vTodd

Out of curiosity, has anyone made the switch from the e92 to RS5? If so, any thoughts?

drvai

About to make the switch from a E92 M3 to an S5. Was going for the RS5 but I dont think is worth the extra money. The S5/RS5 has a nicer interiorand personally I dont need the M3 chassis. If you don't track the car, I think the advantage in weight the E92 has is not "usable". Im a getting a new car as I run out of warrantly and also wanted something new.

vTodd

I just swapped from an e92 M3 to a RS5. I had owned a RS4 prior to the M3. It's a swap I wish I had never made. I like the M3, but I heart the RS4/5's. I'm +1 day on the ownership of the RS5, not that I'm an apt enough driver to make a RS5 vs. M3 comparison, I think I just prefer the styling and overall stature better.

superswiss

That's an odd opinion coming from somebody who chose an M3 over a 335.

The S5 is largely an S-line A5 with a larger engine, optional sport rear diff and s-tronic. The RS5 got a once over from Quattro GmbH. The transmission is much better, it handles much better despite a more unfavorable weight distribution and is a much bigger beast in dynamic mode compared to the S5.

drvai

Yes.. that's true. after a few years with the M3, I realized I didn't need all that extra performance even though seating in an M3 is completely different than sitting in a 335. I don't know how much the difference will be between the 445 M sport and the new M4/M3 coming.
IMO, the difference between a 335 and an M3 is more significant than when comparing an S5 with an RS5 (S5 fully equipped with S. diff, adaptive susp, etc) and considering price difference, the S5 is a very nice deal. The 335 (or even new 445) doesnt have locking diff, adaptive suspension, etc... The gearbox is an auto (sucks on the E92) but you can get the DCT in the M3 (I have a manual though).

I actually applaud Audi for offering "S" and "RS" versions... not everyone wants a full hardcore GT.

visualguy

Agreed... I find the S5 to be a better fit than the RS5 (or e92 M3) for public roads. Also, I love the manual transmission on the S5. The RS5 doesn't offer it, and the e92 M3 clutch and shifter aren't nearly as nice as on the S5.

The upcoming M3/M4 do seem quite tempting, though, and the manual transmission on those cars is expected to be much improved when compared to the e92 M3. I prefer AWD to RWD personally, but may look seriously at getting the new M3 or M4 in the future.

mlambert890

Old thread, but I *just* made this switch so figured I would weigh in.

First, I really disagree on the idea that the S5 and RS5 are more similar than the M3 and 335. I feel the difference is *at least* as big. I had test driven the S5 a few times over the years and found myself really just not that impressed by it. The RS5, on the other hand, I found extremely rewarding. I recently decided to go to one vehicle (maintaining two was getting too annoying) since we also have my wifes car, so I traded my Evoque and my E92 M3 for the RS5. Some initial impressions...

1 - this is sort of crazy for me to say as I've owned BMWs straight since 2001 (5 in total), but I feel that the RS5 has better build quality than the E92. The materials are higher quality and it feels tighter to me.

2 - the interior on the Audi is a lot nicer. It looks more upscale and the ergonomics are better.

3 - i think the E92 backseat is somehow roomier. The RS5 backseat seems more like what I was dealing with on the GTR. I'll wait for the kids feedback on this though

4 - Overall the M3 feels more raw and is more engaging (IMO). It definitely feels more "connected" to the road. It is "more racecar" (LOL). That said, for *me* this isn't necessarily good. I kind of like that the RS5 feels more like a boulevard cruiser. It almost seems like a small M6 to me rather than an M3.

5 - The Audi exhaust wins. The end on that one. The RS5 exhaust is the best stock exhaust I've heard (outside hyper exotics) since the PSE on my old 996 911.

6 - The Audi "feels" quicker 0-30 or so. I suspect this is a combination of the trans tuning and the AWS. Off the line it can be tricky to get an E92 to hook up without wheel spin and yet with a solid takeoff.

7 - the dual clutch in the Audi is *much* smoother. I went from an Evo X to a GTR to the E92 and now to the RS5 and the RS5 dual clutch is *definitely* closest to a "regular auto". The E92, however, is still (IMO) the best all around. More refined than the GTR (which can be really clunky) yet every bit as performant. The RS5 trans is much smoother, but I noticed already it isn't as crisp. For me, though, this is a good thing at this stage

8 - aesthetics... Looks are subjective but for me I definitely prefer the E92 M3 look. I think the RS5 looks much too much like an A5 and it's a look I never liked all that much

9 - having AWD is an awesome thing and probably 90% of the reason I got the car (a fast, all season, sports coupe)

Of course just all IMHO, but I can say that my first Audi was my first car (1985 4000S) and in the 26 years or so since then I've owned more than 20 cars none of which were another Audi. I always considered myself a BMW guy through and through, but the RS5 did pull me back over. Might be life stage (probably life stage) but thats still impressive considering what a truly high bar the E92 M3 sets.

FWIW I also did test drive an IS-F, C63AMG, CTS-V and CLA45AMG even though only the CLA45 would have been viable since I needed AWD. For various reasons I prefer the E92 or RS5 to any of that list.

superswiss

I'll be interested to hear how you feel about the transmission once you get past the break-in and start pushing things. The S-tronic in the RS5 is very smooth at low rpm and moderate throttle input, but it starts yanking the gears once you push it and start shifting under WOT and at high rpm, especially in dynamic mode. I personally really like this dual personality of the transmission, much like the entire car has this very distinctive dual personality.

I feel the same way about the difference between the S5 and RS5. I stopped arguing about it. The reality is most S5 drivers have never driven an RS5 and have formed an opinion based on the paper specs and biased reviews. I test drove the S5 and immediately ordered an RS5 w/o driving it. I basically walked away from the S5 test drive thinking to myself, that the RS5 must be better than the somewhat underwhelming S5. I wasn't disappointed once I took delivery of the RS5.

drvai

Is not that there is little difference between the S5 and RS%, is just that the difference is not as big when comparing a 335 and the M3

superswiss

I'm really curious where this opinion is coming from. In both cases the engine is completely different. FI vs HR. In both cases the transmission is significantly different if you ignore the manual options on the bimmers. 335 has tiptronic, M3 has DSG. Yes, both the S5 and RS5 have DSG, but the DSG in the RS5 is significantly different, mechanically and software. The M3 has an LSD, the 335 does not. The RS5 employs 4 wheel brake based torque-vectoring on top of the rear sport differential's active torque-vectoring. The S5 only has the optional rear sport differential. The brake based torque-vectoring is so effective, that it got banned in Formula 1 after McLaren used it for a while. They use it now on the McLaren MP4-12C and it's a big reason for why the MP4 is so fast around the track. The RS5 has different track width and F/R axles compared to the S5 and it only shares the doors, roof, head and tail-lights with the S5 as far as appearance is concerned. Similar difference between the 335 and M3. I can go on. There are many differences in the RS5 that are not well documented, but essentially Quattro Gmbh didn't leave one piece untouched. At the time of the RS5 intro it even had a brand new generation of the Quattro system, with a completely new center differential. The same center differential is now found on other S-tronic Audi's, but none use the brake based torque-vectoring that the RS5 does, so the RS5 still has a significant different drivetrain.