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06-23-2012, 01:35 PM | #89 | |
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06-24-2012, 10:34 AM | #90 | ||
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2013 535i xDrive M-Sport | 2005 545i Sport (Retired and missed) | 2001 X5 3.0 Sport (Retired) |
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06-24-2012, 02:52 PM | #91 | |
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10-17-2012, 08:32 AM | #92 |
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Late to the thread
Sorry to be so late here...
BMWs and Audis are both great cars -- choose the right tool for the job. We had a choice to make recently. We chose Audi for the following reasons. Requirements -- the car needed to be fun to drive, all weather, comfortable on long trips, occasional track use, four doors for access to the back seat..... My wife and I are both Track driving Instructors in a broad range of platforms. Both of us have racing experience in a variety of platforms. What began this insanity (of having a daily driver for occasional track use) was that one day the weather was terribly cold and I decided to take her B6 A4 to the track in completely stock condition. I drove it in the instructor session and was amazed at the balance at speed. Four wheel drive, I expected major push, and was pleasantly surprised. The totally stock brakes and fluid did not last very long and after 15 laps I was using the early toss technique to slow the car. This helped the brakes; but, they were in need of both new pads and fluid after the session. This experience led me to make the decision that I needed a daily driver to replace the Boxster daily driver (911 track car) which I could still use as an occasional track car. I have track experience in a range of E46 M3. I did all the research and ordered a new (2008) 135I. I am very satisfied with my decision as a daily driver, not so much for occasional track use. The 135's brakes look great; but will not stop the car after between 2 and four laps regardless of what pad I put on and I have tried my favorite pads (Hawk Ht-10). The problem is not the pads or the fluid, it is well documented that the rotor is undersized for the weight and power of the car. Thing two, the car will not turn, it is as far from neutral as some of the worst handling front wheel drive cars I have driven. It is designed to push and ironically, as bad as it is, it turns in better than the 3 series. Turning off the aids to the maximum extent possible cooks the rear brakes in short order. Consider this, I wore out the rear brakes before I wore out the fronts. I have found the aids to be far more intrusive in the BMW than other new cars I have experience with. So the time came in August to replace the 2004 A4 with 85,000 miles on it, we looked at a variety of cars. Because of our good fortune with A4s, we purchased a 2013 Audi S4. We recently returned from a 2000 mile road trip and it filled that square as well, surprisingly even better than the A4 which was more comfortable than the 135I. Audi spent some time tuning that exhaust note. Fantastic!! Now I want to get a new exhaust for the 135I. Despite what it may look like, my only beef with the 135I has to do with its pathetic perfomance on the race track. It seems like it was designed to look good at first glance on paper. A comparison of the brake specs would have helped me; but, why would I expect BMW to put beautiful looking six piston calipers on a 28mm thick rotor (stock rotor thickness on a 1985 Porsche 911 (2700 pounds with 100 less horsepower).
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08 135I (AW/Coral Red - delivered 3/15/08 -- 13 Audi S4, 83 SC (trackster), 90 C2 (Sally's Carrera), 04 Avalanche Blingmobile |
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10-18-2012, 07:53 AM | #93 |
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I just find Audis, VWs, etc boring to look at. The lines are just way too subtle. Even the R8... it's supposed to be this monster, and it looks plain and boring.
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10-18-2012, 08:58 AM | #94 | |
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10-18-2012, 09:53 AM | #95 |
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I also went from a 335 to an M5 (E60) and now I have a 2013 S4. It is the right fit for me for now. Deep down I think I am still a BMW guy, but BMW (IMO) dropped the ball on the new 3 series, the interior (seats specifically) in particular. I really like the new 5 series, but I wanted a smaller car.
The Audi styling grows on me more and more. The view from the back is a little soft. |
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10-18-2012, 03:28 PM | #96 |
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I'm in the middle of comparing a A4 to the 328ix and if I wanted just base models with only 4WD and xenons, I can probably get them for:
A4 Quattro: $35K BMW 328ix: $40K In my opinion, an A4 is 95% the car of a BMW at 87% of the price. So it's hard not to look at Audi. Sure, a true enthusiast might detect slight differences but most people are not enthusiasts and likely would not. So BMW is essentially charging an extra $5K simply for its name. That irks me. In a a way, I wish Audi does steal sales from BMW, so then maybe BMW will lower its prices. BTW I've owned both Audi's and VW and an Audi is not a VW in my opinion. You feel the difference in everything from the door slam to the bell tones. The VW screams utlity and the Audi screams class. So yea, I am a fan of Audi's but I'm also a fan of BMW's and can see +/- of both brands. |
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10-18-2012, 03:42 PM | #97 | |
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BMW = 1.11 million vehicles. Audi = 1.10 million vehicles Mercedes-Benz = 0.96 million vehicles |
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10-18-2012, 03:51 PM | #98 | |
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10-18-2012, 04:11 PM | #99 | |
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I got mine with a $43.400 sticker for $38k, only $750 of that was for the BLUETOOTH delete sillyness.
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10-19-2012, 10:24 AM | #100 |
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10-19-2012, 10:54 AM | #101 | |
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I had a $1000 Team USA rebate, $750 owner loyalty. Then this was a car being built for a friend who came to find out it was built without Bluetooth like it was supposed to. BMW took $750 off the sticker for the blunder. He bounced from the deal and walked. I called his dealer and said I would take the car for the price he had left negotiations at(they matched BMW's $750 and a bit more). On top of that BMW called my friend and cut him a $1000 to re-order which he did. He got the exact car over again. Seeing how BMW NA was quick to make him happy. I sent a letter saying how I was unimpressed with BMW's handling over the Bluetooth fuckup. It was a good letter. That led to a free $100 BMW Bluetooth speaker system and a month's payment refund of $500. So all in all, got the car for $38k which makes it feel like a great value. Oh, but it doesn't have Bluetooth. B00-friggin-hoo.
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10-19-2012, 02:15 PM | #103 |
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An M3 compared to an S4 on clean , dry pavement yes.
A 335 compared to an S4, don't think so. Found this head to head
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08 135I (AW/Coral Red - delivered 3/15/08 -- 13 Audi S4, 83 SC (trackster), 90 C2 (Sally's Carrera), 04 Avalanche Blingmobile |
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10-20-2012, 11:56 PM | #104 | |
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The rear seat room in the S4 & S5 is much smaller than the 335i and the Audi nav with the $30 a month Google payment is just completely lame. The audi engines are great but not better than the BMW engine. The adaptive suspensions are also similar to the 335i. Originally, I wanted to buy an S4 or S5 which end up costing more then the 335i. I just ended up liking the styling of the 335i more because everything else in my opinion were equal. The 335i is a little lighter too. Besides the other things mentioned, I just love BW EB ll color which solidified the deal. |
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10-23-2012, 01:14 PM | #106 |
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I am very happy with the lack of turbo lag in my BMW!! But, turbo lag in a supercharged S4?
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Alan
08 135I (AW/Coral Red - delivered 3/15/08 -- 13 Audi S4, 83 SC (trackster), 90 C2 (Sally's Carrera), 04 Avalanche Blingmobile |
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10-23-2012, 10:04 PM | #107 |
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So this is an interesting comparison and thread for me. I was thinking of purchasing a weekend driver like a vette or mustang 5.0 recently, a car I never would of purchased but the new models are nice for what they are. Test drove the 5.0 this weekend and as fun as the car was, the reality is it has more straight line then I thought I could ever use most days on the road and handling is improved but nothing to compare to a beamer/audi.
So I've switched gears and plan to go out test driving the 135is, 335i/ix and finally an audi s4. The big piece of this for me is that I live in the northeast. I'd rather not buy a winter beater and so the quattro is appealing to me and I don't think the ix can keep up with the s4. ON the other hand I don't have to work when it snows heavily but I don't want a 335i or 135is if it means I'm screwed when I'm caught out in an inch of snow or dusting one day. I can deal with winter tires but I don't want to be screwed if I get caught in a bad situation. I own a bike so a 3rd vehicle for me is unappealing and quite frankly we only get snow 2-3 days a year if that in the Philadelphia area. At this point it seems like the 335i and S4 are comprable the big question will be test drives, insurance costs. and if winter tires work for light snow/cold weather in the northeast. This thread's been a good read though. Prices are so comprable that the few thousand difference (depending on options) between the two car is so negligible when you are spending 50,000 on a car. |
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10-24-2012, 10:08 AM | #108 | |
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08 135I (AW/Coral Red - delivered 3/15/08 -- 13 Audi S4, 83 SC (trackster), 90 C2 (Sally's Carrera), 04 Avalanche Blingmobile |
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10-24-2012, 06:41 PM | #109 | |
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Insurance is surprisingly cheap on these cars so quite frankly I can't find any other deciding factor other than test drive and the awd piece. |
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10-25-2012, 07:48 AM | #110 | |
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Today, I use summer tires year round. If it is slippery, my 135I will not make it out of my driveway which is 300 feet long with a very steep hill. When it snows, I park the Avalanche and the Audi at the top of the driveway (at street level). It is unlikely that any car/truck will stop before going into the woods behind the house if the driveway is icy. The Porsches are great in a few inches of snow with the right tires (I drove one in Northern Maine). The majority of other drivers in this area have little experience on snow and ice and and are out to impress each other with their four-wheel-drive driving prowess. There are lots on intersection incidents and out of control lane crossings. To more directly answer your question -- I am comfortable about my ability to keep the car on the road and headed in the right direction; but, I am terrified of the other drivers when conditions deteriorate. The two wheel drive BMW suffers from the lack of limited slip and overly intrusive driving aids. But; if it snows and you have proper tires and some weight in the trunk, you should have no problems when faced with unexpected light snow, provided you exercise caution. While I drive with the aids off on the track or the skid pad, I would never turn them off for daily driving. FWIW -- I have no background with any F-20 series BMW.
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08 135I (AW/Coral Red - delivered 3/15/08 -- 13 Audi S4, 83 SC (trackster), 90 C2 (Sally's Carrera), 04 Avalanche Blingmobile |
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