[EdM5]

Volkswagen

[martin mustang]

1. Why did you choose BMW over Audi?
I work for a Software company that looks after VW Group, shocking how every part is made for a Skoda, Seat, VW and Audi, so Audi in my opinion way overpriced, they use timing belt not a chain, front wheel cars are cheaper to make and yet Audis are priced like BM or MERC. The I-drive system in Audis is a complete joke from user point of view, the engineering part and the Quattro is all Marketing, in comparison to X drive system. Audi in this part of the world is famous for having concrete setup for suspension to overcome the imbalance on weight, the front is simply too heavy.
As another example of how VW group is so into saving cash, for us driving on the right hand side of the car even on 911's as well as Audis the manual hand breaks are left on the same position as left hand cars, so on the passenger side for us, shocking it is also the case for the Audi R8, BMW stopped this in the 80s after the e30. So lack of details from Audi for sure.

2. Name 2 features you wish your current car had at the time of purchase.
HUD and APP option 6NR

3. Overall do you like your experience with your dealer?
Good so fare

4. What are you thinking will be your next car purchase?
Looking into Jags for a change

[Em135eye]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

a1 quattro, a3 quatro, Q3 quattro and TT quattro use haldex (and have a transversal engine), the rest used torsen (and longitudinal engine), but that is being replaced by clutch operated lsd's.

All longitudinal engine layouts (except r8) have the engine 100% in front of the front axle. For such an engine layout it's best to have an engine that is very short, light and very low (like subaru's have; 4cyl boxer)

I meant to add "most" are Haldex.
Yes engine in front of the axle; a disaster for handling. Hello understeer...

[mkoesel]

1. Audi does not offer a car in the segment which I was interested in. And if they had, it would have been an old model that had been on the market for years rather than a fresh entry like the BMW I purchased.

2. 500hp+, the ability to order it without the navigation system (which I've still never used once)

3. Yes

4. The best high performance sport sedan available that I can afford. As always, there is a high probability that will be whatever BMW has on offer, but I do try to make an objective decision based on what is available.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by Em135eye

Yes engine in front of the axle; a disaster for handling. Hello understeer...

There are some advantages for their system (engine in front of the axle for 4wd), and that is, compared to a conventional system (like bmw/mercedes etc, mid transferbox and axle to the front), and that is that you have less drivetrain loss due to not having a transfer box and you have front driveshafts of the same lenght (which reduces torque steer a little bit) and the engine can sit lower.
But having the engine in the front means that one should look for a short, light and low engine. The subaru boxer is excellent for that. An inline 5, V8 or even V10 (as audi has used) are not suitable at all. Inline engines are long and tall, and v8 and v10's are very heavy. A v6 may be one of the most suitable engines after a boxer.
A fwd audi with longitudinal engine makes no sense at all. None of the advantages and all of the disadvantages.
So for the bigger audi's the only ones that make sense from a technical/handling pov are quattro v6's (either na or fi)

My answers:
1. Why did you choose BMW over Audi?
I wanted a roadster (I chose the e85 Z4). The TT roadster is heavy, has a weak chassis (designed as coupe originally, so it needed a lot of extra steel strenghtening) and is essentially a golf platform. It is no match handling/performance wise for the z4.
2. Name 2 features you wish your current car had at the time of purchase.
LSD, air scarf (like mercedes has)
3. Overall do you like your experience with your dealer?
good, I bought it at a german dealer (used) and he assisted in exporting the car etc.
4. What are you thinking will be your next car purchase?
Something more exotic. Maybe a used lambo or a TVR or something like that.

[BirdsEye]

1. Didn't have an equivalent engine, looks much better, don't like Audi steering (mum has an a4)
2. CIC and LSD would be nice!
3. Go to one of the best independents in the UK. Busy and pricey but can't fault the work
4. Probably something crap while I get a house sorted.

[infamousdiz]

audi s6 was inconsideration but price too high, BMW fan boy

auto closing boot f80, vented/cooled front seats f80, auto remote start both,

Love the service at my BMW store
BMW user interface is the best (to my knowledge)

New F body X5M

[brianeck]

No manual, and no RS4 (S4 was already a dated platform too in late '14).

Ventilated seats (I got spoiled in my previous 650 GC), and built in controls to enable/disable active sound AND rev matching in any mode.

I had a good experience at Orange County NY BMW, but they didn't know THAT much about ED and I had to coach them through most of the process even when it was my first time doing it too.

Honestly, no plans right now. . . I have 2 years left on my F80. . . MAYBE AWD m5 if it really comes out around the end of that time period??

[RM7]

Engine placement, ease of access to engine components and no good cargo-volume without going to the off-road "outback" model...

[Twixboy]

Originally Posted by martin mustang

1. Why did you choose BMW over Audi?
I work for a Software company that looks after VW Group, shocking how every part is made for a Skoda, Seat, VW and Audi, so Audi in my opinion way overpriced, they use timing belt not a chain, front wheel cars are cheaper to make and yet Audis are priced like BM or MERC. The I-drive system in Audis is a complete joke from user point of view, the engineering part and the Quattro is all Marketing, in comparison to X drive system. Audi in this part of the world is famous for having concrete setup for suspension to overcome the imbalance on weight, the front is simply too heavy.

Ehh, the Q3, Q5 and Q7 all use timing chain. Quattro on all 3 models is superior to X-drive on their BMW counterparts. In general Audi SUV > BMW SUV and BMW cars > Audi cars, but it really depends on your price point because of all the engine/options within each model line.

[gtron]

may i stir up some shit? i don't have either anymore BUT if i was in the market for an SUV i would likely take an SQ5 over an X5. it's the first time in a decade that i thought anything by audi was better than bmw. r8 not included.

[Twixboy]

Originally Posted by gtron

may i stir up some shit? i don't have either anymore BUT if i was in the market for an SUV i would likely take an SQ5 over an X5. it's the first time in a decade that i thought anything by audi was better than bmw. r8 not included.

SQ5 doesn't compete with X5. It's in the same class as the X3. Audi has a SQ5, but BMW has no X3 M. BMW has a X5 M, but Audi has no SQ7. The SQ5 is really nice, but it needs to come with an option for a sport suspension though. It's too high off the ground.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by Twixboy

Ehh, the Q3, Q5 and Q7 all use timing chain.

No, it depends on the engine.
However there is no BMW with a timing belt.

Quattro on all 3 models is superior to X-drive on their BMW counterparts.

Why?
And dont post those audi/bmw youtube video with the ramp with the rollers.
Maybe a certain car will perform better on that, but there are no roads with rollers. Also if the driver knows anything about all terrain driving, those problems are very easily solvable.
Most of those tests are very carefully planned to get a specific result.
ESP on/off, strange tyre pressures and such tricks are used to highlight one or the other car.
I certainly dont think the Q3 haldex system is superior. The original torsen quattro system is nice.

But Audi is slowly and silently ditching the torson diffs in their quattro systems, probably due to cost.

[Red Bread]

Audi USA has 0.00 cars with manuals. I have 0.00% interest in them. Coincidence?

[GATORB8]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Audi USA has 0.00 cars with manuals. I have 0.00% interest in them. Coincidence?

From a quick look at their build website, at least the 2016 S4, A5, and S5 are sill available with three pedals.

[Red Bread]

Originally Posted by GATORB8

From a quick look at their build website, at least the 2016 S4, A5, and S5 are sill available with three pedals.

Bah, those old turds have been replaced everywhere but here. The B9's won't have manuals.

[Em135eye]

Originally Posted by gtron

may i stir up some shit? i don't have either anymore BUT if i was in the market for an SUV i would likely take an SQ5 over an X5. it's the first time in a decade that i thought anything by audi was better than bmw. r8 not included.

This and the Q3 RS do appeal but mega bucks.
BMW does the X5 M50d; that's similar to the SQ5.

[FriskyDingo]

Looks like BMW needs to offer cooled seats on more models!

[imserious]

1. Why did you choose BMW over Audi? M3. I prefer all Audi sedans. BMW makes the better sport"y" car. Audi makes better luxury cars.
2. Name 2 features you wish your current car had at the time of purchase. HUD, coilovers.
3. Overall do you like your experience with your dealer? Yes.
4. What are you thinking will be your next car purchase? Porsche Macan - wife.

[atxgt3]

1. Why did you choose BMW over Audi?

Horror stories about Audi maintenance cost and reliability, less sporty than BMW, very hard to find models I'm interested in (S4/RS4 and S5/RS5) at a comparable cost to the M3s I got.

2. Name 2 features you wish your current car had at the time of purchase.

Back-up camera and sunroof.

3. Overall do you like your experience with your dealer?

Haven't dealt with them yet for this car, my experiences with them in the past have been mediocre at best.

4. What are you thinking will be your next car purchase?

Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

[JNoSol]

X5M and 6GC Owner here:

1. Timeless Design (inside and out) and Performance Focused
2. Sport Exhaust (6 series) and Alcantara interior trim (X5M)
3. BMW dealers allow haggling on price, Audi doesn't (at least in KC)
4. 991 or next gen Panamera or used 2017 Alpine B7

[Twixboy]

Originally Posted by GuidoK

No, it depends on the engine.
However there is no BMW with a timing belt.


Why?
And dont post those audi/bmw youtube video with the ramp with the rollers.
Maybe a certain car will perform better on that, but there are no roads with rollers. Also if the driver knows anything about all terrain driving, those problems are very easily solvable.
Most of those tests are very carefully planned to get a specific result.
ESP on/off, strange tyre pressures and such tricks are used to highlight one or the other car.
I certainly dont think the Q3 haldex system is superior. The original torsen quattro system is nice.

But Audi is slowly and silently ditching the torson diffs in their quattro systems, probably due to cost.

It might depend on country. In the North American market all Audi SUVs use timing chain as far as I know. It's been that way for many years now, but older models might have used the belt.

Regarding Quattro vs XDrive, no I'm not talking about the Youtube roller video. I thought BMW beat Audi in that fake test anyways. Yes, I'm talking about the torsen-based quattro. I mis-spoke when I lumped the Q3 into the discussion. It's still a new car in the US and I'm not familiar with it. In real world driving Quattro just feels more natural and planted in the snow. It's a full time active AWD system. XDrive just feels unnatural with the computer making reactive corrections to your driving. Audi deliberately invented quattro to gain an advantage in rallycross so it's considered a performance AWD system, whereas BMW only came out with XDrive after its customers started demanding AWD because all of its competitors offered it. I forget the time period, maybe around the year 2000 when AWD became very popular on SUVs in cold-climate regions of the US and BMW was lagging behind.