Both have six cylinders, are turbocharged coupes with back seats, and very desirable, but it’s hard to choose between the M4 and RS 5 exclusively on paper. Thomas from Autogefühl had to chance of testing both cars back-to-back, and surprisingly, he would pick the Audi.
First of all, the buck-toothed Bimmer is on the look-at-me side of compact executive coupes while the four-ringed contender is a little more restrained without crossing over into boring territory. The V6-engined Audi doesn’t feel like it wants to bite you back all the time as the BMW does, quattro all-wheel drive gives the RS 5 driver a little more confidence in the twisties and bad weather, and the RS 5 has a more elegant cabin design.
Thomas does acknowledge the sports seats in the Bimmer are more comfortable than the base ones, yet he’s not happy about “the stiff carbon-fiber part here in the middle. I don’t need carbon fiber between my legs to have something stiff between my legs.” The Audi with performance seats, meanwhile, leans on the comfy side of sporty interiors.
On the road, the all-new M4 is described as full-on racy while the RS 5 is a balanced compromise between comfort and raciness. In the Audi’s case, “you have a lot of performance, but you feel 100 percent in control all the time. To me, it’s somehow the better feeling,” said Thomas. As for the sharp-handling but tail-happy Bavarian contender, the reviewer can’t believe how smooth and responsive the 3.0-liter engine feels. Obviously enough, the straight-six also makes a louder, more pleasant exhaust sound than the vee-six Audi.
Due to the steering ratio and diameter of the steering wheel, Thomas can’t help but give the Audi RS 5 Coupe his seal of approval. “It just feels more precise and gives me a better-balanced feeling. The whole user interface, starting with the interior and driving interface; it’s easier here in the RS 5.”
Don’t think for a moment the BMW M4 isn’t worthy of your shortlist if you’re in the market for a 100,000-euro sports coupe. It’s just different from the four-ringed car, and this difference perfectly encapsulates the “Ultimate Driving Machine” tagline from the 1970s over the grand touring-like Audi.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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