the E92 M3, so I will not judge, but I will say that E46 3er is much more raw/crisp than the E90-E92 3er, although the latter are more powerful. I like the E46 much better, but it doesnt mean the E90-E92 are not Great cars themselves.

Dude most people liked the last gen 3 series more than the current car. It was styled better and had much better interior. The engines in the current gan cars are killer though.
T

unlike most of the people on this site who have opinions on the subject I have actually owned both vehicles in question. I had a 2002 330Ci sport that I replaced last year with a 2006 330i sport. Not only is the chassis sharper in the new car (FYI, the E90 sedan w/ sport package pulls 0.9g's on the skidpad, more than the E46 M3 did), AND the interior is nicer.

well, I certainly have not owned a E90-92 BMW, so I do not drive it every day. I have only driven it on several occasions, and I seem to think that the E46 (which I owned a 2003 pre-facelifted 330ci) is much more raw, in terms of throttle, crisp handling feel of the steering (def. don't like the active steering), and the overall feel. Though I have to respect your opinion, because you are an owner of both models.

I don't like Active Steering either, though it is better on the 3-Series than when it came out originally on the 5-Series. Either way I don't have it, and as telepathic as my old 330i felt, the new one is much crisper.

M3,fastest around track, balanced,surgical handling...original recipe. #1

BMW does it again! :) All great cars imo, buy any of them and you ll be happy!

One of the smartest/credible comment on autospies...

Happy Holidays

Great cars!! You know, I wonder how the M3 4door sedan will perform with it's steel roof (it's not carbon fibre) and 2 extra doors with electric windows and door airbags. That may reduce the weight advantage of 400lbs or so it has over the C63. But wow, 2min 43.3 mins for the C63 to about 2min 28+ sec for the M3!!

the carbon fiber roof only saves 11lbs. If I remember the BMW press release right the coupe is something like 100lbs lighter. Enough to add 0.1 seconds to the 0-60 time of the sedan but not enough to outweigh the handling advantage the sedan has over the coupe. I wouldn't be surprised if the sedan was actually faster on a track.

Sorry, I wrote 2min and 28+ sec instead of 2mins and 38+ secs

you just broke the cock o meter

I would never buy any one of these cars based on how fast it goes around a track.

I would buy the car that I look the coolest in ;-)

That's what most people who buy these cars think of anyway. Which car will give them the most stares/looks etc. is the main drive behind their buying decision. Brand loyalty also plays a big role.

lame

For once, EL is right...

Totally agree EL!

All 3 are great! You just can't go wrong with any of them.

Stuffing a big engine into a small car has worked wonders for the C63 AMG. I can't wait until the AMG boys romp the M3 with even better dynamics nex time around because AMG obviously knows how to make huge straight line performance from their cars already

Cool. Good luck with that.

We'll wait until 'next time'.

entertaining review
M3=sublime

The Audi had spectacular performance given it is much older than both the BMW and Mercedes rivals.

Not for long though....Quattro GmbH is bust developing not one, but two RS cars that will surely put the M3 back in second place.

The new B8 RS4 will be an even better car in terms of driving dynamics with added power of course.

The RS5 will have significantly more horsepower than the BMW M3 and as we already know, even better dynamics than the RS4.

BMW is doing well though trying to one-up Audi after they fall behind when the new RS models are launched.

"The Audi had spectacular performance given it is much older than both the BMW and Mercedes rivals."

spectacular performance...it didnt win any events...
it was the one that won the you look coolest driving it contest which is 100% subjective.

So you do not think that the Audi has spectacular performance? I would like you to say that its got mediocre performance... because its probably better than anything you have in your driveway...

Its got great performance... especially given its older than the 2008s. The RS4 has beaten the out-going M3 and C55AMG in previous tests.

the SMG M5 is a lot faster than the manual M5.
same thing will happen to the M3.

so when RS5 and new RS4 come out, they would have to face the SMG M3s, and also, the CSL.

Even thought the Audi RS4 is older than the NEW M3 and C-class AMG63, it still look the best. I think it look really aggresive and sporty compare to the the other two.

The NEW M3, design got softer compare to the last gen and the NEW AMG63 is to ricey up if you know what I mean ;)

I forget to mention, they all have very outstanding performance and handling as well on the track.

That C63 is bonkers!

I love its insanity, its character.

But they're all great cars. M3 is the orginial. original = the best

Insanity I'll give you, but character????

Its engine is full of grumbly character

Give me the C63 anyday. I think it looks better and I love the engine.
T

why did people deboosted you for saying that?

I agree. Next time I'm looking to move, I'll try and find something on a racetrack so that I can actually care which one is better around a track. Otherwise, I'll take the C63 because it has what Id be looking for, the most outrageous performance sedan on the street with the most practicality.

...I really hate to say that I completely agree with Clarkson. However, like most of you are saying, all 3 are incredible cars and I'd be very happy with any of them, just the most happy with the Merc.

All three are great cars and all three maintain their philisophical differences in what makes a great sports sedan.The Mercedes has great power,which goes back to original 6.3 of stuffing a big engine into a mainstream sedan. The BMW M3 continues the the tradition of the ultimate driving machine,even if it is a little softer then previous version.The Audi also continues the tradition of AWD perfromance in the vain of the original Audi Quattro coupe from 1980. So they are all winners. It gets down to personal taste. For me It's a choice between the M3 and the RS.

Okay, so all three are fantastic cars, I think most would agree. Based on a number of sources, it seems the M3 is the better track car, but I were buying a track car for $65k I'd get the Exige S 240. The RS4 seems a practical choice for the North East, given the quattro, and C63 seems the most fun for flooring it on the highway, but would you change your 2007 Cayman S for one of these? Maybe wait for the RS5?

I seen some spyshots for it in WCF , I think !

Do any of you think that the IS-F could keep up with them?

waiting....waiting....waiting....

LOL! Absolutely hilarious!

Oh Yeah... Where's the IS-F?

I'm not a fan of the IS-F, but good question. I think it should have been compared. Maybe because logistically there's only 3 hosts.

what an idiot. Audi is changing their RS strategy and releasing their RS models within two years of the new model being released instead of the current four years.

We will see Audi RS models for double , if not triple the amount of time that we see them now. Production is also going to be increased greatly.

Audi will no longer just sell one RS model at a time. The RS6 will be out when the B8 RS4 is also being sold. The B8 RS4 will be sold when the RS5 is being sold also.

What spectacular performance from the 7 year old Audi RS4. The RS4 was built on a platform that dates back to 2000. Meanwhile the BMW is based on a 2003 platform and the Mercedes C63 AMG on a one year old platform.

Continue the great work Audi....

Mr. YogaGuru,

Before you make utter crap and BS statements like that, you should learn to perfect your grammar and spelling. Maybe then some people will actually take you seriously.

Until then, nice try, troll.

wow... you went from Audi, BMW, and Merc to Ford, GM, and Chrysler... Covering the whole spectrum there huh?

Don't forget the 30 other Auto companies/brands out there...

Sales up 9% from 2006. My god Audi is ripping through the roof with their annual sales growth.

BMW is expanding faster, so enough with the BS... :)

All depends on how and where you drive. If you need awd for frequent slippery conditions, or don't need the "thrill" of throwing your car through the bends, the RS4 is a no-brainer. If your commute is mostly highway and you can live with rear wheel drive thunder, then the merc rules. To choose the M3 you have to keep the revs up, close to the 8400rpm redline to maximize torque and hp, so if you can stay "up" and aggressive, this is your car. These three cars have such different characteristics. No one is a loser here!

Lexus and amazinBimmer don't recognize good cars when they see them. And Lexus (the manufacturer) has been building only luxury vehicles to this point and is only now entering a car into this category for legitimate consideration and comparison (it won't perform better than these three)(LF-A will be in a different category). Lexus' rants amount to only background noise in this discussion, and require no further attention or debate. And amazinBimmer embarrasses german car lovers and BMW afficionados by his lack of respect for other quality sports cars. He belongs in a bimmer-only discussion group where reality is only in THEIR minds.

C63 is the best.

LOL, amazinMoron. You must be feeling a little worried about Audi's onslaught of amazing high-performance vehicles that will surely thrash the BMW Ms any day.

The next generation B8 RS4 is little more than a year away. The RS5 is going to have much more horsepower and torque than the M3 and it will be lighter than the RS4.

The RS6 is already packing 100 more horsepower than the BMW M5 and the RS6 sedan has already been unofficially tested at 0-60 in 3.6 seconds on the Nurburgring.

The R8 V10 should win some more comparisons against the Porsche 911 Turbo.

Audi is not only a formidable competitor for BMW, but the RS lineup continues to consistently put the BMW M3, M5, M6 and soon Z4M roadster and M coupe (from the TT-S and TT-RS) in second place where they belong.

"Audi is not only a formidable competitor for BMW, but the RS lineup continues to consistently put the BMW M3, M5, M6 and soon Z4M roadster and M coupe (from the TT-S and TT-RS) in second place where they belong."

Pfft, you're full of it. Audi wins a few reviews and suddenly BMW who have been building great performing cars for decades suddenly belong in second place? Audi have some great products coming out but you can bet BMW have some surprises in the pipe-line too. It'll be very interesting to see how this battle plays out over the coming years. Give BMW respect though, Audi is now competing in segments BMW invented and continues to set the benchmark in.

why does this always have to be a "my car company has a bigger dick than your car company" contest? FYI the RS6, which isn't even out here, has 80hp more than the M5 that's been out for three years, not "over 100 more". And by the time it ever actually comes out the new 550hp+ version M5 will be out or around the corner as well.

Both are awesome, I'm sick of the rationale on here that one being great means the other must suck.

rich people....don't flatter yourself too much amazinBimmer. After all, it is no secret that Audi owners are on average wealthier than their BMW counteparts.

Which proves what exactly? If the only reason you buy an Audi is to some how convince yourself you're "richer" than people driving other makes then you're seriously insecure.

Sales of A8 and A6 have dropped greatly in the past year, which are also Audi's most expensive models. Therefore I don't think the average Audi buyer is wealthier than the average BMW buyer anymore. The R8 and Q7 are selling at far smaller volumes than A8 and A6 combined, so I don't think introduction of R8 and Q7 into Audi's line-up can compensate the sales of A8 and A6 dropping over the past year. Your claim about the average Audi buyer vs. the average BMW buyer is also over 2 years old. Audi is selling more vehicles nowadays than before. If you were to obtain data today, it'll be from a larger pool of Audi buyers and BMW buyers. I'm sure the numbers will have changed a lot in 2 years.

All three have an excelent performance and hight tech. For the people that think that the AMG 6.2 is just a big engine and that's why is so good: it’s a high-revving and torquey powerplant and, despite the capacity, it weighs in at 199kg, compared to the 202kg M3’s four-litre. Magnesium intake manifolds, an aluminium crank case and other high tech materials help the cause, and the engine also comes with coated cylinders and can regulate its own fuel pressure from 3.8 to 5 bar, that's a cool engine to me.

Kinger you're the one who is full of it.

What surprises does BMW have in their pipeline to challenge the 580 horsepower twin-turbo V10 RS6????

The twin-turbo V10 M5 will not make it to production.


That is what I thought......

Same goes for the 480 horsepower RS5 against the M3.

How about the R8 both in V8 and V10 form. Who created the mid-engine exotic category at just over $100K.....

Look at how competitive such an old (7 years) Audi RS4 can compete with the literally one year old platform based C63 AMG and 3 year old BMW 3-series platform

saying that a m5 tt won't make to production is the same as saying a rs6 tt won't make it to production. Because its just your speculation. And you shouldn't speculate anything with that tiny biased brain of yours. Should learn when ppl don't take your arguments seriously

I think that many of you guys are immature and are looking for attention... Can't you guys just praise the cars for what they are?

Also, you BMW fanatics, get into an Audi or a Merc, and its not what you think. Audi fanatics, BMWs and Mercs are great cars. Same goes for Merc fanatics. BMWs and Audis are superbly built.

amazinBimmoron: Define, Philosophy, then you will understand that all those cars are great or weak in other areas. Finaly everything is up to the personal options, You prefer a high reving high tech engine, I prefer a High tech powerfull engine (lighter than the M3), other will prefer 4 wheel drive, nothing wrong but of course diferent behaivior. M3= agile, but weak torsion and slow acceleration, C63= unbeatable Speed, but more inertia against it, RS4= Wonderful fool proof driving, but to complex. You decide, mine is C63 but all the others have thigs that I wish, i.e. I prefer the sound of the M3 engine (for me is the best sound), but style looks soft and female to me (almost clk coupe), RS4 4wd and the beautiful interior. Only GOD can talk in absolut terms.

doesn't the video show what would happen if you have all three cars in a race series? The m3 will win if you strip them all out to make them into race cars. It just shows that the power and handling dynamics of the m3 makes it the fastest car on the track given a really good driver is behind the wheel

Answer me this amazinIdiot: If Audi does not compete with BMW, or always loses to BMW, why then is BMW attempting to create a twin-turbo BMW M5?

RS models are limited edition in the first place because first, they hold their value better than their respective BMW M product and obviously the dime a dozen Mercedes AMG offering in the same class.

Second, Audi does not want to create mass-produced high-performance models. If high-performance is one hallmark of a brand, not ever consumer should be allowed to ge their hands on such a product.

Audi can easily mass produce their RS models and sell every single one of them. Just look at the R8 for proof. Audi is only building 3,000 of them per year and there is already a two year waiting list. Audi could easily quadruple production to 12,000 units per year and even then, every single R8 would be sold out.

Same goes for the RS4 and RS6.

M5 CSL? Smoking crack there amazinIdiot. C'mon we all know no car company would ever produce a light-weight, bare-bones, stripped version of a MID-SIZE performance sedan. There is no market for it. People would just get the M3 CSL instead.

To match the M3 CSL will be Audi's RS5.

You know you are incorrect amazinMoron when you say: It doesn't change the fact that the bimmer wins handily. eveytime.

Everytime????? What happened to the Autocar, Autoexpress and various other tests that chose the Audi RS4 over the BMW M3.....

Your completely bias and I can no longer even respond to your fan-boy comments. You fail to appreciate true industry changing feats by your competition such as the Audi R8 and therefore are a waste of time to respond to.

I'm just going to write the opposite of what you say about Audi everytime. Have fun posting because your comments will just be flipped so as to favor Audi.

amazinBimmer - Talk to any German and most of then will tell you you that the Bimmer rules the tracks, But if you live on the Autobhan.......The AMG is The KING... that's were most of the people spend time...mm..and most of German will tell you that the King of the autobhans is the AMG...why because is better suited for that and all autobhans are almost sraight lines, Not because the M3 is a looser, It was designed for winding roads were Merc will have to slow down (It is good but not designed for that). I would be an stupid if I think that just because the C63 does 3.9 0-60 mph and M3 does 4.4 0-60 mph (car and driver numbers) half second slower, for me does not means that the M3 is a looser, in fact the diferences are so small, that that's why at the end is preferences. If you prefer the tracks, M3 is the best choice due from the very begining the engineering is track performance oriented, even the materials of the car, (engine excluded, good but not enough for this car). The dream car will never reach our Hands: M3 dynamics, supreme suspension and light high tech materials, C63 engine and tank security structure, Audi 4WD performance and great interior.
Even the performance will be tied to the design philosophy. In this league there is no loosers just results that depend on decisions taken by the engineers of each manufacturer. Long life to all Geman Engineers, in the same way that I Admire Japanese Electronics.

Yes-There are no losers. I'm certain also that the Lexus ISF would compete as well. However,in personality I'm guessing it would be more like the C63 then the M3.But that's the beauty of choice here.

Let face it BMW Twin turbo V10.....is not going to happen, That territoy y already owned by Audi and Merc. The only way that BMW will be able to do a good engine with turbos is getting Audi or MB engineers, in the same way that they will need help to improve the suspensions. Also High power engines coming from BMW lately In fact are just Hi reving engines : Example: M3 engine as I said it is samler than the 6.2 AMG however is heavier, Those engines are not up to the challenge because even the V10 of the M5 is a lot heavier than the M3 engine. No torque on those engines. If MB needs more power from the 6.2 which is already more powerful than the v10, 500hp against 525hp, now imagine the AMG with turbos.. HP can reach 750hp and torque will breake any transmision....BMW will have to start from scratch a new engine...and if they need Help with turbos Consult Audi Or MB; high power engines comes from them now. BMW is good on non turbo small engines they need more Homework in high power street engines, If not Audi and MB will continue ruling the segment of High Power Engines and that is not acceptable from a company as BMW.

You forget there are already aftermarket turbo m5 kits. Not that you or I know anything about the reliability issues associated with the v10, but I think we all at least know that its perfectly doable to turbo charge a m5

So Audi need MORE POWER to beat BMW. They can't do it with the same power. Thats what germandick is talking about.. right.

The RS4 is not a loser at all. The RS4 was the first car in class to use the high-revving (8,000 rpm redline) V8 with 420 horsepower. It whipped the old M3 in the straights and it also demolished the E46 M3 on the track.

amazinBimmer obviously doesn't understand Audi's young, hip and technologically advanced image so he can't understand their brand power.

Audi uses significantly more power than the BMW due to Quattro AWD you idiot 528i. Quattro AWD adds a lot of weight and reduces acceleration as speed increases. Therefore, in order to makeup for the power loss and increased weight Audi must use more horsepower to match acceleration of their RWD BMW and MB counterparts

The results, however, do not match BMWs, they exceed the BMW results.

Look at the RS4 versus the E46 M3. No E46 M3 could even come close to running a 0-60 in 4.1 seconds or a quarter mile in the mid 12 second range.

Now, the only reason why the BMW M3 is faster over 100 mph than the RS4 is because it is RWD and therefore does not have the weight penalty or parasitic loss of Audi's Quattro AWD system. On the other hand look at the 0-60 for both cars and look at the Ring times for both cars.

The Audi RS4 and BMW M3 have both clocked 0-60 in 4.1 seconds as their fastest times and the RS4 and M3 both have identical 7:58 Nurburgring times as well.

The RS6 will do the same to the M5. With a reported 600 horsepower as the actual figure (the 580 is there for political reasons), not to mention the huge torque advantage and Quattro AWD grip the RS6 is going to defeat the BMW M5 in any acceleration tests up to 100 mph.

Sure once you get to the 150 mph range the BMW will pull ahead, but for legal speeds the Audi RS6 will easily defeat the M5. The RS6 will also be able to match the M5's time on the Ring and will likely exceed it due to its huge torque advantage

P.S. amazinBimmer, I drive a Porsche Boxster S. It handles like a charm. BMW can't even match the razor-sharp feel, the excellent dynamics, and the fun of Porsche.

You obviously though haven't driven an R8.....C'mon why don't you try to bash the Audi R8 and how it is developed by Lamborghini even though Audi is developing the upcoming V10 completely on its own without any sharing from Lamborghini.

I want to see you try to post something negative about the Audi R8. Too bad you can't.....

"and it also demolished the E46 M3 on the track"

That's a little far fetched, it certainly never was even close to mine on a track.

Oh yeah amazinIdiot, one more thing. I don't think you realize how everyone else says that all 3 cars are great and they would love to have any of them.

Why don't you think with Audi's amazing product blitz over the next 5 years, that Audi will be able to exceed Mercedes sales???

Audi is launching a new A1 due to the increased size of the A4 to compete with the Mini, an A7 to do battle with the Benz CLS, a Q5 to create a new segment in between the Q3 and Q7, and a Q3 to take on the sorry BMW X3.

You do realize Audi's RS division will obviously create high-performance S and RS versions of the A7 and the Q7 V12 TDI will easily run right over the X5 4.8i.

Stay in your delusional world, while we Audi owners rejoice how we are wealthier than you BMW owners and at the same time can realize how we directly compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz and will soon pass Mercedes-Benz within the next 6 years as the second best selling brand of premium vehicles worldwide.

you're naming concept products that haven't even make production yet. and RS version of the A7? it'll fail just like how the S8 failed. the A8 W12 is a better car, so there wasn't a point in creating a S8.

and a Q7 V12 TDI? unless it's out and winning praises, i think it's just going to slump with its heavy engine and diesel power.

not every car audi makes is great. just look at ttac review of the S5, and the fact that it just came out and it's already been defeated by its bimmer counterpart that's cheaper and handles better.

if audi wishes to compete with bmw's sales globally, they need to sell more cars. or figure out why their flagship car, the A8, has been selling soooooo poorly in the past year.

GermanNut - Do you realy belive that 528i and amazinBimmer understood what you told them? a mean, you are talking about engineering they are talking about emotions. Reading your post I undertood why they do not get the point. Emotions won't allow them to have a clear judgment. I will pay more attention when they use engineering and numbers as arguments.

amazinBimmer and 528i realize they are outnumbered by people who believe Audi is a great brand with an even greater future ahead.

amazinBimmer uses purely subjective data to back up his point, I use a lot of objective data.

Just like it is subjective that Audi has better exterior and interior design than BMW, and someone else can think otherwise, amazinBimmer's opinion that Audi sucks is purely subjective, while almost a million people around the world drive Audis and obviously feel Audi has something that attracts them to the brand.

amazinIdiot try using objective data to make your posts believable.

how do you know audi followers outnumber bmw followers?

validus I'm talking about on autospies. There are clearly more people who believe Audi is a great brand worthy of praise and is respected by even the Mercedes and BMW lovers on this site.

right... That's why you constantly have to defend yourself left and right from fellow audi lovers. Be more perceptive

S8 failed.....how so? Just because it costs far less than the Alpina B7 and Benz S63 AMG does not mean that the car fails.

The S8 offers incognito styling combined with an exceptional interior and enough gittyup from its 450 horsepower V10 to make it an exceptional value.

S8 failed because it became one of 2007 worse selling models. One of the top 10 to be exact, with more than 25% drop in sales.

If you say its such a greeeeat exceptional value then it must be either audi failed or your high opinion of audi cars failed

DUD..Audi make great cars with best in class interiors. But they CAN NOT BEAT BMW with the same power. They need to have more HP power to beat them, The R8 is a different story, because its a SUPERCAR and BMW don't have one.

Audi will ALWAYS use more power than their BMW counterparts because Audi cars in general are heavier than their BMW counterparts. Then on top of the already heavier weight you add Quattro AWD which adds more weight. The Quattro AWD makes the cars much heavier and causes parasitic drive loss

you seem to be proud of audi's being so hefty. What you don't know is that there's no real reason why audi should continue to use awd for their performance cars. It only numbs front wheel feedback and create understeer.

Too bad audi is stuck with quattro forever, because now they can never have a real track oriented great handling rwd car

BMWs are lighter and RWD therefore they need less horsepower than the heavier, Quattro AWD, parasitic drive loss effected Audis.

Audi compensates by adding significantly more horsepower though, and torque.

All 3 are great...........But the BMW M3,is ALL THAT!!!

At least 528i is getting the point. BMW most of the times are light structures, may be for that reason the coupe and 5 series were rated Marginal in crash test. That's not the case of Audi or Merc. If for to have nible car I have to trade security, definitely I prefer the most strong structure even if that means, more weight.

i don't know what you're talking about seeing how a 335i 4 door get higher crash ratings than the new 2008 A4. But the A4 is a lot heavier than the 335i, by about 200 pounds.

fyi, the previous generation 3 series received awesome crash ratings, but it's fair lighter than current generation bmw or audi.

so a lot of weight doesn't mean crap does it?

I own a 2007 Audi RS 4. I could have bought an M3 or an M5, an E63 perhaps -- and now I'm thinking about the new C63.

The problem is, I live in Canada. I don't know about you, but for a good 4 months of the year or so, we have a lot of snow and really poor driving conditions. Every winter, there are a number of days when rear-wheel drive cars and trucks simply cannot navigate well enough through the snow to be safe. I often pass cars and trucks that are soundly stuck in the snow -- but not me. I have owned 4 Audi's with Quattro, and not one has ever become stuck in snow. I have navigated safely and securely in horrific rain storms and never once feared for mine or my family's safety.

No matter how much I like and respect the new M3 and C63, I won't risk my family's safety in bad weather. I want the sportiest and best car that I can afford, but it has to be safe in all driving conditions, not just on the track. In my opinion, and based on my experience, the Audi RS 4 is 95% as sporty and fun to drive as the new M3 and C63. If I lived in a warm climate, I think I would seriously consider the C63. But where I live, my 3rd place RS 4 is without question the best sports car in the world.

Respect.