M3 Vs. S4

my friend has an e36 m3 and is looking to get an s4. i think that he should do it cuz i like s4's. what are some pros and cons about s4's compared to the e36 m3?

i have a m3 and a s4 and let me tell you the m3 is the way to go. i have a 95 and 03 m3 and and a 01 S4. they all are great cars but the e 36 in my opinion is the best handling and the easyeest to controll. on the straigt-away the e46 will dominate but the S4 and the E36 are about equal. so tell your friend that he allready has the best car on the road and not to change. he is definetly a bimmer guy and not an audi guy. you are lucky to have such a cool friend. and you are lucky to have a M motor in your 318i

i am going to have to disagree.
Audi is probably better than the e36. i think that is my opinion. and bobby95m3, prove you have a s4

Bottom line, get what suits your needs & desires. The M3 is a good car for weekend warriors & straight line drags vs the S4, but the S4 will dominate in the twisties (roads usually have curves).
That plus the S4 has a better interior & 2 more doors.

Bottom line, get what suits your needs & desires. The M3 is a good car for weekend warriors & straight line drags vs the S4, but the S4 will dominate in the twisties (roads usually have curves).
That plus the S4 has a better interior & 2 more doors.


Well the S4 will not really domonate in the twisties. I read a artical that compared the S4, M3, 911,and the EVO8. The 911 was best but the M3 was a close second and they said it was the funnest to drive because it had the most driver feed back. The S4 however few behind in most areas because to was heavy. The brakes would heat up fast and the drivers would start to get brake fading. Also it had alot of body roll and weight transfer at high speeds because it was so heavy. So if you want the best proformer out of these two the M3 is the winner. However if you want an all around car the S4 might be a better pick because it has AWD (if you have snow)

See for yourself:

http://www.solace.mh.se/~asyvan/Bil/AudiS4-movies/TopgearM3-S4.wmv (http://www.solace.mh.se/~asyvan/Bil/AudiS4-movies/TopgearM3-S4.wmv)

the E36 M3 byfar handles better than the S4, but the S4 stock can beat an E36 M3. I have driven an S4 with a manual, and an E36 M3 5 speed. they are pretty much equal, but I have seen heavily modded S4's get beaten by lightly modded E36's its pretty much the drivers skill vs. driver's skill. I would rather get the E36, my personal opinion, because they may not have as much hp and tq as the E46's but they are about 200-300 lbs lighter, and they handle much better than the E46's.

I agree, I have E36 M3 and E46 M3 and have test driven the S4, S4 not as "flashy or hot" as the bmw and feels a bit "old man" compared to the bm. Performance wise the S4 definately does not "dominate the M3" not even the E36 (i have Euro version). I also dont like 4 doors on a performance car that is why i didnt buy the M5, also I am waiting for the M6 because it is 2 door.

That plus the S4 has a better interior & 2 more doors.

Hmmm... my M3 has 4 doors. Unless I got duped and bought a 323 with an M badge. Darnit!

I have an A6 with the same twin turbo engine as in the S4. Even in the bigger body of the A6 it's pretty damn quick, but not nearly the speed of the M3. It sure beats the M3 in luxury and interior comforts though, I agree with pokerplayer on that.