Car & Driver - The Lightning Lap - the 335i beats the RS4

XeroK00L submitted on 06/29/2007 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 4:24 PM
from: www.caranddriver.com

Tags: car and driver test race review 335i rs4

car and driver test race review 335i rs4

Car & Driver - The Lightning Lap - the 335i beats the RS4

Although it shares its V-8 engine with the R8, the Audi RS 4 didn’t impart the same sort of driving satisfaction. It’s a porky beast—at 3952 pounds, the heaviest of the 13 cars featured here. It’s actually better at masking its weight than the similarly obese Shelby GT500, but the mass is especially apparent when cornering, where the tires squeal in a protracted wail of protest.

The closest comparative car this time around was the BMW 335i coupe, which also has decent-sized rear seats. The BMW was almost one second quicker around VIR, despite dramatically lower peak speeds on the straights. The RS 4 simply overloads its tires too quickly when the steering wheel is turned. If it weren’t for the four-wheel-drive system ensuring that the power can be applied early at corner exit, the RS 4 would have been even farther behind the competition in the LL3 class. Read Article

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Qwazywabbit - 6/29/2007 6:54:23 PM

-2 Boost

yep

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rg12345 - 6/29/2007 8:18:56 PM

+4 Boost

They did the test with 3 drivers, assigned to different cars. Now if the RS4 gets the lowest from the bunch, guess what, it loses ... To prove that: the RS4 entered every section of the track (details in the article) with lower speed then the 335i, but was exiting with higher speed then the 335i. That proves the driver was braking more than the BMW's driver (maybe he had to, maybe he was thinking he has to, or maybe he was just scared) and still the car helped him pull out the section with higher speed. Please check details in the article, you will find not only that, but the times RS4 got for individual sections of the track were better then the 335i's times. I think the RS4 driver was a little slow that day, other than that, the 335i is a great car, but not better than the RS4.

This article doesn't prove much. Not the same driver, also, they allowed different tires and suspension upgrades on cars (failed to specify which on what car), so if the 335i got a hard suspension upgrade it can outhandle the RS4 (it didn't from track times on sections) but it will be extremely harsh on a regular drive, more like an subaru than an Bmw. By not using the same driver it makes me give them almost no credits (although hard work on couting all speeds and times on all portions of the track), if you are not used with the car you can not get the most out of it. Next time please use SAME driver, with standard (factory) tires & suspensions, no mods whatsoever.

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amazinBimmer - 6/29/2007 4:47:59 PM

-12 Boost

why si sthis surprising. The rs4 is a dog. its why hey produce a limited number.. if not the price would drop dramatically. think about how fast the m3 must be.. hail!

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IamEvilHomer - 6/29/2007 6:52:31 PM

+2 Boost

is there one person in here that thinks Car and Driver knows how to drive

the RS4 is fine

amazing stay in your corner with the dunce hat on

Qwazywabbit - 6/29/2007 6:55:56 PM

+2 Boost

Hey amazingbimmer--you are about as quick as a brontosaurus with down syndrome--so please refrain from exercising your mental might--you will hurt yourself

SevorbeupstryIsBack - 6/29/2007 4:52:58 PM

+3 Boost

Considering this is the 'normal' version without the M-sport package with LSD I must say I'm very impressed.

But then again I would like to see the driver of the RS4.

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Chip - 6/29/2007 4:57:02 PM

-2 Boost

"The 335i does everything remarkably well, which is why many of us at Car and Driver think it’s the best all-around car in the world."

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IamEvilHomer - 6/29/2007 7:01:01 PM

-1 Boost

yes they did a good job building the old S4 from 2002

Heyhuub - 6/29/2007 5:00:43 PM

+9 Boost

Must'v been something wrong with that RS4, just look at the times Magazines like Sport Auto, Autozeitung and Autobild achieved with it.

Sport AUto - Nurburgring
RS4 - 8:09
335i - 8:26

Sport Auto - Hockenheim
RS4 - 1:15.4
335i - 1:17.8

Autozeitung
RS4 - 1:41.3
335i - 1:45.8

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SupraNeverBack - 6/29/2007 5:24:24 PM

+5 Boost

More or less because C&D is BMW whore.

Qwazywabbit - 6/29/2007 7:01:35 PM

-4 Boost

Gimme a link to where you found this please.

rg12345 - 6/29/2007 8:24:06 PM

+2 Boost

"The BMW was almost one second quicker around VIR, despite dramatically lower peak speeds on the straights."

-they say the RS4 was faster on the straigh line across the track
-we can read the times for each curve sectioned (on their pdf results) as being in the advantage of the RS4 (not by much, but still)!

If the RS4 is faster in straights and faster on turns, then how can the car end up with 1 second slower!?!?

rg12345 - 6/29/2007 8:24:07 PM

-1 Boost

rg12345 - 6/29/2007 8:24:56 PM

-1 Boost

I only posted it once! not twice, sorry about that.

chewy - 6/29/2007 10:07:54 PMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

Yep, the RS4 has done excellent in all other aspects. In all of the other track tests. And it is even quicker than the Corvette on the 'ring.

Auto_expert - 6/29/2007 11:39:13 PM

+1 Boost

Heyhuub, those numbers aren't that impressive. It's nothing to write home about, especially when I hear Audi fans talk about the RS4 owning the M3. We're talking about a 335i against the RS4, NOT the S4!

IamEvilHomer - 6/30/2007 12:43:40 AM

0 Boost

what m3

show me an M3?
for 2 years the m3 was comming out now the RS4 is about at EOP / There is some ricerocket even faster then them both.

Heyhuub - 6/30/2007 4:19:38 AM

+2 Boost

The 335i is nearly just as fast as the E46 M3 on the track.

Check http://www.sportauto-online.de/aktuell_U_sport/tuning_-_zubehoer/hxcms_article_%20%20502725_14653.hbs

truecarlover - 6/30/2007 10:32:55 AM

+2 Boost

rq12 - you are right. it says:
"The RS 4 simply overloads its tires too quickly when the steering wheel is turned. If it weren’t for the four-wheel-drive system ensuring that the power can be applied early at corner exit, the RS 4 would have been even farther behind the competition in the LL3 class"
That sounds a little contradictory to me.

Audi4Life - 7/1/2007 6:52:19 AM

0 Boost

its just that someone does know how to test cars and others dont,

izfuney - 7/2/2007 5:27:55 PM

+1 Boost

The C&D test is not FUD. Like you pointed out its based on the tracks.
E.g. Hockenheim with its long back straight will give the RS4 room to stretch its legs while a circuit that has less straights and more corners will prefer a car with less weight (less load on the brakes and more dynamic chasis) and thus .

does that mean its a better car ? No . its a matter of preference. Performance on track will depend on the track.

candywhite - 6/29/2007 5:26:32 PM

+3 Boost

yea that magazine is shit.
more like "Car & Can't Drive'r"

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Qwazywabbit - 6/29/2007 7:01:03 PM

-3 Boost

Candywhite, there you go again sayin stupid things.

Fact: Car&Driver is know to appreciate a dam good car. Because BMW is a sports car company, not a luxury car company, all of their vehicles are driver's cars. There is not another manufacturer out there beside Porsche that is mainstream that can say that. The other brands make mostly transportation appliances. They know the difference, unlike some of the other mags, which are more focused on the domestic side of things.

And for your information, I have owned Nissan products for 20 years and am very loyal. I also own a BMW, but I prefer a more isolating ride.

keyzi747 - 6/29/2007 11:01:59 PM

0 Boost

Well, if you've got all that power, it mean nothing if you can't effectively put it to the pavement. The BMW's dynamics are much better than its peers.

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Auto_expert - 6/29/2007 11:36:00 PM

+2 Boost

It's just just too damn heavy. Even if it were faster than the 335i, I'd still go with the Bimmer. Audis have none of the feeling that BMWs are known for. You can really feel the weight when you push it hard. Just wait till the M3 hits. Forget about it. It WILL be like lightning around the track.

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Bighead255 - 6/30/2007 12:43:49 AM

+2 Boost

is it fair to compare the RS4 vs the 335 coupe? I dont think so. Why didnt they borrow an Audi S5 to do the comparison

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cs4444 - 7/2/2007 11:04:42 AM

+1 Boost

read the article

YZFracer23 - 6/30/2007 1:12:39 AM

+1 Boost

The RS4 is the king right now. Every mag and review has said so. The RS4 is faster than the M3, and the same people have said the 335 is maybe as fast as the M3, which means the RS4 is faster and better than the 335. Car and driver is a mainstream magazine that is paid by the auto companies that want good reviews. The real auto enthusiast reads mags and reviews from mags like autoweek and other non-mainstream mags. If I paid Car and Driver enough, I could get them to say a Pinto is faster than an RS4.

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truecarlover - 6/30/2007 10:30:22 AM

+2 Boost

I don't know about them being paid off or not - but I honestly can't tell the last time a car didn't get a favorable review - that was supposed to...?? That said - you are right the RS4 did take the last M3's crown. To make the proper comparison wait until the new M3 SEDAN comes out and compare it to the next generation RS4. Likewise - take the M3 COUPE and compare it to the RS5.

Auto_expert - 6/30/2007 1:59:27 AM

-1 Boost

Yeah...right. Looks like Audi needs an RSS4+ to challenge the lowly 335i. If C&D wanted to be FAIR, they would have compared the 335i to A4 3.2. Then, the Bimmer would crush the Audi even more.

I think C&D had it right to compare run these two together. Any lesser Audi would get slaughtered. Let's not even talk about the M3. It's on a whole other level.

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RS4inPA - 6/30/2007 4:55:52 AM

+1 Boost

it seems that the BMW fan boys conveniently forget that the RS4 is a sedan that has AWD. not quite an apples to apples comparison. add a little rain or less than perfect conditions to that track and my guess is the BMW would be cutting the infield grass with it's front spoiler:)~~~

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cs4444 - 7/2/2007 11:08:55 AM

+1 Boost

but why whould you want to drive fast in thoughs conditions,thats just dumb 4wd or not.

M53R - 6/30/2007 5:20:45 AMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

Well that is very amazing, but I ll only count it if they tested the 335i sedan instead of the coupe which has a big weight advantage.

But this only proves one thing, the 335i coupe is out of this earth :P

and No the G37 cant beat the RS4, since it has been tested and said to have less handling than the 335i, but they both are very close.

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I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 6/30/2007 5:24:26 AM

+2 Boost

It seems that even an openly placed Joke is taken seriously by Clowns who know very little about vehicle performance figures and what affects them.

1- It is evident that they are not using 1 driver
2-It is evident that the drivers are not anywhere as good as the Stig from Top Gear or they would have seen much better Lap times from the More Powerful, AWD, Better Balanced RS4.

These clowns even said the Porsche Turbo was not happy to dance (That did it for me)

Not to mention the RETARDED comment about the R8's manual shifter becoming tiresome because the throw was too long

**************THESE FOOLS CANNOT DRIVE****************

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printhan - 6/30/2007 12:07:09 PM

0 Boost

HAHAaa..
RS4 GOT SEND HOME!!!

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LexSucks - 6/30/2007 4:17:24 PM

-2 Boost

The Lexus IS350 will destroy both of them around any RaceTrack!!

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alfistiDK - 6/30/2007 6:03:36 PM

+1 Boost

M53R - 6/30/2007 7:29:56 PMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

I think he was making fun of the Lexus fanboys around...

amazinBimmer - 7/1/2007 9:46:47 AM

-1 Boost

got to love the audi folks on this site.!!. Going on and on about their silly and cheap VW!. I will say thtat ehy are a laughing stock at eh club or in a social conversation about cars... keep talking about your FWD POS!. Amusing

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qball - 7/1/2007 10:52:40 AM

-1 Boost

http://www.fastestlaps.com/index.php?page_id=compare&car1=4585874a284a1&car2=458da72e81532

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Hermann - 7/2/2007 6:02:09 AM

+1 Boost

Now! A racetrack is the "home" of any cars for the customer! The cars are build for "normal" streets ...
The cars also in the same performance with max. 75 mls. The Audi has a old V8 Engine Sound. The power of this V8 is not better than a good twinturbo 6 clinder engine. Wait to Alpinas B3 with 360HP and 500Nm. It`s "eat" the Audi RS4 for breakfast! This BMW engine is the "Engine Award Winner 2007". Also forget Audi for ever and his old Gasburner. It`s now time for new technologies ...

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AUTO_UNION - 7/2/2007 2:00:44 PM

-1 Boost

You cannot compare RS4 to 335i! That's just stupid!

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