I'll try to give as unbiased an answer as possible. I have been an Associated fan since the original RC10 came out and currently have a 210 so take it for what it's worth.
1. They each have IDENTICAL suspension geometries to each other. The can be setup exactly the same in this regards and many parts are actually interchangeable. Advantage: Neither
2. B5M has one chassis option. The Durango has several, not only from Durango but also from the aftermarket in varying lengths and materials. Advantage: Durango. However, this may or may not matter to you.
3. The battery layout in the B5M allows side by side saddles or a shorty mounted sideways. The Durango, with any chassis, allows a full sized stick pack mounted straight, saddles end to end straight, or a shorty straight.
Advantage: It depends. My personal opinion is that a mid motor car should run either saddles side to side or a shorty. Stick packs are a dying breed. My personal opinion would be to give the B5M the nod here although Durango themselves claim victory based on variety that will fit. I put more emphasis on layout location which is why I'm modifying a chassis to run side by side saddles.
4. The gearbox. Some say the Durango gearbox is bad. I personally disagree. Mine is very smooth and I've never had any problems from it. I've never really had any issues with an Associated gearbox either. Some people are just very hard on them. The Durango gives you the option of 3 or 4 gear in either mid or rear motor. I personally find this to be hugely advantageous. I prefer to run MM3 which none of the other cars even have as an option. If grip is very low MM4 is an option but RM is also there as well. Associated claims that you can't have a rear and a mid motor car in one since it is too much of a compromise. Again, I disagree. With the Durango gearbox options patented, it's no surprise that they'd throw this out there in marketing. They know their followers will believe it and slam the competition as a result. They are a business after all. The big advantage of their dual platforms in my opinion is the different battery layouts with each. This is certainly something that Durango should capitalize on in the future. See item 3. Advantage: Durango
5. Suspension. As was pointed out in #1, they each have identical suspension geometries. However, with the V2 the Durango gives you the option of running the rear shocks either in front of or behind the rear arms. To me this is a huge tuning advantage. Weight distribution and rear center of gravity are affected by changes like this. It's just another example, like their gearbox, of the car's versatility and adaptability. Advantage: Durango
6. Parts availability. This hasn't been good from either yet. The B4 had great parts availability but with a car that was around for over a decade, you'd expect it to be. The B5 currently has a parts shortage but only because it's so new. It'll get better. Durango too is in the same situation. However, their mistake was not keeping up with demand until the new car came out. While I understand this from a financial standpoint, the marketing damage was pretty big and should have been forseen. Advantage: TBD
There are things I like about each car. They are both priced much nicer than the competition which is a good thing. Neither is perfect and each has a few advantages and disadvantages over the other. For the most part, they are equals. The big handling difference that people see is with posted setup sheets. These always vary. If you learn how to tune your own cars you'll find them both equally capable. Relying on setup sheets is almost more of a guarantee for failure than success. I chose the 210 before the B5M came out. I'm happy with it. I certainly can't justify replacing it with a B5M.
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