Audi RS4 vs Mercedes C63 vs BMW M3 // $30,000 Question

[00:00] You're watching Throttle House. I'm

[00:02] Thomas.

[00:02] >> And I'm James.

[00:03] >> And this is the Civic Hybrid. And it's

[00:05] basically a perfect commuter car.

[00:07] >> Yeah. For 30 grand, you can't ask for

[00:08] anything better. It's just the logical

[00:10] choice. But maybe you don't want

[00:12] logical. Maybe you already do 10,000

[00:14] steps a day and you remember to call

[00:16] your mom and you eat well.

[00:17] >> Maybe you make lowrisk investments.

[00:20] >> Well, then maybe you're a bit pent up.

[00:23] >> Yeah. So, at our age, you can do one of

[00:27] two things. You can either get uh really

[00:29] into sticking weird stuff up your bum or

[00:32] you can take this money and spend it on

[00:34] something more interesting. So, we used

[00:37] autotempus.com who have supported this

[00:40] video and we typed into their special

[00:41] smart search feature. Give me something

[00:44] that's not a Honda Civic but is compact.

[00:46] Four-door 30 grand and chuck in a V8.

[00:50] >> You can literally type that exact thing.

[00:51] You can type in Yeah, that whole phrase.

[00:53] >> Yes, it's clever now.

[00:54] >> Yeah.

[00:54] >> Yeah. You can type in anything. We can't

[00:55] type in anything. It's not anything. It

[00:58] has to be car related. It's like it's

[00:59] car that's not how it works.

[01:02] >> Nude women

[01:04] >> with boobies.

[01:31] Oh, that sounds nice.

[01:34] That sounds really, really nice.

[01:35] >> You haven't even pressed S. Bounce the

[01:37] exhaust.

[01:38] >> Oh, I wasn't even in the loud mode.

[01:40] >> I'll give it another go.

[01:42] >> It's the same.

[01:46] >> I think it's louder outside.

[01:47] >> Okay. Okay. You are driving a car that

[01:49] has the heart of an Audi R8.

[01:51] >> That's right. Yeah.

[01:52] >> And the steering wheel of a Lamborghini

[01:54] Gallardo. That's where I've seen it

[01:56] from. And the brakes of a Lamborghini

[01:58] Gallardo.

[01:59] >> That's cool.

[02:00] >> Yes. This is the Audi RS4 of the B7

[02:05] generation. So between 2006 and 2008,

[02:09] this car, especially in Sprint Blue,

[02:11] captured the hearts and minds of Audi

[02:13] enthusiasts abound. Its engine bay plays

[02:16] host to the same 4.2 L naturally

[02:19] aspirated V8 that powered Audi's

[02:21] mid-enineed masterpiece. Power that is

[02:24] sent to all four wheels via Quattro and

[02:27] controlled by three pedals and a

[02:29] six-speed transmission. Like the other

[02:32] two cars today, which have actually all

[02:34] come together with the assistance of

[02:35] Apex Motorcars here in Toronto, it

[02:38] provides a pure unfiltered visit to an

[02:41] image of yestery year.

[02:47] all the way to 8250 RPM.

[02:49] >> Yeah, it's nice. It's nice. You've got

[02:51] 420 horsepower just like the R8

[02:54] except the R8 uses a dry sump to go

[02:56] lower. It being a manual is is really

[02:59] great. You know, some of the better

[03:00] steering I've ever felt in an

[03:02] >> I thought it was broken cuz I've been

[03:03] living with this and I was like, this is

[03:05] weird. I can feel stuff.

[03:06] >> I know. Steering is actually really

[03:08] nice.

[03:09] >> Is this an aftermarket short shifter?

[03:11] No, that is the same shift throws as

[03:13] normal with the aftermarket part is

[03:15] solid linkages. So instead of rubber,

[03:16] he's replaced it with metal.

[03:17] >> Ah, it makes a big difference.

[03:18] >> So there's more there's more

[03:22] >> gear. Yeah,

[03:22] >> but it is otherwise the same throw

[03:24] length.

[03:24] >> Yeah. No, it's really nice.

[03:30] >> So yes, there are some things when you

[03:33] buy a 2007 V8 Audi that can go wrong. So

[03:37] >> I mean that makes sense. It's all the

[03:38] all the words you just said in that

[03:39] sentence. It all adds up. Yeah.

[03:41] >> It can't be perfect. And none of these

[03:42] three cars,

[03:44] >> neither of them.

[03:45] >> None. None. None of them.

[03:47] >> A few of them. No.

[03:48] >> Nope.

[03:50] >> Have are perfect in that sense. So, this

[03:52] has it's known for carbon uh buildup in

[03:55] the intake valves, which then

[03:56] >> Yeah. You walnut blasted.

[03:57] >> Walnut blasted. And we discussed this

[03:59] off camera. I don't know why walnuts are

[04:01] specifically the ones used.

[04:03] >> He was worried. He's like, we said,

[04:04] "What about almonds? Why can't I

[04:05] >> I actually said pistachios,

[04:07] >> right? Sorry.

[04:07] >> I think Big Walnut is trying to

[04:09] diversify.

[04:10] >> Maybe they've all made an agreement cuz

[04:11] almonds have almond milk.

[04:13] >> Yeah.

[04:13] >> Either way,

[04:14] >> that's one of the things you need to

[04:15] fix. The other thing, the dampers that

[04:17] come with the RS4 are known for fluid

[04:20] leakage, the dynamic dampers, and there

[04:22] is pretty much no support by Audi, even

[04:25] though it's only 20 years later for

[04:27] those dampers. So, everyone basically

[04:29] does the same modification, in which

[04:30] case,

[04:31] >> yeah, this is on the KW aftermarket. In

[04:34] a in a way this is stock because Audi

[04:36] has not supported real stock to

[04:38] continue.

[04:38] >> Yes, this is two decades later stock,

[04:41] >> right?

[04:41] >> Uh that and this has the Miltech exhaust

[04:43] which is wakes up a bit which I honestly

[04:45] don't even think this is that loud. If

[04:46] you think about the V8 RS5 that we drove

[04:48] that was insane.

[04:56] >> The fact that this is woken up from

[04:58] stock tells me stock is definitely too

[04:59] quiet. You know, it's a beautiful

[05:00] engine, but I think that for me, it

[05:02] doesn't have much character as it goes

[05:04] up in the rear.

[05:04] >> No, it just it's muscly.

[05:06] >> Yeah. Yeah. It just it just has a nice

[05:07] tone all the way through.

[05:09] >> Yeah. Go on. Take us to H250.

[05:10] >> All right. I'm going to downshift.

[05:12] >> An Audi that's nice to downshift in.

[05:19] >> It's a really nice tone. It really,

[05:21] really is. That is quicker than a Civic.

[05:25] >> Yes. Okay. One point to the Audi so far.

[05:28] >> Yeah. There's something so solid about

[05:29] this and we'll talk about the interior

[05:31] and stuff later.

[05:31] >> It's got solidity. It's got Audi

[05:33] solidity. You know what it also has is

[05:35] it has Audi handling

[05:38] >> means that when I turn the steering

[05:40] wheel James

[05:40] >> yeah,

[05:42] >> I'm lugging a massive engine around a

[05:45] corner as opposed to that engine being

[05:47] This is why I've never been interested

[05:50] in these cars. But it it's not for the

[05:53] track. It does have a 4060 uh power

[05:55] distribution to the rear. Even though

[05:57] it's not I don't care about the powder

[05:58] distribution. Even though it's not for

[05:59] the track, the weight distribution is

[06:00] off. The position of this engine makes

[06:02] Jesus cry. You don't want to make Jesus

[06:05] cry.

[06:07] >> It's too far out.

[06:09] >> But for what though?

[06:10] >> Quattro.

[06:11] >> Exactly. So suddenly come rain or snow,

[06:14] this one makes so much sense cuz it's

[06:16] the most confidence inspiring car.

[06:17] >> Yeah, but BMW can does a four-wheel

[06:19] drive system as well. So does Mercedes.

[06:20] >> Well, back then they didn't. Not with

[06:22] the M cars.

[06:23] >> Well, that who wants that? I can drift

[06:25] in the other ones probably. Well, they

[06:26] make them now, so that's

[06:27] >> I can't drift this one.

[06:28] >> No, you can't. Well, on ice, you could.

[06:31] >> You?

[06:31] >> Yeah, but it's one of those like Audi

[06:33] drifts. It's like the four-wheel drive

[06:35] thing.

[06:35] >> Think of this as as as modernday Delta

[06:38] Integra.

[06:38] >> No, it is not a modernday Delta

[06:41] Integral.

[06:42] >> How is it not?

[06:43] >> Because it just ask yourself that.

[06:45] >> It's a big extremely heavy luxury sedan.

[06:49] >> Oh, sounds you've driven a Delta

[06:52] Integral.

[06:53] >> I'm just saying it's really good. It's

[06:55] that lineage. It's the rally

[06:57] >> fine

[06:57] >> confidence lineage. And once you apply

[06:59] that,

[07:00] >> I agree.

[07:01] >> The engine is at the next stoplight. But

[07:04] >> yes,

[07:04] >> for road duty, I drove this here on the

[07:06] highway today and I'm thinking like this

[07:07] is the RS4. And I know Audi's never go

[07:09] crazy, but it's still so refined. I was

[07:11] listening to Night Shift by the

[07:13] Commodores. I forgot I was in an RS

[07:15] product.

[07:15] >> Yeah. No, it's really it's a really,

[07:17] really, really nice daily. But I think

[07:20] you'll find that the other two are as

[07:23] well. and they will do all of the extra

[07:26] stuff that this can't.

[07:28] >> All right, why don't we why don't we pop

[07:29] into the one that I'm actually most

[07:30] excited for today.

[07:33] >> The reason he's so excited is because

[07:36] this is a W204 generation C63, which in

[07:40] sedan form ran from 2008 all the way to

[07:44] 2014. It has a massive naturally

[07:47] aspirated V8 and is from back when

[07:49] Mercedes AMG's main goal was making loud

[07:52] noises and tearing up tarmac, which is

[07:55] especially true of the 2014 507 edition,

[08:00] which this is

[08:11] all right. So, the 507 edition.

[08:14] Woo. Has 507 horsepower.

[08:17] >> Yes, it does.

[08:18] >> Yes. From the 6.2ish

[08:20] L.

[08:21] >> Yeah. Well, it's just over 6.2, but they

[08:23] call it a 6.3. Why? Heritage apparently.

[08:26] >> Heritage, apparently.

[08:26] >> That sounds like nepotism within the

[08:29] band.

[08:30] >> Of course, you got the gig.

[08:31] >> Yeah.

[08:33] >> Wow. We

[08:35] >> It's a different sound. It's a unique

[08:37] sound, isn't it?

[08:38] >> Lot of car. A lot of car for 30 grand.

[08:41] And it is a lot of car for 30,000

[08:43] >> and it looks amazing.

[08:45] >> This feels immediately quite a bit

[08:47] sportier than the RS4.

[08:48] >> Yeah, it does.

[08:49] >> Chassis feels tort. The steering's

[08:51] better.

[08:51] >> That does mean it's got a worse ride.

[08:54] >> Yes,

[08:55] >> that's a thing.

[08:55] >> That's a MK thing. That's an AMG thing.

[08:59] >> It's quick.

[09:00] >> It is quite quick, isn't it? Yeah. So,

[09:02] this has a lot of really cool stuff cuz

[09:03] as the 507 edition has got the different

[09:05] hood and stuff and the black series, but

[09:07] this actually has less mileage, is like

[09:11] almost 10 years newer and cost the same

[09:13] as the other two.

[09:14] >> True. I think he got a good deal, but

[09:15] that is a good deal. They all bought

[09:17] them for about 40 Canadian.

[09:19] >> What's interesting to me about this is

[09:20] that the way the Audi has the R8 engine

[09:22] in it, this sort of has the SLS engine

[09:24] in it, it's the same difference. It's

[09:26] the the the SLS uses a dry sump and it

[09:28] has different exhaust but otherwise you

[09:31] are driving

[09:32] >> at this era in this era

[09:35] >> the same engine as the king of your

[09:38] brand.

[09:39] >> Yeah, it's very it's a very very cool

[09:41] engine. Steering in this is better than

[09:43] the Audi. Chassis is better than the

[09:45] Audi. Ride is worse than the Audi. Seats

[09:47] are more comfortable.

[09:48] >> The seats are more comfortable and

[09:49] supportive. They're like the guy from

[09:51] Fight Club.

[09:52] >> What? Bob Pson. The one with

[09:54] >> his name was Robert Pollson.

[09:57] >> 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.