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      08-02-2012, 09:33 AM   #1
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13' 335i M Sport vs 13' Audi S4

I figured since there's no "vs" forum here, I'd start a discussion as to which car people here would prefer, consider, etc. Keep in mind I'm keeping this strictly 335i M SPORT vs S4, since I feel that's a more direct competition than a regular 335i.

I personally feel Audi has done a superb job with the face-lift on the B8 S4. The interior updates are very nice, specially the steering wheel. However, I've always felt that Audi's have a rather bland exterior design.

And this is where BMW has always been a big winner. Bimmers are always more eye catching than Audi's, however they seemed to lack interior quality. I think the whole "driver oriented cockpit" excuse was a little.... naive?
They've definitely stepped up and delivered with the new F30 cockpit.

As a side note, I have considered both of these cars as my M3 was stolen around 2 months ago (another story, another time). And the more you look at the 335i, the more bland the S4 looks. However, the whole ordeal with the navigation system on the F30 changing in November really ticks me off.
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      08-02-2012, 09:38 AM   #2
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Whats wrong with a regular 335i? There's no performance upgardes on the M Sport.

However if you're comparing looks, then you're right. The M Sport Package looks very good and is comparable to the S4.

I had a short race with an S4 a few days back. I was quite shocked at how slow the S4 took off as I was away in a flash...However we all know the S4 has around 330HP, which is supposed to make it faster than the 335i...
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      08-02-2012, 09:47 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maz335i View Post
Whats wrong with a regular 335i? There's no performance upgardes on the M Sport.

However if you're comparing looks, then you're right. The M Sport Package looks very good and is comparable to the S4.

I had a short race with an S4 a few days back. I was quite shocked at how slow the S4 took off as I was away in a flash...However we all know the S4 has around 330HP, which is supposed to make it faster than the 335i...
Nothing wrong with the regular 335i at all. As a matter of fact, the regular bumper has grown on me more than the M Sport bumper. But I think BMW takes the M Sport as the real competition to the S4, as those would be the two "sportier" variants of the B8 and F30 chassis'.

The only "performance" upgrades I can think of on the M Sport is the lower suspension height. That's about it. I remember reading ( I can't confirm this though) that the electric steering will be tuned to make it a bit sportier.
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      08-02-2012, 09:54 AM   #4
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I just realized I posted on the photo/video section by accident.

MODS could you pretty please move this to the general discussion section?

Thank you.
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      08-02-2012, 10:29 AM   #5
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I think the fair comparison would be s4 vs M3 Sedan and not 335i vs S4
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      08-02-2012, 10:37 AM   #6
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Audi S4 interior is really dated. I mean even the E90 interior is still pretty fresh looking with nice flowing curves and lines.. But Audi's interior layout and the dashboard design is very box looking. It looks like something you'd see on a dodge caravan or something..

Also, they Navigation system and the display in general is so old school looking and the graphics and such is so 2D. I think style wise interior, Bmw wins with simplicity and the iDrive which feels and looks very high tech compared to Audis. Even the A7 has a terrible interior with that flimsy screen that pops out so awkwardly, looks so cheap and plasticy, what were they thinking!

On the exterior, I obviously think the F30 looks way more aggressive (since I own one lol). The only nice thing with audi is that LED in the front headlights, which is sort of out played now. Actually, I still prefer the 4 BMW corono Rings..which are symbolic of a bimmer from miles away.

However, I think the S4 performance wise is ofcourse much better than the M sport 335, which is just a regular 335 with some cosmetics but no power bump. Also the S4 sounds pretty nice from the inside.

But I'd still take a regular 335 over an S4 any day, because with a $379 tuning chip, my regular 335 can push 350 Horses just like that!

I hope the next gen audis will have a total interior make over...interiors are very important to me, as important as exterior!

I would actually strongly consider the A5 over the F30..don't know if its very comparable but yep the A5 is sexy, and the face lift even sexier
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      08-02-2012, 10:42 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roki_014 View Post
I think the fair comparison would be s4 vs M3 Sedan and not 335i vs S4
No, the 335i vs S4 makes more sense. They have similar performance and price. An M3 has almost 100 more horsepower than an S4 and a starting price of about 13k more.

The RS4 is what's supposed to compete with the M3, although I'm not sure Audi is offering that in the U.S. right now.
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      08-02-2012, 10:45 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roki_014 View Post
I think the fair comparison would be s4 vs M3 Sedan and not 335i vs S4


Sorry bro, definitely a wrong comparo...
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      08-02-2012, 11:07 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maz335i View Post


Sorry bro, definitely a wrong comparo...
ok I might be wrong but I would pick 335 over s4 any day, and I did
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      08-02-2012, 11:27 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roki_014 View Post
ok I might be wrong but I would pick 335 over s4 any day, and I did


Now you're CORRECT!!!
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      08-02-2012, 11:38 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roki_014 View Post
ok I might be wrong but I would pick 335 over s4 any day, and I did
And over any C class!
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      08-02-2012, 11:52 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maz335i View Post
Whats wrong with a regular 335i? There's no performance upgardes on the M Sport.

However if you're comparing looks, then you're right. The M Sport Package looks very good and is comparable to the S4.
This.

From a performance perspective, the 335i and the M-Sport are the same beast, so either could be a suitable player in an S4 vs. F30 comparo.

Design and looks are subjective, though I personally prefer the F30. For better and worse, the Bangle-era cars changed the landscape of modern car design with more attention to surfacing and the interplay of concave/convex. BMW designs are "riskier" from the perspective that people will love or hate them (e.g. F20).

Audi's designs strike me as more teutonic and it seems they're unsure whether to stay the course with the Bauhaus design language (e.g. the original TT) or shift toward more modern design (e.g. A5/S5). Unfortuantely, the A4 seems to be caught in the middle and I fear that Audi is doing to this platform what Jaguar did with the XJ: Take an original and beautiful design and then tack on odd design elements over several generations until it's a cliche of the original.
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      08-02-2012, 12:01 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bosz View Post
Audi S4 interior is really dated. I mean even the E90 interior is still pretty fresh looking with nice flowing curves and lines.. But Audi's interior layout and the dashboard design is very box looking. It looks like something you'd see on a dodge caravan or something..

Also, they Navigation system and the display in general is so old school looking and the graphics and such is so 2D. I think style wise interior, Bmw wins with simplicity and the iDrive which feels and looks very high tech compared to Audis. Even the A7 has a terrible interior with that flimsy screen that pops out so awkwardly, looks so cheap and plasticy, what were they thinking!

On the exterior, I obviously think the F30 looks way more aggressive (since I own one lol). The only nice thing with audi is that LED in the front headlights, which is sort of out played now. Actually, I still prefer the 4 BMW corono Rings..which are symbolic of a bimmer from miles away.

However, I think the S4 performance wise is ofcourse much better than the M sport 335, which is just a regular 335 with some cosmetics but no power bump. Also the S4 sounds pretty nice from the inside.

But I'd still take a regular 335 over an S4 any day, because with a $379 tuning chip, my regular 335 can push 350 Horses just like that!

I hope the next gen audis will have a total interior make over...interiors are very important to me, as important as exterior!

I would actually strongly consider the A5 over the F30..don't know if its very comparable but yep the A5 is sexy, and the face lift even sexier
I have to agree with you on the simplicity of the BMW interior. It's something I like as well. Though I still think the E90's interior was lacking. However the F30's interior is definitely right up there at the top of it's class.

I think the biggest performance spec the S4 has over the 335i is the Quattro and the option of getting a more aggressive differential. I think this plays a bigger role than the 333 ponies under the hood of the S4, as all of us here know that the 300 hp claimed by BMW in the 335i is a bit underrated.

Furthermore, Audi is able to offer the sportier differential in part because they won't stomp on the heels of any other sportier A4 variant. The S4 IS THE A4 PERFORMANCE variant, where as 335i needs to keep a certain conservatism in order to avoid stepping on the heels of the M3. Could you imagine a 335i with a limited slip diff? I can guarantee you the M3 would lose sales. I think this is something the plays in Audi's S4 favor BIG TIME.

If Audi would ever bring back the RS4 to U.S.A. they would definitely need to make sure the cost of paying for the RS4 is justified, and that would mean limiting the S4's performance just as the 335i is "limited".
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      08-02-2012, 12:50 PM   #14
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How about a S4 comparison to a 335i xDrive both with the same summer tires!
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      08-02-2012, 05:41 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Maz335i View Post
I had a short race with an S4 a few days back. I was quite shocked at how slow the S4 took off as I was away in a flash...However we all know the S4 has around 330HP, which is supposed to make it faster than the 335i...
Well, higher HP does not always make for a faster car in this case. Yes, there was a motortrend review a month ago that showed the S4 had faster acceleration and 1/4 mile times BUT they were comparing a 335i with 225 tread width rear all season tires while the S4 were on summer performance tires with 245 (possibly even 255) width tires on all four corners. I would expect the 335i with with 255 rear summer tires to be much closer in performance.

The 335i is also lighter by about 302lbs (3545lbs vs. 3847lbs; both manual transmission). That's like carrying a HUGE sumo wrestler in your car all the time!! EEK! (Refer to this thread for more LOL)

Obviously, it's difficult to gauge performance comparisons on paper. However, when appropriately matched, I think the 335i would be a great competitor to the S4 and vice versa.

Quote:
Originally Posted by zamm3k View Post
The only "performance" upgrades I can think of on the M Sport is the lower suspension height. That's about it.
Well, I would consider the wheels/tires to be an upgrade as well since 255 section rear summer performance tires compared to a 225 section all season tires could make a big difference in performance, I would presume.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dude987 View Post
How about a S4 comparison to a 335i xDrive both with the same summer tires!
Yes, I could see this being a good comparison too!

Last edited by joonix214; 08-02-2012 at 06:20 PM..
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      08-02-2012, 07:13 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joonix214 View Post
Well, higher HP does not always make for a faster car in this case. Yes, there was a motortrend review a month ago that showed the S4 had faster acceleration and 1/4 mile times BUT they were comparing a 335i with 225 tread width rear all season tires while the S4 were on summer performance tires with 245 (possibly even 255) width tires on all four corners. I would expect the 335i with with 255 rear summer tires to be much closer in performance.

The 335i is also lighter by about 302lbs (3545lbs vs. 3847lbs; both manual transmission). That's like carrying a HUGE sumo wrestler in your car all the time!! EEK! (Refer to this thread for more LOL)

Obviously, it's difficult to gauge performance comparisons on paper. However, when appropriately matched, I think the 335i would be a great competitor to the S4 and vice versa.



Well, I would consider the wheels/tires to be an upgrade as well since 255 section rear summer performance tires compared to a 225 section all season tires could make a big difference in performance, I would presume.


Yes, I could see this being a good comparison too!
Ah, yes. Valid point!
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      08-03-2012, 12:02 AM   #17
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Audi S4 - nose heavy, lots of understeer..
BMW 335i - near 50/50 weight distribution, better handling.
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      08-03-2012, 12:27 AM   #18
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I didn't drive either on a track, but when we drove a 335i and an S4 in the same hour my wife and I thought the S4 pulled a little harder and smoother, but we liked the steering and brakes on the 335i. Everything else wasn't even close - the Audi interior was so lacking in any personality (and the exterior, too, with the exception of the cool LEDs) we decided we couldn't live with it. It was so forgettable it was amazing. The dash was so bland and gray and one piece - felt very cheap. We went for the test drives fully expecting to love and buy the Audi, but in direct comparison completely fell in love with the 335. Oh, and the 335xi should be faster than the S4 (we got staggered summer performance tires). We picked the right one.
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      08-03-2012, 09:00 AM   #19
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Quote:
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I didn't drive either on a track, but when we drove a 335i and an S4 in the same hour my wife and I thought the S4 pulled a little harder and smoother, but we liked the steering and brakes on the 335i. Everything else wasn't even close - the Audi interior was so lacking in any personality (and the exterior, too, with the exception of the cool LEDs) we decided we couldn't live with it. It was so forgettable it was amazing. The dash was so bland and gray and one piece - felt very cheap. We went for the test drives fully expecting to love and buy the Audi, but in direct comparison completely fell in love with the 335. Oh, and the 335xi should be faster than the S4 (we got staggered summer performance tires). We picked the right one.
This is how I feel about the exterior as well. Very bland, except for the LED's, which has become Audi's trademark basically. I feel they have no shape, no boldness to their design. Feels like its stuck somewhere in between with very aggressive looking headlights and a conservative looking body shape. This is most apparent in the basic S4 with 18" wheels. It looks like a Jetta with Audi logos and headlights/tailights. (maybe a took it a bit to far, but you get my point )
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      08-03-2012, 01:55 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dbpe View Post
I didn't drive either on a track, but when we drove a 335i and an S4 in the same hour my wife and I thought the S4 pulled a little harder and smoother, but we liked the steering and brakes on the 335i. Everything else wasn't even close - the Audi interior was so lacking in any personality (and the exterior, too, with the exception of the cool LEDs) we decided we couldn't live with it. It was so forgettable it was amazing. The dash was so bland and gray and one piece - felt very cheap. We went for the test drives fully expecting to love and buy the Audi, but in direct comparison completely fell in love with the 335. Oh, and the 335xi should be faster than the S4 (we got staggered summer performance tires). We picked the right one.
TOTALLY AGREE...I made the comparison between a 2011 335 and 2012 S4 - the key for me was I couldn't get the BMW outta my head - the steering, the feel of the M Wheel etc.
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      08-03-2012, 02:01 PM   #21
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Quote:
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Audi S4 - nose heavy, lots of understeer..
BMW 335i - near 50/50 weight distribution, better handling.
Sounds like someone hasn't driven a B8 S4.
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      08-03-2012, 03:53 PM   #22
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S4 too bland? Are you kidding?

I just saw an Estroil blue S4 with two tone black/silver nappa seats, flat bottom steering wheel, Supercharged badges, 19inch peelers, cool front and back LED set up. Bang and Olsen sound system. Alu optic stone guards.

If that is bland we should all sign up!

I think the Bangle era has everyone thinking if the car is not full of creases...its bland.

The hallmark of great GERMAN design is SIMPLICITY....I think we may have forgotten that point.

Go back and look at the E30 or the E39...or even the E46....call them bland? I call them German!
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