coolnesh

also agree that you can't go wrong with either car.

however i opted for the M35x ... mainly cause it came in 'cheaper' than the Audi and BMW.

pierreb

1. comparing HP from a 4.2 to a 3.2 C6 is of course legitimate since the cars are otherwise practically identical.

2. On the other hand, BMW 5 and Audi A6 are nothing alike, other than they're both made in Germany:

- Looks inside and outside couldn't be any more different. I don't have the time to type it all out for you, but they're quite obviously from vastly dissimilar design philosophies.

- Handling behaviors are completely different. Until a 535xi comes along, there's not even an AWD offering!

You seem to have completely missed the point. The cars are more than their HP ratings and thus should be evaluated on more than just this one shallow (imo) aspect.

pierreb

SC kit seems more likely, based on MTM's RS4 clubsport report.

AF 4.2

as I group cars in classes and the 5er and A6 or definitely in the same class.

You are looking at it on what I refer to as a microscope level ... nothing wrong with it just different from how I see it.

When shopping 2 yrs ago I know I looked at the A6, the 5er, the E class, the Lexus GS & the Infiniti M. To me all of these cars are very similiar. They are just different interpretations of the Mid-size Luxury sport sedan.

pierreb

I strongly (have you noticed?) disagree with the premise that the cars are equivalent, the same price, and therefore the only remaining differentiator to decide on is HP.

I just think it does a disservice to the manufacturers, regardless of whether one likes BMW or Audi, or something else.

I disapprove of this method of buying vehicles, because it ultimately gives us soul-sucking garbage to pick from (a.k.a. American Auto industry).

Do your homework, drive the cars, examine them in person in detail, put a little effort into it, and THEN ask for opinion. Telling us they're the 'same' is insulting to both BMW and Audi owners.

</soapbox>

ThetaTau87

Because the engine was not designed to have forced induction the high compression ratio will limit the boost you can push w/o a major engine tear down including new pistons or at least a compression dropping head gasket. My guess is that a forced induction 3.2 FSI would be around 350hp. The added weight of a turbo and IC or a SC would negate a good part of the weight advantage of the V6. Why not just opt for the 4.2 and keep the warranty in tact?

The engine would have much more potential if Audi designed it from the start for forced induction, but that seems unlikely because the 4.2 already fills the 350-420 hp range. A forced induction 3.2 would be right in that same range.

pierreb

as the likely hope for existing 3.2 owners, since it can be done for the RS4's 4.2.

all conjecture at this point, but it's nice to dream...

Arch57

From the BMW USA website...
The 535xi sedan wouldn't be equipped with a 300 horsepower twin-turbo inline six engine if it wasn't set on using every inch of it, regardless of the weather. In fact, the vehicle's xDrive, all-wheel-drive system is there to help keep you glued to the road at all times - and is even designed with a rear wheel bias for that signature BMW feeling. So from the ergonomic driver's seat, surrounded by smooth interior lines and sporty detailing, you'll maintain comfort and control no matter what it's doing outside.

pierreb

what's rear wheel bias? weight distribution is a different thing, right? the following comparo was intriguing to me:

535Xi Weight 3946
530Xi Weight 3671

535Xi Weight distribution 53.4 / 46.6
530Xi Weight distribution 52 / 48

does the 24mpg hwy seem right? that's quite a bit less than my A6...

TIA

markcincinnati

. . .which I do believe could come to market at 300HP and OVER 300lbft at sub 2000 rpm.

It would probably outperform the 4.2, just as the C5 2.7T was the "quickest" of the then 3 A6's that you could buy. At the end of the line, as I recall, the 2.7T was cranked up in both HP and torque -- and we all know the ease of jacking up the power of the Audi 1.8T and 2.7T with simple "stage one" chips.

The reluctance of Audi to come out with a 3.2T (thus far) seemed to make sense at the time, since BMW (somewhat) would fall back on the "no replacment for displacement" mantra.

Then, Audi's A6 line essentially banishes turbochargers just as BMW, aparently, was planning a turbo assault.

It has always made me wonder why Audi HAD the three model line up 3.0, 2.7T and 4.2 and then replaced it (at a price point similar to the 2.7T) with a car that LOST accelerative force.

The overall goodness of the 3.2 A6 makes it, for me at least, clearly a winner and a car I would rather have than the last 2004 C5 A6 SLine 2.7T.

But, part of that is due to the fact that at the bitter end, the 2.7T A6 Sline could only be had with the dreadful 5 speed tip. The car in that set up was emasculated (and had been done so without any pain killers -- the damn thing never lost the limp!)

My 2003 allroad 2.7T 6 speed was an absolute joy -- I had so hoped the last hurrah for the C5 A6 SLine 2.7T would be a 6 speed manual and some R66 wheels (18 or 19 inchers.)

Alas, I've all but forgotten the C5.

I had two C5 A6 4.2's one sport, one "regular." That damn tiptronic castrated an otherwise fine sheen.

Now, I am a 6 speed tiptronic "near" fan. I drive the car about 60% in D and 39% in S and just for grins use the shifter for a fundamentally unsatisfactory manumatic experience.

The DSG seems -- when it comes -- to be able to wipe out my last memories of the stick shifts I have had over the years. Most of my 28 Audis have been manual transmission equipped versions.

The current S6 -- that I have NOT driven -- seems to be well regarded in that dept, so perhaps it is a software thing.

If Audi were but to increase the V6's grunt with a "mild" factory bi-turbo treatment, I think we'd all be better off.

The C6 will, however, probably soldier on until the new better balanced version hits the market in a couple of years. Perhaps the A6 will get the +10HP boost during its swan song.

It does seem almost incredible that Audi does NOT have an "answer" to the 535xi at this point -- without going to the V8 in the Audi that is.

My thoughts a few months ago were to offer the 3.1 engine with a factory bi-turbo, rated at 295HP and 300 lb/feet at 2K rpm, meanwhile boosting the 4.2 to perhaps 365 or so HP just to keep the few, the proud, the hungry happy.

Me? Count me in for a mildly blown "3.2" in a new longer and wider and better balanced A4 Sline -- or even another A6, if so equipped.

But, that new A5 is certainly tempting.

Hey, if Cadillac can put a 300HP V6 in a 113" wheelbase AWD CTS, you know what Audi could do (if the MARKETING guys would get their heads out of their noses.)

Drive it like you live.