Audi A4 2.0T quattro or BMW 325i in USA w/ options

G

Geophysics

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2006
Messages
10
Hello everyone,

I am looking for a new car for long trips across country. I am in the market for something that is fun to drive, reasonable power, with good handling. I am also looking for creature comforts, good seats (very important for long trips), a decent nav system, and a good soundsystem. I am also looking for reliability.
For these reasons I have narrowed down my choices to the BMW 325i and Audi A4 sport sedans with the following options.

BMW 325i
Leather seating
sport package
Idrive nav system
logic 7 sound system upgrade
xeon lights
about 38k

Audi A4 2.0t quattro
leather/sun package
premium package
sports suspension
nav
tech package
xeon lights
38~40k

Are there any people here who own these cars that would recommend them? Which is the better buy?
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I am also looking for a retro bike for around 10k

Triumph Thruxton 900 ~ http://www.triumph.co.uk/usa/3351.aspx
or
Ducati Sport 1000 ~ http://www.ducati.com/bikes/my2006/ducatiModel.jhtml?family=sportclassic&modelName=SPORT1000-06

thanks guys
 
I'm in a very similar situation, looking to get a sporting commuter car, except I want AWD for the sloppy weather and snow.

My candidates are very similar to yours, I'm looking at:

- Audi A4 3.2 Quattro (same as your 2.0T but AWD and bigger motor)
- BMW 330ix (same as your 325 but AWD and bigger motor)
- Subaru Legacy GT (doesn't have the refinement but very fast and cheap)

My thoughts on the A4 vs. 3 series...
- The BMW is going to be the more sporting of the two.
- Audi starts with FWD, wrong wrong wrong in my book (nose heavy, understeer, and Audis are heavy cars to start with), BMW starts with RWD.
- The Audi is more tastefully styled.
- Audis tend to be heavy

Right now I'm leaning towards the BMW and I'm leaving the door open for the Legacy GT to surprise me.
 
janstett said:
...Audi starts with FWD, wrong wrong wrong in my book (nose heavy, understeer, and Audis are heavy cars to start with), BMW starts with RWD.
- The Audi is more tastefully styled.
- Audis tend to be heavy
Click to expand...

This is true, but the most recent Audi's have been getting high marks for nutral stance, better weight distribution and more aggressive power distribution (more to the rear more of the time). I have not driven one yet.

Unless the Audi steers like a pig (or an old Audi v8, which I have driven) I'd rather have the 1.8t over the 325 sedan.

Why? Looks mainly. I'm a fan of Bangle's designs over this middle of the road nothingness era that has decended once Bangle left the design post at BMW.

To quote JC on the 3 series: "its just some car."
 
my '97 328i is the most comfortable seating i have experienced in a car. 6+ hour trips (no stops) are cake. if the A4 seats are anything like Passat seats, i wouldnt want to stay in them for that long.
 
Re: Audi A4 2.0T quattro or BMW 325i in USA w/ options

Geophysics said:
Hello everyone,

I am looking for a new car for long trips across country. I am in the market for something that is fun to drive, reasonable power, with good handling. I am also looking for creature comforts, good seats (very important for long trips), a decent nav system, and a good soundsystem. I am also looking for reliability.
For these reasons I have narrowed down my choices to the BMW 325i and Audi A4 sport sedans with the following options.
Click to expand...

Audi and good handling are incompatibles. There ar no handling if compare to 3er. 3er is also more about new model than A4. If you want a reliable car, wait until new 3er coupe arrives.
 
Ianspeed said:
To quote JC on the 3 series: "its just some car."
Click to expand...

After that he said that it is also best in class.

As well JC is not a fan of BMW. Despite that BMW is benchmark for him. Hi almost allways compares other cars to BMW, not Audi, not MB. It's BMW. And it is made as it should be - perfect engineering, perfect handling, prety aggressive and certain. Design - controversial. Even ugly 5er with mpack looks damn good..
 
Audi is more of a looker... and feels more confortable for for long journies
 
I'd also check out the Audi A3. For less than the price of the 325 you could get a 3.2 A3.

I've got the 2.0T A3 and I love it. The nav system is highly usable, it is really comfortable on long trips (I've done two 20+ hour long hauls) and it is fast and nimble.
 
Does it snow much where you live? Having the Audi might be better in such conditions.
 
BMW, dont even think about the rest :D
 
NEVER EVER BUY A FWD AUDI, UNLESS ITS THE MK2 TT OR THE MK2 A3, UNTILL THE NEXT GENERATION OF AUDI'S COME OUT. why? because of theyre weight distribution.

Plus the A4 is getting replaced soon so get the BMW
 
BUY A STOCK 325 AND GO AFTERMARKET...
DONT BUY OEM "SPORT UPGRADES"
get bilstein pss9's for sport suspension
dinan exhaust
dinan software

dont buy oem luxury package...
just upgrade the seats to aftermarket recaros with the same money
 
Frankly the engine isn't nearly powerful enough in a 325. I bet the A4 2.0T would feel much more powerful. However, I have never liked the driving feel of Audis. They have felt numb to me. Might want to look at an Infiniti G35 instead. Great feel, great power and priced the same as a much smaller engine BMW.

Martin
 
I think the discussion is pointless now, because he, like so many, seems to have asked the question and then couldn't be bothered to show up again.
 
Hey guys, still around :oops:

I've been reading the responses and they've been really helpful, but I just can't seem to make up my mind.

I was originally concerned with what I wrote above; reliability, comfort, etc, for long hauls, but now that I've had another week to think about it I find myself more confused.

This will be my third car, first ever new car purchase. I'll be spending the next two years in tucson arizona as a student and travelling back home to NYC during the winter and summer.

Due to the warm climate Quattro, will only be an extra bit of silver on the front grill for 11 out of 12 months... though I personally can't stand front wheel drive cars... especially when the engine is so far up front like on audi's. *This, by the way, was the only thing keeping me from the A3, i can't stand the 3.2v6 performance/price ratio and that is the only way you are getting quattro on that car for years to come.

That aside I've had more time to think about alternatives and as a result I've managed to make my choice that much harder. The less reasonable young person in me as started looking at more sport oriented cars such as the new audi tt coupe which will be arriving late 2007 here in the states, as well as the 335i coupe coming soon from bmw, I've even managed to include a lotus elise on my list... which is a departure considering the list i made earlier.

I really like the styling on the elise and new tt, the audi A4 is pretty and i can live with the 30 something middle management stigma for that reason... but both the bmw coupe and sedan carry both that stigma and an ugly mug in my mind. Maybe it will grow on me after a test drive.

So what i guess i am saying after all that is, i still have no clue. Does anyone out there have any info on life with a lotus or a new audi tt? Also anyone here own either a thruxton or sport 1000?

thanks, and help :cry:
 
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