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not been on here for sometime now, sold my rs4 b5 around 18 months ago and have had a few cars since but nothing special , and nothing to touch it

decided now to take the plunge and treat myself to either a used rs4 b7 or used e60 m5, any of you gents had both? , if so any pointers would be helpful?
i have to take into account space as i have a 2 yr old, but any other comparrisons would help, good bad points,servicing costs etc?

obviously will be testing both over the next few weeks but always found this forum very helpful in the past!
cheers

From what I have read the M5 is horrendous on fuel - this may or may not be a big deal to you, but i know this would just annoy me. Otherwise, both are great cars - the RS4 is a little more compact I guess - but alot comes down to whether you prefer the security of FWD or the track day potential of RWD. Do you want a semi auto (only available on M5) or a manual (only RS4). For me it was only ever a case of RS4 or M3 - as I ruled out the M5 as being too big - but we all have different needs and wants. Let us know how you get on. Regards Mark

RS4

(sorry it's a bit brief )

I drove the new M5 and AMG models before decideing on the RS4, The RS is a much better "Every Day Car" than the rest IMO.

Paul (W8PMC) has had both - maybe the fact that he recently sold his E60 M5 for the new RS4 may help you decide.

All depends on how big you need to go??

I have space requirements, but only 5% of the time although this means i do have to have a 4 seater, 95% of the time it's only me in the car so i don't need a large car.

As someone else said, everyday the RS4 is marginally quicker & the better all round performer. The fuel tank size lets it down as you're lucky to cover 200 miles cruising on a full tank & around town it's just plain scary how low the mpg gets.

Saying that they are fantastic cars & if you're not doing mega miles, do need a large saloon & don't like to make rapid progress all the time, then the M5 is tough to beat.

Also & note to mrdeli, the BMW SMG is NOT semi-auto, that's reserved for Tiptronic or DSG, the SMG is a Sequential Manual Gearbox & anyone who's driven/owned one will know that it's sudo auto mode is just plain nasty & as far away from how an auto performs as it's possible to get. SMG is a clutchless manual box.

Im in a similar situation - am leaning towards the RS4 as I can get a soft top and its 4WD. The other thing that put me off the M5 a little was its size - its road presense is HUGE! It looks more like a 7 series than a 5 series! Both cars are awesome I think but having been in an SMG for the last three years the transition back to a manual is something Im not relishing but, hey, will cross that bridge when I come to it!

Whatever decision you make it would be good if you would post your views and opinions to maybe help me a little in the coming months!

W8PMC wrote:The fuel tank size lets it down as you're lucky to cover 200 miles cruising on a full tank & around town it's just plain scary how low the mpg gets.

You are having a laugh right? I get 400 miles per tank in the RS4 on motorway speeds (not 3 figures). If blasting it that would drop to 200 but I would struggle to get any lower. I rarely drop out of 6th nowadays on a run as the car has plenty torque to accelerate from 1k revs...

Tartan_Rob wrote:

W8PMC wrote:The fuel tank size lets it down as you're lucky to cover 200 miles cruising on a full tank & around town it's just plain scary how low the mpg gets.

You are having a laugh right? I get 400 miles per tank in the RS4 on motorway speeds (not 3 figures). If blasting it that would drop to 200 but I would struggle to get any lower. I rarely drop out of 6th nowadays on a run as the car has plenty torque to accelerate from 1k revs...

The M5 IIRC has the same sized fuel tank as a 520i & is that way to maintain the 50/50 weight distribution.

Cruising you can get high teens MPG but the second you lower the load pedal that figure drops as quickly as your foot on the loud pedal. The only upside was a full refill was only about £50 - £55, but as many of my journeys were 200+ miles it was a real PITA to keep filling up.

Tartan_Rob wrote:

W8PMC wrote:The fuel tank size lets it down as you're lucky to cover 200 miles cruising on a full tank & around town it's just plain scary how low the mpg gets.

You are having a laugh right? I get 400 miles per tank in the RS4 on motorway speeds (not 3 figures). If blasting it that would drop to 200 but I would struggle to get any lower. I rarely drop out of 6th nowadays on a run as the car has plenty torque to accelerate from 1k revs...

400 miles from the RS4 tank!!!!!!!! Jesus, I think I have a heavy right foot, the most I have ever got is 275 from a tank and I thought I was taking it easy lol

The best I've seen is 320 miles - motorway only. Normal driving gives 250 - 260 miles.

Same here, I do a few runs to Cornwall from Surrey and when I get to around the 250 mile mark I start to worry about running out of fuel... with a little more sensible driving I should be able to get around the 300 mark but that would be driving rather conservatively.

I used to own an e46 M3, then 535d before buying an RS4. I did test drive an M5 but was a bit underwhelmed by it. Yes it was mighty mighty quick and at higher speeds the V10 engine note was really nice but still too quiet. The whole problem with the car I felt it did not feel like a sports car - a bit too refined, disconnected and cosseting and on top of that I was already used to the mega-torque levels of the 535d so it didnt feel like a massive step up for me.

The RS4 in comparison, feels like a go-kart and has a lovely sound all the time (not just when giving it the beans like you have too with the M5). It's not as quick but it feels just as quick and is easily quick enough for the UK roads (the M5 is just a bit too insane).

If you need the space, dont mind filling up every 200 miles then the M5 is a great car though I'd still pick a 535d over it since it gives nearly all the feeling of the power of the M5 with its torque (up to general UK road speeds), yet gives 500-600 miles on a tank!

Otherwise, go for the RS4!

p.s. i get around 250 miles average to a full tank on the RS4 (mix of town driving and motorway)

I assume I am the only one using the "G Spot" button inside the fuel filler neck?

I can get about another 2 gallons in and end up driving 80-100 miles before the gauge moves. I normally cruise at about 80 on the speedo (77 corrected by GPS). When I drive her hard, it is very hard (hence me running on Pagid Grey RS15 brake pads).

I've got a US spec RS4 which is admittedly much heavier than the European spec cars. Even way back before break-in (around 2000 miles on the odometer), I drove from Charleston, SC to my hometown in Tennessee. I traveled the entire 360 miles on a single tank and only just received the yellow low fuel warning just as I got home. This included a steep hillclimb through the mountains of North Carolina and I drove about 70-75 mph.

I think the direct injection makes for reasonable fuel economy even with a moderately heavy foot.