I've been behind the wheel of an '06 A3 for about a month now. Its a great car, and certainly fits its "sporty" description well. However, therein also lies the problem: its a car thats sporty, not a sports car. I could mod it up, but I really don't want to go that route for various reasons. After driving my friend's new M3 comp package, I really do need a more performance oriented car. With that in mind, I'm putting some strong thought into trading up on either an S4 or the BMW M Coupe. I really wanted a Porsche Cayman S, but its just a bit beyond what I'm willing to spend.

So, any thoughts regarding these two autos? Preferably, it would be nice if someone out there has driven these cars and can provide some input. I'm also willing to check out other models in the segement and price range, if they stack up.

 

S4 will be much like a beefier A3 I think...the M coup will be more of a sports car IMO - if that is strictly what your after. S4 (particularly B5 2.7tt) might ultimatly have beefier performance potential - but the M coup is more pure sports car. S4 also holds more people & stuff and w/AWD is more all around/all weather useful. I can see the lure of the Caymen certainly - and is the M coup that much cheaper? I never driven the M coup - though I have ridden in a highly modded one (previous version) and it seemd an awfly fun car - though not nearly as beefy or quick as my Stage III S4...

 

pretty much agreeed with what roadhawk said. ive driven an M a couple times. As well as a b6 s4. What year were you looking at. I will tell you hands down that my stage 3 b5s4 is definately the funnest. so much power and still have all the comforts and awd. But the M is definately a more sporty car. i think a big factor would be where you live.. if you have inclamate weather, maybe the s is a better choice. But if your in warm weather..then the m. Or if you dont want the stage 3 route, youll have more fun in the m. Either way, youll be happy.

 

For 55K I'd want to keep it stock. We're talking '06-'07 models.

 

All told the Porsche is at least ten more than the BMW, depending on how its configured. However, the BMW is no sloutch. In truth, on paper it is notably faster than the Porsche. I can only assume the Porsche is more of a pleasure to drive, but nonetheless. For what you pay for and what you get, the M Coupe seems the better deal. Its going to have the e46's inline six, rated at 330 horse power. This in a car that is several hundred pounds lighter than the already-not-overweight M3. It shouldn't break too much of a sweat outrunning fellow e46 models, which means it should do in an unmodded S4 without much trouble. Plus, I think Porsche is a bit concerned with this one...I was in the dealership the other day talking to the guy about Caymans and asked if he could do one for under sixty, all told. He said maybe...then I mentioned the M and he said it would be very hard for him to complete with it, from a number of standpoints (he qualified this by saying, "this is a Porsche, you know. No Bayerisch bullshit here!"...which I found very ironic, despite the fact that the comment was in good humor, because the Ingolstadt lot was litterally through the next door...). I will say this much, if the Porsche has anything over the BMW, besides sex appeal, its the seats!! Wow are they comfortable.

Regarding the quattro. Its a great option, but one I'm not gonna use. Sure, it snows where I'm at, but I wouldn't be driving this type of car in a blizzard. The BMW has a differential locker, which is a step in the right direction.

All in all its a very hard call to make. The S4 has the practicality thing going for it: room for five, recaro seats, a trunk, quattro...the BMW, as has been stated, is more of a throughbread sports car...bullshit need not apply. Oh and the gearbox on those Ms? My buddy just got an '06 comp package e46 and let me tell you, that is one of the slickest gearboxs I've had the pleasure of racking!

I'll probably drive myself nuts thinking about this stuff...

 

Also...is the '08 A4/S4 going to be a redesigned model? I'd like to keep it Audi, for a number of reasons, but the BMW certainly has allure. For one, Audis have questionable reliability, and I can attest to that first hand. It seems like my car has been in the shop more than its been in my driveway....number of things to consider, here.

 

the new TT looks appealing...but why the transverse engine? How much are they going to be going for?

 

it looks as though you got a good handle on it and now waht your talking about. My advice would be to drive each and take the one you enjoy the most. Personally i would probably say if you can make it happen, go for the cayman. Man thats a sexy car and outside of an elise, you arent going to find one with better handling. The TT is a great car, but its definately not in teh same category with the cars your mentioning.

 

Speaking of gearboxes, I know the '08 A4 will be equipped with DSG (7 speed no-less!) but I'm not sure if the '08 S4 will be as well or not. That's potentially another thing to check out!

 

Hmmm such a dilema...but a good one to have. You are really talking grand touring car vs. sports car. Both cars are great, and are so different from each other, so once you make your base decision on what type of car you want...the decision should be pretty easy.

From what you are saying, it sounds like you are leaning towards the M, but you are wondering if you are giving up too much practicality. I say go with your gut feeling on this one....go with what you want. There are plenty of other decisions that you have to go with practical, so when you can it is nice to be able to go with what you want.