Anyone compared the new 325xi to A4 1.8T Quattro? Any thoughts?
05-30-2001, 07:31 AM
#11
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That's simmilar to my experience
I had test driven a 323 before buying my car and found it to be uninspiring. A great car, but just missing something.
As for the A4, it's great for long trips. The engine gets smoother as it breaks in over the first 10,000 miles or so. Mine has a real sweet spot at 4000 RPM (~87 mph). I've driven for as much as 16 hours straight in this car stopping only for gas. I've done that more than once and while I wouldn't say I was refreshed at the end of the trip, I wasn't drained either.
Of course I wouldn't mind a 6th gear for highway cruising.
Don't get too spooked by the problems you see here. Consider 3 things: most of us are really obsessive and notice EVERY little thing that comes up; people post problems to ask for help, most people don't post to say "my car is fine" ; the A4 gets above average ratings in Consumer Reports for reliability. Any car will have have its problems.
As for the A4, it's great for long trips. The engine gets smoother as it breaks in over the first 10,000 miles or so. Mine has a real sweet spot at 4000 RPM (~87 mph). I've driven for as much as 16 hours straight in this car stopping only for gas. I've done that more than once and while I wouldn't say I was refreshed at the end of the trip, I wasn't drained either.
Of course I wouldn't mind a 6th gear for highway cruising.
Don't get too spooked by the problems you see here. Consider 3 things: most of us are really obsessive and notice EVERY little thing that comes up; people post problems to ask for help, most people don't post to say "my car is fine" ; the A4 gets above average ratings in Consumer Reports for reliability. Any car will have have its problems.
05-30-2001, 07:41 AM
#12
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My impressions
First, the better comparo is against the 2.8 since the 325 is a V6 and is priced almost identically against the the 2.8. Which brings you to a performance/tunability issue - if you like to tinker with mods, then the 1.8T is the way to go.
My biggest issue with the 325xi is the suspension. For some reason, BMW does not offer a Sport suspension for the xi (the Sport package is wheels, steering wheel, and fogs only). H&R just released lowering springs but no one has shocks yet. When you see an xi, you will notice immediately that it sits about 1" above stock 325/330s and almost 3" above the 325/330 sport suspensions. Clearly BMW thinks that xi buyers are not performance oriented and just want to plow through deep snow all day. This is also backed up by their decision to only offer all-season tires with the sport package.
For the record, the BMW AWD system is the one developed for the X5 and has been retrofitted to the 3 series. It is a rear biased system where the rear wheels get over 80% of the power until wheel slippage is detected. Quattro is 50/50.
The BMW is a fine car. If you want a bone stock car that is not designed for sport usage, I would strongly consider it.
Chris
My biggest issue with the 325xi is the suspension. For some reason, BMW does not offer a Sport suspension for the xi (the Sport package is wheels, steering wheel, and fogs only). H&R just released lowering springs but no one has shocks yet. When you see an xi, you will notice immediately that it sits about 1" above stock 325/330s and almost 3" above the 325/330 sport suspensions. Clearly BMW thinks that xi buyers are not performance oriented and just want to plow through deep snow all day. This is also backed up by their decision to only offer all-season tires with the sport package.
For the record, the BMW AWD system is the one developed for the X5 and has been retrofitted to the 3 series. It is a rear biased system where the rear wheels get over 80% of the power until wheel slippage is detected. Quattro is 50/50.
The BMW is a fine car. If you want a bone stock car that is not designed for sport usage, I would strongly consider it.
Chris
05-30-2001, 07:49 AM
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trips and reliability
Funny, I find it hard to stay under 80 on long trips. I dont even remember noticing engine noise, only the great feeling the A4 has when running fast.
As mentioned by another, this forum has a lot of very **** owners (including myself) as well as being a place where nearly EVERY issue and failure is discussed ad naseum. A lot of us have never experienced a real problem/failure, but we dont log in to report that...well someone did once after getting tired of reading the complaints, I think the "me too" replies hit a hundred real fast. The statistics from places like Consumers Reports suggest it the A4 a relatively reliable car. Also, it pretty well engineered. Recalls are minimal. My wife's '96 Eclipse GSX has averaged one safety/manditory recall a year.
As mentioned by another, this forum has a lot of very **** owners (including myself) as well as being a place where nearly EVERY issue and failure is discussed ad naseum. A lot of us have never experienced a real problem/failure, but we dont log in to report that...well someone did once after getting tired of reading the complaints, I think the "me too" replies hit a hundred real fast. The statistics from places like Consumers Reports suggest it the A4 a relatively reliable car. Also, it pretty well engineered. Recalls are minimal. My wife's '96 Eclipse GSX has averaged one safety/manditory recall a year.
05-30-2001, 08:14 AM
#14
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Turbo Issues...
Rodney,
Thanks a lot for your input. Greatly appreciated....
While I do realize that most of the problems reported on this forum are minor issues, there are others which worry me. Turbo being one of them.
From the posts i've read, I'm concluding that this car (1.8T) in it's stock form is not fit for sporty driving. Meaning, you either have to sit in a car and let it idle for minutes after you've arrived at your destination or have to install a turbo timer. Otherwise, the turbo will go bad.
It's this kind of things that make me look the other way sometimes (BMW). Otherwise, I'm a big Audi fan and I LOVE the current A4 design and sporty feel.
Thanks a lot for your input. Greatly appreciated....
While I do realize that most of the problems reported on this forum are minor issues, there are others which worry me. Turbo being one of them.
From the posts i've read, I'm concluding that this car (1.8T) in it's stock form is not fit for sporty driving. Meaning, you either have to sit in a car and let it idle for minutes after you've arrived at your destination or have to install a turbo timer. Otherwise, the turbo will go bad.
It's this kind of things that make me look the other way sometimes (BMW). Otherwise, I'm a big Audi fan and I LOVE the current A4 design and sporty feel.
05-30-2001, 08:48 AM
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Magazines state that while comparing Xi to Quattro: If you want sport go with Audi!
The sport package Xi is more appearance then anything else, so if you want something sporty, go with A4 (with sport package). If you plan on getting an automatic, go with BMW.
If I was you, I would get the A4 for the simple reason of value for the money. It is cheaper then BMW and you get much more. Also, do not forget that Quattro is better then BMW AWD. Add a chip to the 1.8T and it is better then BMW 325xi in all categories.
If I was you, I would get the A4 for the simple reason of value for the money. It is cheaper then BMW and you get much more. Also, do not forget that Quattro is better then BMW AWD. Add a chip to the 1.8T and it is better then BMW 325xi in all categories.
05-30-2001, 09:15 AM
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The only real "turbo issues" are with the 97 and early 98 models
The oil feed line was shielded better on later models and they haven't been having problems like the early ones.
As for cool down periods, the big issue is to stay out of boost for about a minute or two before shutting down. I just take it easy the last mile or so to my destination and rarely need to give it extra cool down. Of course I've only got 41,000 miles on it so we'll see how successful this method is in another 3 or 4 years.
As for cool down periods, the big issue is to stay out of boost for about a minute or two before shutting down. I just take it easy the last mile or so to my destination and rarely need to give it extra cool down. Of course I've only got 41,000 miles on it so we'll see how successful this method is in another 3 or 4 years.
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