Car and Driver Comparison Test: 2014 BMW 435i Loses to 2014 Audi S5!

I have to admit, I was very surprised by this result. If there's one thing I've grown to absolutely love about my '12 S5 is driving it. Granted, I have to drive it hard to truly enjoy it, whereas around-the-town driving it feels heavy. But the 4 Series has been noted for being much more engaging than the 3 Series, yet the S5 here handily bests it in all areas of driving experience, and especially the Fun to Drive category.

I am a bit surprised that C&D rated the BMW's interior and exterior higher. Maybe just because it's new, but I still feel the S5's styling, inside and out, is easily superior. I've seen several 4 Series on the road and they already look dated. The A5/S5 still looks fresh (and my car still gets plenty of looks and thumbs-up from people). Maybe it was C&D's attempt to not make it seem like such a romp by an older car and to the former king of the segment.

That being said, I still take these comparisons with a grain of salt :-P

Well said.

I agree with you completely about the S5/RS5 needing to be wrung out CONSTANTLY to have a great driving experience.

The 4-Series is definitely not any more engaging than a 3-Series. Purely mental b.s. from bad critics out there, IMHO.

I haven't driven the new S5 coupe with the six-cylinder but having an S4 I've driven quite a bit with that supercharged six certainly would make me think it would feel a bit better and more spritely over the V8 S5.

Lastly, the Audi interior kicks the BMW's ass. The S5/RS5's seats alone are worth buying it over the 4'er. ONE exception is iDrive, which is actually VERY good these days when compared to the annoying four corners of MMI.

Just my two cents.

THE 4 SERIES IS THE WORST LOOKING CAR BMW HAS PUT OUT. THE FRONT END AIR INTAKE OR LOWER AREA WHATEVER ITS CALLED DESTROYS THE FRONT, THE SIDE PROFILE IS REMINISCENT OF THE MAZDA MX5 FROM 10 YEARS AGO AND THE BACK END IS WEAK. PROPORTIONS ARE ALL SCREWED UP. THE CURRENT A5 IN ITS 6TH YEAR IS AN ICONIC COUPE THAT STILL LOOKS MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN THE NEWER 4 SERIES. I DRIVE AN X3 BUT BMW CARS REALLY SUCK ( AS WELL AS X6 ! )

First, calm down. You can type without CAPS LOCK ON, you know?

Second, it definitely has been a polarizing design. I think it looks great though — minus the crappy looking side vent, of course.

sorry, is that better ? the 4 series still sucks even in lower case :)

"the 4 series still sucks even in lower case" - funniest thing I've heard in a long time on here.

The results didn't come as a surprise to me. The 3-series (and almost the entire BMW lineup overall) has routinely been criticized for lacking the attached, engaging, and integrated driving experience many have come to expect of the brand from 5 years ago. Why would people expect the 4-series to be any different?

The verdict, "BMW is going soft on its old priorities, just as others are zeroing in" couldn't be more true. Audi has really stepped up its game in the last 5 years and the comparison test results and sales have been indicative of that.

Some sections that speak to this continued of trend of BMW failing to deliver on its "Ultimate Driving Machine" slogan.

"But in the presence of the Audi, even its stiffened springs, shocks, and anti-roll bars failed to fully rouse this M Sportiest 4-series. Comparatively speaking, the driver is isolated from wheel and suspension movements, and the slow steering seems so numb that it’s the pulsing of the inside-front brake rather than any feedback through the wheel that indicates you’ve reached the cornering limit. At 0.90 g, that limit is handily topped by the Audi, which feels like the better balanced and ­livelier car. This is especially surprising given the S5’s greater forward weight bias. The BMW’s numbness saps driver confidence, as the car doesn’t provide enough information to form a complete picture of what’s happening at the tires."

"That isolation extends below the hood, too. BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-liter has the same even power delivery and stirring sound here as it does in other applications. But you have to roll up the windows, turn off the music, and make sure the climate-control fan isn’t blowing too hard if you want to enjoy that sound. For years we’ve lauded the smoothness of BMW inline-sixes, to the point that the adjective “silky” long ago became hackneyed. But it’s getting ridiculous. This engine approximates an electric motor in its polish and subtlety. We’d prefer that engineers didn’t go to quite such extremes to isolate the driver from the machinery."

" Audi’s blown six is so responsive that it exposes a microsecond of lag you’d otherwise never notice in the 435i’s engine. And, while the sound devolves into an uncivilized moan above 6000 rpm, below that it’s all Rottweiler with a dash of blower whine. As opposed to the 435i, there’s no forgetting that the S5 is a mechanical device. Its drag-strip victory is even more impressive considering the condition of our high-mileage test unit. At about the same engine speed that the sound began to fray, the shifter noticeably tightened, as if something were twisting more than it should. And beyond that rpm, it took a disconcerting amount of force and a little bit of patience to get a shift. At the track, we ended up short-shifting at 6000 rpm."

The days of the E46 M3 stirring your soul are a distant memory and it's rather unfortunate because those engaging driving dynamics are what caused Audi to step up and improve its pr

The days of the manual E46 M3 stirring your soul are a distant memory and it's rather unfortunate because those engaging driving dynamics are what caused Audi to step up and improve its products. BMW needs to do something and fast to change its cars or its slogan because clearly "We only make one thing - The Ultimate Driving Machine" is not representative of the current day car's driving characteristics or model expansion. Pandering the 2-Series Active Tourer and i3 as Ultimate Driving Machines simply won't cut it.

Car and Driver put it best when it said, "Then again, Audi continues to demonstrate a propensity for doing things right—from chassis tuning and engines to styling and ergonomics. If the company keeps this up, the conspiracy theorists will assume there’s a new source for all these sacks of cash we use as ottomans."

What ever, here's another road test from Car Magazine.

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-drives/BMW-4-series-435i-vs-Mercedes-E400-vs-Audi-S5-2014-CAR-review/

"The Audi costs most, yet at the end of day two it is the least loved of the three cars. It still looks stunning, its interior still feels special, and it’s still the coupe to beat against the stopwatch in a straight line. But it tells you plenty about this segment of the market that those qualities aren’t enough to win"

-Car Magazine

I have to agree with cidflekken "I still take these comparisons with a grain of salt".

and here's an article where the M5 bests the Panamera Turbo, E63, and RS7.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-reviews/car-comparison-tests/v-8-supercars-the-comparison-65-7-roa0314

I notice you didn't post that one, Nuttie.

Gotta love JRob jumping in like a fat kid at a buffet with another "look, a BMW won here in this comparo" when his BMW Overlord loses yet ANOTHER one, hahaha!!!

JRob, the BMW M5 might have won one comparison test but it doesn't help much if the M5 also lost at least 3 or 4 comparison tests.

1 win out of 3 or 4 comparison tests is pretty pathetic for a company that once upon a time used to dominate the competition.

Nuttie ... how many comparison tests has the A4 lost to the 3-series? can go back and forth all day about comparison tests. Both cars are great cars yet for different reasons and connect with different drivers ...

JROB ... I tried to post that recent M5 victory yet Autospies refused ...

BMWm4, what you don't understand is that it's not a good thing if you go from winning nearly all comparison tests in the segment to winning 1 out of every 5 or 6. Furthermore, getting routinely criticized for your desire to pander cars that are nothing like your company's slogan and watching the competitors being complemented routinely for delivering better and better driving dynamics and overall products. The last nail in the coffin is being taken over by your direct competitor for the top spot in the sales race.

yes, because the only wins that count are the Audi wins.

Anyway, back on earth, the M5 has won almost every comparison test in non-U.S. magazines, as has the regular 5-Series (and 3-Series, 4-series, etc.). It would appear that VW is stepping up the magazine advertising dollars in the U.S.

I just drove the 2014 S5, really like it a lot. i think it actually looks great, but somewhat dated, i think it could use a redesign, it was real quick, but still lacked ferocity, same goes for the 435i.
I still feel these two are neck and neck and its really a toss up on which someone should choose. I do think it would be nice if bmw made their 3/435i's equipped with m sport packaged equipped with the same tuned engine as the m235i ( 320hp 330torque)

I love my Audi A6er. About 9 months ago we were looking for a new vehicle for the wife. We drove a MB, Audi, and BMW. I have to say the interior dash and door panels on the 3 series felt really cheap. Way too much plastic for a car costing that much. Why did BMW 3 series model not have some sort of dash that encloses the NAV screen like the other cars in it's line-up. I dislike the always UP NAV screen. Enclose it into the dash or have a stow it away. It's the only model that it always sticks up (like a tongue).

Regardless of near term sales numbers across the brand, BMW execs should be worried. The core of the brand is eroding away. Ultimate Driving Machine? Of the many current models, only the M235 remains on target.

After driving dynamics the thing that I noticed and what bothers me the most is that the BMW is damn near 60 grand. For a 3 series BMW. I just can't make myself spend that much on that car. It feels cheap to me, doesn't look all that great and I'm sure is going to be riddled with BMW issues.
T

Think I would still take the 4er coupe. Some of the detailing is fussy, the bimmerangs and the slot intakes at the sides of the front bumber don't look great, the 3 er looks better in this regard. The A5 looks clean, but overweight and a bit lardy.

Dynamics wise, 4er because RWD.

The 4er can also be had in xDrive.

Bmw's as a whole are falling behind their competiton from Audi and Mercedes IMO. They are still great cars, but let's take BMW interiors for example. They seem to be lacking in craftmaship and quality more and more with each passing generation of vehicle the put out. Their interiors feel cheaper and cheaper. They are no KIA, but compared to themselves from prior models it seems they care more about just selling large volumes cars than the quality of the cars they sell. I sat in a $70k 2014 X5 and was pressing in the flank of wood trim over the glove box and it was giving way. It was a cheap piece of plactic trim made to look like wood. I know they don't use real wood in these cars, but it lacked that solid built quality that cars like Audis and Mercedes have.

Very well written and not biased.
But I’ll still take an RWD 435 over Porky S5.