bmw 330 or audi a5 2.0turbo

bolder

Wrench Pro
Points
43
Location
ramsey huntingdon
Car
astra 2.2 bertone
which would you choose and why, i love both off thm and cannot decide, both similiar power , what are there common problems ? tried looking on there forums but there crap compared to here
 
It's only really comparable if we're talking about a quattro. If not i'd definatly go for the bmw. You get a lovely snarling straight 6 too.
 
The 330d with an ECU remap is worth considering as well. I'd go with the Bavarian car (petrol or diesel) over the Audi simply for the refinement that a straight 6 engine brings to the party.
 
thinking petrol , the diesel costs more and i dont do that many miles so wont save any cuz of mpg and they cost much more when they go wrong, clutch and flywheel for the diesel astra coasts over a grand and fail often

how can the quattro make it comparable when the bmw is rear wheel drive , surely both rear wheel options wud be more comparable ?

does any 1 know there common faults, and which is more reliable ,

the bmw with remap is 250bhp, that will do donkey lol
 
I agree that over time diesel running maintenance and servicing will add up. The makers have sorted out the engines performance and refinement big time but the other stuff still is in development.

I'd go for the BMW - no turbo to fail and the straight six engines are so silky that there's no vibration to accelerate wear of other components. This can go beyond just the drivetrain. Even bulbs and lamps tend to last considerably longer as a result.

The RWD chassis is very good now with fully independent suspension and near perfect front:rear weight balance.
 
If it's petrol you are going for the BMW is the best option in my opinion. The reason being that the weight distibution on a BMW is spot on so handling is great and it makes for a fun drive. The Audi, although also rear wheel drive in this case, is still a good drive but as the engine is mounted further forward it tends to feel a bit heavier in the corners and feels a bit like a "bigger car".

The Quattro will solve some of these problems but I would reckon that the BMW will always be the stronger option. The quattro should make it comparible in speed as it will shave a half second off the 0-60 time but even so the BMW is a better drive and just as quick. In terms of problems I don't know of any specifics on either of them although there does seem to be a trend of vibration feedback from the Audi which may be down to the steering setup or it could just be people getting new alloys and not getting them properly balanced so could be taken with a pinch of salt.

All in though a quick couple of mods on the BMW i.e remap and a couple of aesthetics and you've got yourself a good looking car with a bite to match!!
 
The 330i is a lively car. I have an ageing E39 528i and it's no ball of fire, yet it still gives a good account of itself despite it's weight and the Steptronic auto 'box. This car has the M52TUB double VANOS engine.

The M54 engine in the 330i is considerably more powerful and the 3 series car considerably lighter so I doubt you'll be disappointed. Manual models clear 60mph in under 6.5 seconds.

The only thing thing that some find disappointing is that the power delivery is so smooth and so linear that the Bavarian cars can sometimes give a feeling of being slower than they actually are compared to a heavily boosted FWD 4 cylinder car.
 
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With BMW look out for Nikasil issues, with Audi you have a potential carbon build up issue. Neither is a major problem and there are ways round it, using good fuel, using additives and driving style.

Drive both, some prefer the effortless road holding of the Audi (like me), others like the wayward tail happy nature of the BMW. If this is a first time powerful car then go for the Audi Quattro.
 
With BMW look out for Nikasil issues, with Audi you have a potential carbon build up issue. Neither is a major problem and there are ways round it, using good fuel, using additives and driving style.

Drive both, some prefer the effortless road holding of the Audi (like me), others like the wayward tail happy nature of the BMW. If this is a first time powerful car then go for the Audi Quattro.

1. The Nikasil bore liner issues afflicted the M52 engines and was removed post 1998 with the fitment of steel liners.

2. BMW's are not tail happy unless you turn off the DSC completely. Even then you really have to push to silly levels to provoke oversteer.

3. Neither the Audi 2.0T nor the 330i are especially powerful and both are more than driveable by anyone with a few brain cells in gear.
 
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I have to agree that you need to push the bmw to stupid point before leaving the backend behind but none the less I don't think that the audi is a first time power car. Just because it is front wheel drive does not make it an easy to drive ride with automatic power that anybody can drive. Without getting too harsh I think that's a bit of a stereotype being pushed to the limit.

Don't get me wrong the Quattro is less of a handful in a track situation as it is four wheel drive however, the BMW can be fun to drive even in this situation and just as quick with a bit of sense and a bit of control on the slide. I think that in general the BMW for everyday use is fantastic as is the Audi. On the whole though day to day I think the BMW is the car that I would choose and to be honest it's down to personal preference as to what you choose.

You could listen to us argue all week and month about how the 0-60 time is different between the two and the BMW would have it on the straight, the quattro would win on a track etc but at the end of the day as with all cars the choice is personal and what you feel happy in. As far as I am concerned both are good options, I would personally take the BMW but again the choice is your's.
 
Mate of mine has a 2006 330 estate, and he loves it but he also says like hdi that the engine is so good that it doesn't feel as fast as it is actually is.
 
even in my old lady, the power delivery is very smooth. got to keep an eyeon the speedo when on the m-way.
my choice : BMW


That statement really confuses me.
It's not just powerful engines that make you have to watch the speedo on motorways.
I only have a puny 1.6 and even I have to keep an eye on the speedo when on any open road.
Infact all of the new cars i've driven have been the same, purely for the fact that they are so quiet these days you have to look at the speedo to remind you how fast you are going.
 
My comments about BMW's being tail happy are a little unfair - especially the way I presented it.

I have had a couple of friends who lost the tails of powerful BMW's in the wet and ice, having both just come from FWD cars (one I know kept his traction control switched off all the time but I'm not sure about the other). One was lucky and just span the other stacked his into a wall backwards and wrote it off. A Quattro however is nigh on impossible to lose unless you do something really really stupid.

The other benefit is that you can take the Audi out in the snow and ice! :toung:
 
yeah a mate had some fun in his BM during the winter and switched the TC off for around 30 seconds before deciding it wasnt much fun the tail sliding on a straight road
 
I do agree - they can be a handful in snow and ice. This is a situation where having a FWD car with a front biased weight balance really does help massively.

The BMW DSC systems are very good and make the very best of available grip. It even works during steady state cornering ie. no braking nor acceleration. It does so by braking individual wheels to counteract understeer or oversteer.

Back to available grip. Simply - if there is none then you're not going anywhere :) . Getting moving even on a slight uphill in snow and ice can be challenging in a RWD car.
 
So Audis are clearly better cars than BMW's!
;)

Waynne waits for a deluge of responses to this one!:lol:
 
So Audis are clearly better cars than BMW's!
;)

Waynne waits for a deluge of responses to this one!:lol:

Possibly, yes. They're certainly easier to drive in very bad conditions.

There's lots of chatter about the current BMW models being less well assembled than their predecessors (I doubt this is the case to be honest, I think it's green-eyes syndrome), whereas VAG has gone from strength to strengh over the last ten years or so.

Where I get thrown is when someone says, for example;-

"........go and get yourself a nice Volvo, son. They're the best cars on the road, and you can trust me on that because I've driven nothing but Volvos for the last 35 years!"

How do you know this to be true if you've driven nothing else ? :) ?
 
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VAG cars are dull. Worthy, well equipped, capable, but dull. In the last 5 years I've had new hire cars including a vectra, prius, a4, merc e220, s-max, insignia, 520 touring and loads of others. Out of them all the insignia was the best equipped but the 520 was by far the most rewarding. It had the best handling, feedback. The sportier versions must be superb.
 
That's a bit of a generalisation, and although I see where you're coming from I don't agree completely. There are plenty of capable but bland BMWs as well.

The place for innovation is France, in my opinion, though quality control is not up to German standards. I'd quite like a Laguna III but it would need to be taken to bits by VAG or BMW and then re-assembled properly :)
 
To summarise all of the above posts.... BMW is a good car and so is the Audi and that's that!!!

To be honest it doesn't matter what car you drive once you own it you will always find something that you would change. In my Leon I hate the fact that when I'm in 6th gear I need to take my hand off the gearstick to change the track on the CD player. I have no idea why this annoys me as I have controls on the steering wheel but still it annoys me. Also the fact that the suspension is firm (even though it was me that made it that way) annoys me.

Point being drive what you feel makes you smile most because it's you that has to live with it and we are only giving our opinions without having to put up with the consequences.

So to summarise BUY THE BMW!!!!!! LOL
 
Rustyboy4: In my Leon I hate the fact that when I'm in 6th gear I need to take my hand off the gearstick to change the track on the CD player.

Why do you need to keep your hand on the gearstick?
 
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Apparently this can lead to accelerated wear of the selector forks and of gear teeth themselves.

Back to the subject at hand - with either of these cars I'd go for the Tiptronic/Steptronic options.

I believe the Audi can be had with a DSG system which is better still.
 
why would you go for the auto versions then Hdi ?

Ease of driving really. It's odd because I live in a very rural area where gearchanges are infrequent in general driving but I still have an automatic car.

TN69 is right though - I'm lazy!!!! It is mankind's nature to be lazy. That's why we invented cars in the first place - to avoid having walk, so why expend more energy than necessary driving them?

:lol: :bigsmile: :D :lol: :bigsmile: :D
 
Hope your all settled into your new home now btw HDi :)

Settled enough - still unpacking though!

We've also 'acquired', more accurately - we've been 'adopted' by a stray cat so I've had her into the vets for a check over and chip implant. All adds to the fun of total chaos.

Thanks for your kind wishes - we'll be fine by Xmas, rid of boxes and bubble wrap.
 
right well im gonna upset all you BMW fans, lets face it what would you rather be seen in? as im sure we all know the kind of people that drive BMWs ;) and well audis for that matter

i would deffinately get the audi, someone said VAG is dull and boring, well i agree when it come to volks and skodas, but audi and seat are on a whole different lvl, BMWs dont seem to have changed the front end at all EVER, and to prove my point

old_bmw.jpg


BMW-330i-2.jpg


pretty much identical just shinier

then you have the a5

audi-a5.jpg


thats just stunning!

i do admit the new bmws are nice looking however i would never own one, id go merc or audi all day long
 
Both qualify as good cars. Both are nice to drive.

They look different and have slightly different handling qualities! I think it is hard to draw any real conclusions from a discusssion like this one without actually driving both, its the driving that it comes down to at the end of the day.
 
Both qualify as good cars. Both are nice to drive.

They look different and have slightly different handling qualities! I think it is hard to draw any real conclusions from a discusssion like this one without actually driving both, its the driving that it comes down to at the end of the day.

Or not - if you're not a demanding driver either will exceed your needs.
 

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