Car & Driver: Can you compare a BMW M4 to a Porsche 911 Carrera?

[M4TW]

Apparently you can. Car & Driver did so in their recent Speed issue. I'll let someone else less squeamish about copyright infringement scan and post, but I'll give you a hint: the M4 won.

Being compared to a Hellcat one day and a 911 the next. It says a lot about the M3/4 that it is such a popular date for a car comparo prom. I think I'm going to wash my M4 to celebrate. It picked up a lot of bugs being driven back from the track.

[bimmerj]

Nope. There is no comparison.

[DocWeatherington]

Originally Posted by M4TW

Apparently you can. Car & Driver did so in their recent Speed issue. I'll let someone else less squeamish about copyright infringement scan and post, but I'll give you a hint: the M4 won.

Being compared to a Hellcat one day and a 911 the next. It says a lot about the M3/4 that it is such a popular date for a car comparo prom. I think I'm going to wash my M4 to celebrate. It picked up a lot of bugs being driven back from the track.

FAIL with the upload.. lol

[M4TW]

Originally Posted by DocWeatherington

FAIL with the upload.. lol

Guilty of FAIL, as charged. There should be a rule against referencing articles and comparisons without at least a link or a scan. Otherwise this will only encourage attention whoredom in the congregation.

... hey ... wait a sec.

Look at me???

[DocWeatherington]

Originally Posted by M4TW

Guilty of FAIL, as charged. There should be a rule against referencing articles and comparisons without at least a link or a scan. Otherwise this will only encourage attention whoredom in the congregation.

... hey ... wait a sec.

Look at me???

Even tho.. you have done wrong.. we are still family

[RickFLM4]

I think you are referring to this one:

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

If you look at the scoring system in the last page the M4 came out a little on top overall because of lower price, features / amenities and having a back seat. If you look at "Chassis" and "Fun to Drive" it is a different result. Overall it is a subjective set of factors included, most of which are subjectively assigned values by the reviewer. Which car is "better" for anyone is really a function of what one wants / needs from the car, how it will be driven and, of course, budget. Interesting read nonetheless.

[buildbright]

Just amazing the cars the M3/M4 gets compared too.

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

I think you are referring to this one:

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

If you look at the scoring system in the last page the M4 came out a little on top overall because of lower price, features / amenities and having a back seat. If you look at "Chassis" and "Fun to Drive" it is a different result. Overall it is a subjective set of factors included, most of which are subjectively assigned values by the reviewer. Which car is "better" for anyone is really a function of what one wants / needs from the car, how it will be driven and, of course, budget. Interesting read nonetheless.

OP was referring to recent speed issue. The comparo you have is from last summer (discussed ad naseum back then)

Did they just rerun that Test?

[M4TW]

Originally Posted by myzmak

OP was referring to recent speed issue. The comparo you have is from last summer (discussed ad naseum back then)

Did they just rerun that Test?

Ha ha. Newsstand Ap FAIL on my part. It was the August 2014 Speed issue that showed up as a new download. Same article. Same test. But it is worthwhile reposting as a reminder.



.... right???

[Mr Pete]

Apparently the M3/4 can be compared to a Honda Civic, so sure, why not. Compare away!

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by myzmak

OP was referring to recent speed issue. The comparo you have is from last summer (discussed ad naseum back then)

Did they just rerun that Test?

I figured OP must have been referencing that article or a re-run of it because it seemed unusual they would compare the 2 again so soon. I was driving an Audi this time last year so I missed the original dialogue here about it. I did remember the article from magazine subscription and found it interesting, although it didn't have any influence my M4 decision last month. I wasn't cross-shopping with a 911 and generally find magazine comparisons interesting but not normally very influential.

[EfEightyM3]

Originally Posted by Ebolo

Does'nt look like a win to me!

Agreed. Pretty lopsided win for the 911 there, and in the most important areas for anyone who actually cares about driving. The base 911 is a car to be reckoned with, and for under 100K, not sure there's a better all around car.

[M4TW]

Originally Posted by Ebolo

Does'nt look like a win to me!

I know what you're saying. It's like a football game where the losing team had the better stats in all the key categories . It's still a win though - or at least something with which to torment your friends, if any happen to own 911's.

[buildbright]

Originally Posted by Ebolo

Lol True, but has there ever been any doupt that the M4 was a roomier car then the 911. To me this test should have concentrated only on the real question, which one is the best driver's car. It's just like they had compared a Viper against an ATS-V and gave the win to the Caddy because of the backseats, pretty pointless IMHO.

The 911 better be a more driving oriented car. It's a purpose built sports luxury GT car. The M3/M4 is based on a luxury sport sedan/coupe. To take a lawyer or realtor taxi and transform it into a car that can be compared to best sports segment leaders is more impressive. I love the 911 but the M3 is beast. Anything you can do I can with four doors lol.

[EfEightyM3]

Originally Posted by buildbright

The 911 better be a more driving oriented car. It's a purpose built sports luxury GT car. The M3/M4 is based on a luxury sport sedan/coupe. To take a lawyer or realtor taxi and transform it into a car that can be compared to best sports segment leaders is more impressive. I love the 911 but the M3 is beast. Anything you can do I can with four doors lol.

911 is a beast and that's only the starting point and least performance oriented 911. A lot to be said of that. The fact that it is absolutely owning cars with a lot more hp just shows how much better a chassis it has and how much better the engineering is. If you're shoppin for a 911 you know what the specs are wrt seating and cargo space. There hasn't been a car to match the 991 since its inception. Every manufacturer is still scratching their heads trying to catch up, and still aren't anywhere close. That is very apparent after driving them.

There are plenty of great cars but the 911 is pretty much the pinnacle. Every car maker who makes a sports/GT/exotic uses a 911 variant as the benchmark. Many gun for it but never come up with a winning formula.

[bimmerj]

Glad the M4 won, on the rear seat and other important things along that line .

[Cameronc08]

I don't understand the obsession with the 911's on this board. Maybe I'm tainted by living in SoCal where you can't throw a stone without hitting 5 of them. But I just sold my 997.1 turbo with a 6speed and honestly, while I definately do miss some aspects of it like the adrenaline rush at WOT in all gears, it's just not nearly as refined and perfect as people make it out to be. I think that the majority of people praising it are just going on what they read in magazines. The m4 stock (DCT) vs my tuned 997 turbo is a pretty close matchup in performance. So I just can't imagine the base carerra to hold a candle to an m4. But I've never driven a base model so that's speculation. All I know is I'm happy with the transition I made. With that said, I definately forsee a 991 GT3 in my future, but that's just for a different perspective on fun, not necessarily better.

[dgp]

Originally Posted by Cameronc08

I don't understand the obsession with the 911's on this board. Maybe I'm tainted by living in SoCal where you can't throw a stone without hitting 5 of them. But I just sold my 997.1 turbo with a 6speed and honestly, while I definately do miss some aspects of it like the adrenaline rush at WOT in all gears, it's just not nearly as refined and perfect as people make it out to be. I think that the majority of people praising it are just going on what they read in magazines. The m4 stock (DCT) vs my tuned 997 turbo is a pretty close matchup in performance. So I just can't imagine the base carerra to hold a candle to an m4. But I've never driven a base model so that's speculation. All I know is I'm happy with the transition I made. With that said, I definately forsee a 991 GT3 in my future, but that's just for a different perspective on fun, not necessarily better.

I agree- EfEightyM3 boasts about the 911 being a beast yeah ok!!. GT3 on the other hand is a beast, and completely different than the base 911, which has very little torque in daily driving unless you rev it all the time.

[Cameronc08]

Originally Posted by dgp

I agree- EfEightyM3 boasts about the 911 being a beast yeah ok!!. GT3 on the other hand is a beast, and completely different than the base 911, which has very little torque in daily driving unless you rev it all the time.

I can tell you this, as much as people praise the looks of the 911, I had a clean black on black turbo, and in just a few months of ownership I've gotten WAY more compliments on the m4 than the turbo. It could be the color but it's always positive vibes. Don't get me wrong I love the turbo and it IS an absolute beast (would definately take the throne at freeway speeds) but it's just not the 8th world wonder like some people make it out to be.

[dgp]

Originally Posted by Cameronc08

I can tell you this, as much as people praise the looks of the 911, I had a clean black on black turbo, and in just a few months of ownership I've gotten WAY more compliments on the m4 than the turbo. It could be the color but it's always positive vibes. Don't get me wrong I love the turbo and it IS an absolute beast (would definately take the throne at freeway speeds) but it's just not the 8th world wonder like some people make it out to be.

Agree, turbo is a beast, but base 911 isn't!!
And then the steep depreciation people take when they sell their base variety 911, cayman, boxster (any non GT Porsche). Porsche prices them higher they should be and with options it makes more profit per car than any other german manufacturer! Also nav/technology apps is still a bit behind BMW but perhaps that's not what the car was made for (to integrate latest technology). Look at what '99 996 cabs go for in this market- under 15K. and they were over 80-85K new, steep depreciation, old chassis, underpowered, no torque in daily driving gives low demand for that platform. The 991 chassis is better, but the technology within (nav/apps/bluetooth) is outdated and base engine doesn't have much torque- in a decade it will probably be significantly outdated and likely not hold demand very well. But we'll see....

[myzmak]

Originally Posted by M4TW

Ha ha. Newsstand Ap FAIL on my part. It was the August 2014 Speed issue that showed up as a new download. Same article. Same test. But it is worthwhile reposting as a reminder.



.... right???

admit it: you just wanted to stir all this shit up again, right?

[x3ster]

Originally Posted by dgp

Agree, turbo is a beast, but base 911 isn't!!
And then the steep depreciation people take when they sell their base variety 911, cayman, boxster (any non GT Porsche). Porsche prices them higher they should be and with options it makes more profit per car than any other german manufacturer! Also nav/technology apps is still a bit behind BMW but perhaps that's not what the car was made for (to integrate latest technology). Look at what '99 996 cabs go for in this market- under 15K. and they were over 80-85K new, steep depreciation, old chassis, underpowered, no torque in daily driving gives low demand for that platform. The 991 chassis is better, but the technology within (nav/apps/bluetooth) is outdated and base engine doesn't have much torque- in a decade it will probably be significantly outdated and likely not hold demand very well. But we'll see....

Ya great to look at a 996. One of the worst looking model runs. There is a reason they are priced so low. Interior is pretty rough too. How about look at what a 993 is going for. Big difference! Pretty sure the 991 is a much better looking car then the 996 and will stand the test of time much better too.

As far as I'm concerned Ill take anything prior to a 996 or anything 2009 later including the 997 (updated interior on most model 911s)and 991. 996 is no good. 2005-2008 997 exterior is right only the interior is still so so.