Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceIf ever a marque was more soberly regarded by the non-motoring public than BMW, it could only be Audi.Both companies seemingly passed through the '90s with none of the spats of utter lunacy that had previously not blotted but brought alive their copybooks.If either were to push the boat out – nobody pushed envelopes back then – it would simply be a power boost, a suspension tweak and, if they were feeling really crazy, a stamp-sized badge for only the most knowing of anoraks to spot.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat at least is the impression both firms like to project, but the truth is different.Via quattro and Motorsport, this pair has always dabbled in the dark side, and their Faustian pacts reached their zeniths when the world was beginning to believe that both were on strict diets of common sense and sanity.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceEnter the Audi RS2 and BMW M5 Touring, an automotive space-race to make the world's maddest, baddest and fastest do-it-all estates.Both of these cars were handbuilt to exacting standards, to provide the practicality and the performance of Germany's best, but with the zest of an Italian supercar.AdvertisementAdvertisementThey were driver's cars for those weighed down with the responsibility and paraphernalia of parenthood, yet with an unsilenceable, nagging voice of recklessness in their heads.Both would be ferocious when unleashed yet docile when necessary. Remarkably, both succeeded in that aim, albeit in polarised fashions.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceBMW was well practised in the family-friendly performance car, the M535i launching one of motoring's most respected adjuncts in 1979 by planting into the first 5 Series all the good bits from the M1, albeit with a detuned version of its 3535cc straight-six.The twin-cam 24-valve M5 supersaloon that followed – then the world's fastest production four-door – packed 286bhp, hit 60mph from rest in barely 6 secs and cantered on to more than 150mph.AdvertisementAdvertisementFour years later, the all-new E34 5 Series was born. The chassis remained much the same for close to a decade, but the cars and their engines were handcrafted by specialist M technicians to produce 315bhp, with 266lb ft at 4750rpm.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceCapacity was raised to 3.8 litres in 1992, the same year the left-hand-drive-only Touring was launched.It was officially limited to 155mph, but the word on the derestricted grapevine is that it's good for an easy 170mph-plus.That is ironic because it would take away its rival's second-greatest claim to fame: that with a restricted top speed of 163mph (avoiding the 'voluntary' 155mph cap on the basis of its limited production and handbuilt nature), the Audi RS2 was the world's fastest production estate.AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's no doubt that the Ingolstadt flyer had an enormous impact in its two-year life.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceThe 80- and 100-based Avants were quietly winning fans when Audi and Porsche hooked up to develop the VW Group's first RS-spec car.Porsche – which assembled the RS2s at Zuffenhausen – provided the brakes, plus wheels and mirrors lifted from the 968 Club Sport.Audi offered all-wheel drive and the most scintillating version of its 2.2-litre, 20-valve five-pot. The unit that powered the Ur-quattro may be iconic, but not so much that Porsche couldn't improve it.A larger KKK turbo, higher-flow injectors, a new camshaft and Bosch management, with boost up from 1.1 to 1.4 bar, propelled the RS2 to 60mph in under 5 secs.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceWhich brings us to its other claim to fame: the Autocar test in which it fizzed from 0-30mph in 1.5 secs, its grunt and four-wheel-drive helping it to a quicker time than either the McLaren F1 or even a Formula One car.AdvertisementAdvertisementA whiff of PR stunt surrounds the RS2, but it does nothing to detract from the reality. It may even look cynical, but it is beautifully menacing with a real sense of purpose.Most were blue with colour-coded spoilers, five-spoke alloys and a splitter, but few other signposts of the fearsome motor beneath.It wears its Porsche heart on its sleeve with wing and tail badges: even the Brembo calipers bear the Stuttgart legend.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceThat's plenty, as it turns out, because although the Audi might have been passed off as the ultimate stealth fighter in its day, it is the BMW that looks more understated.A late run-out car with wider kidney grille and bigger wheels, this is virtually indistinguishable visually from any other 5 Series Touring.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe fat 18in alloys and six-speed gearlever could give the game away, but little else will.Parked side-by-side, the two cars look of surprisingly similar dimensions, but that doesn't carry over to the interiors, the vastness of the BMW in stark contrast to the Audi's restrained intimacy. One feels bigger than it is, the other smaller.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceThe figures say the BMW is 2in wider and 9in longer, but it is in width that they feel most different, the Audi positively petite, inside and on the road, in comparison.Some things you notice straight away: the practical 90° opening rear doors of the Audi, but equally the estate boot with a smaller capacity than many a saloon.AdvertisementAdvertisementWith the BMW it is its low stance and aggressive gait, plus a proper, practical tailgate and acres of space.Each is beautifully made, yet the Audi immediately feels smaller, lighter and less engineered, not least the nice-idea-on-paper clumsy bonnet latch sprouting from one of the interlocked rings.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceThe BMW doesn't feel better built, just tougher and more thoughtfully put together, as if it expected to be judged on build quality as much as on performance.Inside, the twin visions of super-estate are equally bifocal. The otherwise subtle Audi is Gold Oyster flash beside the BMW's pure understated charm.AdvertisementAdvertisementWith a three-spoke leather-bound wheel and tastefully garish blue Alcantara, the RS2's trim is in stark contrast to the restrained ergonomics of its stalks and buttons.It may seem much more modern and tidy inside and out, but is only ever going to be a four-seater, whereas you could get four plus Posh Spice in the BMW.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceSimilarly, the opulent, leather-swathed M5 hides its sporting nature better and is more lived-in and more liveable, with thick, cossetting seats rather than the Audi's thinner, lighter Recaro items.BMW wants you to know it values the driver, too. At the helm of the four-spoke splayed wheel, all instruments are tilted towards you – 300kph speedo, 8000rpm (7000 redline) rev counter, same as the Audi.AdvertisementAdvertisementThere's a lovely M Sport-badged stubby gearlever, organ throttle and just two stalks: all the clunky grandeur remnants of the 635. Which is a good thing.The gradual dissolution of any notion that these cars go about their business in the same way is catalysed on the road.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceOne of those happy little myths worth repeating is that M5 test drivers could tell who had built each and every car by its individuality.Nice idea, but so solid and Tarmac-flattening is this 3814lb flying girder beside the 3509lb Audi that the epithet seems ludicrous.A more apt tribute would be reports from devotees that E34 M5s are getting rare in Germany because Scandinavians are snapping them all up.That they are revered across Europe's most gruelling testing ground, by its most committed drivers, speaks volumes.The appeal is easy to fathom. The BMW initially feels chunkier and even cumbersome, but open it up and it is a different story.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceAll of the responses are harder and heavier and the performance requires more cajoling out of the car.It still feels big on the road, but there is a faithful carthorse quality to its rugged simplicity.It's as efficient as it is engaging and offers huge globs of low-down torque.The M5 is happy in traffic, but at speed it starts a relentless churn that feels as if it will never end.It has superb roadholding on its 245/40 and 265/35 ZR18s, with flat and assured cornering.The Audi, though light and instant, is nannying in comparison and feels, well, Italian. With stiffer dampers and anti-roll bars than its siblings, the ride is hard.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceThe roll in corners is a surprise, but, squatting on 245/40 ZR17s, it corners as if it's wearing running spikes.Pick-up is ferocious and the 'box is light, but every change kicks through the drivetrain and the steering, which is otherwise light and precise.It's hard to fault, more lunatic but less fun than the M5 maybe, but a marvellously engineered machine with all the qualities of a Lancia Delta Integrale, minus the frailty.Cometh the hour for cornering photos, cometh the deluge. Chop in late, kick down a gear, nail it mid-corner and we flick the BMW's tail out at barely 20mph, while the Audi never loses grip.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceBut while the M5 slides for fun and is easy to control, the thought of what would happen when the RS2 unsticks is terrifying.The BMW feels more altruistic in its desire to reward, with the realisation that driving shouldn't be a passive activity.Not that the Audi is passive: indeed there are few higher accolades than dubbing it an Integrale estate.Both these classic cars drip in modern comforts with electric everything, plus power and handling to better all that came before and match most that have come since.They might just be the last of the real cars – cars that serve the driver more than the government.Classic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceYet it doesn't take a genius to work out which one would clean up on a track day and which could tug a caravan up Kilimanjaro.The heart says Audi, the mind counters with BMW.The heart says the lighter, more responsive car with the unburstable five-pot might be more robust; the mind says BMW, a bit louder.If you want a traditional German car that feels like a traditional German car, buy the BMW.If you want loopy Teutonic engineering that's fluent in Italian, take the Audi.Images: James MannThanks to: Martin Pearse of MCP Motorsport and Ian ElliottThis was first in our February 2007 magazine; all information was correct at the date of original publicationBMW M5 Touring and Audi RS2 Avant: buyer's checklistsClassic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceAudi RS2 AvantBodyworkGalvanised bodies shouldn't rust, but check all trim parts: they're easily damaged and costly. Bumpers are unique; tail-light bar, which can crack, is pricey to replaceMechanicalIt's turbocharged, so watch for blue or white smoke under load and when lifting off after hard use – this can point to turbo failureIf the car seems down on power it may just be due to leaking pipework – try to fit a graduated boost gauge while testing to check the pressureTransmission whine is rare but still possibleMore common causes of whining are the front and rear wheel bearingsBrakes are the big cost on the RS2: the calipers are magnesium and don't take kindly to salted roads in winter. Just pads and discs alone are big moneyClutches should last for 120,000 milesPower-steering pumps can fail: look for a leak at the front of the engine bayCheck for overheating – the radiator can be damaged from below by speed humpsGear linkages can be a little sloppy due to worn bushes on the 'boxElectricalAir conditioning is the main electrical bugbear – if the compressor fails, most of the dashboard has to come out to get at the parts (at least 16 hours' labour)Check that all switches and dash lights work: not dear to replace, but time-consumingOtherInspect for damaged intercooler fins, repaired front bumpers and disturbed wing bolts under the bonnet as signs of accidentsThe service book should have a sticker for the chassis number and a unique Porsche build numberEarly servicing should have been at a main dealer; independents more likely later onThe Porsche wheels are expensive and can suffer from flat-spots if they have hit potholes heavilyLurid but comfy interior; RS2 rolls but grips and grips; Stuttgart input confirmed by the 'powered by Porsche' tagClassic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceBMW M5 Touring (E34)BodyworkGenerally durable, but check at the bottom of the doors (under plastic trims)Inspect thoroughly for accident damage: panel gaps, underneath and tyre wearMechanicalSuspension bushes can wear after 100,000 miles and the car will appear to wanderRear subframe rubbers are an MoT failure and costly to replaceOverheating may be a sign of a broken cooling-fan clutchBeware of whining manual gearboxes – they're expensive to fix. Six-speed manual Getrag 'box with revised clutch (from May 1994) is more expensive to rebuildLook for smoke from worn valve-stem sealsCheck for exhaust problems, because the 3.8-litre engine uses special catalystsUneven tyre wear could indicate damage to the front suspension and steeringOptional Nürburgring suspension can be troublesome, defaulting to the hardest setting when it fails. New dampers are hugely expensiveCheck for ABS problemsSteering box and links wearMisfiring may be costly: distributorless ignition means a coil for each cylinderElectricalCheck that heater-blower fan works at all settings, not just full speedDigital odometers can easily be reprogrammed; check for proof of mileage. The service-indicator light is also simple to reset, so check the paperwork. Erratic readouts can be caused by faulty printed circuit boards, costly to replaceIntermittent electrical problems may be due to a failing fuseOtherWiper linkages can go out of alignment: arms park further down than they shouldCheck that the factory toolkit is completeFactfilesClassic & Sports Car – BMW M5 Touring vs Audi RS2: estates with extra spiceAudi RS2 AvantSold/number built 1993-'95/2891 (including 80 factory right-hand-drive models)Construction steel monocoqueEngine iron-block, alloy-head, dohc 2226cc 'five', with Bosch Motronic 2.3 injection plus a KKK turbocharger with intercoolerMax power 315bhp @ 6500rpmMax torque 302lb ft @ 3000rpmTransmission six-speed manual, 4WDSuspension independent, at front by MacPherson struts rear double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers; anti-roll bar f/rSteering power-assisted rack and pinionBrakes 304mm ventilated front, 299mm solid rear discs, with servo and ABSLength 14ft 9½in (4508mm)Width 5ft 7in (1702mm)Height 4ft 6in (1372mm)Wheelbase 8ft 6in (2591mm)Weight 3509lb (1591kg)0-60mph 4.9 secsTop speed 163mphMpg 25.9BMW M5 Touring (E34)Sold/number built 1992-'95/891Construction steel monocoqueEngine iron-block, alloy-head, dohc 3795cc straight-six with Bosch Motronic 3.3 fuel injectionMax power 340bhp @ 6900rpmMax torque 295lb ft @ 4750rpmTransmission five-speed manual (six-speed from 1994), RWDSuspension Adaptive M Technic III, independent all round, at front by MacPherson struts, rear semi-trailing arms; electronic telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar f/r; optional stiffer Nürburgring set-upSteering ZF Servotronic power-assisted recirculating ballBrakes 315/345mm ventilated front, 300/328mm solid rear discs, with servo and ABSLength 15ft 5¾in (4718mm)Width 5ft 9in (1753mm)Height 4ft 7½in (1410mm)Wheelbase 9ft ½in (2756mm)Weight 3814lb (1730kg)0-60mph 6.5 secsTop speed 155mphMpg 17We hope you enjoyed reading. 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