Why/Why not Audi A4 better than BMW 3 series

///M SPEED · Aug 25, 2004

I love my BMW, but I have always like the Audi's. I think they are beautiful cars. I was looking exclusively at them until I just about stole my 2000 328i. Once I bought that car I never looked back. However, I wouldn't hesitate to look again at Audi. I simply love the look and feel of the car and as someone here has already stated Audi’s AWD system is one, if not the best in the world.

To each his own, and enjoy the hell out of them. There really is no wrong choice as long as it is yours.....

MrElussive · Aug 25, 2004

codex57 said:

I said the same exact thing the first time I rode in my friend's Boxster w/Tiptronic. I refused to believe I was in a Porsche. I think I need the following to have the true Porsche experience:
Boxster or Boxster S, manual transmission, myself behind the wheel, and a real nice road with lots of twisties.

Bad Monkey · Aug 25, 2004

Big Mac!

Chicken Mcnuggets!

rp911t · Aug 25, 2004

codex57, i never said which Porsche now did I?

aNoodle, no duh the Phaeton is a 80k vehicle. generally speaking 90% of VW is economy car bud.

TheBry, dude an audi is an audi, a vw is a vw. If you drive an A4 1.8T frontrak and a VW Jetta 1.8T they are clearly different exteriorly and interiorly. They handle different, the quality is better in the audi, and clearly one has more aminities than the other. Sure there is this "sharing of parts" but they are completley different cars through and through.

Sly, I know there is sharing of parts bud.

Someone failed to mention the Mini Cooper. =)

Final remarks are that if you haven't owned both an Audi and BMW and think you know it, you don't. Don't make blanket statments about Audi and VW. I've owned a 2001 A4 1.8T Frontrak, 2002 BMW 325Xi, and currently own an Audi. And i have driven several Jettas and Passats when my 1.8 was being servivced and i've experienced the difference. VW and Audis are different, PERIOD.

TheBry · Aug 25, 2004

rp911t said:

I think it's absurd to compare an A4 with a Jetta -- they're different platforms and different classes of car. Use the original comparison I made (A4 and Passat -- 1999 model year) and tell me they're TOTALLY different cars. You can't, because they weren't. They were based on the same platform and shared a crapload of parts. Period.

The reason I "failed" to mention the Mini Cooper is for the same reason I "failed" to mention "Rolls-Royce" -- also a brand under the BMW Group. They're totally different cars from both an aesthetic and "visible" parts-content perspective. Look inside a BMW 7 series then inside a new Rolls-Royce (perhaps the new Centenary Phantom?). I challenge you to identify switches, gauges, seats or panels that are identical in each interior. Do the same for the exterior. The same applies for Mini. BMW has done a great job of keeping these British marques (Mini and Rolls-Royce) British. Unlike Ford and others. Compare Lincoln cars with the new line of Jaguar mid-sizers (not the XJ) and you'll see the same old workaday switchgear, etc.

And... to your final remarks... I think you missed my earlier post where I mentioned I used to drive a 1999 VW Passat V6 (5 speed auto w/Tiptronic -- an Audi engine which proudly sported the Audi rings on the engine block) for five years, so I'm speaking from experience.

Regardless, like I said earlier, we've all got opinions. One thing's for sure -- we love BMWs or we wouldn't be part of this group in the first place.

Bryan330i · Aug 25, 2004

MrElussive said:

Occasionally I see one of these around and some of them make me wish I had a wagon.

I would have no problem driving an Audi. [:)]

adamsonem · Aug 25, 2004

I drive A4s and 3ers all day long when I work. I have an A4 as well, albeit a 96.

I am a little biased to the A4, as is everyone and their car (because it's THEIRS). I love the way it looks, exterior and interior. It feels comfortable and drives alright. The AWD is sweet.

The one thing Audi will never have on BMW is driving comfort. BMW's transmissions are FAR better than anything Audi has ever slapped together. My transmission feels sloppy as hell, as do all the other Audis I've driven (including A4s, S4s and A6s).

There is no feeling like driving a BMW. Whenever I sit down in the seat of one; 3, 5, 6, 7, or my 2002, it always makes me feel like I'm PART of the car, not just a driver.

Each car has its positives and negatives. I would definitely take an M3 over an S4, but for the car, I think I would rather have an A4 over a lower model than the M3, just for comfort.

Bimmers are a lot more fun to drive and a bit more sporty than Audis. If I were going for sport, I would take any BMW over a comparable Audi.

Average Jae · Aug 25, 2004

my thought on the a4 vs 3er. audi may have a kickin awd system, but i ended up liking the 1.8t over the 3.0. i didn't feel substantially faster in the 3.0, and thanks to the weight of the awd system, the car felt sluggish and heavy. (on the 1.8t, i suppose i went in expecting a slower ride.. altho it wasn't too bad) never drove the xi, as it's hard for me to see a bmw in anything other than rwd form. (having said that the x5 is really nice [:p]

) in the end, test driving the 330 gave me the biggest smile, and i went with that. and now i'm left w/ a kickin ride, and a freakin 5 year payment commitment.. *sigh*

TheBry said:

why does it bother you so much? maybe it's the other way around, like the vw getting nicer parts from the audi. kind of like 3ers or 5ers getting nicers parts from upscale 7ers.. i would example the idrive coming down from the 7, into all other series. (not the best one considering 90%+ people out there hate the damn thing) but even your auto down/ up windows are from the parts trickling down the upscale chain.

i gotta admit tho, it's nice getting a bmw treatment at a dealership, rather than getting vw/audi experience. audi practically raped my friend on "certified pre-owned engine replacement" ie: they blamed my friend for their engine being a POS!

in the end, each car in a class will have the pros and cons, and comparison threads w/ crap being dropped will always be around. can't we all just speak w/ our pocket books and leave it at that? prolly not..

TheBry · Aug 25, 2004

Average Jae said:

Can't compare a VW getting nicer parts from an Audi against. a 3 or 5 series getting nicer parts from a 7 series. This isn't apples to apples. VW and Audi are different brands. It just looks lazy when they share obvious parts, that's all I'm sayin'. I know _why_ they do it... saving money, economies of scale... passing the savings to the customer, yadda yadda. In the end, it doesn't leave you feeling all that special when you're sitting in your "luxury" A4 and a Passat tools by revving the same engine and sporting a lot of the same parts in the cockpit. All I was trying to convey is that won't happen with BMW.

sly · Aug 26, 2004

The one thing Audi will never have on BMW is driving comfort. BMW's transmissions are FAR better than anything Audi has ever slapped together. My transmission feels sloppy as hell, as do all the other Audis I've driven (including A4s, S4s and A6s).

Have you ever driven an '04 S4? That manual tranny is better than any I've ever driven in a BMW. The best manual tranny I've ever driven was in a $30K S2000. Neither BMW nor Porsche had anything that compared IMHO.

I test drove a couple of Boxsters and a 996 C2, and to tell the truth I was very disappointed. For the price I thought these cars would offer a lot more. I was especially disappointed with the interiors of all of the Porsches I test drove. To me the BMWs and Audis have interiors that are far superior to that of any Porsche I've driven. Apparently Porsche catters to a very specific type of enthusiast who places a value on performance above all else. To me BMW and Audi do a great job of coming up with a compromise between performance and comfort. The Audis I've driven lean more to the luxury side, whereas BMWs lean more to performance. But both are fine luxury/performance cars IMHO.

CrazyBlueBoy · Aug 26, 2004

TheBry said:

Do you know Bentley and Lamborghini comes under the VW flagship....but do you think they are same cars....
Asthetics don't come before the drive and feel .......

Also Audi AWD has a 20 year backing behind it and can't be compared to the 4Motion of VWs...they are different AWDs...maybe they may not remain diff in future who knows...but the overall feel of the car is very different....

My friend has a 2002 Passat and I have a 2004 A4 3.0....I have sat in and have driven both...totally different cars....and totally different class....
The engine in the two cars is different, who cars about some bolts and buttons that are same...when you drive your car do you constantly look and feel the buttons or feel the drive....

You were talking about looks...what can Jaguar do if Kia starts copying them ...they can't keep on changing their cars looks every now and then....They should be proud that their cars looks so good and others can't resist copying them......(Personally, I don't like Jags)

I feel VW has started copying Audi's to make VW more appealing...nothing else......

Pls don't take me wrong, I think we are all having a very healthy discussion...

mrblonde · Aug 26, 2004

audis, yawn

audi versus bmw? please. a4's are the rich girls "daddy buy me car" automobile. just buy a passat already.

KevRC4130 · Aug 26, 2004

Just wondering, is an A4 based on a Passat or Jetta? I guess I thought A4= Jetta, A6= Passat , but according to this thread I'm wrong. Can anyone confirm which is which?

Oh, and the new A8 is simply one of the most beautiful cars made. IMO, A8 is better looking than any BMW made, simple as that.

dpnguyen · Aug 26, 2004

Sly:
The Audis I've driven lean more to the luxury side, whereas BMWs lean more to performance. But both are fine luxury/performance cars IMHO.

Nicely said Sly. I truly think that's the bottom line here. Like everyone else here, we've owned VW, and I test drove the A4 (1.8 and 3.0) before getting my Bimmer. I thought the Audi was gorgeous inside but lacked oomph (heavy as hell!) and didn't handle as tight, compared to the 3-series.

You love your car, I love my car. Live is good! [thumb]

aNoodle · Aug 26, 2004

rp911t said:

And so are the Audi's, IMHO.

rp911t · Aug 26, 2004

What in the heck is IMHO? I'm a ho? What?

Dude, speaking of waggons. Audi makes the BEST asestically pleasing waggon out there period. The S4 Avant looks absolutely gorgeous and has that sport appearance, totally.

TheBly, I had a 2001 A4 and i was going to purchase a 2001 Passat. I compared both and they are SIMPLY different buddy. Unless you are saying the headrest are the same, cause ya sure that is the same. Rest? Different.

Crazyblueboy, Thankyou.
KevRC4130, Thankyou.

rp911t · Aug 26, 2004

mrblonde, actually the audi is more of a rich dude kind of thing. The jetta's are the rich girls. In all honestly, i always see guys driving Audi A4's and mainly girls driving jettas.

aNoodle · Aug 27, 2004

rp911t said:

In my humble opinion. I realize Audi drivers have somewhat of an inferiority complex relative to BMW and Mercedes, but that really is no reason to lash out on the BMWBoard. A little humility would benefit us all.

AWD330XI · Aug 27, 2004

rp911t said:

No wonder you prefer Audi over BMW. You're comparing it to a 325xi. Go drive an M3 and you will never make the comparison again because there is none. [hihi]

Section_8 · Aug 27, 2004

AWD330XI said:

A 330 ZHP would make the distinction, no need for the M3. A M3 is another class car alltogether, break out the RS4 or RS6 if you want to compare Audi and BMW high end cars. 'Different' is good, if all the cars looked and acted the same, we wouldn't have this cool forum to talk about our cars on, because we wouldn't need to.

[bmwdance]

Why/Why not Audi A4 better than BMW 3 series

2

2

New Member

Member

Member

2

Attachments

1000 Post Club

2

Member

Member

New Member

Member

Member

Member

1000 Post Club

Member

Member

1000 Post Club

Member

2