A3/S3/RS3 "New Audi S3" big mistake engine wise.

[Zafiro]

If we are talking about harsh ride then BMW probably has two of the less comfortable cars in the market. BMW 130 and X3. Top Gear had said about X3 "Don't put your children in that car" or something.
As for the steering you can't expect a FWD or AWD car to have the same steering feel with a RWD one like BMW. BTW some magazines have said that the previous M5 had a better steering feel than the new one. Sometimes great steering feel also means vibrations caused from bad quality asphalt.

Yannis dont trust everything you read

 

[Yperion]

I 'm sick of hearing that Audis are not comfortable cause that's not true. If someone wants a very comfortable car he can buy a Lexus where there is so much body roll in turns that the ESP starts to work everytime you try to corner.

 

[warot]

I 'm sick of hearing that Audis are not comfortable cause that's not true. If someone wants a very comfortable car he can buy a Lexus where there is so much body roll in turns that the ESP starts to work everytime you try to corner.

It's not exactly made up... Audis are known for a stiff ride (magazines) and from riding a B7 A4 2.0t with sport suspensions. I don't mind it that much, but I know it is stiff. I'm sure you remember JC saying that the RS4 is a car that finally rides right (i.e. the ride isn't hard).
As for older cars having a better feel, it's really not that uncommon, but it is about compromises. If you want to know, the E36 (if you don't know which one it is, that's the rectangular headlights) is regarded to have better steering feel than the E46 and E90. At that time, the E36 M3 had THE best handling feel at the time. But compared to the newer cars, maybe you sacrifice turning radius, high speed stability ect...

 

[LaArtist]

I can vouch for that.. now that i have the C class i can really compare the E90 and the A4 against it.. ive driven the E90 it has a superb ride comfort.. allthough not as comfy as the C.. but it is sportier.. and this might shock you.. the diffrence is not very much the FL C is pretty sporty to ...
Now to the A4 my friend has one 3.2 quattro.. it is damn stiff.. over the bumps it shakes like my friends M3.. it feels as stiff.. and i could live with that if it was as connected as the M3 .. but its far from it..

 

[Zafiro]

There is one thing 3-serie alwyas been better on compared to A4 and C-class its the steering, very precise and exact. And the manual gearbox is a pleasure to handle as well. Add the sportpackage and its even more sportier to drive. 3-series has a better feeling compared to the others when driving IMO thats why I always favored 3-series.. the new Lexus IS is probably the closest thing to 3-series.

 

[LaArtist]

The new 3er has a very precise stearing like you say no doubt.. i agree..
The manuall gerbox is superb also..
i havent driven the Lexus IS so i cant say anything

PS
Have you driven all four of these.. ?? it sounds like it..

 

[Zafiro]

The new 3er has a very precise stearing like you say no doubt.. i agree..
The manuall gerbox is superb also..
i havent driven the Lexus IS so i cant say anything

PS
Have you driven all four of these.. ?? it sounds like it..

Iäve driven all of them expect for the new IS but when I read reviews about IS many of them say IS is almost up to E90 when it comes to driving fun and sportiness. Of course I have to try IS out for myself but since I havent I have to rely on carmags

 

[LaArtist]

ahaa cool ..
So did you drive the FL C class.. i feel that the FL has done much good to the C class.. especially the interior it was a disaster before..

 

[Deutsch]

I have driven the FL C, but not the car before it, so I wouldn't really be able to compare one to the other. I will say that the C55 is one of the best and most exciting cars I've ever driven, I love it to death. It steers almost as good as an E90 3, goes much faster, brakes very nicely, and the torque is i-nsane!!! The C230 is nice, but needs more pep.

 

[LaArtist]

wow so youve driven a C55.. they are hot.. i love them.. i like the extra long bonnet.. tell me more.. how was it??

 

[Deutsch]

wow so youve driven a C55.. they are hot.. i love them.. i like the extra long bonnet.. tell me more.. how was it??

Amazing, the torque delivery is very sharp, and you're at 80 before you can clock to 60. It's a very impressive piece, it's also comftarble, chassis is well composed but could use more work for higher speeds in the twisty stuff, gets a little wobly then. The seating position was a bit off and the seats weren't as heavily bolstered as they should have been. I think AMG could have done a better job in making this car more unique, as most C-class's here already have the AMG sport pack as std. equipment. All in all I'd give this car about an 8/10, I've driven the S4 too, but the only thing the C55 really has over the S4 is straight line speed and steering feel.

 

[LaArtist]

cool..
Ive driven the S4 to.. pretty impressive.. felt a bit bulky.. it was the avant though

 

[Deutsch]

cool..
Ive driven the S4 to.. pretty impressive.. felt a bit bulky.. it was the avant though

here's hoping the B8 model will deliver just as much if not more than the B7 RS4.

 

[Zafiro]

Its somewhat true that facelifted C-class become sportier to drive even if its not up to 3-serie yet. While C-class become sportier than before, the new 3-series has become more comfortable than before. The seats is much more comfortable. I would say all bimmers have been more comfortable than before, the seats in M6 is probably the most comfortable seats I've sit in.
Regarding A4, I think it depends on if the A4 had the sportsuspension or not cause I can say a standard A4 is a stiff car like it sounded from some of you.

 

[Yperion]

Iäve driven all of them expect for the new IS but when I read reviews about IS many of them say IS is almost up to E90 when it comes to driving fun and sportiness. Of course I have to try IS out for myself but since I havent I have to rely on carmags

I have read many reviews mainly in car sites and Greek magazines and they all said that IS wasn't sporty enough. Some even said that the previous model was closer to BMW (meaning E46 3 series) in it's time.

 

[Yperion]

BTW i was reading this C350 review a couple of days ago and i quote:

Although it doesn't feel as light on its feet as a 330i or even a sport package-equipped A4 quattro, the rear-wheel-drive C350 Sport turns in aggressively and its Continental SportContact2 tires are some of the stickiest we've experienced on a Mercedes. Body roll is reasonably well controlled, but we'd prefer even firmer damping on a would-be sport sedan. Likewise, the steering needs more heft and feedback.
...
Hard-core enthusiasts will still prefer the more performance-oriented feel of the manual gearboxes in the 3 Series, A4 and G35, but the six-speed is extremely well matched to the engine's power curve.
...
The front seats are well shaped, but the backseat is cramped for adults, with less legroom than the 3 Series or A4 or G35.
...
With so many good sedans in the entry-luxury bracket right now, the 2006 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport isn't the obvious choice. It satisfies on most levels, but aside from its 6-second 0-60-mph time, it doesn't offer anything the 3 Series and A4 don't.

It's obvious that they place C class below A4 and 3 series.

Full review here: http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Followup/articleId=108588

 

[Iceman]

But the S3 will look OK.

wfg, Hans.

 

[warot]

But the S3 will look OK.

wfg, Hans.

They didn't go too crazy with the design did they...

 

[Yperion]

Article about S3:

http://www.autoblog.nl/archive/2006/01/02/audi_bevestigt_s3

It says that it will have 260 hp just like Iceman said.