Nomad TT

Come on, every one here gave at least a few glances at the BMW before buying the Audi. I did a lot of research before buying my A6 2.7t. I love it to death and would never even look at another BMW again. But I was wondering what others think. Does anyone out there like the BMW enough to be a little uneasy with their choice? If so respond. Its not that I’m mad at you its just that I would like to here them out. I spent many 30-minute drives driving my friends BMW 528I and only 5 minutes driving the Audi. He asks me thousands of times a day why the hell did I go with the Audi. Well its because the car feels like it was built for me and for me only. When I stepped in the BMW it felt almost like stepping onto Mars. I don’t know why. The Audi is just or more luxurious. I don’t know why this is, it just is. Looking at my Audi is like sitting at home in your pajamas sipping some wonderful tea, in front of a nice pretty fire. Getting inside it is like going to bed in a feather mattress. If any one shares this feeling I would like to hear from them.

Thanks,
Chris

peterl

I looked pretty closely at the BMW 528 - it felt great and is a beautiful car with marvelous handling and great looks. I thought pretty carefully about what I was looking for - and initially thought about getting an A6 2.8Q 5M - but rethought that after driving the 2.7T 6M. I'd have been kicking myself if I had got the 2. 8 rather than the 2.7T but have never regretted getting the A6 2.7T over the BMW 528.

I don't think there is an objective reason to worry about which car you've picked - there aren't any wrong choices - just what will make you happiest over the time you own the car. The A6 2.7T is (and feels) quicker, has a lot more useable space (and fold down rear seats so I can get my hockey stick in the car) and handles great even during poor weather. The BMW 528 looks gorgeous (subjectively I prefer the A6 but its close) and handles amazingly well - a little more fun on winding roads than the A6 when pushed hard. On a dry summer day on a nice curvy road through the hills I may wish I was driving the BMW 528 - that is one nimble car. But I love my A6 2.7T and wouldn't trade it for a BMW 528 today - but I may get the suspension upgrade down the line.

I feel comfortable in my car - but don't think I'm getting this going-to-be-after-drinking-tea-by-the-fire thing you are getting from your A6.

Peter

Ed'sA6

I chose the 2.7T, 6spd over a 540i for a number of reasons. The 2.7T can be chipped easily to 300 hp and 350 lbs of torque blowing away the 540. With new tires and wheels and sport springs I think the A6 handles better than the 540. The A6 has a nicer interior (except for nav system) and is more unique in appearance. It seems like I see a 528 or 540 at every stop sign. The quattro can't be touched in wet weather conditions. Even with all my modifications, I'm still $6000.00 under a 540i.

Johnny Mathis

>>Come on, every one here gave at least a few glances at the BMW before buying the Audi.<<

I didn't!! However, I did look at Jaguars, Lexus, and Boxsters. Just wanted to clarify that "every one" -- :-)

Nomad TT

Yah ok so im a little crazy when it comes to my A6. Oh well thanks for the letters guys! I cant wait to find the time to do a road trip up to Colorado. See yah.

Chris

Kenny

We got the Audi A6 Avant for its Quattro, and competitive price.. Besides the Avant looks prettier and is roomier than the 528i-wagon... Personally, I would have preferred the BMW if it came down to just driving experience, it handles better, the chassis was better balanced, and the brakes were no comparison.. I don't like the Audi brakes, the modulation sucks, and has no feel.. The BMW is definitely a sportier car (especially ones with the Sport package) pushed through sharp corners and slow turns, no comparison there to the Audi.. The BMW is more fun to drive, and communicates with the road better, but when you are getting a wagon, there are other considerations like space, and the BMW wagon felt cramped and the Audi felt airy, and spacious.. Besides, we already have a BMW, we didn't want 2- of the same cars in the driveway..

The BMW dealer told me the 530i is coming out this spring, but no word yet if there is a price increase, he said expect about 220 hp or so..

peterl

Actually, I wound up buying the A6 2.7T because of a BMW. I was in Germany last fall and rented a BMW 323 with a manual transmission. I wound up doing a lot of unnecessary driving including a 100 mile trip on the Autobahn at 200 km/hr. What an exciting car! I got back to Albany and got in my Camry and was convinced it was broken - something seemed to have gone seriously wrong with it during the week it was sitting at the airport. I started looking at new cars and initially thought I wanted a BMW.

In Europe the BMW 323/328 looked huge next to everything else on the road - back here it seemed way too small (trunk and back seat). I broadened to look at A4, A4 Avant, BMW 528, and finally the A6. Out of that bunch, the choice was clear for me.

Next time I'm in Europe I'll rent another BMW unless I can get an Audi 4.2 or 2.7T. The Autobahn I was on was an amazing road - I was driving between Bremen and Bremerhaven (northern Germany). The road is flat and in great condition - no little undulations like so many of the highways here. The cars all looked to be in good condition - no rusted out junkers. The biggest factor that made it work were the drivers - the German drivers all seemed to understand the protocol - stay right and watch out for cars coming up from behind. >100 mph feels very safe when people follow the rules. The BMW felt really nice had great acceleration pushing up to about 150 km/hr. It started to feel "lighter" above that and felt a little precarious near 220 km/hr. 180 km/hr felt like 65 mph in my Camry on a US highway.

My first night in Germany - after an all night trip to get there - I wound up driving the BMW rental in downtown Bremen. The roads wind and twist - nothing goes in a straight line. I probably should have read some sort of guide to German street signs - little blue circles with arrows in them turn out to be pretty important - more than just suggestions. I didn't get any tickets or kill anyone - but driving the next day after some sleep and during the daylight I noticed some one way streets that seemed to have changed direction from the previous night. I liked driving in Germany and hope to have a chance to do it again soon.

Peter

srosie

if the 528i is already close to $5k more, how in the world would you feel if you bought a 528i now and in the fall they priced the 530i the same as the current 528i? They got a pricing problem, clearly. I'm guessing that you'll be able to get a pretty good deal on the outgoing 528i over the next few months. Especially considering the performance similarities now a days.

Ernst

I was comparing the Audi A6 (2.7T and 4.2) with the BMW 540iA, the Mercedes E430, the Volvo S80 T6 and the Jaguar S Series 4.0.

While the Volvo has to much torque for FWD and a unresponsible steering, the Jaguar looks very cheap inside and does not have a tiptronic. The E430 is a high quality car but no fun to drive at all. So what's left over? BMW 540 and the A6. I think the BMW is a clear winner on dry roads and it'a a lot of fun to drive. Also the ergonimics of all the switches and dispalys is at very high standard.

The A6 is a very good car indeed, but the last 5% are missing everywhere. It starts with the awful switch for the cruise control, the switches of the a/c which can not be identified without looking down to them. The integration of the phone into the trip computer is rather primitive - you can't handle all situations from the steering wheel switches. Finally I hear a lot of creak inside the car - the chassis seems not very stiff? But the A6 has something none of the others has: quattro. This is important for me - I'm driving a lot in bad weather and snow and I finally decided to buy an A6 4.2 with the Navigation Plus system (which includes the console map display). The 2.7T has only 230 hp in Europe and I went for the 4.2 which has 300 hp and much more torque. Besides beeing very expensive here in Europe (about 63'300 $ with options) I am pleased with the Audi - while hoping that the next generation will bring the missing 5% too...

Mugatu

Way too many of them on the road and most people buy them for their image. The cars themselves are great, IMHO, but I would never want to be grouped with the a**holes that drive most of them.