BMW M3 G80 vs Audi RS5 B9
“The M3 is a sports car that happens to have four doors; the RS5 is a grand tourer that happens to be very fast.
The G80 M3 wins nearly every head-to-head that involves a stopwatch or a corner. carwow's drag strip had it 11.6 to the Audi's 11.9 over the quarter mile, Throttle House found it 'wild in comparison', and its chassis feels 'more agile in the corners and more trustworthy' — more fun at the limit, and (as Zygrene puts it) the rear-drive G80 is the one to get if you want playful.
The RS5 answers with composure. Redline Reviews calls it 'the more comfortable and more practical option' with none of the M3's 'back-breaking ride', Throttle House says the BMW's stiffness 'just never settled' next to it, and the B9 Sportback's hatch makes it the easier car to load up. Its 2.9 twin-turbo V6 and quattro keep it close in a straight line — Redline pegs it about as quick to 60 as an M3 Competition xDrive.
Choose the M3 if the drive is the point; choose the RS5 if the journey is.
you want the sharper car — the more agile, more trustworthy chassis that wins the drag strip and the lap — and you'll live with a stiff ride to get it.
you want serious pace without the punishment — a settled, comfortable ride, a practical hatch and all-weather quattro traction — and you're fine with it being 'not as fun as a BMW at the limit'.
How much of your driving is on a good road? The M3 wins every time the road turns or the lights go green; the RS5 wins the miles in between.
Performance is close to consensus for the M3, with two dissents: Redline Reviews rates the RS5 Competition about as quick to 60 as an M3 Competition xDrive, and Andrei Verestiuc's snow test had the Audi ahead. One caveat on the Audi column: Audi's new plug-in hybrid RS5 is filed under the same RS5 entry here, and it's a different, much heavier car — carwow measured it roughly 600 kg heavier than the M3 and found the BMW more agile, and Automoto put its boot at 361 L against the BMW's 500 L. Most of the comfort and practicality verdicts above are about the lighter B9 Sportback.
Performance
“Even so, the lighter, less powerful M3 records a quicker sprint, a reminder that acceleration is as much about weight as it is about power.”
“The new BMW M3 Competition Sedan with M xDrive accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.5 seconds.”
“Honestly, I didn't expect this difference. It seems to me that there was a noticeable difference in which the Audi RS5 performed better.”
“0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds makes this thing about as quick as the current generation BMW M3 Competition with xDrive.”
Handling
Fun to drive
“it's not as fun as a BMW at the limit”
Daily drivability
“That car's biggest shortfall, as far as I'm concerned, is its small boot. And there's no way that we could have done this trip with that car with our amount of luggage.”
“it does ride better than a modern M3 it's very well isolated”
Value
“If you're going to spend most of your time on road though and you don't visit the track, then I think the good thing is that it's not compromised, but it's certainly not worth an extra £36,000.”
“nearly $100,000 for an M3 is absolutely stupid money it just kind of shows how just how expensive cars like this have become”
“value is good this car is well priced though a bit expensive considering it's more money than the c63 but less power”
“this guy that stands here right now a hundred twenty thousand euros that's hardly bearable for mid-sized segment”
