| Compact Sport Sedans from Germany(and Japan); Can the M3 be dethroned? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 4 2012, 12:36 AM (144 Views) | |
| Buddha | May 4 2012, 12:36 AM Post #1 |
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The Germans are known for many things throughout history, however there’s one thing most car enthusiasts can acknowledge they do better than most: cars. One car stands out as the benchmark of them all: the BMW M3. The BMW M3 has been the car to beat since its introduction, and while some have come close, it has never been successfully done. Well Forza claims to be where dreams meet reality, so let’s see if the Bimmer can defend its legend in the game as well. The BMW M3 will be using its most modern form, as will all the others. In the case of the BMW it’ll be the E92 model featuring a high revving 4.0 liter V8 producing a bit over 400 horsepower and just under 300 lb-ft of torque. Going head to head against the BMW will be its archrival the Mercedes-Benz C63, which has a V8 producing an M3-beating 451 horsepower and enough torque to snap the M3 in half. Naturally, other automakers have attempted to take down the M3 and Audi is no different. Audi is being represented by the RS4 which has its V8 lifted from the R8 supercar amongst others. Its supercar worthy V8 engine is producing roughly the same power as the M3 and a bit more torque as well. It combines this with the legendary Quattro all wheel drive system as well. Last is a car that’s not German at all. Well maybe some piece of it was made or designed in Germany. This car is the Lexus IS-F, which not only is one of the best attempts at taking down the M3 to date, but it also represents what’s hopefully a new path for Lexus. Excluding the LFA, the IS-F is the first Lexus with balls. It’s certainly worthy of taking on the M3 in this form. The IS-F features a (wait for it) high revving V8 engine producing just over (wait for it again…) 400 horsepower and a BMW beating amount of torque. The IS-F combines this with a rather excessive 8 speed automatic transmission as well. So the question that remains here is: Who will beat the BMW? Will it be Mercedes with its Third Reich inspiring power, Audi with its supercar V8 and AWD, or Lexus with its F1-inspired engine and excessive amount of gears? Or will BMW manage to fend off all its rivals and emerge victorious? Let’s find out. The first test should be fairly simple. These cars are about speed and power. Simply put the simplest way to see who’s fastest is a drag race. All the cars are reasonably even in power, aside from the Benz. The Benz also weighs a bit more so that should slow it down. I can almost see everyone starting to complain the Audi has AWD and is lighter. To even things out I won’t be running a quarter mile, I’ll be running a half mile on the Top Gear track. That should erase any launch advantage the Audi might have. Speaking of the RS4, it ran its half mile in 19.386 seconds. Up next the BenchMarkWagon…I mean BMW ran a respectable time of 20.587. Next the Lexus ran a near identical time of 20.721. Up next the tire-frying Benz barely squeezed by and ran a very impressive time of 20.554. So at the end of the first round, the Audi managed to win by quite a bit more while actually feeling rather gutless doing so. Taking second amazingly after smoking its tires and wasting time was the C63. Third was the BMW which actually felt rather underwhelming, feeling and sounding faster than it really was. Last place was the IS-F, which I personally think would’ve beat the Benz had I not had to shift 20 fucking times throughout the course of the race eating up time. Round 1: 1st: Audi RS4 (10 points), 2nd: Mercedes C63 (7 points), 3rd: BMW M3 (4 points), 4th: Lexus IS-F (1 point) Heading into round 2, the cars certainly aren’t in the order I expected. I honestly thought the Benz would take the drag race by a hair. Well either way, the next track will be a home track for the BMW (well I’m assuming with those big ass BMW banners all over): the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit. Each car will get 2 laps around here, fastest time wins. Up first was the C63, which ran a respectable 2:27.708. Next was the Lexus, which did its lap in a stunning 2:24.320. The BMW ran next and turned an astonishing time of 2:22.154. The Audi ran last and came back with a time of 2:20.965. Wow, I honestly though the BMW and Lexus had the Audi this time. Both of them felt at home around the track. The IS-F felt way lighter than it is and had good brakes. The C63 was basically the opposite of the IS-F: understeer, excessive wheelspin, and shitty brakes. It was honestly the only car here I didn’t like. After the IS-F ran its time, I thought the BMW had its work cut out for it. I was wrong; it effortlessly beat the Lexus’s time. After that run, I just knew the BMW had won, yet again I was wrong. I swear the RS4 got an engine swap or something this round. That V8 felt like it had at least 100hp more than it did and it handled like it was a Lotus. As effortless as the BMW felt, the Audi made it feel nervous and unsettled. Overall, all the cars (except the Mercedes) felt great here. Round 2: 1st: Audi RS4 (20 points), 2nd: BMW M3 (11 points), 3rd: Mercedes C63 (8 points), 4th: Lexus IS-F (5 points) Going into the final round, it looks like Audi is beating BMW at its own game. The Mercedes’s drag racing fluke managed to screw up the points for the BMW and Lexus enough to where the Audi actually has a pretty solid lead. Well the third round is Fujimi Kaido Old Down Hill. I chose this because I figured the cars could all show off their handling here as opposed to their acceleration like the last couple rounds. Plus, I figured the Audi couldn’t (shouldn’t?) get too far away if its stuck going 10mph the whole time. Up first is the Audi, which ran a respectable 4:23.355. After this I’m not really sure what happened. Maybe it got homesick or something, but it quite frankly got its ass kicked this round. The next car to run was the BMW, which turned a neck-snapping time of 4:19.942. Next up was the Lexus, which was on the Bimmer’s ass at 4:20.309. Lastly was the Mercedes, which seemed to remember it was a sports sedan and not a torpedo, running a time of 4:21.261. I’m honestly somewhat lost for words. I just knew for sure the Audi would win again (somehow) and the Benz would flail around burning its tires. I was wrong on both accounts. All of the cars felt amazing down this track. The Audi was stupidly stable in the corners with neutral handling, and once again its superb brakes didn’t disappoint. The BMW and Lexus felt quite similar at almost every corner. Had it been a real race it would’ve been quite exciting watching them overtake each other to the finish line. The Mercedes, well it felt like the Mercedes I was driving on Nurburgring, only this one remembered it could turn as well as blast off to the moon. In fact, at a few portions of the track (not straights) it actually overtook the BMW. Round 3: 1st: Audi RS4 & BMW M3 (21 points), 3rd: Lexus IS-F & Mercedes C63 (12 points) Well there you have it; annoyingly there are 2 ties in this damn event. Though in reality, I’d say there’s honestly no loser here. It’s simply what you prefer to drive and what type of driver you are. The Audi is an excellent beginner’s car being easy to drive and at times absurdly fast (still trying to figure out what happened to the engine on Nurburgring). The Mercedes-Benz is an absolute rocket designed for those people that love torque, a burbling exhaust, and feel the need to get some hair on their chests while driving. The IS-F is quite possibly the first car I can say that may actually be better than the M3. While it failed to actually beat the M3 in any event here, the fact it’s the first generation of it says boatloads about what Lexus has made. Come Forza 5/6/7 or whatever game it is when the second IS-F comes out, the BMW may be looking back at this remembering when it was the benchmark. That said the M3 just barely hangs onto its crown with its razor sharp handling and shrieking engine. It is the Ultimate Driving Machine…but by points, the Audi is as well. I should add a bit of a disclaimer to this one. It may seem like I prefer the BMW from the start, the references to it being benchmark and other such terms are reflective of the real world. In Forza 4, I will say I own every car featured in the comparison. I’ve logged the most miles in the BMW but the most time in the Audi. The Lexus is following behind closely in third, with the Benz (being my newest purchase) lagging a distant fourth. |
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