They're the most luxurious dilemma's of course, but they're dilemma's nonetheless.
When I'm testing cars, there's a winner at the end of the test.
Sometimes it's hard to determine one, sometimes there's a tie,
and it's dependant on taste, but besides the proportional winner,
I often have a preference; the car I want to take home.
I usually do that, because I do have to get home.
Sometimes, it's the same car as the winner in the test, but sometimes it's not.
Especially in the higher segments, things like design, taste and appearance...
or personal preferences start to get bigger roles. That means the best or fastest car isn't always my favorite.
However, after two days, I can feel the differences.
I get in and out of the cars, and at the end I can determine which car I want to take home.
This time however, I just don't know.
I really couldn't tell you which I'd like the most, that's how close they are...
I think you guys are familiar with these cannons? The one we've seen before; the C63 S Estate,
with a 4.0-litre biturbo V8 in the front, and because it's an "S", it produces a little over 500 horsepower.
The newcomer is of course this Audi RS4 Avant, which still produces 450 horsepower...
despite the fact that the V8 has been replaced by a biturbo V6.
We're back aboard the RS4 Avant right now, because I did the introduction last fall.
It was green back then, but it's red now. Both colors suit the car if I'm honest.
Just look at how wide it is. A flashy color absolutely fits that silhouette.
Since it was introduced, I kind of altered my opinion.
Back then I said it was very quick, the technology was good, the luxurious aspect was good,
but it kind of missed the fun factor. But now, I've found that fun factor.
Mostly because I've discovered how incredibly quick this car is...
on public roads. If you're just travelling down a windy road,
this is almost unbeatable. You can drive a car which is sharper,
but that won't be of use on the public roads. This Audi will literally crush everything.
Why, you ask? Because of the new engine,
you can always use 85% of the power, no matter what.
Corners, rain, it doesn't matter.
The V6 actually makes this car better than the old V8 did.
That's not necessarily always the case, but it is in the Audi RS4.
Why? If you've got a high-revving V8,
you want sharpness in a car, because you have to look for the power in higher revs.
You want sharp responses from the car, both in the throttle and in the steering.
But now it has the new biturbo 2.9-litre V6, that Porsche-engine,
you've always got power to use, from 2.000 RPM until you reach the rev limiter.
It produces such a push, it doesn't matter what gear or rev you're in,
as long you make sure the nose is in the direction you want. If you put your foot down,
quattro kicks in and the Audi shoots forward, essentially beating everyone around you.
Also, they've been tinkering around with the chassis, relative to the RS5.
The dampers are hydraulically cross-connected, which sort of imitates the trick McLaren pulls with their Super-series.
The dampers kind of function as anti-roll bars, which makes the car incredibly stable.
That offers a lot of trust, because it cancels out weight moving about.
You steer the car, and because of the sports differential and torque vectoring...
you can point the nose even better...
than in previous Audi RS-models. The nose follows, you put your foot down,
and it shoots forwards, or out of hairpins, or sharp corners...
On public roads that really gives you a speed rush, and that's where the fun factor is.
Beforehand, I thought the Mercedes would be the better car, because I know that car better.
Especially the saloon and coupé versions this is the first time I'm in the Estate.
But when I got in the Audi, I suddenly thought otherwise.
When I got back in the Mercedes, my opinion changed again, but I'll get to that later.
The way the Audi got to me, just because of the drive and the speed capacity,
it really surprised me. Also, it might sound childish, but the RS4 has an incredible cool factor.
Every single fast VAG-product, a Seat, an Octavia RS,
every Audi A3 or A4, everybody will turn their heads to the RS4 in amazement.
It just has the cool factor, and if you drive it...
It's incredibly fun, whether you like it or not...
The most remarkable thing about this C63 Estate, is how different it is compared to the Coupé.
I thought they would be closer to each other, but it's a tad softer, it's a tad less sharp,
and that's logical if you look at the body shape. When I first got in, I really had to get used to the car.
I even thought I didn't really like it, but that was all show.
It's able to hide its personality pretty well. You can see that in the exterior.
I mean it looks pretty cool, but if you put it next to the RS4,
it almost fades away completely. Sure, the Audi has the color advantage,
but it's also been widened, and the Mercedes still looks relatively discreet.
Anyway, it's a whole lot different than the RS4. If you get from one car in the other,
it takes a little getting used to. When you first get in, it seems to be less sharp,
but when you engage all the right settings, and you're going all the way...
That's when you'll discover the deeper layer. Take the engine for example,
one we already know. It's a biturbo 4.0-litre V8, which you'll also find in the AMG-GT,
or even the Aston Martin Vantage. It's a great engine, and for a turbocharged engine,
it still sounds amazing.
And you can rev a lot as well, because the rev limiter kicks in at 7.000 RPM.
That's a lot more than in the Audi. And you have to reach those RPM's...
to find out it has a power advantage. It's the "S", so it produces over 500 horsepower.
I think it's about 510, but when the RS4 was introduced, it felt like it was producing the same.
So why is that? The Audi packs more punch in the mid-range than the Mercedes.
In here, you'll think it's a little disappointing in the mid-range, but when you power through and get above 5.000 RPM,
up there you can easily go to 6.000, 6.500, 7.000...
There's so much power hidden up there. Because I'm driving in a straight line now,
I'm able to reach that power, but in corners and such, that's too much power,
so you'll start shortshifting, and you won't notice it has this amount of power.
If you push through though, it absolutely has more punch than the Audi.
So is it quicker in a sprint. Maybe in a rolling sprint,
because if you start from 0, Audi's quattro will just drive away from the Mercedes.
The factory specs are about the same, both do 0-100 km/h in a tad over four seconds.
You can get the Audi to do 100 km/h under four seconds though, because it has such good starts and a great automatic gearbox.
And that's the big disadvantage in this car, the 7-speed automatic gearbox.
If I wasn't comparing it with anything, I wouldn't be annoyed,
but when I get in the Audi, I immediately notice its 8-speed automatic gearbox is a lot quicker.
It also has shorter gears, so you'll be blasting through the revs.
That's fun to do in a car, and that's what's missing in the Benz.
I'll immediately drop another complaint. When it comes to ergonomics and multimedia,
we all know how quick those developments go. The base of this car is already 3 or 4 years old.
It still has analogue dials, so they're not incredibly special, the multimedia isn't incredibly special,
but the C-Class has been facelifted already, just like the AMG is facelifted on paper.
It hasn't been launched yet, but when it's released,
it'll get a 9-speed automatic gearbox, digital displays and a new multimedia system,
so you can ignore my complaints...
Then, the drive. It feels lumpier than the Audi,
but that's mostly because of the new dampers of the latter, because the weight is about the same as the Audi.
If you start pushing, you'll notice the Mercedes has more body roll, but it's a tad sharper as well.
They both offer different dynamic aspects, which makes the personalities so much different.
You'll notice that despite the Mercedes' power, the Audi will always be quicker on curvy roads.
That's because you can utilize a higher percentage of the total power...
than in the Mercedes, because that's harder. You have to look for it, you only have rear-wheel drive,
but it also means the Mercedes is more fun to drive. It's more challenging, it involves you even more in the drive,
and even though Audi's V6 sounds incredibly good with that howl, the crackles and banging from the V8...
It's just more fun.
It took very long for me to decide, but the car I like most, which is the most fun, is the Mercedes,
and I'd rather take that home. It's very close though,
and if I start to tally up the points, and if I look at the capacities...
the Audi would be the winner today.