B7 rs4 vs e46 m3 what's faster ?

[Goubo1]

What's fast in a straight line a b7 rs4 or e46 m3,I know the rs4 would be faster from a standing start due to Quattro but how about rolling at 30 or 60 ?

 

[MartayMcFly]

The RS4 has an extra ~80bph, it'll be faster everywhere. You'd need to get an E90/1/2 with the V8 to give a B7 a run for it's money. Around a track a CSL might do it, since the heavy nose of the RS4 can cause handling to be a little clumsy, but in a straight line it's the Audi every time.

 

[Goubo1]

The RS4 has an extra ~80bph, it'll be faster everywhere. You'd need to get an E90/1/2 with the V8 to give a B7 a run for it's money. Around a track a CSL might do it, since the heavy nose of the RS4 can cause handling to be a little clumsy, but in a straight line it's the Audi every time.

i have read that a lot of rs4s don't make quoted power due to carbon build up

 

[PetrolDave]

i have read that a lot of rs4s don't make quoted power due to carbon build up

Don't believe everything you read - in 99% of cases when the lack of power was properly investigated the cause was found to be a problem with the vacuum pipes (which control flaps in the intake).

Carbon buildup causing a large power loss is yet another urban myth.

 

[GeoffDunk]

What's fast in a straight line a b7 rs4 or e46 m3,I know the rs4 would be faster from a standing start due to Quattro but how about rolling at 30 or 60 ?

As an owner of both E46 M3 and B6 S4 I can confirm these are pretty close. On dry day the E46 is quicker across country and prob on a track, in the wet the E46 quick across country was scary soemtimes, the S4 is better.

I can only assume the RS4 is quicker than the E46 but I havn't back to backed like above, the ones I have driven fee lquicker than my old M3. The E90 is very quick and again in the dry would out run the RS.

I have found owning both marks with the same power, all year round the Quattro is better, if you want a bigger grin then the E46 is the one but only during the summer (one way ticket to oblivion in ice and snow!!!!)

My AMG Merc was really quick but again in the winter was a nightmare. i used to work for Merc and had a 3.0CDI C class AMG spec then had a C63 6.2 ltr V8 AMG and that was the absolute ******** but any hint of ice and snow then you couldn't drive either, they were that bad. I spent an hour getting out of the Mercedes factory car park after being sent home early due to poor weather conditions, and it was flat tarmac with snow on it.

My switch back to Audi now is so I can have 4WD and the power, it feels so much safer in the winter. The issue I have for the future is that I hate auto boxes, where does that leave me??????????

 

[V6 Quatt]

Questions answered: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=axb19DwhqUk

 

[GeoffDunk]

No quite, thats an E92 M3 vs B7 RS4 which is not the orginal question lol

 

[S321BAD]

i recently had an out an out race with my cousins SMG E46 M3 in my B7 RS4 and beat him in every situation (straight lines rolling from 50, from a standing start, accross roundabouts, etc) was just toying with him. i would say its fairly close without the S button pressed on the RS4, but the RS4 was always ahead. Completely different ball game with S button pressed!!!!View attachment 22075

 

[PetrolDave]

Completely different ball game with S button pressed!!!!

Interesting... pressing the S button makes no difference to the power output, just changes the mapping of the throttle pedal and the exhaust valves.

 

[Arthur_Ho]

Sounds faster!

 

[Forze]

What's fast in a straight line a b7 rs4 or e46 m3,I know the rs4 would be faster from a standing start due to Quattrobut how about rolling at 30 or 60 ?

Theres no comparison m8, in fact this comparison is an insult to the RS4

As a previous E46 SMG M3 owner im familiar with it's capabilities, i currently own a B8 S4 S Tronic Quattro
& i was toying with the newer E90/92 M3 which is more powerful then the E46, i wasn't in sport & wasnt
pedal to the floor etc...the difference of the 2 was more than apparent, he was really trying too lol

As for handling the E46 steering is way to light for me as the Audi seems to be more advanced in respect
of the steering feeling light when slow but at higher speeds the steering tightens up & the difference between
the control & handling is so much more superior than the BMW's they are shocking in the wet too, again the
quattro system both in the dry or wet is so good you can race these about & find it hard to lose control unless
your a really bad driver imo, i've hit 150 in the S4 & its felt like im cruising at 80-100, do more than 80-100 in
an M3 & you have to focus more as the handling/steering etc is crap in comparison.

...based on this the RS4 should be like a cat with a mouse with either the E46 or the E90/92 on the straight
or the corners

Every car i've owned has been a BMW or Audi, i've had an E46, E46M, E90M, B7 Quattro, B8 S4 Quattro &
the Audi's are superior in handling, control, speed, technology & holding their price too

 

[Fanboy]

Interesting topic

When it comes to buying a new car, you automatically become fussy about which car is better than the other, but IMO you have to drive them both to be able to distinguish the difference between the two...

I'm myself in a position of getting S4/S5 but then further researches led me to getting M3 E46, then further and further searches again led me here because I can't decide between the two too...

Now I wanna get something NOT more than 13k with not more than 50k on the clock and of course I do want performance over economy...
I was about the buy an E46 today for less than 11k, very top spec but unfortunately sold within few hours... I now regret it...

To me E46s holding the values much better, also much classy than RS4s, but that's only my opinion...

Cheers

 

[Vtec Abuser]

Should answer your questions with regards straight line comparisons for RS4 vs M3.