Audi's RS5 Driven By Edmunds Insideline! Is The BMW M3 Really Still the Best?

This will be a battle for the ages! The very best in performance and technology from Ingolstadt (well not quite, that would be the R8) and BMW's benchmark M3 go head-to-head!

I'm saying the RS5 wins by a hair due to its more secure driving experience when compared to the wild-child, sideways M3. Both cars are immensely capable, they just peform their talents in different ways.

Nice way of saying "under steer"

So it seems they are using EURO prices, wonder what it would cost over here? 60 to 70k would be a hit. Amazing car by the way, looks wise to me there is no contest and the sound of that engine is amazing, priced right in the US, this would be my dream car that I can afford!

60-66k is the price point for the S5 now. I'm sure the car will be more like 75-80K in the US. I just hope it's not more than that.

It doesn't appear that they did a full out test, they are quoting Audi's numbers as supposed to there own. But then again, they never get consistent numbers.

Show me the Nurb laptime!

If cost the same as the BMW M3, than YES I get it over the BMW M3 because it more rare in Orange county, CA. I see to much BMW 3-Series and BMW M3 where I live but only a few Audi A4, S4 and hopefully the RS5 coupe soon.

I think Audi should bring over to the U.S. I think it will be a huge success for Audi if they bring it here. What a Beautiful piece of machine. I wonder what the V8 engine on this Audi RS5 coupe sound like?

Telling that it takes a 100k+ RS4 to match an M3. Likewise, the S4 is the competitor of the 335ci.

I would take the M3. If its 100K, it would make more sense to compare it to the M6, which would smoke it.

Whoever said the RS5 would cost $100K in the U.S. was smoking crack. If the RS4 is $67K in the U.S. how do people figure that Audi would charge a $30K premium for the RS5?

The RS5 will probably be $70-75K. I would take the RS5.

104K, It says it in the article you posted... typical Audi, overpriced for what you get.

Nice, but the problem with cars like these (M3, RS4, AMG, IS-F) are clearly that they are status symbols, for the occasional holigan drive but mostly for bragging rights as the drivers cruise down the boulevards..
For unless you are a Trust Fund recipient with access to a private track , you will never ever touch more than 20 % of the performance of these cars.
As for actually taking them to the private track ... wouldnt it actually make sense to have a dedicated track car that is optimized for it ? roll cages, 4 point harness, suspension optimzed for track, race tyres etc ?

You should try attending a local autocross with your toyota. It's good fun on the cheap.

Absolutely NOT. After going from a BMW to an Audi... I can't wait to go back. My A4 S-line has <10K on it and it's already been back to the shop twice. The "premium" speakers in the dash sound horrible with distortion... and a few weeks ago, I developed a lake in my rear floor. The seals in the door and firewall were leaking into my A/C system and pooling in the rear. And now when I turn on the A/C, it smells like a wet dog.

My 135i with 25K on it has had absolutely zero problems and it way more fun to drive. The stereo sounds nice and the electronics work better, IMO.

The one thing I'll say for the Audi, I like the alcantera inserts in the seats.

I would have to go with the RS5.

"In ultimate terms the 3,803-pound Audi RS5 doesn't possess quite the same clarity of response or overall feedback as a BMW M3... In the end, it comes down to the driving experience. In ultimate terms, there is very little separating the two cars. You'd buy the Audi for the secure feel it delivers, whether in the dry or the wet. On the other hand, you'd have the BMW purely on entertainment value, as it has a kind of fizz that makes a car so desirable"

Make mine an M3 Coupe, Alpine White w/ black or red leather, dual clutch tranny, carbon fiber roof, tech package, 19" wheels.

Check out Autocar's review of Audi's magnificent RS5 coupe here:

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Audi-RS5/248747/

I think this quote sums up why Audi's RS5 is the biggest threat the BMW M3 has ever faced:

" Is the RS5 a car you would drive with no destination in mind? Like almost every other Audi, it feels like a piece of heavy machinery, one with deep reserves of engineering capability, but it is also one of the rare Audis that also has a fluidity and delicacy to it. I’d stop short of saying it would be a car I would choose to take on a track day, but for a non-stop return trip from London to the top of Scotland, there are few cars I would be happier to be in."

"Partly that’s because of the beautifully finished cabin, and partly it’s because the RS5’s gearbox is so well rounded. But the real reason why the RS5 is so compelling is that when the roads offer entertainment, the RS5 entertains in spades."

Should I buy one?

"If you want a super-coupe with outstanding all-round abilities then yes absolutely. For the RS5 is a car with an exceptional breadth of abilities and the type of car that gets better and better with every journey."

and just to be the yin to your yang, here's a rather tepid review of the car right here:

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1006_2011_audi_rs5/index.html

So far in the few writeups I've seen it doesn't sound like the RS5 is the scalpel the M3 is, instead it's more like just a really fast S5.

everybody is forgetting one thing. the rs5 if it comes here, comes here with the m3 being almost 4 years old, on its way out, and still the m3 is 1/10 of a second quicker. Now i for one love the looks of the s5/rs5 but at the price it will be (we all know it will be substantially higher then the m3)shouldnt the rs5 be significantly better? What happens when the new m3 comes out?