Traffic53

any thoughts here. i know the audi and bmw have been far better drivers cars in the past, but the new benz is supposed to be mighty. apparently AMG has upped it's game with this new generation C class. is anyone else impressed with the previews? they expect the benz in the spring. who knows when the v8 bmw with 4 doors arrives. the audi is quite good, but my wife has the v8 wagon. i like to mix it up.

i have two young kids, and four proper seats is appealing.

CROME

HI GUYS

like I always say..the BMW is the best handling machine in the world
i don't know about there suspension....but whatever BMW did is the best
i dont & will never owned a BMW but i drove & i know the feelings
of a great handling machine.....with confidence....it does it....cornering

never felt this confident with all the exotics i have owned

CROME

BrokenE

Maybe they should quit playing around and apply some of that suspension prowess to their F1 cars.

Just kidding. To each, his own.

black ice

I got a chance to drive the last model M3 - what an amazing car. But it sure seems like you see lots of them here in FL. The RS4 is pretty unique. Don't know anything about the C63 yet...

KOAN

I'd go with the RS4 if you have a good Audi dealer near you...and get an extended warranty.

cabrio993

OF all 3 for the same money...get the RS4. Besides having everything the Merc and the Bimmer has, it has something they don't... Quattro!

Peter R.

Methinks a 6.3 in a C class is naff.

Peter R.

dcdude

My buddy is selling his black on black RS4 right now. 22K miles (works in sales) and $63K. Supposedly the cheapest in the country. Very clean. I like the way it drives and it sounds wicked. Plus, being an A4 it has a real back seat. If exclusivity is anyhing to you, there are a whole lot less of these running around in SoCal than the dime-a-dozen M3s.

RallyJon

The C63 sounds like the kind of car where if the electronic nanny ever fails, you'll instantly go spinning off into a ditch. At least the Audi has a drivetrain that's up to the level of the engine.

Traffic53

good thoughts. i wonder if thoughts will change when this benz comes out.

creator8

RS4 all day long. Killer motor that when you think its done at 6k RPM still pulls like a train to 8200RPM. Sticks like glue and is very neutral handling. Hooligan car one minute and boulevard cruiser the next. If I was in the market for a car in that price range it would be the one to go with. The S6 w/ the V10 is even better.

Black993

I'm going to have to go against the grain here it seems but I vote AGAINST the RS4.

I had a chance to drive it at a Skip barber event at the first of the year. I was very excited to drive it as I had heard so many things about it. Its a beautiful car, sounds great, etc etc. To be honest, once I sat in the drivers seat and had a go with it, I couldn't wait to get out of it. I was very shocked with how it handled. It was fast, sure, but the handling was not at all what I was expecting. It felt like a FWD mercury or something. I can't explain it other than very odd to drive. I left that day a bit down, I truly hoped it would be just as I heard it was.
The other thing that bothered me about it was the fact that it had nearly the same interior as a friends $20k A3......just seems weird. Who knows, maybe I need more time behind the wheel, but I wasn't impressed.

That said, the current m3 gets my vote (though I know you want a 4door) Its an amazing machine. A very good friend has one and I looked at a few before I bought the 993.

I can't say much on the Merc, I don't know enough about it.

C.J. Ichiban

be like me and get the RS4- I own one and use it as my daily driver/ hooligan car. I've yet to take it to a track but unlike the A4 quattro, it's supposed to be more rear biased in most situations...it's probably more expensive than the other two- but in my opinion it's more rare and the drivetrain really is awesome. it's very high tech but still has a raw element to the power (8200rpm v8!) and you can always shift off the ESP and get really stupid if you want.
oh and it sets off car alarms when you start it up- that's always a bonus if you've got dorky workmates with sensitive alarms...haha. It does have a real back seat- I threw eric gagne back there the other day and he's a big boy.

black 993- does your buddies a3 have tons of metal, perforated leather, CF interior bits and the MMI interface?

maybe it's just me but 100% of the MB dealers I've dealt with (owned 3 benzes. never again) are complete douches. it's bad when I get better help at aston martin and ferrari than mercedes.

with bmw you know you're getting a good product, but how many things will fall apart on the interior and electronic or a/c systems while you've got it?

Black993

You've got me there, but it was the first thing into my head when I got in the car. Its VERY similar. His has the metal, but not the others.

I did NOT feel it was rear-biased at ALL when I drove it. Again, I may need more time behind the wheel and I'm in no way trying to downplay your car, I just don't think I could spend the money on one after my experience in it. I was hoping for the best but came away with an "average" feeling.

To each his own, though

jlr

Sorry to weight against the Porsche-Audi sentiment, but I'd tend to towards the M3. I've never driven an RS4, but the Audis and MBs I've owned just didn't have the feedback of a Bimmer. I'm hoping for a new M3 at some point myself -- have a 335i now and love it. The steering is almost Porsche-level in precision.