Audi, Porsche: Go head to head!

Here's a nice review of the much loved Audi RS4 and Porsche Cayman S. The winner, well you'll have to read on...

Pardon my cheesy German accent today.

For the last week or so, I've been immersed in der car culture – pass me a lager, please.

Through a fortuitous alignment of the planets or something, I got an '07 Audi RS4 for several days, followed by an '06 Porsche Cayman S – in one week. Honest.

This odd couple – a sedan that was part snarling rally racer and part stylish sports sedan, and a beguiling, wonderfully precise sports car – reminded me why I grudgingly love German cars.

Yeah, I know, German cars are overpriced and, in some shallow sectors of Dallas, can be laughably pretentious. The Audi costs $73,520, for instance, and the Porsche $73,050. There are no incentives, no special financing, no free extended warranties – no deals, in short. Moreover, the Audi gets worse gas mileage than most trucks (14 miles per gallon, city). The two-seat Porsche, meanwhile, can carry a couple of sacks of groceries – as long as you leave your passenger in the parking lot.

And yet people line up to buy these cars. I would if I had a real job. At this lofty level, buyers are looking for performance and style – not low, low monthly payments. The only way an automaker can compete in these segments is to provide those elements in large, large measures.

Look hard at some of the features on these cars because eventually, some will trickle down to vehicles we plebes can actually afford.