SloopJohnB@mac.com

I would guess they're not BMW CPO....but if Audi wants to warranty a BMW for 6 years/100K miles, ok by me.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

The M5 is interesting AWD but I've not found the edge yet...RS5 easier to find the edge even on the street. Not tracked either so I don't know which one is really faster at Willow Springs or Watkins Glen...and I'm not willing to risk the car or me to find out...

Dads_RS

You've got tons of great detail from everyone above. I'll add in my $0.02.

I traded my 6-speed F80 M3 in on a new '19 RS5 SB in March. At first I thought I'd start to miss the manual transmission. However, that's almost never the case. The 8-speed on the RS5 seems to shift at precisely the right times and holds gears properly. I find this to be true in both 'Sport' and 'D' mode, which I switch back and forth between, depending on my driving mood at the time. I've been so happy with the transmission that I don't typically bother with the paddles unless I'm on tight twisty canyon roads. In those situations, nothing will beat manually shifting.

The M3 felt more raw, which was a lot of fun at certain times. But 90% of the time, especially with the wife in the car, it was just a bit too harsh and not comfortable on drives longer than 30 minutes. My wife does a great job of tolerating my cars. But she absolutely hated the M3. She said it felt too much like a "race car", in terms of overall comfort.

This was especially true in the winter, when roads get quite nasty. With snow tires the RWD M3 was "fine". But here in Colorado we get some heavy snow storms and when they'd hit, the M3 was far less than ideal. I previously came from a B8.5 S4 and can attest that these Audis, with proper snow tires, are absolute beasts in pretty much any snow conditions. As such, I'll have no qualms about taking the RS5 up into the mountains in even the heaviest snow.

The interior of the B9 RS5 made my 2 year old M3 interior feel like it was made in 1999. Especially the gauges/radio/HVAC controls. This is not an exaggeration, either. My buddy has an E46 M3 and side by side you'd think they were built within the same time frame. It was tough to get back in the M3 after test driving the RS5.

For me, the final nail in the coffin for the M3 was news of a new baby coming in July. As soon as we found that out, I immediately knew I needed to get back into AWD and ideally something with a bit more storage in the back. The RS5 fits all these needs, as well as my desire to drive a more unique car with plenty of power.

My ONLY gripe after making the switch is that due to the RS5's doors not having framed windows, when you shut the door it sounds hollow and almost "cheap". Whereas my M3, with fully framed doors, had a nice solid "thud" to it when shutting the door. I can honestly say that is the only thing I miss from that car.

Dan99

I bought my first S4 after Car & Driver picked it in the 10 Best over a BMW (330 I think).

doug_998

So I first reached out to a dealer and was told "we don't allow test drives of the RS5 - come in, negotiate, and if we come to terms, you can drive it as a final condition of the deal". Uh, yea, sure. So I reached out to another dealer and drove it today.

Alas, there were more things about the car that I disliked than I liked. But from a like standpoint, holy crap, that is one fast car and the transmission is amazing. Steering - at least in Dynamic mode is sweet too - but in comfort or auto, way over-boosted (the way I remember Audis)

But guys, I have to tell you, that interior does not compare to my BMW. Granted, I have the full leather, but wow, $85K for a dashboard like that? And the shortcut buttons, love pushing them and having the other side come up - buttons 1-8 are a single piece of plastic? And did someone forget the volume **** and that was the only spot for it?

On the plus side, the MMI now seems to turn the correct way (ok, the way I'm used to) - I remember previous Audi's turning the opposite way of BMW.

Its a cool car - but wow, I just can't see spending that money on that kind of interior and yea, will probably get flamed, but it just felt low rent compared to my older BMW.

belzebutt

Which BMW has such an amazing interior?

Trade_it_all_4_more

If everyone liked the exact same thing, the world would be a very boring place. So if it's not for you, then it's not for you. Personally, the volume **** by the shifter (where my hand is the majority of time while I drive) is absolutely awesome.

m444

The 1-8 memory buttons are touch capacitive sensitive, hover on the surface of the button lightly, it will tell you the station, without needing to select it. Push on it and the station gets selected.

I use the volume control on the steering wheel most of the time, but when the car is parked that does not work and one must use the ****. The volume **** also makes it easy for my wife to turn down the volume.

If you like BMW better go with that. I prefer the Audi designs.

doug_998

It actually is a great spot - your hand falls right there - which is exactly where my iDrive **** is. So I'm surprised they didn't put the MMI controller there - even a smaller version right there.

Well to be clear, I was actually amazed by the performance. While the car might not quite have the structural rigidity of the BMW (to me, it felt like it had a touch more flex over bumps), the exhaust sounded nice and the steering, when in dynamic mode was really spot on. The car also rode a touch rougher than I was expecting and I liked that - I was worried (based on what I read here), that it would be more like a 550/M5 (side on the luxury vs. sport). But the interior was a let down for me. Short story, I was surprised by the car - both in a positive way (handling/performance) and a negative way (interior) - and I thought those two would be swapped.

mdrobc1213

That is interesting commentary as Audi makes some of the best interiors in the business. Having had a 2015 F80 M3 prior to my current Audi RS5 I can say the Audi interior and dash is much better and well done. BMW is very industrial is how I would put it and does not inspire the same aww as the Audi. But then again beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I for one am not upset about my choice in the Audi.