[Mamyf30]

Interested to see what pros and cons people think about these three vehicles when comparing to each other. Which would give the best performance/value for you and why?

[jmg]

C43: AWD, more power, more torque, heavy
S4 - AWD, about the same power and torque, automatic only, slightly heavier
340- w/MPPK, RWD, Manual, better weight distribution, slightly lighter than the S4.

Aesthetics:
Interior: S4
Exterior: C43 or 340i

Handling: 340i

Cons:
340i: Starting to look dated, older tech, RWD
C43: The most expensive
S4: No manual

Pros:
340i - RWD
S4: Updated tech, killer interior
C43: Refined. Sounds great


Go test drive them all, they are all good cars and you can't go wrong with either!

[chicagoshark]

Originally Posted by jmg

C43: AWD, more power, more torque, heavy
S4 - AWD, about the same power and torque, automatic only, slightly heavier
340- w/MPPK, RWD, Manual, better weight distribution, slightly lighter than the S4.

Aesthetics:
Interior: S4
Exterior: C43 or 340i

Handling: 340i

Cons:
340i: Starting to look dated, older tech, RWD
C43: The most expensive
S4: No manual

Pros:
340i - RWD
S4: Updated tech, killer interior
C43: Refined. Sounds great


Go test drive them all, they are all good cars and you can't go wrong with either!

Solid assessment. I think you can customize the bmw a little better than the alternatives. It will be interesting to see how these rankings/preferences change with the G20...

If they update the interior, don't put nasty square pipes, and if they fix a little of the body roll, it will be no contest.

I need to drive a rwd 340 with m sport suspension and compare it to mine to really know which is best.

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by jmg

C43: AWD, more power, more torque, heavy
S4 - AWD, about the same power and torque, automatic only, slightly heavier
340- w/MPPK, RWD, Manual, better weight distribution, slightly lighter than the S4.

Aesthetics:
Interior: S4
Exterior: C43 or 340i

Handling: 340i

Cons:
340i: Starting to look dated, older tech, RWD
C43: The most expensive
S4: No manual

Pros:
340i - RWD
S4: Updated tech, killer interior
C43: Refined. Sounds great


Go test drive them all, they are all good cars and you can't go wrong with either!

Pretty much nails it. Definitely go test drive them!

[N33D4SP33D]

What is this body roll everyone talks about my ties are square and I don't feel it.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by N33D4SP33D

What is this body roll everyone talks about my ties are square and I don't feel it.

How do you not feel it with your base suspension?

Read my passive 704 Sport Suspension vs. M Performance Suspension Kit: http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1366843

[anotheran]

If you want a manual, it's 340i for sure. If you want RWD, it's 340i for sure. If you like the "sporty" looks then I feel it's the 340i with msport and lots of m perf carbon pieces.

If you want a posh cruiser it's C43

If you want overall better road handling with real torque vectoring with the sports differential and you're stuck having to go AWD, i'd go S4.

But if you're tracking/autoX'ing, i don't think you'd have these 3 cars in your comparison

[eluded]

Out of the three cars you listed only one has a manual transmission. So clearly there is only one logical choice here. That would be the S4 because it is new and fresh and hip and TwinTurbo charged. However if you care about driving, as I pointed out, only one option has a manual transmission.

[Tim182]

Why do people keep saying the Audi has the best interior. It looks absolutely shite!

The MB is nice, but it's well, a Benz.

Problem is 3 is getting replaced soon, otherwise it would be a no brainier

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Tim182

Why do people keep saying the Audi has the best interior. It looks absolutely shite!

The MB is nice, but it's well, a Benz.

Problem is 3 is getting replaced soon, otherwise it would be a no brainier

It's subjective of course.

[spuntyb]

Originally Posted by Tim182

Why do people keep saying the Audi has the best interior. It looks absolutely shite!

The MB is nice, but it's well, a Benz.

Problem is 3 is getting replaced soon, otherwise it would be a no brainier

It's objectively fairly nice, but I agree, it's not necessarily the best. Personally I think the MB has the best overall, but I also don't dislike the F3x interior. Honestly the Audi, out of these 3, is at the bottom for me.

[bimmercar]

340, better lease deals

[S.BMW23]

Originally Posted by bimmercar

340, better lease deals

Exactly!! Audi lease deals are horrible. Get into a high end bmw at that point vs paying 800 for an s4

C43 lease not horrible. I've seen in the 600s

[Antec800]

I think the BMW may be the fastest unless the new s5 has gotten faster from the old model

[jmg]

Originally Posted by spuntyb

It's objectively fairly nice, but I agree, it's not necessarily the best. Personally I think the MB has the best overall, but I also don't dislike the F3x interior. Honestly the Audi, out of these 3, is at the bottom for me.

Just goes to show how subjective it is! The quality of the MB interior is nice, I'm just personally not a fan of the design and interface. Audi interiors have always been aesthetically pleasing to me, and I find the F30 to be the most ergonomic, but that's also due to the fact that I've owned 2 F30s and an F80 so I'm very comfortable in it.

[AstonKarim]

I recently sat in the new S5 and what I instantly noticed was the seats (massage feature, leather quality, stitching) are far superior in the audi; you would really have to opt for merino individual to actually compare, illuminated door sills are legitimate and not battery powered retro-fitted like bmw they instantly grabbed my attention.

The C43 is hideous, they've copied a vw gti with all the red accent trims. Interior looks great in pictures but once you actually sit inside, the cheap plastic is prevalent

Sometimes its the small details that win over a purchase of a vehicle

[joz]

Originally Posted by AstonKarim

I recently sat in the new S5 and what I instantly noticed was the seats (massage feature, leather quality, stitching) are far superior in the audi; you would really have to opt for merino individual to actually compare, illuminated door sills are legitimate and not battery powered retro-fitted like bmw they instantly grabbed my attention.

The C43 is hideous, they've copied a vw gti with all the red accent trims. Interior looks great in pictures but once you actually sit inside, the cheap plastic is prevalent

Sometimes its the small details that win over a purchase of a vehicle

I actually prefer it over the 3 series and find the quality very good.


Overall I think the first assessment was almost spot on. One thing I will say is that price wise the c43 was better and was ultimately a driving factor for me shifting over.

[ishowerinjager]

I've spent a lot of time in both as I have a 2017 340i m performance edition and my friend has a new c43. Unless you get full merino the c43 wins interiors no question. Merino makes it comparable but I still think most outsiders would pick the c43.

Performance, I pull on him right from a dig all the way up to 100+. We haven't done a race any faster but he is always surprised and quotes his bigger power figures. I keep telling him to look at the dynos not the factory figures. As the dyno are showing much great for the 340i.

Handling I think they are comparable if you get the adaptive suspension in the 340i. Exhaust is much better with mppsk in the 340i, screen is much higher resolution in the 340i, the sports seats option in the c43 blow away the 340i (2000+ option), more bells and whistles in the c43 tech wise.

That's my run down, hope it helps

[S.BMW23]

Bmw are always undercover with thier numbers. Good compairson overall.

Originally Posted by ishowerinjager

I've spent a lot of time in both as I have a 2017 340i m performance edition and my friend has a new c43. Unless you get full merino the c43 wins interiors no question. Merino makes it comparable but I still think most outsiders would pick the c43.

Performance, I pull on him right from a dig all the way up to 100+. We haven't done a race any faster but he is always surprised and quotes his bigger power figures. I keep telling him to look at the dynos not the factory figures. As the dyno are showing much great for the 340i.

Handling I think they are comparable if you get the adaptive suspension in the 340i. Exhaust is much better with mppsk in the 340i, screen is much higher resolution in the 340i, the sports seats option in the c43 blow away the 340i (2000+ option), more bells and whistles in the c43 tech wise.

That's my run down, hope it helps

[mike@x-ph.com]

Only way to tell is by test driving all three

[M4ENY]

I test drove all three of the vehicles you are looking at OP.

My previous car is 2013 Audi S4 (Supercharged V6 + S tronic)

S4/S5
Pros: Technology! Both interior and exterior
Cons: Their tiptronic automatic was terrible ... I loved the design of the s5 sportback however this alone made me think twice about going to another Audi.

C43 Amg
Pros: Exhaust sound! (Wild and lots of character), Most luxury looking of the three especially the cabin.
Cons: Exhaust (Too crazy ... may not be everyone's cup of tea), car felt light (not in a good way) when driving fast etc => Doesn't give me confidence when cornering.

340i MPPSK
Pros: Driving experience (engine, transmission and exhaust) felt the best out of the three.
Cons: Not as latest tech (Audi) or Luxury (Benz) 2019 will come with Redesign of the car.

TLDR: I went with 340i MPPSK because at the end of the day I wasn't going after the latest tech or the most luxurious interior... I was going for better driving experience and that is where 340i MPPSK excels at.

[Jordan]

Also, what helped me decide... BMW was the only one with a manual transmission. I'm sure the Audi will eventually have the manual, but not the MB