Most contemplate the period of the B7 Audi RS4 to be peak sport sedan, and because it seems, that will very nicely be true, even at the moment.
The 2000s had been a magical time for many who had an affinity with luxurious sport sedans, as Germany supplied up loads of choices in that regard. This record included all-time greats just like the BMW M3, Mercedes C63 AMG, and of course, the B7 Audi RS4. Sadly, instances have modified, and at the moment, there simply aren’t as many luxurious sport sedans on the market – not less than, not almost as uncooked and simplistic as these from these golden days. Thus, it’s price asking the query – can these older German performers maintain up in opposition to at the moment’s greatest?
That’s the query that Jason Cammisa of Hagerty got down to reply on this current video, the place he pits the 2008 BMW M3, Mercedes C63 AMG, and B7 Audi RS4 in opposition to a model new, V8-powered rival – the Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing. That individual 12 months, all three of those Germans had been on sale alongside one another, making for what most consider was the height of the game sedan as we all know it.
The B7 Audi RS4 arrived within the U.S. for the 2007 mannequin 12 months, packing a 4.2-liter mill producing 420 horsepower that was the highest-revving cross-plane crank V8 on the planet on the time, due to its 8,000 rpm redline. A 12 months later, the E90/E92 BMW M3 joined it with a 4.0-liter V8 making 414 horsepower and revving to eight,250 rpm, and it was joined by the Mercedes C63 AMG and its 6.2-liter V8, churning out 451 horsepower – although not like the opposite two, it couldn’t be had with a handbook gearbox, and it was heavier than each.
By way of how these automobiles stack up at the moment, nicely, the reply is, fairly nicely. By way of styling, Cammissa notes that the B7 Audi RS4 was and is the best-looking of the bunch, and he calls its powerplant a “technological masterpiece,” including that “it’s the greatest driving Audi sedan ever, and it’s a extremely good automotive.” It isn’t, nonetheless, probably the most thrilling automotive of this group, and it’s additionally fairly uncommon and precious in at the moment’s world, which lands it in third place right here.
The Mercedes C63 AMG is second, due to its “charisma, obscene exhaust observe, and hooligan chassis tuning,” all of which makes it a really enjoyable automotive to drive. Just like the others, it isn’t terribly quick by at the moment’s lofty requirements, however it’s not less than a blast to instrument round in, in addition to a pleasant each day driver when one isn’t desirous about getting sideways – although not being obtainable with a handbook is one thing of a dealbreaker for a lot of.
That’s sufficient to fit the Merc behind the E90 M3 on this case, a automobile that Cammissa says is “virtually with out fault.” It’s “luxurious, livable, and docile,” in line with our host, “but in addition occurs to have the highest-revving V8 of its sort in historical past.” It additionally feels proper at dwelling on a race monitor – like the brand new Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing – however its twin-turbocharged V6 simply can’t ship the identical kind of expertise as its German predecessors.
“It’s an excellent driver’s automotive, the sort of peak sports activities sedan that lives atop the expertise chart and the underside of the compromise record,” Cammissa says of the brand new Caddy. “It’s an absolute standout. However driving the 2008 automobiles on the identical day, on the identical monitor, on the similar speeds as at the moment’s greatest sports activities sedan makes it clear we’ve additionally misplaced one thing. That one thing is feeling actual issues, listening to actual sounds, than driving a automotive that listens to you first, not a pc.”
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