BMW’s M4 has been refreshed and the new Audi RS5 does the numbers to put the frighteners on a full-blown supercar, but can either see off the Mercedes-AMG C63 S? Over 3000 miles on road and track the evo supertest provided the answer.

The new RS5 is 60kg lighter with a 444bhp twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 in the nose replacing the old V8. It’s mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox and a faster-reacting four-wheel-drive system.

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The M4 has the £3000 Competition Package, which adds 19bhp to the familiar blown straight-six for an RS5-equalling 444bhp and also brings stiffened and lowered suspension, thicker anti-roll bars, adaptive dampers and an additional front splitter.

The Mercedes-AMG C63 S is the most powerful of the lot, harbouring a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 with headline figures of 503bhp and 516lb ft that leave the Audi and BMW looking a little undernourished. This is shaping up to be a bruising encounter.

The plan is for this supertest is fairly simple on paper, but it promises to be gruelling in practice. First we’ll hit the road for a two-day tour of some of the most testing tarmac Yorkshire has to offer, then we’ll visit Millbrook Proving Ground to run performance figures, before finally heading to Bedford Autodrome for some timed laps of the quick and challenging West Circuit.

You can pick up evo 240 for the full drive story and get our individual verdicts on each car by reading our reviews but below we’re bringing you the edited highlights as RS5, M4 and C63 duke it out over a 3000-mile examination.