I own a 2001 BMW 330i sedan and I absolutely love my car. It only has 79K miles (we use the wife's car for commuting) and has been pretty much maintenance free other than tires and brakes. With that said, I've owned the car 14 years and lately I've got the new car fever and I'm thinking convertible this time so I've been looking at the Audi A3 and the BMW 228i. I've never owned an Audi so I was just curious what those who have thought of the quality, performance and reliability. Are they high-quality cars? Comparable to the BMW? Thanks.
Audi vs BMW
- Thread starter Cheers
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We've had 2 Audi's.
If we ever buy another luxury sedan it will be an Audi. I'll never own a BMW or Mercedez as long as Audi is available.
With that said, I love our Range!
Thanks DD, you definitely get more for the money with the Audi. The A3 cabriolet looks pretty sweet. I'll probably keep what I have for now but it doesn't hurt to look. I need to drive them and compare them to what I currently own. Thanks again.
That's not good. I have an intermittent oil level sensor issue with mine but I know the oil level is fine so I haven't gotten it fixed.
Speaking only for myself.....and as someone with neither a specific loyalty nor an axe to grind with either make.....I consider the two to be of generally comparable engineering and build quality. I've known owners of both makes who positively rave about them (though it's never been a secret that BMW, as much as anyone, forces you to pay a premium to drive/own one of their units).
Anyway....and if you can remove comparative cost from the equation for just a moment.....I'd personally recommend you focus more on the preferred model (and the proposed dealership experience) than the make. And if that's not possible, you probably already know which direction you're leaning.
Anyway....and if you can remove comparative cost from the equation for just a moment.....I'd personally recommend you focus more on the preferred model (and the proposed dealership experience) than the make. And if that's not possible, you probably already know which direction you're leaning.
Great advice. I was definitely leaning towards BMW because I own one but the more I read they truly are very comparable. Thanks for the advice.
The only other thing I'd suggest is that you take your time in making a decision.
After all, it's not like either line trots out boatloads of end-of-model-year specials.....unless perhaps you want to lease, and that doesn't immediately sound like your intent. Besides, if you indeed are serious about a convertible, it's not like dealers.....except perhaps in South Florida or SoCal.....are bulging with drop-top inventory to begin with. In other words, I think it likely you'll deal fairly similarly on a given unit (once you find it) at almost any time of year.
Be sure to let us know how your evaluation goes, and what (if anything) you end up doing.
I am definitely not in any hurry and was more interested in everyone's impressions were of the Audi's since I've never owned one. From the responses I couldn't go wrong either way. Thanks for your help.
I've got a '02 with only 42k miles on it and I don't think I'll ever get rid of it. Recently had it in for the airbag recall and did some showroom browsing while waiting. That convinced me to keep mine and when we replace my wife's car, I'll get her an X3 or X5 coming off of a 3-year lease. Couldn't believe the prices of the new ones. But back to your original question, IMO the two brands are comparable.
I've also thought of buying an Audi. I'm driving a 2009 330i right now. great car. I've have 4 other BMW 5 cars in the past. This is my first 3 car and my first 3 liter engine. It will really fly but I really don't need that much HP. When I get my next one ( whenever it falls apart or when my kids are out of college-which ever comes first), i'll probably go back to the smaller engine in he 5 car. Quite a bit less money and more room in the trunk for my golf clubs-which is a pain in the *** in the 3 car. But I like the looks of the Audi cars. And they are a bit less $ for apparently comparable features.
We bought a used 2007 ML350 for my wife a couple years ago and have had some buyers remorse about not buying an X5. The ML is fine although there is this Cam Shaft class action lawsuit issue on going and even though they swear our car is not affected, two non-Mercedes repair shops claim it is. Mercedes continues to fix our Check Engine Light every time it comes on for free but if it turns out to be the CS then we are talking Big Bucks. I won't be paying either way thank God.
I wanted to buy the X5 but the Consumer Reports reviews were not great so we went with the ML instead. Of course our friends own the X5 (2) and love them, no problems. Oh well, maybe in 10 years we will go with the BMW.
I agree with your comment, from everything I have read, the BMW and Audi are both top notch, couldn't go wrong with either. Thanks.
Yup. You get more for your money with the Audi except for possibly performance. From what I've read, the BMW is slightly quicker and handles a bit better but that is with professional drivers on a track. But I am comparing the rear wheel drive 2-series against the All-Wheel drive A3. Living in NOVA, the All Wheel drive would come in handy in the winter.
I commented earlier about the premium pricing BMW commands for their vehicles; clearly, it's been a smart corporate philosophy given the line's dramatic growth over the past 20 years. But I myself don't think any BMW platform epitomizes the virtual explosion in BMW pricing than ewt's new X5......which has admittedly morphed into a pretty desirable vehicle for a lot of premium buyers (and of course, currently represents the top of their SUV line).
I just hopped on the website of a local dealer here in Cincinnati, and they currently have ten (10) 2015 models currently on the lot, stickering from $61,000-$71,000......and as for the eight (8) 2016 models in stock, they range from a low of $63,000 to a high of a borderline-incredible $91,745.00. Of course, the model has grown significantly in terms of size, power, and overall capability since Gen 1 hit the streets 15 years ago at MSRP's under $50K.
Still, the notion BMW can routinely sell essentially rank-and-file optioned versions of this platform.....priced comparably to full-size alternates such as the Benz GL and Escalade (which is pretty ridiculously priced in its own right) at MSRP's of $75,000.00+......absolutely mystifies me. With that in mind, I'll be curious to see how far beyond the $100K mark the upcoming X7 full-size SUV takes Bimmer pricing.
Agree about the AWD. We don't get a ton of snow here but when it does, my car is worthless. Every BMW I've ever had was horrible in the snow. A good reason for the Audi over the BMW.
No, Audi has been a Volkswagen brand for a pretty long time.....at least several decades, I believe.....and I can't envision any plausible scenario which would have VW acquiring BMW (nor BMW considering an acquisition offer by VW).
Rear wheel drive and performance-biased tires....the typical/standard BMW specification for cars (not SUV's).....on anything other than dead dry pavement will always represent the Ultimate Driving Machine's Achilles heel.
Speaking of high-end SUV's, have you guys been reading about the following ??
http://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/bentayga/bentayga.html
Bentley has been teasing the industry about an SUV for several years, and it's finally coming to fruition. I'm pretty sure the MSRP is intended to be well north of $200K (maybe something on the order of $225K). If it starts snowing in the desert, you can bet your arse the oil sheiks in the Middle East will be buying (and customizing) these things in numbers.
And this is all before the rumors that Rolls Royce is finally kicking around their own SUV......which I'd guess will eventually sell for $300K+......not to mention that Lamborghini has had their Urus SUV in development for a few years as well.
http://www.bentleymotors.com/en/models/bentayga/bentayga.html
Bentley has been teasing the industry about an SUV for several years, and it's finally coming to fruition. I'm pretty sure the MSRP is intended to be well north of $200K (maybe something on the order of $225K). If it starts snowing in the desert, you can bet your arse the oil sheiks in the Middle East will be buying (and customizing) these things in numbers.
And this is all before the rumors that Rolls Royce is finally kicking around their own SUV......which I'd guess will eventually sell for $300K+......not to mention that Lamborghini has had their Urus SUV in development for a few years as well.
You mean a current streak ?? If so.....and even if not...... I have absolutely no clue. I used to be really good at trivia like this; but I'm really not a stats guy anymore.....I don't watch sports (even with all the channels) remotely as obsessively as in my earlier days......and my memory is so bad that I barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning.
Does this name ring a bell, Elroy Face? He won 17 straight in 1959 after winning 5 straight in 1958. He finished 18-1 in 1959. He also was the first pitcher to save three world series game in a single series. His 18 relief wins in a season the remains the major league record. I probably go back a few more years than you do. I am not very good at trivia but your avitar made me think of my childhood memories of Roberto Clemente,Bill Mazeroski, Dick Groat and Bob Friend and and listening to the best baseball announcer of all time Bob Prince..
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I am not sure how you drive or what you like as far as luxuries go but I would get the bimmer but go with a 235i instead of a 228i. If your looking for a luxury car I don't think audi is considered a luxury brand.I had a 2011 135i and loved the performance. I did several mods and it would smoke a stock m3. I think the perfect car would be the bmw for engine and performance and an audi for the interior. Customer service you can't get better than bmw. They treat you like a celebrity everytime you go there. Pay for the 100k free maintenance otherwise your shelling out about 2k a year on maintenence after 50k in miles. Now I have a porsche 911 carrera s which blows away both bmw and especially audi but I still miss my bimmer.
Thanks denvEER. I would consider myself a typical driver meaning I usually drive over the speed limit but I am certainly not an aggressive driver. However I do like knowing that if I need a boost the car has the capability to perform like my 330i. I love that about my BMW. A quiet confidence. My 330i is all I need in regards to performance and the 228, from a spec sheet review, is equal to my current car. I would have to drive it first of course to verify. You are correct that if it felt less powerful it would bother me. And performance was the one knock on the Audi however the 2.0 liter engine supposedly gives you similar performance to the BMW. Again, I would need to drive both and compare. Thanks again for the response.
I'm trying to figure out how denvEER takes Audi to task for not being a luxury brand and then, in the next sentence, claims he'd like an Audi interior in his so-called "perfect" car. That's tough to reconcile, since interiors are.....by most conventional standards.....the aspect where "luxury" is evaluated).
Now, I admit that luxury (like "performance") is a quality best left in the eyes of the beholder. However, I strongly believe most folks would consider Audi every bit the luxury brand of BMW (while probably falling somewhat short.....at least outside the S versions.....in overall/generalized performance across the line).
For the record, I don't think either line meets Lexus standards for traditional "luxury" (though, Lexus is currently in an early move from the traditional Japanese standard in the direction of a more performance-biased German standard).
Now, I admit that luxury (like "performance") is a quality best left in the eyes of the beholder. However, I strongly believe most folks would consider Audi every bit the luxury brand of BMW (while probably falling somewhat short.....at least outside the S versions.....in overall/generalized performance across the line).
For the record, I don't think either line meets Lexus standards for traditional "luxury" (though, Lexus is currently in an early move from the traditional Japanese standard in the direction of a more performance-biased German standard).
Cool man, I completely disagree. Luxury is about the performance, eliteness, and feel over the entire line of cars. If an interior is what you want in a cat there are plenty of other manufacturers that deliver on specific cars and you will save a lot of money. My 135i had a cup holder underneath an armrest. What is the point of that. Also the material on the wheel and other areas on the console starts flaking. This and functionality is why I like the audi interiors over entry level BMW's. Also look at my 911. The interior in it is worse than my 135i but it is hands down a more luxurious car and in the supercar status.
I guess this is personalized somewhat, but I agree with Cool Man on the luxury definition. A Cadillac is a luxury car. A Mercedes is a luxury car. A Bentley is a luxury car. A BMW is a performance sedan, and I think of Audi more along the lines of a performance sedan as well. There is no luxury in a Porsche 911 - that's a sports car. So is a Corvette, and historically those things were fairly uncomfortable, i.e. not luxurious. That's not to say that they aren't premium vehicles, they just aren't luxury cars. You can bridge the gap to some degree - you can get a luxury car with relatively good performance characteristics, or a performance sedan that has some fairly luxurious qualities. But when someone says luxury car, I see my uncle's old Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham - a car that felt like you were riding on a pillow in some sort of hermetically sealed bubble floating on a remote lake.
Fair enough; as I attempted to acknowledge, luxury (or performance) is something probably best left to the individual to determine. And while you admittedly have more personal experience than yours truly.....which is none in either case......with BMW or Audi ownership, I stand by my personal assessment that BMW and Audi would be considered comparable on the "luxury" car scale.
In the final analysis, it's clear we define the term "luxury" differently....though, for the record, I myself consider the word (like mule_eer) to be inapplicable as a descriptor of the 911 (and BTW, I think it borderline-silly to compare a 1-series to any 911)......and that, I suppose, is what makes the world go round.
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Of course it does.....I must admit, I never thought much of Face as a reliever by the time I started following baseball seriously beginning in roughly the 63-64 timeframe. Perhaps it was because Face was largely washed-up by then; and my Dad, for whatever reason, really never was much of a Face fan.
But I knew all of those guys well (in fact, I caddied a couple times for Bob Friend as a teenager). Lemme' throw a couple more names around; my two favorite Pirates (as a legitimate youngster) were Rocky Nelson and Smokey Burgess. Of course, Clemente was the best in the business......though I always wished I could have seen more of Willie Mays in his heyday......and Maz (and Gene Alley and Donn Clendenon) remain the best 4-6-3 DP combination I've ever seen by several dozen light years.
Speaking of Willie Mays, I distinctly recall Prince once saying he was the best player he ever saw. Of course, Prince was the original homer and Clemente shill; so for that reason alone, his comment about Mays always stuck in my mind as who was the best. Just too bad we......at our age.....find it so difficult to view current major leaguers in all-time terms. When we were kids, Hall-of-Famers....and even current guys like Aaron, Clemente, and Mays (and Gibson, Koufax, and Marichal).....had borderline mythical reputations. Just isn't like that anymore.
Man, the 60's were such a great time to be an MLB fan; even though the Pirates, aside the '60 season......which I was too young as a 3 yo to remember..... weren't all that good (and the Steelers stunk even worse). But those really were the days, and it's a shame they're gone for good.