S4 vs 335i

[emve]

its true, this is from the new AMS !

on autozeitung they compared these two too. and the S4 won. no suprise.

from 0-200 the S4 was also above 1 second faster than the 335i in the autozeitung test.

Could you please post the figures from autozeitung ?

[2jm]

Interestingly, no comparation with BMW 335i xDrive... IMHO its S4s complete rival.

They will not compare those car mainly because BMW cannot put the xdrive and the sport suspension to the car at the same time, I think. You have to choose either one but not both at the same time.
Good thing for Audi as many 335 buyer have bought Audi as they have no problem combining quattro with sport suspension.

[AndyBG]

They will not compare those car mainly because BMW cannot put the xdrive and the sport suspension to the car at the same time, I think. You have to choose either one but not both at the same time.
Good thing for Audi as many 335 buyer have bought Audi as they have no problem combining quattro with sport suspension.

...Interesting, I didn't know that.

[Leadfoot]

It's more likely that BMW chose not to provide the 335xi with the sportiest option because in doing so would suggested that THEY also believe awd is sporty alternative to rwd and thus confirm that Audi were right after all.

[artur777]

It's more likely that BMW chose not to provide the 335xi with the sportiest option because in doing so would suggested that THEY also believe awd is sporty alternative to rwd and thus confirm that Audi were right after all.

Ledfoot,

335xi is simlpy 100 kg heavier than 335i and no sport suspension...
that is the clue

[AndyBG]

It's more likely that BMW chose not to provide the 335xi with the sportiest option because in doing so would suggested that THEY also believe awd is sporty alternative to rwd and thus confirm that Audi were right after all.

Very nice observation...!

BTW, BMW has changed names for AWD cars..., 335xi is now called 335i xDrive

[Leadfoot]

Ledfoot,

335xi is simlpy 100 kg heavier than 335i and no sport suspension...
that is the clue

100kgs, is that not excessive? I am sure I read that Audi's Quattro only adds about 50kgs.

Also please explain why you believe BMW don't offer sports suspension? All that is required is some additional test to fine tune the shocks, anti-roll bars and spring rates and you have a M/Sport version of the 335xi.

I reckon I hit the nail on the head with my original opinion.

[artur777]

100kgs, is that not excessive? I am sure I read that Audi's Quattro only adds about 50kgs.

Also please explain why you believe BMW don't offer sports suspension? All that is required is some additional test to fine tune the shocks, anti-roll bars and spring rates and you have a M/Sport version of the 335xi.

I reckon I hit the nail on the head with my original opinion.

100kgs is a little bit heavy for AWD, I agree:-)
BMW don't offer sport suspension because it's not compliable with Xdrive for now. They would like to outline that sporty cars are always RWD:-)

[Leadfoot]

100kgs is a little bit heavy for AWD, I agree:-)
BMW don't offer sport suspension because it's not compliable with Xdrive for now. They would like to outline that sporty cars are always RWD:-)

As I said before, there is nothing more than fine tuning to the suspension to make it sportier. BMW chose not to offer it because that would prove Audi were right to say that Quattro (Audi talk for AWD) is an alternative to rwd when mentioning the words sportscar.

Lets face it, there is more than one way to get the job done. You can have front engined rwd cars, mid engined rwd cars, mid engined awd cars and front engined awd cars, all claims to be better than the next. Then you have weight balance 50/50 (BMW), 44/56 (Ferrari), 56/44 (Audi), 53/47 (Nissan) and finally 40/60 (Porsche). I won't even go there with gearboxes or anything else only to say the the combinations are limitless and each brand have own favourites.

If you believe that 50/50 and front engined rwd is the way to go then so be it, it's really a case of what suits you best. I personally prefer front engined awd but in the end there isn't a right or wrong choice when the cars are as evenly matched as they are in this day and age.

[artur777]

As I said before, there is nothing more than fine tuning to the suspension to make it sportier. BMW chose not to offer it because that would prove Audi were right to say that Quattro (Audi talk for AWD) is an alternative to rwd when mentioning the words sportscar.

Lets face it, there is more than one way to get the job done. You can have front engined rwd cars, mid engined rwd cars, mid engined awd cars and front engined awd cars, all claims to be better than the next. Then you have weight balance 50/50 (BMW), 44/56 (Ferrari), 56/44 (Audi), 53/47 (Nissan) and finally 40/60 (Porsche). I won't even go there with gearboxes or anything else only to say the the combinations are limitless and each brand have own favourites.

If you believe that 50/50 and front engined rwd is the way to go then so be it, it's really a case of what suits you best. I personally prefer front engined awd but in the end there isn't a right or wrong choice when the cars are as evenly matched as they are in this day and age.

I see your position...
Look at X6 M by BMW - sportcar with AWD!
They changed their opinion.

Personally I prefer mid-engined AWD cars - you know what I am talking about

[Marv]

Don't want to spoil the AWD vs RWD debate, but I just looked up some figures for the original B5 RS4 as a comparison (as tested in Autocar 8 years ago)
Numbers are in mph
0-30 1.7
0-40 2.6
0-50 3.7
0-60(~100km/h) 4.7
0-70 5.9
0-80 7.8
0-90 9.6
0-100(~160km/h) 11.2
0-110 13.9
0-120 16.4
0-130 20.0

New S4 rocks

[Leadfoot]

That is surprising close figures to the new S4 and these figures show that Audi made the right decision to go for the supercharger instead of turbos.

There is little doubt that the rest of the S4's package is great and much better than the original RS4 but is it a better car than the Mk2 RS4?, to say that would be to place the car equal with the M3 on everything bar acceleration and that is something which you couldn't say about the 335i.

[AndyBG]

reading this last post, one interesting tought crossed my mind... If RS 5 get 4.2 N/A engine, there are big chances for future B7 RS 4 to get one as well... In that case, there is chance that we end up with S4 more sophisticated than RS 4...

[Marv]

reading this last post, one interesting tought crossed my mind... If RS 5 get 4.2 N/A engine, there are big chances for future B7 RS 4 to get one as well... In that case, there is chance that we end up with S4 more sophisticated than RS 4...

Apart from different suspension and some lighter body panels in the new RS4 you are right.

If the S4 superchared engine is good for some tuning then maybe the gap between the S4 and RS4 will not be so big. For this reason I think Audi cannot put N/A V8 into the new RS4.

[Chuvips]

It's more likely that BMW chose not to provide the 335xi with the sportiest option because in doing so would suggested that THEY also believe awd is sporty alternative to rwd and thus confirm that Audi were right after all.

That's absolutely true!

[AudiTumbo]

And here it is against 335xi in Autozeitung:

[AndyBG]

Now, this is what I'm talking about!

335i xDrive doesn't stand a chance against S4, and that is its true rival...

This scan is very nice to see...

[ZCD2.7T]

AudiTumbo:

Thanks for the scan!

Question: What prices are shown in Autozeitung for the 3 cars?