gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

I'm changing jobs and I've a choice of either a BMW or an Audi. Not too sure of the exact model at the moment, but I gather they'd be compareable to each other in price/specification.

My guess is that they will be a 320d estate and an A4 (1.9tdi or 2.0 tdi) probably an estate again.

Anyone had these? Which is the better car and why?

davecweed

all the bmw driving ***** are now buying audi's, lol so go for the bmw, better engine, etc

ps - ive got a bmw 535d, lol

paulwrxboro

id go BMW all the way for same reason as above and bm is a better car IMO iv had both and still got a BM

richs2891

lol I drive a petrol Audi atm, have to say that the diesel Audi especially the 105 or the 140 models are terrible to drive v laggy, - have to rev them to get any performance, boost then arrives and then its all over - change up and start the process again, 170 is a bit better but still not very good economy.
Yet the BMW diesels drive so much better !

RyanSTI

iTrader: (1)

if you want an inferior car drive the bmw.

seriously though audi build there cars to better than bmw, its pretty sad but there main aim in life is to out sell bmw, which they do. I'd suggest taking a drive in the 2.0tdi, because i disagree with the above comment about being laggy. the new 2.0tdi is slightly diffrent to the old ones.

davecweed

audi diesel engines are limp, compared bm ones, thats a fact!

RyanSTI

iTrader: (1)

not true, audi diesels might not have as much bhp as the bmw ones but there overall performance is better. Its a personal choice, i suggest if you considering either, is to drive both.

itr786

and Jeremy Clarkson is obviously your dad.

BMW any day.

webby v7 slipperwagon

iTrader: (2)

I think for pure driver rewards, the BM.But if you like **** build quality, get the Audi. There both superb but in very different area's.

davecweed

lol,

davecweed

the twin turbo bm diesel version is simply alot better!

what do you mean by the overall performance is better?, in what way?

corradoboy

If we're talking build quality, Audi are currently running at 87% 'noted' warranty claims ('noted' meaning serious claims). Not sure what BMW's figures are, but that figure was quoted to me by a VAG main dealer service manager.

We have a 2.0 TDi PD140 6sp Octavia and a 1.9 TDi PD130 (mapped to 180/312) Fabia vRS (also 6sp) and I would describe neither as laggy. FWD compromises their off-the-line performance, but in gear both are very quick. On a recent 2000 mile break in Cornwall the Octavia managed an average 54mpg doing an average 57mph. The mid-range diesel torque surge makes overtaking effortless, and cruising along in top at constant speeds sees superb economy. I've heard the newer Ford diesel engines are better, and I would expect BMW engines also to be better, but have no personal experience of them.

the_boy

One good thing I like about the Audi is the quattro.

If BMW did the 335 or the 535 with quattro there would be no other option in my mind.

In addition, my mate has an A8 and the audio / entertainment system in that is amazing. All controlled via this **** on the centre console along with sat nav the lot.

bpm1588

been driving my 170 a4 for a year now and not a bother out of it.at the start i wasn't impressed with power or economy but now the engine has 20k behind it things are an awe-full lot better.
its been remapped a good few thousand miles also and i have to say it's as fast as you could want,300lb's+ torque makes for some effort less driving.
i fill the car every week and my mpg averages vary from 44-49 which i think is pretty good real world figure's.early on i was only getting around 36 so with a few miles and the remap its a really nice all round car.

I'd love a 335d m sport but for me the extra purchase price would cancel out any benefits having a diesel in the first place

pippyrips

Current bmw interiors are just so disappointing IMHO, very plain and boring - even the m3 & m5's are pants. Go for Audi even though the new a4 interior is a step backwards compared to the B7 though I would say that wouldn't I

davecweed

yeah!, they copied from bmw! lol

davecweed

the thing is, you get used to that level, then you need more, if you tried a 335/535 thats been remapped, gives about 490 lbft odds, then you could maybe turn around and say thats fast enough!

if you brought 2nd hand, it would be worth it

RyanSTI

iTrader: (1)

yer audi do copy bmw theres no messing about with it, they copy bmw and fix all the faults bmw have. the audi mmi, isnt the same as the i drive. its simple to use, however if you are a boffin you can access and change everything the i drive lets you do.

davecweed

the bm's i drive is **** easy to use, and if anyone finds it hard, they shouldnt be allowed behind a wheel of a car!

Julian Barrett

Try a Lexus IS. A lot of the extras on an Audi or BMW are often standard on the Lexus. Build quality is good and it is something different. Not sure about the performance of the diesels but a business colleague rates his. I will declare my bias as I have just bought the big petrol one. Worth a look if you have the option.

MooseRacer

Example of the bad influence Clarkson has on the "masses"

BMW is a better car.

RyanSTI

iTrader: (1)

my one concern which relates to all cars that are not audis is the interior plastics, the audi's are in a diffrent league the bmw's feel and touch lets it down, hell i like some bimma's but having driven them i can't find anything nice about them. thats my view though, if we all though the same we'd be driving the same car.



the lexus is a great car, spec wise etc, but there main competition is merc because of the more relaxed driving experience. that new lexus looks **** hot though lol

pippyrips

Bang on the money

bpm1588

maybe im getting old but i am happy enough for now anyway.after driving performance cars for 20years and paying a premium for petrol,insurance,tax etc its a real pleasure having a car that costs so little to run but still is a nice place to be.

Devildog

Do you enjoy "driving"?

If so get the BMW. If ultimate build quality (and the beemer is pretty good) is more important get the Audi.

BMW has better handling, chassis control, damping, driveline, gearshift, engine, driving position and much better steering. Its also better on the co2 IIRC so will be cheaper on the coy car tax.

Audi has the feel of a more solidly put together cabin, and, er, that's about it.

Devildog

Ryan - I'm guessing you work for an Audi dealership? In which case your view is likely to be biased in that direction.

scooby222

better damping? i think that depends on the model and where/how you drive.
unless theyve drastically revised things 3 series sports are far too hard to enjoy on anything other than smooth a roads- the equivalent audi will be far smoother and allow you to drive harder.
at the end of the day the bm is the more driver focused machine but 3 series against new a4 isnt a huge gap like it used to be-try both and see which you prefer.
for my money,if you dont need/want the safety net of quattro stretch the budget to a 520d on non run flats-that really is a nice drive

Devildog

Better damping yes, as in damping control, (especially on rebound) and damper/spring rate match.

With the exception of some of the RS cars, I've yet to drive an Audi that had well matched spring and damper rates for uK roads, that didn't have crap steering, and that didn't understeer badly.

I've aslo driven Audi's that have harsher rides than the BMW equivalent.

I fairness, I've not driven a new A4 (no desire to, its too big, not particularly attractive and just not my cup of tea) but all the mags are criticising it to greater or lesser degrees for the very same things.

RyanSTI

iTrader: (1)

what a crazy accusation! lol

scoobberdoo

Whilst I actually think that the new A4 is not as good looking as the outgoing one, nobody has actually mentioned the fact the beemer (all of them in fact) are very very ugly imho. My opinion I know, some will differ i'm sure! The 2.0tdi engines in whatever variant in the VAG stable that I've driven were far from "laggy". Quite the opposite.

All a matter of taste and aspirations!

With all that torque though, 4wd cannot be beaten in our uk rain drenched climate, and bmw don't do that!!!!

bmw = traction control = power off = or switch off = no traction = tail all over the place