NS2000X

I drove the S4 as I shopped and it was the best rounded car I didn't buy. Fantastic.

riegerman

As much as I love my S4 I don't see it as a M3 competitor. Like boosted indicated as a daily driver the S4 may be a better car but when it comes to performance the M3 is superior. If we are talking on a straight away the M3 will win if we aren't talking mod vs stock. It is not fair to say a tune and pulley vs your M3. There are plenty fast modded M3 out there also, so when talking mods it always comes down to cash.
Second the M3 is superior on a track if we don't take the skill of the driver into play as AWD is easier to drive.
Talking all these into play can't see how I can say performance wise the S4 is better than an M3. Just being real here.

boostedE92M3

haha sure primetime, you love the 1/4 eh? you are right, if you are considering the 60ft. the s4 hands down will take it. but you go feel 8400rpm in 2nd gear in an E9X M3 and tell me what you think. its only fair i guess. Ive hammered the S4 through its first three gears and it is impressive, but you can feel the power dying as it approaches the redline..the M is quite the opposite. its a dog off the line but once its going, you cant stop it.

Ill give you the nicer interior in the S4 no doubt. the exterior styling I have to give to the M. fun factor goes to the M. Practicality goes to the S4. Highway fuel economy goes to M3 no doubt, not sure about S4's city driving.

you would be surprised. When I drove back from chicago to toronto after doing the supercharger install, with 650bhp under my right foot I got from chicago to London, ontario on one tank of 93 octane gas. thats about 600km/60L tank. that isnt bad for 650bhp. and if you were being serious about a 350mile race against an M, you are either a child or have no idea what you are talking about. I think that was a silly call on your part bud.

agree x 100

Goony

Stock versus stock, the current S4 is a 335 competitor. End of story.

GTSurgery

Obviously a tuned M3 has far more potential, but that's adding a ton of cost. The M3 is a great car, but when it's stock, I think an S4 with just a tune and pulley upgrade which will give it all it can handle at still about 10K less. (M3 with about 370 whp, S4 with tune and pulley only would be about the same or a little more). The way the car continues to pull to redline with a tune is the biggest difference from stock that I noticed. Given that a tune and pulley still comes in at less than 2K upgrade cost with minimal modification to actual car structure, I think it's entirely a valid comparison. You can tune an M3 obviously and it will put down a **** load of power, but the cheapest supercharger kit I saw was about 7-8K. The AA kit was 13-14 K. That's not anywhere near comparable as now you're looking at cars with about 20K difference in price at least.

I agree that the e92 M3 is a beautiful car, as is the e93, but I don't think that's a valid comparison. The e90 is not nearly as pretty a car as the B8 S4 or the e92. I actually looked at both an e92/93 M3 when I was car shopping and ended up with the S4. (Ended up buying a S4 because a dealer in Atlanta with 6 M3s on the lot, wouldn't let me test drive one, went down the street and bought a S4). I never considered the e90 because frankly I hated the way that it looked. I never looked at my e90 335, and thought that's a beautiful car. The S4 is pure sex even for a 4 door. Like it just as much as the e92 styling, better than the e93. But aesthetics are purely subjective. Personally I think the 1M is the Imp of the M family when it comes to looks, and think the S5 looks better than the e92.

Also disagree that your highway fuel economy will be better than the S4. It may not be as bad as we think, but I'm still guessing that the S4 wins, especially with the APR tune.

I think that Audi has the perfect all around performance vehicle with the S4. Incredible styling (inside/out), great performance especially with an ECU flash and pulley, and AWD practicality. I don't know if there is as much a difference in a stock M3 and a tuned S4 as you may think, but since your running 650 hp you may not have much recollection of your car's former self. I do agree that BMW has perfected the "ultimate driving machine" with the M series. From a pure driving standpoint, it's hard to argue with getting a M3, but when you factor in everything else, it's easy to see why the B8 S4 has become such a popular platform.

FatalBert

Is that a typo?

aris4n

I have been a previous M3 and S4 owner. If I wanted a car that is purely for performance the M3 is the clear winner, but the S4 offers so much more in many other areas.

One thing that is seldom mentioned on these sites and to me, far more important than 0-60 is the 60-0 mph braking. Everyone gets so caught up on the standing start off the line stoplight, or onramp speed, which I love as much as the next guy, but how fast a car can stop, in control, and avoid an accident is much more important. (and fade resistance if tracking).

If you have driven the M3 you know that the brakes feel amazing and super solid.
The S4 brakes are great but not amazing like the BMW.

ayap

Hey BoostedE93 .. I forgot to mention that it's actually a 350 mile race in wet weather and curvy mountain roads .. the M3 will never stand any chance with an AWD S4 in wet rainy curvy roads. And the supercharger will do better in high altitude. The M3 will slide and slip! haha.

Can you say - Let's Race Rain or shine in the curvy mountain roads? S4 will outmaneuver the M3 in harsh wet weather.

Tweakophyte

How come no one added the 335xi?

For me, I'd want an AWD comparison because of variability in weather here... it can be a blizzard in the mountains and 50 degrees and sunny on the front range.

RWD is not a show-stopper, but should the xi be in the comparison?

jlarke

With no sports suspension, the 335xi can't be compared to the S4.