Audi RS3 vs BMW M2 Competition vs Camaro SS 1LE - Is There An Answer? 

I subbed just for the full track test. You must a track test NOW

We are doing what we can to make that happen. It’s no small task. But my fingers are crossed with yours.

That would be amazing. I love your videos. I would coose the BMW M2. Thomas you like the same cars as me. I want to do drive the car not the other way around. Currently i drive a BMW E30 with a 2.8 from a E36 as a daily with track suspension.^^

Wicked set up

thx, it's a Touring, so i can all my stuff in the trunk when i go to the track.

Nice Malibu

@@talkingmango8658found the clown ^🤡

I’m looking for the first appearance of James …

1LE as a taco bell employee Rs3. As a Costco manager M2 as the Bank of America Manager.

juan cruz And your as ignorant as these blokes commentating. They hate, judge and as a whole try to turn car reviews into a British breeding map. In other words? It is nothing more than idiotic gas from two dolts that have no racing, competitive driving skills or talent. And have a serious infatuation with anything German regardless of how poor the reliability is. These two would swear a Lada is the greatest car of all time if it had a BMW badge on it. M2 owner is a cheating spouse that uses to much colon and has little penis syndrome. Rs3 owner is undecided with a MacDonalds menu and believes idiotic RU-vid guano. 1LE owner has an income that can afford these 3 and chooses the LE. You are a resident at you local Jail or a Meth Head that needs a few grammar and spelling lessons. Remember this is the same person who says this M2 was faster on a road course than a Shelby 350. Which was quicker around L.S. Than a Ferrari 458 Italia as tested by M.T. Do not take anything these two say as anything but a biased editorial.

RS3 for rainy climates. Absolutely demolish any 1000+ HP RWD car from one light to the next. Can't stand RWD in rain, and my 16' M3 is on my channel. Tired of being smoked by grandma in her Subaru wagon every time it rains.

@@jonathanbachman2339 I don't know about the rest of your response but if you're going to attack someone's spelling and grammar, you might want to have your own in check: "juan cruz And your as ignorant" you're* "M2 owner is a cheating spouse that uses to much colon and has little penis syndrome." too* much cologne* "Rs3 owner is undecided with a MacDonalds menu" McDonalds* "1LE owner has an income that can afford these 3 and chooses the LE." three* I won't even bother pointing out the grammar issues.

@@TasteMyStinkholeAndLikeIt lol this comment made my day.

That one muscle at every JDM meet

Guilty.

He actually says “ It’s been asked to leave twice” I think he meant to say they’ve been asked to leave twice. Nothing says it’s not a woman, or trans, or whoever else feels underrepresented 😂

bongmist precisely

*M2* for raising a family. *M2* to scare the kids. *M2* when the kids have moved out.

K9 JSB lol how does it scare the kids if RS3 sounds better

Neo Ramaphoko *Powersliding, Drifting, Donuts, Burnouts !* Tell me how the RS3 will scare them again?

K9 JSB you still not answering my question “MR BMW Fan”

Nice purchase. I am in love with that orange version though. Hoping to do a EU delivery either this or next April.

Congrats. Any dealer mark-up with that order?

Manual really? Manual is to attract high school girls and auto is to win races

Mr.Dhill manual may be slower but a manual is much more fun, you are more connected to the car

Driveitsideways 1 no driving with no power steering is connected to a car. I agree with u to A certain extent.

enjoying every drop of gas? Surely not! I have two V8s here in Colorado and right now I only drive my E46 because the others will pass anything... (ahem), but a gas station.

There's no doubt the ZL1 is the track monster. I had a '67 RS SS350 Camaro (modified) and (with the front sheet metal missing (only subframe, small block V8 and the radiator), it would pull the front wheels off the ground. An absolute riot!

Don’t forget the 1le comes with lightweight forged wheels, electronic differential, rev match, no lift shift, magnetic ride suspension, heads up display, 6 piston brembos in the front and 4 piston in the rear. It is designed to be a factory track weapon. They also come with npp exhaust which sounds absolutely fantastic stock and can be quite when you need it. It’s definitely the best bang for buck sports car.

yeah GM sucks ass but they pull their act together when it comes to their flagship vehicles like the camaro and ram 1500

A year later, I’m also doing the same and i have a question for you, it this the first video in which james appears? Cause i can’t find him in any other videos before this

@Kawaii_Life. I agree

I think it's actually amazing how much they got right in this video. They basically nailed the formula right out of the gate and then have just been refining it for the past four years. (However, it is kind of funny how much more obvious Thomas' accent is in these early videos.)

@@apadvaith7424 close but no! This was James’s first video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lnImgBx_Q-8.htmlsi=U-Oisg0wLq_OCiAQ

@@seattleraf Bless sir, just started my search

The most relatable comment I could find, I sold my 2018 LT Camaro about 4 months ago with the intention of buying either a 2018 BMW M2 or a 2018 Camaro 1SS 1LE. I ended up purchasing the 2018 M2.

@@AlexRYTgood choice either way

Really? There is no way any gm will be more of a drivers car than any German car. Just won't happen sorry. I've tested the 1le and own a M car. My e60 is atleast 8yrs older than the 1le I tested and still felt better. In everyway

@@niewissen9912 depends on how you define drivers car (usually doesn't mean comfort btw). Motor trend had a head to head video with a camaro and a m4. They said the maro is a way better drivers car. To each of their own I guess

@@niewissen9912 that e60 cant corner worth shit It does have better sound tho

Agree. My parents have an M2 LCI manual with the M Performance Exhaust. I’ve driven it plenty. It’s just not that exciting IMO compared to something like an SS 1LE or Shelby GT350. I’ve driven both. Better sound, steering, manual gearboxes (love those Tremecs), and lower seating position. M2 wins in the daily and prestige categories. Drifting capabilities aside, fun factor goes to the Americans.

@@niewissen9912 it’s not just any GM car it’s a track purpose built car so yea it will feel pretty more special than a lot of german cars

lmao you wish anything from your sentence was true

@@stx6671imagine you haven’t looked at what people are actually doing on track. The 1LE is fast. Cool factor is debatable though. I like V8s but also like German RS / M.

@@stx6671the SS 1LE shits on both of these cars on track and from a reliability standpoint

@@stx6671 lmao you are about clueless kid

@@stx6671 exactly I also had the 1LE but my God no match with the M2C, M2c was just too nimble and too agile compare to a 1LE, Camaro is fast but its not nimble nor agile on the track

two in the pink one in the stink

@@FragEightyfive Bruh. 🙏⚰️

Except you'll spend $1500 in tires every 2-3 track days, and the M2 Comp is less expensive pre-owned

@@Quebster cope

Lol 300m radius circles barely count

@@Quebsterthe M2 Comp is closer to V6 Camaro times than the SS 1LE if you go look up VIR (Lightning Lap) times. The ZL1 or ZL1 1LE *OBLITERATE* the M2. We are talking about the M2 Comp losing by just under 15 seconds per lap!!! The fastest BMW they’ve tested is the BMW CS, and it loses to the ZL1 and ZL1 1LE. The ZL1 1LE is 0.2 seconds behind the Ford GT and beats the McLaren 650S. It’s like we are comparing a propeller plane to a F18 if we compare the M2 to the ZLE.

@@talkingmango8658Bro your bio literally says "Going to demolish people on roblox". What are you 6? How about you grow up instead of making fun of cars you could never hope to own.

first time hearing reliable in the same sentence as a BMW M car lol

@@hassanshzd63 b58 engine

Not reliable, Ive already had 3 m2's come in last year to my shop for engine problems, 2 of them were for the oil leaks, and one was for a coolant issue. m2's are nice cars but not reliable compared to majority.

@@gr8cylindergr8t82 glad I got an M240i. Been as reliable as a Lexus.

@@Audioholics Lexus are bascially toyotas so yes they are usualy reliable, not bmws. I work at an auto shop and trust me they are shit for reliability. They dont have that reputation for nothing.

And reliability

adrinz or if you have the money for the bmw or Audi. Just get a zl1

I think your right

I've come to a conclusion that it's the only thing Americans care: cheapness and horsepower.

@@betterbeavailable the correct way to say it is.. the only thing Americans care about. 👌 don't be mad

Oh and my pick is the M2 Competition! Currently I drive a Stage 2 Golf R, yet despite what you said in the video, my desired next step is not the Audi. I crave more passion, more danger as you said. I love my R and it's a hell of a daily, but it's very clinical and I want more excitement.

what car show compares economy cars to super cars?

define attainable? 73% of ppl finance cars in the usa..

you should watch savagegeese

@@Lucidity108 More danger... you will certainly get that with BMW... not the kind of danger you imagine tho. More the kind "my transmission broke, bmw won't fix it because they think we are too cowardly to sue them".

For me choosing between Audi and Camaro is like choosing between girlfriend and best friend, I got no clue no right or wrong decision, either way I ll love everything and still there ll be 1% of regret left

Yes. It is better. Not perfect. But much better.

Thanks..I need to get my hands on a comp to experience. That was the biggest deal breaker for me when I was considering replacing my e92 m3 with an M2. Suppose i'd miss my S65 too haha

@Ben Daulton you're*

My wife convinced me to get the M2 Competition in Black as a manual ♥️

Cuz its quantity over quality

@@Lev_cswell the Camaro destroys the other two cars around a track. So if you care about overall performance, you go with the SS 1LE. A V6 Camaro beats the RS3 around a track. 🤭 If performance isn’t your top priority, or you need AWD, consider the other two cars.

@@GrimSRT8 New RS3 just demolished the Nürburgring record over the new M2 and this dude thinks a V6 Camaro will beat an RS3 around a track :') - RS3 bang for buck is the fastest car here. With bolt ons, will leave the 1LE and the M2 in the rearview mirror mod for mod

@@nikolayangelov7763Camaro SS 1LE is a V8, the 2017-2024 Camaro is the best handling car on the skidpad ever tested by Car & Driver. It beats Ferrari, McLaren, 911 GT3, etc. It does over 1.20 Gs and ran a 7:16 on the Ring. The RS3 can only do .94 to .98 on the skidpad. Even my Ford Focus did higher skidpad numbers than the Audi at 1.01 Gs, but that’s what you get for having the engine as far forward on the Audi (the Focus does have a similar layout to the Audi, but probably does better due to weight). You buy the Camaro for handling not for straight line speed, but if you want an Camaro for roll racing you don’t buy a 1LE, you buy a ZL1. No only does the ZL1 beat the RS3, but you can modify it for crazy HP if you want. And do you trust a modified small block Chevy or an Audi? I have friends with modified Audis and they are *very* high maintenance. So I guess the RS3 is cool if handling isn’t your thing. I’m a handling guy (and ex-professional racer and modified Porsches for a living) so I bought an SS 1LE. You could buy the SS 1LE for $40K new, versus around $65K for the RS3 based on the Car and Driver article I’m reading. The SS 1LE is bulletproof, so it’s why people pick it over the GT350 or other cars for track use. I can’t imagine many people build a road course track car out of the nose heavy RS3, but I’m sure there are a few. And that’s not even looking into how the brakes, tires, possible oil starvation or heat soak the RS3 might suffer. All 1LE’s also are covered under warranty for track use by Chevrolet, and I doubt the RS3 does as well, but I’d have to research. I see the RS3 as a fun daily driver with more luxury than the Camaro and something you could autox or take to a driving school. It think you’d be nuts to actually make a full track car out of one.

And the only one with portholes instead of windows.

Sounds like you’re poor. 😂

@@danielpark6031 You're completely of your rocker if you think it's better to drive than the M2 Comp! Sounds better I'll give it that, but that's it everything else is a downgrade reflected in price lol

@@danielpark6031 by the way its also slower 🤣 New RS3 would annihilate the Chevy now as well! 3.3 0 to 60!!

@@germanengineering204 audi are slowet than mercedes so what for bring their cars here lol

peacems test drive both. SS 1LE isn’t THAT much less... worse daily driving but way more dramatic. Sounds amazing. Better suspension adjustment and chassis and way beefier transmission feel. Get the PDR too.

evanescent03 Thinking about m2, challenger scatpack (485hp) or a tuned 335i f30

Little money buys little fun more money buys more fun

I just got an M340. More useable daily. Still bloody fast.

@@evanescent0311 I gotta be honest, maybe it's like being in love but from my personal experience right now the camaro (2019 2SS) is NOT a bad daily driver at all. I don't know what these guys are talking about but the rearseats are everything but nOt UsAbLe. Apart from that you can do everything with it which u can do with the other ones, besides you ll always be the boss (in a good way, not in a "disrespecting the limits and driving like a twat" way). If u need to get something done, u will get it done, and if u re having a bad day you gonna sit down, ride it out for half an hour and you ll have the time of your life. I don't know if an M or RS can deliver that.

something rcr would say

Lol same here bro! Mines red!

yes, me too>I love the S3.

I wanted a TTRS but my wallet only allowed me to get a TTS. Next car will for sure be a TTRS though

I had an S3 before my RS3, honestly the S3 is super underrated. Near the limit (or tuned) the RS is obviously the superior car, but for most people's daily needs it's an excellent performer with great value that also responds well to mods.

Hope to be in your shoes soon selling my STI and buying an S3 soon.

And that front grill with the 4 circles.....oh man....

Yep but its still a sedan! Sports cars look better.

@Questions, Opinions, and Options On a race track and top speed maybe, but for daily use, the rs3 will get tou to the lights quicker than the m2, especially if it's raining or any other weather type than scorching hot.

Well the SS 1LE offers *way* more performance than the two other cars.

My first domestic. I've always been a JDM kinda guy, but when I test drove the SS 1LE, I was mind blown.

A mountainous region in the west of germany? Lol. There's no such thing. For the least sort of mountains you have to go south. And even there you can easily live with a RWD-car in most regions for the most time of the year.. The only real mountains in Germany are the Alpes.. ;) And in most of Germany you don't get much snow at all. I'm living in the Berlin-area and we had zero snow this year. Nothing! However: Yes, AWD is a plus for the Audi, but like they said: it's SO boring! Personally, I would pick the M2 over the RS3 at any time. A few days of hard driving if it snows are a small price to pay for all that fun the M2 delivers on all the other days of the year.

@@BFD15i Lol ... you were absent in geography? Have you ever been to the Eifel? You have no idea. I live there and i also lived in the south of Bavaria for almost 20 years. The Eifel is definitley a mountainous region with snowy roads in winter and often wet conditions. I wrote that i would prefer the Audi for the ALL DAY USE in my region. And also for the often occurring wet conditions my first choice would be the AWD Audi without any doubt! The rest depends on what you like - you prefer the M2 for Berlin? Fine, it is a great car - buy one!

Rs3 because Germany has all types of terrain and the autobahn. Did I mention the US doesn’t have the manual or Sport version? Just a safe sedan 🚘 😞.

@@johnbreuwet6224 While not one of the comparison vehicles, if concern with the M2 Comp is its RWD platform, perhaps the M240 i Drive model is the better choice given its AWD capabilities and lesser cost as well? The brute force of the Camaro I'll admit I suspect is intoxicating and the lower price attractive...but the "gun slit" visibility makes it a non-starter for me...being only 5'6" .

Minus the bullshit.. What do you call that intro then ?

@@k9jsb224 Agree: that contrived intro made me rage.

K9 JSB Lol.

Jesus buddy

Yu Qi Wang well said lol.

You're a meme

@jimmysp4des a car that Randy Pobst (2 time 24 hour Daytona winner) praised soo much about and even own one. Highly recommend you actually drive one

@jimmysp4des loll I see~ m4 is a gem.

@jimmysp4des well you can't exactly ask for all that performance and a nice interior for what the Camaro SS costs. The chassis was developed to take on the M3 and M5 with the ATS and CTS. Camaro just benefitted from that. That's why it's such a great bargain. But all of the touch points (steering wheel, shifter, seats) are very very nice. The money was spent on what matters as a driver's car. Everything else is budget as hell. The interior design isn't bad, pretty cool actually. but the materials are garbage. But as a weekend car it's perfect. The steering, ride /handling balance, grip, acceleration, sound are all sublime. Pretty amazing that you can pick one up for $40k brand new. The SS 1LE puts down track times that are virtually identical to an M4 GTS. Even the non 1LE, base SS puts down lap times virtually identical to a base M4, for half the money. That's pretty insane if you ask me. Also, the ZL1 isn't as much of a bargain as the SS 1LE. If you take half the difference in cost between those 2 trims and put that much in mod on the SS it'll keep up with the ZL1 in a straight line and handling will be better due to less weight at the nose. I'm thinking ported 95mm throttle body, ported high ram, intake, headers, xpipe, flex fuel.

Gas guzzzzlerrrr

@@ender2664 ridiculous!!

@@ender2664 enjoy that terrible visibility lol M2 all day long

Then you feather the gas driving around and work to get those numbers.

Camaro back seats is not existent kids could never fit deal breaker. Also front seat doesn't recline back far enough

Ryan Fowler with which spec?

Manual trans, alpine white, exec package, carbon fiber spoiler, blue stitching, black wheels :)

Amazing. Enjoy!

Did the dealer cut you a discount or are you stuck paying msrp?

@@VictoryBibleBaptist MSRP

GERALD! JAMES. HE’S HERE!

It's just overpriced 2 series

and the RS3 is an over priced GOLF and the Camaro is an overpriced Hertz rental car

@@pikkagtr1942 I was gonna reply saying the 1LE is great and the best handling Camaro to date and all that but I realized they're all fantastic cars, so fuck what anyone thinks I'd get any of them in a heartbeat.

A masterpiece is perfection and the S55 is far from perfection in sound. The N55 sound is perfection for an M car.

@RealCapo88 And the Camaro doesn't? GM and Chrysler are the reigning kings of immature. Look at literally any Camaro from 1970 on, and the fact that there is no such thing as a Caddy that doesn't look obnoxiously tacky.

Weird, I live in Seattle and it only rains between the end of October and the beginning of May. I'll take the M2. For sports cars RWD>AWD, if I need AWD I'll drive my wife's Jeep.

i dont understand people who cant drive an rwd in the rain or the snow. I have driven my dads awd volvo in the snow and rain but my bmw is just as good in rain and snow.

@Vinny Booboo last week was really the first rain we'd seen since the end of April. I've always driven RWD and have never lost control of a car because the road was wet.

MrAvocadoMan I used to drive a rwd Datsun with snow tires in the 90s in NY snow and would climb hills perfectly. I’m glad people think you need awd. It lowers cost of rwd.

just get a proper set of tires

Exactly, they got almost $30k more in difference between cars if an even valued car like the ZL1 was there they would all pick the ZL1 but unfortunately no one sees that you get a lot more bang for your buck with these new american muscle cars, supercharged 600+ hp for no more than $80k and thats almost all trim level muscle cars at that price range.

GT3 Manual review coming very soon! Keep an eye on the @TheThrottleHouse instagram

@@jamesengelsman3936 Droooool. Can't wait!! 🙌

Same! That was what got me here as well.

@@Gandalf721 I already own 2 other cars. Besides, the salt on the roads would ruin it.

To be fair though it’s kinda hard to use all that horsepower but I see what you’re saying

and a fully optioned RS3 even new is in the high 80k zone in Aus. If they were the same price I could see some competition, but at 30k+ more, no chance.

I sat in the M2 at a car show recently and the seats felt uncomfortable. How are they for trips and daily use?

Pan Chod your body get used to the seats because they’re compression molded . actually not bad at all surprising

Inline 6's sound amazing. The problem is BMW slapped two turbos on their S55 engine. A single turbo BMW inline six sounds amazing, a twin turbo BMW inline six sounds like complete ass. Those turbos suck out all the good sounds and leaves you with nothing.

malchior wouldn’t be a competition then

Price point would make sense but that is a different level of beast.

Alisha Glass why that? I don’t really like the rs3

@@clementquirder the rs3 is amazing