dcwjd

2 weeks ago i was in the same boat cross shopping a 2011 e90 m3 sedan since they will not make an e90 2012 and a 2012 S4. The m3 sedan optioned out the way i wanted it was going to cost $69,900 which was about $600 over invoice. Basically the car was about 10k more then the loaded prestige S4 i ordered for $1000 over invoice which will be about 59k-60k. I am coming from a 2008 335i coupe. After test driving both i didn't feel the m3 was worth 10k more then the S4. Living in the Northeast i really wanted 4wd and to dump the runflats. Lastly i felt the audi interior was far superior and i wanted decent gas mileage not the 13mpg some m3 owners have been known to get.

DrGP

My previous car was a 335i(not an s)Coupe. I really liked the car. IMHO, much nicer and better car than the B6 S4 that I had been leasing. I think the BMW coupe looks great, can't say I love the look of the 3 series sedan. 3 series with x drive does not get the performance suspension. HATED the run flat tires. in fact, I took them off and ran non RFs. Interior was OK , but definitely not a nice as the Audis. Performance will be close enough, but the 335i N54 engine is really easy to add a satellite chip at a low cost to increase performance. 335i got better gas mileage and the stock exhaust sounds very nice especially when compared to that on the B8 S4. As far as your comment about red BMWS, I twice went to order an new BMW 3 series in red and just couldn't do it. This is from a guy who never saw a red car he didn't like. Imola red looks decent, but not available on the E90 series. Crimson red somehow does not look great on the Coupe but does look a little better on the sedan. I don't know if things have changed, but for the first 3 yrs of production, you could not order a special color on the E 90 3 series. BMW will generally give you a lower lease payment since they set their residuals higher than Audi. I actually ordered an S4 with less options than were on my 335i just to keep the lease payments the same as i had on my BMW. And everyday, I'm happy to be driving a lightly equipped RED S4 rather than a moderately loaded 335is.

blitzboy76

Had the opportunity to cross-shop these two great vehicles--and a few others, for good measure--just this past weekend. Now let me start out by saying that I had never before been inside an Audi automobile in my life, and only a scant few times had I ever been inside a bimmer. Where I am at right now, is that my current car (2001 Nissan Maxima) is aging, and God has blessed me with a rising income, "with a wife who doubles it, and no kids, so now I am considering one of these two high-end (at least, to me) vehicles.

My goal with choosing my next car is simple. I just want a fun daily driver. Oh, and I would like to be able to whip some of these jokers that my current, tired 227 horses just can't quite reach! Hey, I'm human. So I started out looking at the Infiniti G37s. I'm a Nissan guy, right, it only makes sense. In doing some reading up on it, though, everything I'm reading is telling me that BMW is the supposed "king of the hill" in this market, and that the G37 was basically positioned just to beat it. So I thought, "hmmm...if that's the car that the car I want is trying to imitate, why not just go after it?!

Thus, my interest in BMW was born. For the next several months, I ate, slept, drank, and dreamed BMW. 335is, to be exact. I test drove one here where I live, and I was blown away. I thought I just had to have it! But then, all along, I had had some folks tell me "you know, the Audi is REALLY nice! You oughta take a look!" I thought yeah, ok, sure. I knew all along I was going to test drive either an S4 or an S5, but I did not think that either one could dethrone bimmer, in my heart and mind.

That is, until this past weekend. The BMW and Audi place are literally neighbors. So, I thought I'd stop in and test drive them both, back to back. I went to the Audi place first. I walked in, but had to ASK someone to help me! I told the guy I wanted to test drive an S4 and an S5. He told me that they didn't have an S4, and they only had an '09 S5. I don't think he took me seriously. Anyway, he calls another sales guy out, and shortly the guy and I begin to establish a rapport as he basically lets me test drive whatever I want on the Audi lot. He apparently didn't know they had the S4, so what we took out first was an A4 Avant (just like the S4, he told me, but with less power). Then, I took the '09 S5 out. Man, talk about a difference! That car was great! Loads of power! Then, he talked me into taking out an '08 (or maybe '07) RS4. Now THAT thing was bad! But, I knew it wasn't practical for me, so I just did it really for the heck of it.

Then, I discovered that there was, indeed, an S4 on the lot. A new one. I told him, and he's like "oh! there, we DO have one!"...Mmmhmmm... Guys, I gotta tell ya, that car was absolutely the highlight of my day. Somebody in one of the posts above was talking about how it was buttery smooth, and I have to say I concur--100%! Not only was the interior and exterior great-looking, but it had tons of power, AND it was a smooth ride. Check, check, and check...

Afterwards, I went over to the bimmer place, and drove a 335is, a base 335i, and an '09 M3. And, I'm just being honest here, they felt...cheap. They drove great, sure. But at this point in time, I'm pretty sure the S4 is the ride for me, and as soon as some things happen financially, I'm going to go get one. Hey, if you've made it this far, thanks for playing along, have fun, and be safe out there!

ShadowJet

Great first post. Hope you get that S4 soon!

MD S5

IMO you can beat the Audi for interior/exterior styling

RedMagma2011S4

Here, let me fix your post.

MD S5

whoops, thanks

jcocktail

Hi guys. Just made an offer on an Ibis White S4,with sports diff, 18's, premium plus. Thanks for all of your advise and observations...

Must resist the urge to mod. Will not mod. Will not mod. Will not mod......

colnago

I don't think Audi would sell many V-8s with a lighter, less expensive supercharged V-6 outperforming it. I'm guessing that's why its possible that Audi is under reporting the HP numbers (owners are reporting that the S4 is actually putting out the 333HP "to the wheels", putting it at, or above the V-8's numbers).

Can_I_Haz?

I am an ex e90 owner and I gotta get this off my chest.

BMW if you are reading this, update your interior! I'm not paying 50k for an interior thats straight outta 1995!

The mid model e90 and e92 updates ruined the instantly classy curves. Whats with the 2 lines on the hood in the e90? The hood is way too busy for a sedan. The e92 used to be one sexy coupe with a front end you can recognize a mile away. Why did you have to screw up an already classy and well recognized front end. I bet they got a huge increase in M sport bumper option with coupe sales after that debacle. And the N55 is a step backwards. All my BMW Fanboy friends tell me the same thing (I admit I was one of them at one point). Kinda funny how the M1 and 335IS are using the bi turbo N54

If you had to update anything mid model year, its the crap interment cluster and the rest of the interior that looks more at home in a 98 Accord....just sayin


OK I'm done bitching. I felt like BMW should hear this.