[0:00] You're watching Throttle House. I'm
[0:02] Thomas.
[0:02] >> And I'm James.
[0:03] >> And this is the Civic Hybrid. And it's
[0:05] basically a perfect commuter car.
[0:07] >> Yeah. For 30 grand, you can't ask for
[0:08] anything better. It's just the logical
[0:10] choice. But maybe you don't want
[0:12] logical. Maybe you already do 10,000
[0:14] steps a day and you remember to call
[0:16] your mom and you eat well.
[0:17] >> Maybe you make lowrisk investments.
[0:20] >> Well, then maybe you're a bit pent up.
[0:23] >> Yeah. So, at our age, you can do one of
[0:27] two things. You can either get uh really
[0:29] into sticking weird stuff up your bum or
[0:32] you can take this money and spend it on
[0:34] something more interesting. So, we used
[0:37] autotempus.com who have supported this
[0:40] video and we typed into their special
[0:41] smart search feature. Give me something
[0:44] that's not a Honda Civic but is compact.
[0:46] Four-door 30 grand and chuck in a V8.
[0:50] >> You can literally type that exact thing.
[0:51] You can type in Yeah, that whole phrase.
[0:53] >> Yes, it's clever now.
[0:54] >> Yeah.
[0:54] >> Yeah. You can type in anything. We can't
[0:55] type in anything. It's not anything. It
[0:58] has to be car related. It's like it's
[0:59] car that's not how it works.
[1:02] >> Nude women
[1:04] >> with boobies.
[1:31] Oh, that sounds nice.
[1:34] That sounds really, really nice.
[1:35] >> You haven't even pressed S. Bounce the
[1:37] exhaust.
[1:38] >> Oh, I wasn't even in the loud mode.
[1:40] >> I'll give it another go.
[1:42] >> It's the same.
[1:46] >> I think it's louder outside.
[1:47] >> Okay. Okay. You are driving a car that
[1:49] has the heart of an Audi R8.
[1:51] >> That's right. Yeah.
[1:52] >> And the steering wheel of a Lamborghini
[1:54] Gallardo. That's where I've seen it
[1:56] from. And the brakes of a Lamborghini
[1:58] Gallardo.
[1:59] >> That's cool.
[2:00] >> Yes. This is the Audi RS4 of the B7
[2:05] generation. So between 2006 and 2008,
[2:09] this car, especially in Sprint Blue,
[2:11] captured the hearts and minds of Audi
[2:13] enthusiasts abound. Its engine bay plays
[2:16] host to the same 4.2 L naturally
[2:19] aspirated V8 that powered Audi's
[2:21] mid-enineed masterpiece. Power that is
[2:24] sent to all four wheels via Quattro and
[2:27] controlled by three pedals and a
[2:29] six-speed transmission. Like the other
[2:32] two cars today, which have actually all
[2:34] come together with the assistance of
[2:35] Apex Motorcars here in Toronto, it
[2:38] provides a pure unfiltered visit to an
[2:41] image of yestery year.
[2:47] all the way to 8250 RPM.
[2:49] >> Yeah, it's nice. It's nice. You've got
[2:51] 420 horsepower just like the R8
[2:54] except the R8 uses a dry sump to go
[2:56] lower. It being a manual is is really
[2:59] great. You know, some of the better
[3:00] steering I've ever felt in an
[3:02] >> I thought it was broken cuz I've been
[3:03] living with this and I was like, this is
[3:05] weird. I can feel stuff.
[3:06] >> I know. Steering is actually really
[3:08] nice.
[3:09] >> Is this an aftermarket short shifter?
[3:11] No, that is the same shift throws as
[3:13] normal with the aftermarket part is
[3:15] solid linkages. So instead of rubber,
[3:16] he's replaced it with metal.
[3:17] >> Ah, it makes a big difference.
[3:18] >> So there's more there's more
[3:22] >> gear. Yeah,
[3:22] >> but it is otherwise the same throw
[3:24] length.
[3:24] >> Yeah. No, it's really nice.
[3:30] >> So yes, there are some things when you
[3:33] buy a 2007 V8 Audi that can go wrong. So
[3:37] >> I mean that makes sense. It's all the
[3:38] all the words you just said in that
[3:39] sentence. It all adds up. Yeah.
[3:41] >> It can't be perfect. And none of these
[3:42] three cars,
[3:44] >> neither of them.
[3:45] >> None. None. None of them.
[3:47] >> A few of them. No.
[3:48] >> Nope.
[3:50] >> Have are perfect in that sense. So, this
[3:52] has it's known for carbon uh buildup in
[3:55] the intake valves, which then
[3:56] >> Yeah. You walnut blasted.
[3:57] >> Walnut blasted. And we discussed this
[3:59] off camera. I don't know why walnuts are
[4:01] specifically the ones used.
[4:03] >> He was worried. He's like, we said,
[4:04] "What about almonds? Why can't I
[4:05] >> I actually said pistachios,
[4:07] >> right? Sorry.
[4:07] >> I think Big Walnut is trying to
[4:09] diversify.
[4:10] >> Maybe they've all made an agreement cuz
[4:11] almonds have almond milk.
[4:13] >> Yeah.
[4:13] >> Either way,
[4:14] >> that's one of the things you need to
[4:15] fix. The other thing, the dampers that
[4:17] come with the RS4 are known for fluid
[4:20] leakage, the dynamic dampers, and there
[4:22] is pretty much no support by Audi, even
[4:25] though it's only 20 years later for
[4:27] those dampers. So, everyone basically
[4:29] does the same modification, in which
[4:30] case,
[4:31] >> yeah, this is on the KW aftermarket. In
[4:34] a in a way this is stock because Audi
[4:36] has not supported real stock to
[4:38] continue.
[4:38] >> Yes, this is two decades later stock,
[4:41] >> right?
[4:41] >> Uh that and this has the Miltech exhaust
[4:43] which is wakes up a bit which I honestly
[4:45] don't even think this is that loud. If
[4:46] you think about the V8 RS5 that we drove
[4:48] that was insane.
[4:56] >> The fact that this is woken up from
[4:58] stock tells me stock is definitely too
[4:59] quiet. You know, it's a beautiful
[5:00] engine, but I think that for me, it
[5:02] doesn't have much character as it goes
[5:04] up in the rear.
[5:04] >> No, it just it's muscly.
[5:06] >> Yeah. Yeah. It just it just has a nice
[5:07] tone all the way through.
[5:09] >> Yeah. Go on. Take us to H250.
[5:10] >> All right. I'm going to downshift.
[5:12] >> An Audi that's nice to downshift in.
[5:19] >> It's a really nice tone. It really,
[5:21] really is. That is quicker than a Civic.
[5:25] >> Yes. Okay. One point to the Audi so far.
[5:28] >> Yeah. There's something so solid about
[5:29] this and we'll talk about the interior
[5:31] and stuff later.
[5:31] >> It's got solidity. It's got Audi
[5:33] solidity. You know what it also has is
[5:35] it has Audi handling
[5:38] >> means that when I turn the steering
[5:40] wheel James
[5:40] >> yeah,
[5:42] >> I'm lugging a massive engine around a
[5:45] corner as opposed to that engine being
[5:47] This is why I've never been interested
[5:50] in these cars. But it it's not for the
[5:53] track. It does have a 4060 uh power
[5:55] distribution to the rear. Even though
[5:57] it's not I don't care about the powder
[5:58] distribution. Even though it's not for
[5:59] the track, the weight distribution is
[6:00] off. The position of this engine makes
[6:02] Jesus cry. You don't want to make Jesus
[6:05] cry.
[6:07] >> It's too far out.
[6:09] >> But for what though?
[6:10] >> Quattro.
[6:11] >> Exactly. So suddenly come rain or snow,
[6:14] this one makes so much sense cuz it's
[6:16] the most confidence inspiring car.
[6:17] >> Yeah, but BMW can does a four-wheel
[6:19] drive system as well. So does Mercedes.
[6:20] >> Well, back then they didn't. Not with
[6:22] the M cars.
[6:23] >> Well, that who wants that? I can drift
[6:25] in the other ones probably. Well, they
[6:26] make them now, so that's
[6:27] >> I can't drift this one.
[6:28] >> No, you can't. Well, on ice, you could.
[6:31] >> You?
[6:31] >> Yeah, but it's one of those like Audi
[6:33] drifts. It's like the four-wheel drive
[6:35] thing.
[6:35] >> Think of this as as as modernday Delta
[6:38] Integra.
[6:38] >> No, it is not a modernday Delta
[6:41] Integral.
[6:42] >> How is it not?
[6:43] >> Because it just ask yourself that.
[6:45] >> It's a big extremely heavy luxury sedan.
[6:49] >> Oh, sounds you've driven a Delta
[6:52] Integral.
[6:53] >> I'm just saying it's really good. It's
[6:55] that lineage. It's the rally
[6:57] >> fine
[6:57] >> confidence lineage. And once you apply
[6:59] that,
[7:00] >> I agree.
[7:01] >> The engine is at the next stoplight. But
[7:04] >> yes,
[7:04] >> for road duty, I drove this here on the
[7:06] highway today and I'm thinking like this
[7:07] is the RS4. And I know Audi's never go
[7:09] crazy, but it's still so refined. I was
[7:11] listening to Night Shift by the
[7:13] Commodores. I forgot I was in an RS
[7:15] product.
[7:15] >> Yeah. No, it's really it's a really,
[7:17] really, really nice daily. But I think
[7:20] you'll find that the other two are as
[7:23] well. and they will do all of the extra
[7:26] stuff that this can't.
[7:28] >> All right, why don't we why don't we pop
[7:29] into the one that I'm actually most
[7:30] excited for today.
[7:33] >> The reason he's so excited is because
[7:36] this is a W204 generation C63, which in
[7:40] sedan form ran from 2008 all the way to
[7:44] 2014. It has a massive naturally
[7:47] aspirated V8 and is from back when
[7:49] Mercedes AMG's main goal was making loud
[7:52] noises and tearing up tarmac, which is
[7:55] especially true of the 2014 507 edition,
[8:00] which this is
[8:11] all right. So, the 507 edition.
[8:14] Woo. Has 507 horsepower.
[8:17] >> Yes, it does.
[8:18] >> Yes. From the 6.2ish
[8:20] L.
[8:21] >> Yeah. Well, it's just over 6.2, but they
[8:23] call it a 6.3. Why? Heritage apparently.
[8:26] >> Heritage, apparently.
[8:26] >> That sounds like nepotism within the
[8:29] band.
[8:30] >> Of course, you got the gig.
[8:31] >> Yeah.
[8:33] >> Wow. We
[8:35] >> It's a different sound. It's a unique
[8:37] sound, isn't it?
[8:38] >> Lot of car. A lot of car for 30 grand.
[8:41] And it is a lot of car for 30,000
[8:43] >> and it looks amazing.
[8:45] >> This feels immediately quite a bit
[8:47] sportier than the RS4.
[8:48] >> Yeah, it does.
[8:49] >> Chassis feels tort. The steering's
[8:51] better.
[8:51] >> That does mean it's got a worse ride.
[8:54] >> Yes,
[8:55] >> that's a thing.
[8:55] >> That's a MK thing. That's an AMG thing.
[8:59] >> It's quick.
[9:00] >> It is quite quick, isn't it? Yeah. So,
[9:02] this has a lot of really cool stuff cuz
[9:03] as the 507 edition has got the different
[9:05] hood and stuff and the black series, but
[9:07] this actually has less mileage, is like
[9:11] almost 10 years newer and cost the same
[9:13] as the other two.
[9:14] >> True. I think he got a good deal, but
[9:15] that is a good deal. They all bought
[9:17] them for about 40 Canadian.
[9:19] >> What's interesting to me about this is
[9:20] that the way the Audi has the R8 engine
[9:22] in it, this sort of has the SLS engine
[9:24] in it, it's the same difference. It's
[9:26] the the the SLS uses a dry sump and it
[9:28] has different exhaust but otherwise you
[9:31] are driving
[9:32] >> at this era in this era
[9:35] >> the same engine as the king of your
[9:38] brand.
[9:39] >> Yeah, it's very it's a very very cool
[9:41] engine. Steering in this is better than
[9:43] the Audi. Chassis is better than the
[9:45] Audi. Ride is worse than the Audi. Seats
[9:47] are more comfortable.
[9:48] >> The seats are more comfortable and
[9:49] supportive. They're like the guy from
[9:51] Fight Club.
[9:52] >> What? Bob Pson. The one with
[9:54] >> his name was Robert Pollson.
[9:57] >> Friends call him Bob.
[10:01] Oh,
[10:03] >> cracks on the back.
[10:04] >> It sounds really good, doesn't it?
[10:09] >> Oh god, it's so It's so entertaining to
[10:11] drive. It's so entertaining.
[10:13] >> It is.
[10:13] >> I I actually I don't know if I care
[10:15] about the transmission.
[10:16] >> You sort of learn to play it at that
[10:19] speed.
[10:20] >> You send the signal.
[10:22] >> Yes, that's right. You you you telegraph
[10:25] the signal.
[10:26] >> Oh wow.
[10:26] >> 3 to five business days later it will do
[10:28] the shift. No, you just leave it in
[10:30] auto. Mercedes at this era was not about
[10:33] that like manual transmission driver's
[10:35] car thing. But the pal
[10:38] I know it's too bad. They just wanted
[10:40] like a badass sport sedan.
[10:45] >> You know you just clicked at the same
[10:47] time it was going to shift anyway to
[10:49] give yourself some sort of like Dawn P.
[10:53] See? Yeah.
[10:53] >> It doesn't have the same red line as the
[10:55] other two. It doesn't go over 8,000 RPM.
[10:56] But
[10:57] >> no,
[10:57] >> you don't.
[10:58] >> No, this is about This is about meaty
[11:00] AMG torque.
[11:05] >> And somehow the 507 didn't come standard
[11:07] with an LSD, but this has the optional
[11:09] LSD. That's weird it didn't come with an
[11:11] LSD. It just tells you more about what
[11:12] Mercedes was about at that point. It's a
[11:14] different philosophy to BMW. I don't
[11:15] know what Audi was doing. They're eating
[11:16] glue in the corner. But this is a
[11:18] totally different philosophy to the M3,
[11:20] believe it or not. It's It's doing the
[11:22] AMG thing. It's making me drive like a
[11:24] maniac.
[11:25] >> Yeah, cuz it's got that torque. It's got
[11:27] that mid-range torque. It's
[11:28] fundamentally different, right? Google.
[11:33] >> Okay.
[11:35] >> All right. So, what does plague this
[11:37] car?
[11:38] >> Uh, head bolts. The bolts that hold the
[11:40] head to the engine.
[11:43] >> What happens to them?
[11:44] >> They go wrong and then the head gasket
[11:46] goes and then you overheat your engine
[11:48] instantly
[11:49] >> and it's done.
[11:50] >> Yeah. Sounds quite bad.
[11:51] >> That's quite bad. Catastrophic would be
[11:53] the word. There's also a bunch of other
[11:55] like I think timing chain related stuff
[11:57] that can go on with the engine. It's all
[11:58] engine related.
[12:08] >> It's so AMG, isn't it? Listen to the
[12:11] just
[12:11] >> Yeah, but the transmission is quack on
[12:14] the upshift. The other difference is
[12:15] this has got the MCT, not the DCT. Yeah,
[12:18] I was going to say the SLS, not only is
[12:19] it a transaxle, it also has a fancy dual
[12:22] clutch. That's really
[12:23] >> Look how slow that is.
[12:25] >> Terrible. This car is almost entirely
[12:28] let down by the transmission.
[12:29] >> Why do they all have these AKI Hills?
[12:30] Why is the Audi engine in space? Why is
[12:33] this transmission so slow?
[12:35] >> I don't know. I think I think what
[12:36] you're going to find, and there's a
[12:38] reason why I have been a fan of BMWs for
[12:41] years, I think you'll find that that M3
[12:44] doesn't have any of these problems.
[12:46] >> I love this engine. I love a good
[12:48] engine.
[12:48] >> Does the M3 have a good engine?
[12:51] >> Yeah, it really, really does.
[13:03] >> Okay.
[13:05] Yeah.
[13:05] >> Yeah, fair enough.
[13:07] >> Yeah. So, that is what we would call
[13:10] exotic.
[13:13] It's exotic because it took a real piece
[13:16] of BMW's racing knowledge and slapped it
[13:19] in a cool, understated four-door body.
[13:22] This is the E90 generation from 2008,
[13:26] which is the only one of the three where
[13:28] you can get an automatic or a manual,
[13:30] and it was the last naturally aspirated
[13:33] M3. And compared to the other two, for
[13:36] me anyway, it's the one for drivers.
[13:53] It's one of those cars where you you rev
[13:56] and you feel like you should shift, but
[13:57] then you don't and you just keep going.
[14:03] >> Isn't that nuts?
[14:04] >> Also, nausey speeds. I swear all of them
[14:06] are doing that today. Yeah. Well, the
[14:09] RS4.
[14:09] >> Yeah. Cuz there's not much torque down
[14:12] low. Only four lers. No, it's not right.
[14:14] It's about revs. It's just about revs. A
[14:16] lot of people complained when this car
[14:18] came out that it wasn't torquy enough.
[14:20] And everybody missed the point.
[14:22] >> It's also the lightest car here by
[14:24] hundreds of pounds.
[14:25] >> And you can really really feel it in the
[14:27] corners.
[14:27] >> I love this hood bulge plays absolute
[14:30] center stage.
[14:31] >> It's such a bulge. It has a bulge. I've
[14:33] got a bulge because of the bulge. I've
[14:35] always loved the hood bulge.
[14:40] Come on. Right.
[14:41] >> Yeah. I mean, it's just naughty.
[14:43] >> It's just so good.
[14:44] >> It's obnoxious.
[14:45] >> I would say the steering in this is on
[14:47] par with the C63.
[14:50] >> Yeah, it's not bad. None of None of them
[14:52] are I don't know. I'd give the edge to
[14:55] the C63. Maybe a little bit actually.
[14:57] Yeah,
[15:00] >> it rides quite nicely.
[15:01] >> Yeah, the ride is better in this than it
[15:03] is in the C63. And it also handles
[15:05] better. And it has a more advanced
[15:07] differential. and it has a manual
[15:08] transmission and it's lighter. There's a
[15:11] reason why I got a reputation for being
[15:13] a BMW fanboy even though I'm not. It's
[15:15] just that out of these three cars, which
[15:17] is where our obsessions for cars were
[15:19] born truly, this is the one that always
[15:21] really got me going because it can be as
[15:24] comfortable as the other two. But this
[15:27] is a car. I mean, I've driven this thing
[15:28] around a track on throttle house, and
[15:30] this thing will absolutely
[15:32] smoke its tires to pieces in huge,
[15:36] lovely BMW like slides. Here's the
[15:38] thing. I know you like that C63,
[15:40] >> but I also know that you really like
[15:42] cars that rev very high and have manual
[15:45] transmissions, and this has both of
[15:48] those things.
[15:48] >> Yes. But the whole point of this class
[15:50] is it's it's got that
[15:52] >> double personality. So So it is a daily
[15:56] car. So, I don't mind my daily, which is
[15:58] currently a Golf R, being automatic. And
[16:00] I think that the transmission in the
[16:02] AMG, while slow, it feels like you're
[16:04] firing a Stinger missile or a heat
[16:05] seeeking thing where it goes, dude.
[16:08] >> You're just making excuses for it.
[16:09] That's what you're saying.
[16:10] >> Military grade MC. That's what the M in
[16:14] MCT stands for. It's a military grade
[16:16] wet clutch system.
[16:18] >> Hey, listen. At least those two cars
[16:20] have engines derived from their
[16:22] flagships.
[16:23] This is like F1 technology. F1
[16:27] technology these days means you get a
[16:28] four cylinder in a C63.
[16:30] >> That's right. This car for me is truly
[16:32] one of the cars that really kind of like
[16:35] turned up the volume on my car
[16:38] obsession.
[16:38] >> Right.
[16:39] >> But I've always liked cars before this,
[16:40] but this one when this car came out and
[16:42] I saw and heard that engine and those
[16:45] revs going really high and I saw it
[16:47] sliding around in videos, I was just
[16:49] like, "What is this?" The E46 M3 did
[16:52] that, but this was just like, oh my god,
[16:56] more more of what I like. This is what
[16:58] I'm all about.
[16:59] >> It does feel quite substantial compared
[17:01] to the E46. Like, it feels big. This is
[17:04] big.
[17:05] >> Yeah, it is. It's a bigger, heavier car.
[17:07] And I'll be honest, an E46 M3 is more
[17:09] fun to drive, I think. However, this is
[17:14] a much more refined and modern vehicle
[17:16] than an E46 M3. Don't look out for the
[17:19] thing.
[17:22] I was trying to ignore it, but you
[17:23] can't. This, like the other two, does
[17:26] have some absolutely catastrophic
[17:30] problems.
[17:31] It is it possible that German cars are
[17:34] are just crap? Is that possible? Anyway,
[17:37] >> this one rod bearings is the one you
[17:39] have to do. All right. And the owner
[17:41] literally just did the rod bearings.
[17:44] Also, the throttle actuators. Also,
[17:46] there's some other little engine stuff.
[17:48] And what happens if you don't replace
[17:49] the rod bearings?
[17:50] >> You'll spin a bearing and then your
[17:52] engine is going to be damaged basically.
[17:54] >> So, or you could really mess it up and
[17:57] throw a rod through the block and you
[17:58] need a new engine.
[17:59] >> Does a Civic Hybrid have anything like
[18:00] that?
[18:01] >> Nope.
[18:01] >> Right. It doesn't have any of those
[18:03] things. Uh yeah, it's it all three of
[18:07] these cars have
[18:09] really like they don't have Achilles
[18:11] heels. They have like Achilles like
[18:13] right legs,
[18:14] >> right? You know,
[18:15] >> they're sirens, aren't they? They lull
[18:17] you in with their exotic nature.
[18:19] >> Exactly. And then there's just
[18:21] >> there's just a lot of extra stuff that
[18:23] you have to do.
[18:23] >> Where's the shifter and BMW? It does
[18:26] kind of suck, doesn't it? No matter what
[18:27] you do. The engine though. Oh.
[18:31] Yeah, that's good. Which one looks the
[18:33] best?
[18:34] >> Oh, that's easy.
[18:36] It's the AMG.
[18:38] >> Is it?
[18:38] >> Yes. Look at it.
[18:40] >> Okay, listen. It's the most aggressive.
[18:42] That doesn't mean it's the best looking.
[18:44] That's not how that works. This, I would
[18:47] like to point out, is subtle. BMW has
[18:50] completely lost the plot.
[18:51] >> Subtle. It's got the same bulge as a
[18:53] thingy in Dodgeball. Ben Stiller.
[18:57] I do know what you're talking about.
[18:58] Yeah. No, this is what BMW used to be
[19:01] about, which is, you know, there's a few
[19:03] things here and there that may catch
[19:04] your eye, but it's not over the top.
[19:06] It's not it's a completely different car
[19:08] cuz it's the M3. Like, now they've
[19:11] actually made it literally a different
[19:12] styling to the 3 series. But outside of
[19:14] the grill, which I guess you can't ever
[19:17] get outside of
[19:17] >> No, it's impossible. It's huge.
[19:19] >> I don't know. I think aesthetically,
[19:21] I've always found this to be a weird
[19:22] middle child between the E46 and the
[19:24] F80. I think there are beet those are
[19:26] better looking generations of the
[19:27] >> I agree with you. This is not the best
[19:29] showing. However, it is still at least
[19:31] quintessentially BMW, I think. And it's
[19:33] not too over the top. And it's got
[19:35] fender flares, and it's got the Mwing
[19:37] mirrors, and it's got absolutely the
[19:39] best dish of any wheel in this lineup.
[19:43] Look at the rear dish of that wheel,
[19:44] James.
[19:45] >> But look at the the arches on the RS4.
[19:48] >> Yeah, they're a bit much.
[19:49] >> That's all it gets.
[19:50] >> No, this is This does nothing for me.
[19:53] >> It just ends.
[19:54] >> It's funny.
[19:56] >> When I drove in this morning, that's
[19:57] what Thomas said. What? And Carson came
[19:59] over, our cameraman and editor, and
[20:01] said,
[20:02] >> "That's just desiraability, isn't it?"
[20:04] >> It isn't. I I couldn't. That's proof
[20:06] that these three cars answer the
[20:08] Squirtle. I'm going back to Pokémon
[20:10] here. Charmander and uh Bulbasaur
[20:13] question.
[20:13] >> Part of the reason that this car doesn't
[20:15] look that good is because fundamentally
[20:16] it's designed. These cars both have
[20:18] engines that are mostly back past their
[20:21] axle.
[20:22] >> Yes.
[20:22] >> Right. This one, watch this.
[20:24] >> What?
[20:25] >> Yeah. So, you know, just take a look.
[20:27] >> You know how a compass has north
[20:30] northwest?
[20:31] >> Sorry, this is worse than I thought.
[20:32] >> So, there's there's front mid,
[20:34] >> there's front, and there's front.
[20:35] >> And there's front front. Look how far
[20:37] forward the engine ends here.
[20:40] This is why you have to take off the
[20:42] entire front bumper to do anything to
[20:44] one of these engines. That's so dumb.
[20:46] Look at it, though. Oh, no. It looks
[20:48] great. It's just in the wrong spot.
[20:50] >> So, get an R8 then.
[20:52] >> I would rather Yes,
[20:53] >> I think the Sprint This is a spec
[20:54] dependent. They're all quite spec
[20:55] dependent, and I think the spec on the
[20:57] 507's nuts. This Sprint Blue is a
[21:00] classic. And this is he's he's matte
[21:01] black this. I think this is better when
[21:03] it's left chrome.
[21:04] >> Okay.
[21:04] >> But otherwise, I think it looks classic.
[21:07] the next generation, the B8, which we
[21:08] didn't get in North America, that
[21:10] modernized the front, I think, in a way
[21:11] that you would prefer where it sort of
[21:12] flared the front and it made it almost
[21:14] what the facelift.
[21:15] >> You know, your Audi's. I just don't know
[21:17] my I just don't know my Audi's. I I
[21:19] couldn't tell you what generation this
[21:20] is. I just for some reason all
[21:23] throughout all of Audi's history, I've
[21:24] never really been interested. That is
[21:27] really cool to me. And I have always
[21:28] respected those, but I respect them so
[21:30] much I stay the hell away from them. You
[21:32] know what I mean?
[21:33] >> So good. It does look like in a magnetic
[21:36] >> weirdly suiting you. I don't know why.
[21:38] >> No, I not me at all.
[21:40] >> James has an angry side. Okay. He's he's
[21:42] very quiet, small.
[21:44] >> Why would I have an angry side?
[21:46] >> Then occasionally he's just really,
[21:49] really vicious. You never see it. It's
[21:52] only me that takes the brunt of this.
[21:53] >> I need calming low visual noise to
[21:55] >> and that brings it out in him.
[21:56] Therefore, I don't like it.
[21:58] >> All right, let's
[22:00] let's let's have a look at the inside of
[22:01] the Audi. Okay. So we can at least
[22:03] admire this Gallardo wheel another time.
[22:06] >> Oh, you feel the door slam sound.
[22:07] >> So we've tested this. This has the best
[22:09] door close clunk of the bunch
[22:12] >> of the three. Yeah, the Mercedes has an
[22:13] extra little
[22:15] BMW's in the middle and this one's just
[22:17] really solid and German.
[22:18] >> But that is the theme of this car. The
[22:20] build quality is incredible. 200,000 km.
[22:23] 200,000 km.
[22:25] >> It looks literally brand new. Like it's
[22:28] unreal. This is aftermarket obviously.
[22:30] Yes, you want aftermarket for that to
[22:31] get carp.
[22:31] >> But like all of these buttons are still
[22:33] like and then they have the nice solid
[22:35] click to them, right?
[22:36] >> Look at this.
[22:38] >> Oh, it's so good.
[22:39] >> That'd be a $5,000 option on a a modern
[22:42] Porsche.
[22:43] >> Yeah, it would. This for me represents
[22:45] when we were pretty much at the peak. I
[22:47] think there was a generation of Audi
[22:48] after this where I think it got better,
[22:51] but it was
[22:53] >> Yeah,
[22:53] >> it was showing signs.
[22:55] >> No, no, BA was fine. B9 was my
[22:57] generation of S of S4. That was when it
[22:59] was like
[22:59] >> it it started to become that's when the
[23:01] enchiting started.
[23:02] >> The enching. Yes. So that was this is
[23:04] before initing. This is be
[23:06] >> this is this is be how many when was
[23:09] initing? When did it begin?
[23:11] >> I feel like it was after co
[23:13] >> it was after co the brand staggered
[23:15] though.
[23:15] >> Yeah.
[23:15] >> Although the X3 and the new S5 those
[23:18] >> it's when we started adding a lot of
[23:20] stuck on screens and putting functions
[23:22] in the menus. So that was probably like
[23:24] 2022 23
[23:26] >> somewhere. It's somewhere around. You
[23:27] guys tell us where you think that the
[23:28] true and shittening began because we're
[23:30] going to from now on. What What year is
[23:32] this car again?
[23:33] >> 2007.
[23:34] >> So, this is no longer a 2007.
[23:36] >> No, it's 15B.
[23:37] >> It's 15B.
[23:41] >> Um, but yes, the the interior of this is
[23:43] not exciting. It's very like the
[23:44] Gallardo steering wheel is a very nice
[23:46] touch. Couple of simple buttons.
[23:47] >> It doesn't need to be exciting because
[23:48] it's just functional and good. The end.
[23:51] The carbon fiber weave is too thick.
[23:53] >> It's of its time. That's what happened
[23:55] in 15B. That's what they were doing.
[23:59] >> Back seats, very usable, very
[24:01] comfortable, and it has seats that you
[24:02] can use cuz it's a four-door. Why would
[24:05] you need a Civic
[24:06] >> if you say Apple CarPlay?
[24:08] >> The Civic's interior is very
[24:10] >> You can look. They've added it with this
[24:11] aftermarket thing.
[24:12] >> I know.
[24:12] >> Look at that. Okay, it's all you need.
[24:16] >> What does the Civic do better in here?
[24:18] Look at that.
[24:18] >> It has cup holders that aren't going to
[24:20] be a $600 part to replace. That's what
[24:23] >> everything's cheap to maintain about
[24:24] this.
[24:25] >> Yeah. Yeah. All of these cars are like
[24:27] famously cheap to maintain.
[24:29] >> Well, we'll get to that in a minute.
[24:30] >> Yeah.
[24:31] >> Should we look at the uh BMW?
[24:33] >> Sure.
[24:33] >> Okay.
[24:35] >> All right. This is Okay. Come. First of
[24:37] all, it's a better design than the Audi
[24:39] visually.
[24:40] >> Incorrect.
[24:41] >> So much busier.
[24:42] >> No, no. It's only because of this double
[24:43] bubble for the this. You don't want
[24:44] that. But it has it. But you don't want
[24:46] that. You just get the one that goes
[24:47] with this clean. I love that. You don't
[24:49] need that. Then you get the thing that
[24:50] goes like this. Right. Yeah. And this is
[24:52] prefci.
[24:53] >> This is preci cuz they updated some of
[24:55] the MMI, but this is
[24:56] >> Yeah, it's good. Like this is it's
[24:58] really really well made. Honestly, this
[25:00] stuff will last forever. Mhm.
[25:01] >> Right.
[25:02] >> What am I holding right now?
[25:05] >> This is literally Okay. God damn it.
[25:08] >> Does it still work? Oh, it still works.
[25:10] >> Yeah. Yeah, it's fine. It's meant to
[25:11] come off.
[25:12] >> It's portable.
[25:12] >> It's portable. Yeah,
[25:13] >> portable electronics. I'm sure I've
[25:14] heard that.
[25:15] >> Bring it with you.
[25:16] >> Um they don't like cup holders in this
[25:18] era. If you're driving on Zatons, you
[25:20] don't need to see drinks, right? It's
[25:21] just like, come on. Why not just a cup
[25:23] holder?
[25:23] >> No, I like that they hide away. No, it's
[25:24] perfect. Hideway.
[25:25] >> Oh, here we go. This is a totally
[25:27] >> a hideaway cup holder settles all
[25:28] debates.
[25:30] >> No, it doesn't. I want a good strong cup
[25:31] holder right here where I can have my my
[25:34] sippy drink.
[25:34] >> What's happen to that button?
[25:36] >> It's by design.
[25:38] >> I think Audi build quality has it on BMW
[25:40] in this era.
[25:41] >> Yes, it does. You're right. Okay, I
[25:42] can't I can't defend this because it's
[25:44] worse. However, it's still quite good
[25:47] and it's low noise and it's easy to use.
[25:50] Climate control simple.
[25:52] >> What do you mean?
[25:53] >> That's not low noise.
[25:54] >> Yes, it is.
[25:54] >> There's so much going on.
[25:55] >> No, there's not. It's a climate control
[25:57] system that you don't any more
[25:59] complicated than that is terrible,
[26:00] right? This is just a CD player. You
[26:02] don't have to use it. No one's forcing
[26:04] you.
[26:05] >> I won't pick a fight because the fact
[26:06] that you can just press M and go into
[26:07] mode.
[26:08] >> Boom. Now we're It's game time. Yeah.
[26:10] >> And these two gauges are some of my
[26:12] favorite automotive gauges ever. They're
[26:14] right up there with the Aston Martin
[26:16] because they're big. They're incredibly
[26:18] legible and I love the just the dual
[26:21] gauge pod look because it reminds me of
[26:22] a vintage car.
[26:23] >> So for Christmas, I'm gonna get you one
[26:24] of those old people phones that has just
[26:26] bigger legible buttons and none of the
[26:28] smart features. That sounds like what
[26:30] that's what you need.
[26:30] >> You just need to know at a glance. You
[26:31] don't need to know any more than that.
[26:33] >> You know what? I read in the car and
[26:35] driver review of this car that the
[26:36] button situation was overly complicated.
[26:39] That was one of the weaknesses.
[26:41] >> They had no idea what was coming.
[26:42] >> They had no idea what was coming. No
[26:43] idea what was coming, did they?
[26:45] Literally, what is too complicated?
[26:48] Literally, what is possibly too
[26:50] complicated here?
[26:50] >> I don't know. I don't know. Driver
[26:52] modes, they said.
[26:52] >> No, but there's just the one. Look how
[26:54] there's a button down here and a button
[26:56] here at the end.
[26:57] >> Yeah,
[26:57] >> those poor innocent souls.
[26:59] >> Yeah, like cars now. There's like
[27:02] >> traction control and the thing and then
[27:03] the separately, you have the program.
[27:05] >> 14B.
[27:06] >> It was 14.
[27:07] >> They couldn't have known.
[27:08] >> They couldn't have known. It was We knew
[27:10] very little back then.
[27:11] >> All right. Pretty simple in here. Let's
[27:13] go have a look at the Merc.
[27:14] >> Okay,
[27:17] >> it's hot in this one.
[27:19] >> It's hot.
[27:20] >> Yeah, this this engine can't This air
[27:22] conditioning can't keep up. That
[27:23] engine's putting out way too much heat.
[27:25] That's what's happening.
[27:26] >> Too much power.
[27:26] >> Too much power.
[27:28] >> Too much power for one man. This is not
[27:30] the nicest interior. It's fine, but
[27:33] >> it's very office.
[27:34] >> Yeah. By by design, I think.
[27:37] >> I know.
[27:37] >> It's not my favorite.
[27:38] >> I like the filter back on on the on the
[27:40] shifter.
[27:40] >> That's cool. Yeah. And the and the
[27:42] Alcantara touches which now have seen
[27:43] some age.
[27:44] >> Yes.
[27:45] >> But otherwise it's it's more functional.
[27:48] Smaller weave on the carbon fiber
[27:49] though.
[27:50] >> That's nice. I like the design of the
[27:52] BMW the best, but the Audi has the
[27:54] nicest quality interior.
[27:56] >> Does that make any sense?
[27:57] >> Yeah. I just forgive it.
[28:00] >> It sounds very good.
[28:00] >> I just I associate this with the car
[28:02] that it is and so I don't mind. It fits
[28:04] the personality of it. So, the purpose
[28:06] of the video is to try and figure out if
[28:08] any of these are a better buy than a new
[28:11] Civic Hybrid. And a new Civic Hybrid
[28:14] will always work and it has, you know,
[28:17] modern modern technology,
[28:19] >> steering, modern tech.
[28:21] >> But, I mean, come on, for 30 grand, you
[28:24] are getting some incredibly cool cars.
[28:28] >> But you're not though, are you?
[28:29] >> You're not.
[28:29] >> You're not getting
[28:30] >> They're not 30 grand. That's the
[28:31] problem. Because the Audi, even though
[28:33] he bought it for 30 grand,
[28:35] >> Yeah.
[28:35] >> he has put 40 more thousand into it
[28:39] >> to make it work properly.
[28:40] >> The BMW has he's owned it for 3 months
[28:43] and has put 15,000 into it already.
[28:46] >> Yeah.
[28:47] >> And this, even though it was 30 grand
[28:49] when he bought it, in the years since
[28:51] has gone up in value.
[28:53] >> Yeah.
[28:54] >> And has only done regular maintenance on
[28:55] this actually.
[28:56] >> Actually, this one's been the best so
[28:57] far.
[28:57] >> Really good. Yeah.
[28:58] >> But yeah, whereas a Civic
[29:00] >> No, they the other two were doing
[29:02] preventative maintenance though to be
[29:03] fair. Like if you had
[29:05] >> different to reactive maintenance, you
[29:06] still
[29:07] >> because react you only you a very small
[29:08] window to do reactive maintenance.
[29:09] >> But if you have to do preventative
[29:11] maintenance,
[29:11] >> we don't have to. You just do it to
[29:13] prevent things. See what preventative
[29:14] maintenance means.
[29:15] >> Yes, but you have to do it to prevent
[29:17] the error.
[29:18] >> No, I know. But it's preventative. So
[29:19] you don't have to.
[29:20] >> It's not it's not
[29:21] >> No, it's not it's not imperative,
[29:23] >> but it is at some point.
[29:25] >> So is this then? You can't say you can't
[29:27] say it hasn't done it because there's
[29:28] preventative
[29:30] this was that was the dumbest debate
[29:32] we've ever had. We're sorry for that. Um
[29:34] this is a really really cool car. The
[29:38] Audi is better to drive than I thought.
[29:41] Has a great engine and a really good
[29:42] shifter.
[29:43] >> Yes,
[29:44] >> the BMW still for me is the one that I
[29:48] would buy because it has that M nature
[29:52] that you can't get anywhere else. Right.
[29:54] This almost has the same feeling, but it
[29:57] has this crappy transmission, and that
[29:59] ruins it for me.
[30:00] >> I I I thought it would for me.
[30:03] >> Yeah.
[30:03] >> But it doesn't.
[30:05] >> And the heart of this because these are
[30:07] now becoming Sunday drivers, even though
[30:09] you could daily them with a lot of
[30:11] preventative maintenance.
[30:13] >> I I I I love this a lot more than I
[30:16] expected to.
[30:16] >> Yeah. It's a good car. They're all good
[30:19] cars. Just don't ever buy one. You
[30:21] should buy a Civic.
[30:23] >> Yeah. Yeah,
[30:25] >> we'll get shot for that.
[30:26] >> Yeah.
[30:29] >> Wait, don't shoot. Yes, the Civic has
[30:31] its merits. But unless, like Thomas,
[30:33] apparently, the fruit bowl starts
[30:35] looking tempting for completely
[30:37] different and sinister reasons, this is
[30:40] how we've got to live a little. And as
[30:42] far as these cars go, they all worked
[30:44] perfectly throughout filming. And
[30:46] annoyingly, Thomas is right. The M3 is
[30:48] objectively the best car here. But for
[30:51] me, the C63, despite its foy balls, is
[30:55] just so lovable. And the Audi, well,
[30:58] it's fantastic. But it's in tough
[31:00] company here, especially in the dry. As
[31:04] we said earlier, all three will appeal
[31:06] to different people for completely
[31:08] different reasons. And yet they all
[31:10] represent the same brave step away from
[31:12] the darkness of the mundane and into the
[31:15] lightness of your wallet, but a happier
[31:20] heart. So, there's that. And yes, this
[31:23] video was supported by AutoTempest, a
[31:25] website that puts all the used car sites
[31:27] in one search and now has a cool feature
[31:30] that allows you to describe what you're
[31:32] looking for as well. We use it, you
[31:35] should use it, too. So, check it out.
[31:37] autotempest.com.
[31:39] Thanks for watching.