S4 vs. M3, rallye racing magazin 11/97 (long)

[Tom Nas <tnas@euronet.nl>]

As promised, a summary/translation of the test in aforementioned magazine.
No flames please, don't shoot the messenger. I found it a rather subjective
comparo, BTW- if nicely written.

___
"Abbreviations in certain manufacturers' car model names make the hearts of
sporting drivers beat faster. Especially the letters 'M' and 'S' are like
music to some peoples' ears.  The absolute number one among these fast
sedans is the BMW M3, which has been in production for a couple of years,
and in 1995 has received its latest power hike to 321 hp- something for
even a Porsche 911 to be wary of. The new player in the field is the Audi
S4, an A4 with 265 hp. Both are the nec-plus-ultra in their series and both
are throne pretenders for 'fastest sedan'.
In technical concept, these cars are worlds apart. The S4 has a
5-valve-per-cylinder V6 of 2.7 litres, twin turbos and delivers its 265 hp
at 5800 rpm. The maximum torque of 400 Nm is delivered at 1850 rpm, when
other engines only just start to wake up. And as always with the gents from
Ingolstadt, there is more to come. The word is out that the S4 will be
supplemented by an S4 plus and an RS4... we can't wait.
The BMW technicians have put all their faith in a naturally-aspirated
six-cylinder inline engine. It's got four valves per cylinder, 3.2 litres
of displacement and the full 321 hp are released at 7400 rpm. Maximum
torque of 350 Nm can be found at 3250 rpm- 'Freude am Fahren' at its best.
The hp-per-litre-displacement figures of both cars also make them stand out
from the crowd: 99.2/litre for the S4 and 100.3 (past the magic '100' mark)
for the M3.
BMW traditionally puts its faith in rear-wheel drive. This makes the
driving experience all the more enjoyable, if you can deal with it. Audi on
the other hand provides all-wheel drive, which is safer. Six-speed
gearboxes are almost de rigueur in this category.
What becomes apparent within minutes of first driving these cars- neither
of them has too much power for their suspension to handle. While the S4 has
immediate traction and catapults down the road, the RWD M3 _seems_ like the
slower car off the mark. Seems, for the M3 is the first to break the 100
km/h barrier in 5.5 s. The S4 needs only 0.1 s more. The power orgy keeps
on going right up to the top speed in both cars. An electronically-governed
250 km/h mark is the ultimate for both. If you're not impressed by that...
The M3 is rev-hungry, while the S4 just has a constantly-available boost,
and delivers its performance feeling more effortless and relaxed.
On the matter of braking, both cars are well-endowed. The M3 has ventliated
discs front and rear, while the S4 has solid rear discs. On the other hand,
the M3 has to make do with single-pot brakes, while the S4 has twin-caliper
units up front. Both stop equally well, straight and confidence-inspiring.
And drivers of these cars can pride themselves in being able to out-brake
Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari.
On curvy country roads, the M3 feels the more agile of the two. Weight
transfers are easily handled, and the rather quick steering makes fast
changes of direction enjoyable. In cooperation with sports suspension, grip
is provided by 225/45 R17W tyres at the front and 245/40s at the rear. The
S4 has 225/45 R17W all round. Thanks to AWD, the S4 doesn't need wider
tyres. The -contrary to its lesser brethren- very direct steering and
provides, together with the AWD, a very secure feeling for the driver.
Curves, especially in less-than-perfect weather conditions, can be taken
faster than with the BMW, but the Audi feels the more ponderous. Both cars
are evenly matched for comfort- uneven roads are dealt with easily.
But not only the performance impresses, for these cars have interiors to
match their specs. Clear instuments, supportive seats and functional dash
layouts impress the driver and make the cockpit into a second home. On the
outside, it's a different story altogether. Both cars have an understated
look, with only wide tyres and alloys, and front spoilers with air intakes
to show for their special spec- neither showy nor exciting.
The Audi S4 is close on the BMW M3's heels, performancewise. Only the
lightfootedness of the Munich express can't be matched.  The M3 is and
remains number one. With its DM 81500 price, the S4 is a not insignificant
DM 7600 cheaper than the M3- which will for some people sway the decision.
Both of these cars are however their money's worth."

Specs
____
		Audi S4				BMW M3
Engine		V6 biturbo			I6
Valves/cylinder	5				4
Displacement	2671 cc				3201 cc
Compression	265 hp/5800 rpm			321 hp/3250 rpm
Torque		400 Nm/1850 rpm			350 Nm/3250 rpm
Power-to-weight	5.7 kg/hp			4.6 kg/hp
Transmission	6-speed man, AWD		6-speed man, RWD
Suspension	fully independent		fully independent
		Fr: McPherson, wishbone		Fr: McPherson, wishbone
		Rr: Double wishbone. Sway bars	Rr: Single-arm. Sway bars
Brakes		Discs all-round, ventilated Fr.	Ventilated discs all-round
		ABS				ABS
Wheels		7.5 x 17			Fr 7.5 x 17, Rr 8.5 x 17
Tyres		225/45 R17W			Fr 225/45 R17W, Rr 245/40 R17W
Dry weight	1510 kg				1440 kg
Fuel tank	62 litres			65 litres

0-100 km/h	5.6 s				5.5 s
Vmax		250 km/h			250 km/h
Fuel cons.	9.9 l/100 km (Super Plus)	8.7 l/100 km (Super Plus)

Price		DM 81500			DM 89100

(Gee, the S4 costs Dfl 130k in Holland- DM1 = Dfl 1.10. What about those
taxes...)

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As to this magazine- if you're into motorsports and you can read German,
it's _the_ magazine to have. Lots of info about all kinds of motorsport and
technical developments, with the occasional sporting road car thrown in.
Also in this issue: C43 AMG (MB C-class with a fat V8) and the MB CLK GTR.
The S4/M3 article has some awesome shots of this beautiful RS blue S4 and
incredible purple metallic M3... both great cars indeed.

Tom (currently shopping for a 'new' car, maybe leaving the Audi fold)

PS I'm a 'little' behind reading my q-list digests... well, actually: a
whole week. If you have anything to ask, please cc: me as well.

 _______________________________________________________________________
 Tom Nas                                          Zeist, The Netherlands
 tnas@euronet.nl
 1988 Audi 80 1.8S, mostly Tizianrot metallic, 218,000km

                    'The singer will have to go.'
                       -- Manager Eric Easton,
                          speaking of his new talents, The Rolling Stones