Buying a new daily car: Audi RS4 B8 Avant or a Mercedes C63 AMG W204 Estate…?

Updated: 29 Nov 2024

I have a BMW Z4M for track and fun (check it out in my garage). I’m thinking of replacing my BMW 325i wagon/estate with a used Audi RS4 B8 Avant or a used Mercedes C63 AMG W204 estate (= facelift model from mid 2011 with the newer MCT transmission and updated interior). The older RS4 B7 Avant also crossed my mind…but it has some engine and suspension issues and I don’t know if it is a safe and reliable bet for a daily driver?

In my “car” live I always wanted to own a natural aspirated V8…so if I want to do this then I can not wait for to many years to buy one. These NA engines are a dying breed :(

My daily work vehicle does around 11.000miles a year with 50% slow city traffic and 50% highways. But which car would I choose and why…Audi RS4 B8 vs Mercedes C63 AMG W204? Which one is the most reliable, most fun, better drivers car and better all round daily vehicle. Yes; I know….I should testdrive both of them to get an idea…so I did.

Audi RS4 B8 Avant
I did a testdrive with a RS4 B8… I rather liked the car. Without RS logo’s and fully blacked-out it looked rather understated and low profile. I think the RS4 B8 in black or dark grey looks awesome from outside and inside. I love the look! The optional blacked-out sport exhaust also sounds rather nice. Normally I don’t like auto gearboxes; but the S-tronic box was feeling rather good…it was nice in auto mode and nice when shifting the gears myself. The shifts are fast enough and felt really good on public road. This car will be my next daily driver and not a track car so it does not have to be the fastest shifter and it also will be my first car with an automated transmission… There is no other choice with the RS4 B8 and C63 AMG. If they had a manual version I would look for that one.

The RS4 suspension felt ok in comfort mode (the other settings are to hard for the street). The dynamic steering was the biggest disappointment of the complete car. In comfort it was to soft and slow, automatic was not great and in dynamic it was to artificial heavy. I don’t know if it’s something you need to get used to…but the steering feel was the worst thing of the RS4. Also almost every used RS4 I have found on the market has the dynamic steering option…and even so…who says the standard RS4 steering has a better steering feel?

The Quattro handling was like the car was on rails and grip levels were awesome on a typical autumn day. This also means the car is a little boring and does not give you that many driver thrills or involvement when driving at normal speeds… My Z4M and 325i felt more fun and lively when driving at the same speeds and they are slower cars then the RS4.

Mercedes C63AMG W204 Estate
Normally I’m not a big fan of Mercedes. The only cars they produced that I like or maybe consider owing (if I had the money) are SLS black series, 300 SL Gullwing, AMG GTS and the previous C63 AMG W204 estate (the model I’m now talking about). Honestly; a couple of years a go I could never think I would even consider buying a Mercedes. For me; a Mercedes was something for really old and boring people. I never liked them and I always found them boring to drive and to look at. Personal opinion! But the set-up of this model of C63 AMG has something that somewhat appeals me and I like the look more then any other generation of “normal” Mercedes model.

I also did a test drive with a C63 AMG Estate (2012 model with 19” wheels and performance pack)… Besides some setting of the gearbox there are almost no driving feel settings/adjustments you can make. The suspension is only 1 setting and overall comfort is perfect for daily street driving. I really liked the way C63 drives and the way it steers. The steering feel is so much better in the C63 then in the RS4 B8. The steering feel is absolutely 100% perfect for my taste of a street car. The C63 W204 feels smaller, lighter and more nimble then a RS4 B8. The C63 feels more fun at lower speeds. It feels more a live! You will have to go really fast and drive like a nutter to get the same sense of speed and/or sensation in a RS4 B8. The RS4 drives as on rails, the grip is awesome in every weather and the car is really safe. This makes the RS4 for me a little boring and also more difficult to know when exactly you are reaching the end of that endless Quattro grip.

In real live and in wet, slippery conditions the RS4 will always be faster then a C63. The grip levels are way up there…but honestly I don’t really care that the C63 will be slower or needs to be driven slower in these conditions. The engine in the RS4 is great, but the 6.2 engine in the C63 is awesome…! It’s a masterpiece and the main event of this car.

The C63 feels like a mini supercar and all that torque is great to have on the street. Probably not so on track, because you will have issues when going on the power early and you will lose traction really fast in certain corners with that much torque on only the rear wheels. But this is a street car for me and my Z4M is there for track fun, fast times and old school manual driving pleasure. Personally; I would never buy an AMG or even a RS4 for track work…this is where a modified BMW M shines or even better with Porsche GT cars.

You will need to learn how to fully exploit and behave with this car…the C63 challenges you. For me personally a full black (no chrome / no grey accents) RS4 B8 Avant with 20” wheels looks awesome from the outside. I really love the look! The inside of the cabin also looks a little better then the interior of the C63 (facelift). For me the outside of the C63 looks like something of a granddad car in combination with a boy racer tuning look. I’m not a big fan of all that chrome and I hope there is a way to get it replaced or to get it blacked out like the shadowline of BMW M-models. No chrome will improve the look and lower the granddaddy image for me…

In my opinion a Mercedes is for older people (+50) and I’m not even 40. As said before; the RS4 B8 looks awesome, the C63 AMG looks ok and I can live with it… It’s not that it’s ugly. It’s just doesn’t make my hear beat faster when looking at it. On the other hand; starting that 6.2 engine and driving it will make your heart beat overtime!

Besides the known high gasoline bills and the small gas tank the only real downside of the C63 is the seven-speed MCT-7 gearbox. In auto mode it’s ok and rather good, but in manual mode and shifting gears yourself it’s slower then all the modern dual clutch systems and slower then the S-tronic of the RS4. The S-tronic gearbox of the RS4 B8 is in my opinion the best of both worlds for a street car… In manual mode it’s better/faster/more involving then the MCT-7 from the C63 and almost the same as the fast M-DKG (BMW e90 M3). When driving in city traffic in auto mode the S-tronic is better then the M-DKG (I don’t like the auto mode of the M-DKG in traffic). The MCT-7 gearbox is also better in auto mode in slow city traffic then the M-DKG from the e90 M3.

The big difference is when shifting manually and then the C63 is the worst of the 3 above gearboxes (S-tronic and M-DKG). It’s a pity and if there existed a C63 AMG manual I would buy that one…but on the other hand if there was a e91 BMW M3 estate/wagon then I would buy that one instead. You can’t have it all to be perfect, but you can try to get close to what you like best. Between the C63 W204 Estate and RS4 B8 Avant my preference goes to the C63 AMG… I’m probably looking to get one this year…or are there some reasons I’m missing it? Is the RS4 B8 way better or have other opinions about these cars then please post your reply’s.

If the C63 AMG had a S-tronic gearbox, no chrome and a little nicer interior and exterior it would be 100% perfect…on the other hand; are there cars that are 100% perfect? My Z4M is certainly not 100% perfect, but I love it…..and it has no chrome! ;)

Some extra info; When searching on You Tube it seems that Chris Harris also likes the C63 AMG a lot. Chris knows his cars and as a motoring journalist he has a lot more experience then me when it comes to driving and reviewing a lot of different cars. I value his opinions about cars, but as you can read above I also needed to test/drive them both myself to make my own opinion.

Saying goodbye to the C63: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjCsJkFSCzI&spfreload=10
Every generation RS4 vs C63: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HYdVXmYA-w

Comments

RS4 Avant!

Why you like that one better?

That’s a lot of text.

It’s a review….for people who are interested in a RS4 or C63. I could also write; I like the C63…and nothing more but then it was not a review ;)

If you want all weather grip : go Audi. If you want to do some skids : go Merc.

Audi rs4! because looks and all Wheel drive,and the fact that it iis muoach newer! and Audi looks much better. and by the way Audi looks better XD

Get the mercedes so people don’t think you’re a tailgater

Both cars are great. I’ve driven a c63 recently and that’s one of the best cars I’ve driven in my life. The sound is gorgeous. And surprisingly it’s fuel economy is not as bad as I expected. The fuel tank is quite large too so you don’t have to stop at petrol stations too often. It’s a practical car too, though it’s not too big - space in the rear is quite limited to be honest, but it’s still enough. So I would go for c63 any day

Did you drive C63 from the W204 or the newer C63 W205 (model 2015)?

Wow, good detailed wrote up. Personally I think bmw m cars are the best in overall driving experiance but as there aren’t many wagon m cars (excluding the glorious v10 e60 m5) I would go for the audi. Audi makes the ultimate wagons.

Indeed; M cars are the best in overall driving experience…I feel the same way. I already have an M-car (Z4M) and that is here to stay. It’s also nice to have something different in the garage.

I thought about a M5 V10 wagon…and the idea of a V10 in a daily car just sounds awesome and the M5 V10 is a really great piece of motorcar. But I rather have a smaller 3-series, A4, C, and for me personally a 5 serie, A6, E class are to big (I don’t need the space).

Their are also some problems/issues with the M5 V10. The SMG gearbox is really awful in city traffic (in manual and auto) and is only enjoyable when driving fast on the highways or county roads. My daily car sees 50% city traffic (with traffic jams) and 50% highways. Their are also a lot of reliability issues with the SMG gearbox, the clutch and the V10 engine itself that can quickly turn into a big money pit… With my Z4M I’m also registered on a couple of dedicated BMW forums and almost every M5 V10 owner has sold his car do to the big and unforeseen expenses. Most ex-owners don’t recommend buying, owning this car as a daily driven vehicle. The MPG in a C63 AMG and RS4 is not the best and I can live with that, but in a M5 V10 the MPG is even worse and a bit to much (in combination with the costs of keeping this car trouble free).

But when you see this video and you can drive on these roads then you think; hell yeah lovely car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXeIsHIejD0#t=217

I’d go with the C63

C63! :D

Since I’m an Audi guy the question wouldn’t bother me a second. The exterior and interior on the B8 looks just way better than the old Merc. We got a B8 Avant ourselves as a 2.0 TDI quattro and it’s so much fun in the snow. While in normal conditions the Merc will be a bit more of fun due to lower traction. As a daily the quattro might be the better option, rwd Merc rather for some tire shredding. But as I said, I’m biased.

I have driving RWD car’s all my life…in wintertime I put smaller rims with wintertyres on my cars and never had any issues with them. These tyres work great in low temperatures and snow is something that occurs only casual and not every year in my country.