I couldn't get a good enough deal on the S4 when it came out last year and wound up buying my wife a car. Today went back and drove it again. I like the price and content, it seems very well built, very solid feeling. I like the AWD but admittedly don't need it for anything other than early corner exits. I love the motor and exhaust note, very hard to beat. I did not like the shifter, in fact I thought it was so bad that I could have driven the car much better if it were better or maybe an AM SSK. The car feels heavy and does not make me think its a sub 5 sec. car. The tires howled when it was pushed, held its line well and was planted maybe the rubber isnt a good match for this car not a huge prob. Overall the car just didn't grab me like it did last year. I bet this car with tip is a sweet combo to, albeit a bit slower.

The C55 exhaust note was a bit weak especially for a 360hp V8, the interior is much better, in fact its close to my wife's E500 really liked it a lot, felt a lot more spacious than the S4. Comfy but firm, C32 pretty much sucked *** here last couple of years. The engine is a lot different than the Audi, it is a more raw and brutish, a little more right now and in your face. The rear end cannot hook up under full throttle, sent ESP running to mommy when I tried, I had to back out of the throttle, this thing is a monster. The tranny was a bit off, getting abused by multiple test drives it seemed to be guessing where to shift, they usually come around after the first couple of days though. It had so much torque that it pulled hard everywhere though, felt much stronger than the S4. Suspension was simply amazing. The low speed ride is very supple but the cornering is so flat and linear, completely planted. It was scary how easily it cornered fast.

I know a lot of times the butt dyno doesn't play out to the stats but the C55 won this one hands down. Not sure if its worth 10K more but it was definetly a more refined car, it felt like it was the more expensive car than the Audi and that is saying a lot.

 

Hmmmmm..... Nice review. Sounds like the C55 is a beast... Still LOVE my S4!

 

I'm a young enthusiast and I was looking for a car that was a pleasure to drive. I've already owned a b5 s4 and now the b6 s4. Before getting my b5 s4, I looked at the e46 m3, c32 amg, and the nissan 350z track. Eventually it came down to the s4 and m3, it all came down to what I would rather have, two doors and rwd but bit raw and faster, or four doors awd and fast but not as fast speed. I chose the latter.

Now after owning the b5 s4, and it's lease due, after 1 year. I went into the market to look into a new car. Now instead of the c32, I tested the c55. c55 and m3 both are really fast cars. They are fast, and they both feel that fast. And honestly, the m3 is a very fun car to drive straight line. But it again came down to what I would rather have, and if I chose the b5 s4 over the m3 last year, this b6 s4, which I think is ALOT better than the b5 s4, to put it simple, it matured and went through "puberty", I chose the b6 s4. Yes I know people say don't buy a car that your not satisifed with stock, but then this car definetely deserves a larger exhaust, great sounds from the intake and maybe a sway bar. Now the c55 amg...the c32 amg was fast, the c55 amg is faster, but to me, the c55 amg is just not a sports car. It's a luxury sedan trying to be a sports car, the name sounds and feels inappropriate. So I'll stop about how I feel about the car and talk about the driving impressions.
I drive automatic, so it's a much better comparision between the s4 and the c55 since they are both automatic. the c55 feels faster than the s4, but so did the m3, the interior, I like the s4 better, the seats also, cornering..s4, with the sway bars, s4 by far, the s4 is so much of a more linear and flat car etc. etc.

basically it's really up to you. I really love audi's and if you like the c55, go for it. But yes it is 10K more, and it is definetely not a 10K difference in price. If you want a more luxurious car, that your just going to drive around and outrun people on the highway, keep it stock, and can spend more money, go fo rthe c55
if you want a refined mature sports car, want to have fun, and willing to get the exhaust, sway, intake, the s4 is a much better choice

 

I agree that these cars are very close and its all about personal taste. I've had full on sports cars, (currently driving an S2000) and I am looking for the luxo/sport vs. the sporto/lux. Last year the C32 sucked, this year I think the C55 is a major step forward though still basically underpinned by the same chassis. The S4 is a sweet car at a sweeter price and I'm looking forward to another M3/C55/S4 comparo. I think the Mercedes will still lose on the grounds of no manual like it does every year but still fun to see them run together.

 

the s4 beat the c32 and the c55 is supposed to be almost an exact copy performance wise as the c32 in numbers. now, the other side of this is that many people who have ridden the b6 s4 claim that it is slower than the b5, but the cars smoothness is very deceptive. your but dyno would tell you that my wife's b5 s4 avant is fater than my b6 sedan, and you'd be wrong. your problem with the s4's tranny seems to be an anomoly. the tranny is one of the best i've driven. stock it has reasonable throws and good solid engagement. i will also remind you that mercedes is doing away with their free scheduled oil changes etc. ( atleast this is what the merc dealer told me)
most importantly it seems like mercedes has once again put an awesome motor into an undercapable chasis with a driveline that makes the power almost unmanagable. spinning the tires as much as you stated seems great if you want to join the drifting crowd, but for a twisty road performer i'd rather have a driveline that can put the power down.

 

I like them both, and would track neither. To be more specific about the handling issue, the Audi felt heavy and seemed to push through corners, this could be managed quite easily through the throttle but I was having to address both the overall weight and what I beleieve was a lot of front end weight, though I do not know what the actual weight bias is. I was talking specifically about the shifter mechanism not being very good, the one in my S2000 is almost perfect, I may have been able to handle the audi better with more seat time.

The Mercedes could not hook up from a standstill but the handling was very exceptional. It was very flat and linear and actually had some feedback. It went through the same curves as the Audi at the same speed with zero tire noise and very flat, no noticeable weight transfer like the Audi. It was simply easier to drive fast. It will be fun to see a good comparo, the Mercedes usually loses but I think the C55 has improved very dramatically. I had crossed the C32 off the list last year completely so as I mentioned I am surprised at how much of an improvement there has been.

 

as most people know so much of the experience is subjective. money is not so subjective. for almost 10k more than the S4 you might as well wait a few more months and go for the RS4, which by any standards (subjective or objective) it will be faster than the M3 (including the new one, i suspect, and the C55).

 

Money isn't really my overriding concern, I am still planning to at least check out the new 997. Its all personal preference. The Audi may actually "be" faster but for all practical purposes, driving to and fro, the C55 felt faster, felt more engaging and had a much better combination of smooth ride/sport handling without giving away the sporting feel. The S4 feels soft an ponderous. Again subjective but... The S4 is a nice car, you can expect it to hold its own even better some newer cars eg. the C55, but none of that matters to me. I rarely run across people who can outdrive me in a like car. I would bet money I could at least hang with you guys at VIR and that has a lot more to do with who is behind the wheel than what logo is on the hood. That being said you have to buy a car on what attributes appeal to you, rather than whcih one is actually faster around a specific racing circuit that you are unlikely to drive on in your lifetime.

 

It's true that the S4 is more nose heavy than the C55. 60/40 as opposed to something like 53/47, but the primary reason the S4 pushes in corners is because it has nearly 50% of the engine's torque going through the front wheels. That's the bad part. The good part is, that slight push is as bad as it gets even when the pavement gets uneven or wet. The S4 will drive almost the same under those conditions. The C55 will become heavily regulated by the ESP system if you use the power in less than ideal situations in anything other than a straight line. Since you seem to be well aquainted with performance cars, I wouldn't think you'd like that kind of "reeled in" feeling. I sure don't.

I guess what it boils down to is if you live in the sunbelt, and your roads are well surfaced, the S4's additional abilities will not benefit you much and you might as well go for the C55. If you want/like the additional options afforded by the S4's drivetrain, it sure deserves serious consideration. There sure is nothing like a real 6 speed manual hooked to such a characterful engine.