911, Aston Martin, or M4 Which Really Wins on UK Roads?
Discussion
Hi all,
I wanted to start a discussion comparing some of the best performance cars out there, from the perspective of someone who has been lucky enough — and worked hard enough — to own several of them.
For context, aside from a Porsche Cayenne and Macan (which my wife drives — and I firmly believe the Macan is the best all-round SUV on the market), my personal journey has included two 911s (997 and 992.1), three Aston Martins (DB9, DB11 and 2018 Vantage), and most recently a 2022 BMW M4 Competition RWD.
Here's my verdict — and the first thing I'll say is that there's no universal answer. Personal preference, driving style, and crucially where you actually drive all matter enormously.
Porsche 911 In my opinion, the finest car for precision, handling and cornering. If I lived in Germany or France, it would be my default choice without hesitation. However, on UK roads — particularly if you have any degree of OCD about ride quality as I do
— it's a difficult daily reality. I'd also add that having dealt with Porsche dealers in the UK for over 20 years, the customer experience has been consistently disappointing. The stories I could tell...
Aston Martin Genuinely great cars, with an exhaust note that never gets old. More reliable than their reputation suggests, and the customer service has been absolutely faultless in my experience. The DB11 was my personal favourite of the three — the 2018 Vantage is arguably the most stunning looking car I've owned, but it didn't quite deliver on performance in the way I'd hoped.
BMW M4 Competition And here's my perhaps surprising conclusion — for UK roads, I actually prefer the M4 over both the 911 and the Astons. It's still an enormously powerful and capable machine, but it's more civilised and forgiving over our notoriously poor road surfaces. It feels like a car engineered for real-world driving, not just perfect tarmac.
Would love to hear from others who have owned or driven across these — particularly anyone who has made similar comparisons.
I wanted to start a discussion comparing some of the best performance cars out there, from the perspective of someone who has been lucky enough — and worked hard enough — to own several of them.
For context, aside from a Porsche Cayenne and Macan (which my wife drives — and I firmly believe the Macan is the best all-round SUV on the market), my personal journey has included two 911s (997 and 992.1), three Aston Martins (DB9, DB11 and 2018 Vantage), and most recently a 2022 BMW M4 Competition RWD.
Here's my verdict — and the first thing I'll say is that there's no universal answer. Personal preference, driving style, and crucially where you actually drive all matter enormously.
Porsche 911 In my opinion, the finest car for precision, handling and cornering. If I lived in Germany or France, it would be my default choice without hesitation. However, on UK roads — particularly if you have any degree of OCD about ride quality as I do
— it's a difficult daily reality. I'd also add that having dealt with Porsche dealers in the UK for over 20 years, the customer experience has been consistently disappointing. The stories I could tell...Aston Martin Genuinely great cars, with an exhaust note that never gets old. More reliable than their reputation suggests, and the customer service has been absolutely faultless in my experience. The DB11 was my personal favourite of the three — the 2018 Vantage is arguably the most stunning looking car I've owned, but it didn't quite deliver on performance in the way I'd hoped.
BMW M4 Competition And here's my perhaps surprising conclusion — for UK roads, I actually prefer the M4 over both the 911 and the Astons. It's still an enormously powerful and capable machine, but it's more civilised and forgiving over our notoriously poor road surfaces. It feels like a car engineered for real-world driving, not just perfect tarmac.
Would love to hear from others who have owned or driven across these — particularly anyone who has made similar comparisons.
Interesting real-world conclusions. I’ve read similar things about the F90 M5, which rides remarkably well.
I feel ride quality and damping is a much under appreciated aspect of performance cars, something Jaguar used to excel at.
I was surprised to be fair how good the ride and refinement was on a friends DBS, a fabulous long-haul car.
I feel ride quality and damping is a much under appreciated aspect of performance cars, something Jaguar used to excel at.
I was surprised to be fair how good the ride and refinement was on a friends DBS, a fabulous long-haul car.
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