mk3 heavy...

[Bodhi]

evo isn't a boy racer mag in the slightest. It was born from the ashes of Performance Car magazine if you remember that far back, and focuses far more on how a car is to drive than how many bhp you can get a Nova to produce by putting a 10litre quad turbo V12 in the back seat. I'm not entirely sure what their verdict on the GTi 8v Mk3 was, as the data hasn't been retained in The Knowledge.

[golfvr6]

Maybe the 8v wasn't fast enough to feature in evo magazine? he he  

[Bodhi]

No, they just stopped making it before evo was first printed :p

[golfvr6]

yep

[Veedubgt18v]

either way mk3 8v's are slow.......

[Overseer]

lol  

[Veedubgt18v]

your car looks tidy overseer  

[Overseer]

thx.. it needs a wash right now.. lol

[golfvr6]

Autocar tested the two round a track also. The M3 was 2 seconds faster in the dry if I remember correctly, and 5 seconds on a wet track believe it or not. I didn't until I saw the explanation - the heavy V8 in the front of the S4 means that in the wet, the nose washes wide far in advance of the M3, meaning that despite the S4's traction advantage, the M3 can nail it round wet bends.

Until they sort out the understeer and lifeless steering, the S4 will always be inferior to the M3 as a driver's car imo. Plus, it's got half a McLaren F1 engine

Out of interest , can u scan that article in for me? i can't believe the quattro would have bad road holding. I've driven a couple and they stick to the road like they are super glued.
Autocar website doesn't list the Audi S4 at all.
I watched the race between the S4 and the M3 on top gear so thinking the S4 doesn't grip sounds a bit bollox to me.
Total respect to the M3, still quattro's are cool  

[Bodhi]

I can't unfortunately, I read it in an Airport Departure lounge when I was waiting for a flight and promptly left it there

It's all because of weight distribution with Audis - they still like flinging the engine and transmission overhanging the front axle which, when you get a heavy V8 involved, means that on the limit the nose will wash wide, slowing it down. You won't notice this in everyday driving - in fact all the way up to about 8/10ths it will grip like a motherf**k*r. But if you intend on any track work the M3 will be you best bet every time.

I noticed evo have lap times for both listed in the back, and they agree with Top Gear that the S4 is around 1s a lap faster, however in the stat that matters, the S4 gets 4/5 and the M3 gets a perfect 5, in fact was their pick of its class (including 911's) from its launch until just recently, when a reworked 911 (the C4S) snatched the title back. But that's a whole other discussion