New platform is definitely more capable than older ones.
But ...
New A4/5 will be significantly bigger than 3er. And that makes quite a difference in handling / steering performance. It's more difficult to make larger car as nimble as a few inches shorter car.
I'm not sure what will be done regarding the weight - yes, axle distribution will be better, but what about total weight.
Handling will be very good for FWD car, but not as good as RWD.
Steering precision will still be a bit behind BMW, but better than Audi offers today.
Quattro handling & traction will be even more improved, and more driver-friendly than RWD. xDrive will have to come with Dynamic xDrive.
Lower end 4-cylinder engines (TSI, TFSI) will be better than BMW NA ones - delivering better performance. Until BMW introduce I4 turbo engines. Bigger engines (6-cyl & above) will still be BMW's domain. But will be a close call when Audi hits with big TFSI engines.
S-Tronic will still rule in the gearbox field. Until BMW come with their DSG solution.
Audi will definitely offer more car for the money: a bit better built quality, more pleasing interior, more interior space, smoother & less complex design. But ... will it be as fun to drive as BMW cars in the same segment? I don't think so. A cup for Driving pleasure / thrill will still go to BMW. But Audi will come VERY close. And be sure BMW will not stand still.
What about MB?
I'm sure Audi is taking on MB as well: making their cars more spacious, more comfortable & prestigious.
But ... there is very hard to say which car will be THE BEST. All will be VERY GOOD. And only personal tastes & needs will be crucial when making decisions which one is the best FOR YOU.
Cars are products. The best car is the one that suits you best. Even if it is a Yugo.
I completely agree with you...
However I will always be a BMW diehard, no matter how many sleepless nights I have over some of the idiosyncrasies that are ever so prevalent in this current generation of cars, from design to electronics. Seems through all of that, that a Bimmer will always drive like a BMW, and there's little else out there that can match the awesome balance (and packaging) of those cars.
Perhaps Audi will tune chassis to "neutral" in S5, and to "slight oversteer" in RS5 to deliver more driving fun.
Also:
The all-new Audi A5 coupe will make its world debut at the Geneva auto show in February, a senior company source has told the U.K.'s Autocar. The A5 will be the first Audi to use the new MLP platform, which promises better weight distribution than any previous Audi.
The Audi source said the new chassis can be tuned to deliver understeer, neutral handling or oversteer at the limit. "Our research revealed that the majority of drivers prefer understeer at the limit, but the A5 chassis can also be tuned for more expert drivers," the source is quoted as saying.
So, according to this report the chassis is very capable, but the Audi customers prefer slight understeer at the limit, and will get it - in standard A5 models.
So, the customer who will want a BMW-like Audi they'll have to buy an RS version.
just a small reminder: It is a very very small majority who actually take these cars on the track and have "fun" with them, and for that small majority there are the likes of RS, S, M, and AMG. It is easy to sit here on the computer as car fanatics and criticize lap times and handeling but the majority of these cars are sold to city dwelling folk who could honestly care less about how "fun" there car is on the track or how much understeer it has.
