8P RS3 -> B7 RS4?

[BillTheButcher]

IMO the 8P RS3 is a great car - fast, stealthy, practical - but I've always wanted a B7 RS4 and I think I might regret it if I don't own one, at least for a while. It looks like you can get a decent one for sub-£20k at the moment so it seems like a good time to change.

Has anyone made this change? Did you regret it? Was there anything you missed about the RS3?

 

[Paul-RS6]

I'd love the V8 RS4 but the B7 is a step backwards in my opinion.

Older tech, older car and slower.
I'd have one, but only as a second project car to tinker with and I don't have the space.

 

[BillTheButcher]

I drove a B8 RS4 and a W204 C63 (with Performance Pack) last weekend. The C63 is something that I've wanted to drive for a really, really long time. What a disappointment. The engine was as magnificent as I was expecting it to be, and the ceramic brakes were mighty, but the rest of the car was a real letdown.

The interior felt very low-rent (not something I ever thought I'd say about a Merc) compared to the B8's. The seats were nowhere near as comfortable. The dash displays and infotainment all felt thoroughly out-of-date. But the worst thing of all - the one that really ruined it for me - was the gearbox. It was a facelift so it had the MCT (Mercedes' dual-clutch effort). Awful: sluggish upshifts (I had time to pull the paddle and take my hand completely off the wheel before the gear changed) and lazy downshifts. It was so bad that I asked to have a go in an E63 at the same dealership to make sure the 'box in the C-Class wasn't a dud. It was exactly the same. I tried all of the different driving modes and every different throttle position, to no avail.

The Audi's shifts by contrast were seamless and almost instant. I also think the snorts, pops, rumbles and blips were more pronounced in the RS4, even if it is lacking in overall aural drama compared to the lovely 6.2 in the AMG.

A huge surprise for me. The C63 is off my shortlist and I'm now on the hunt for a B8 RS4.