boilera4

I have an S-Line on order (4/21 arrival) and in the same debate. I really like the design of the Audi - BMW is too plain on the interior. However, I do like that BMW maintenance is included with purchase - looks like this would save a lot of money over the life of the car. I don't think you can get an apples to apples comparison in options for the same price - pretty sure that BMW will be more.

icehawks18

mine was $48,875 MSRP, and i negotiated $48100 plus free Audicare - that's close enough i bet you could get below $48,000 if they are aggressive enough.

a4mulet30red

i saw a full option out a5 with sline and everything for 49500.

a4mulet30red

and bad with both choices.

Usually u can't go wrong with either if everyone in there respected forum praise about there car.

unless you are choosing from a M6 and a civic, no forum will tell you the right answer. I don't know if you know what i'm talking about.

Misplacedyankee

Good luck finding a used S5....

TheWalrus

From my experience with my 1998 Audi A4 2.8Q (sport, premium, tiptronic, Bose) and my 2006 BMW X3 3.0i (sport, premium, 6-spd manual, xenons), the Quattro is a much better system.
It's much more seamless and transparent to the driver. For example, taking a sharp left across traffic on wet roads, I was able to get the left rear wheel of the X3 to spin before the traction control kicked in and rein in the spin. In 5 years with my A4, I've never had that kind of experience.
That said, I really enjoy driving my X3, more than the A4. The in-line six loves to rev really smoothly right up to redline. The A4's V6 was much more rough. The 6-spd manual is also a lot of fun. And the suspension is both fun on the windy roads, but also has enough ground clearance for me to get to the trailheads. It's the best of both worlds as far as I'm concerned.

Hope this helps!
James
Seattle, WA

AnimaTTor

The A5's closest competitor is the 328xi. I priced them out and they actually come in within 1K of each other when similarly loaded.

Same goes for the S5, which has a ton of standard options (sport suspension, premium leather sport seats, 19" wheels, Premium package. Sirius) that the 335 only has as options. Configure a 335xi with the same options as a stock S5 and the BMW will cost MORE.

So again, why even mention the two in the same sentence? The only way to compare both is to pit a bare-bones 335i to a fully-loaded A5.

a4mulet30red

with bmw, you have a choice which options you want, Audi... Not so much.

Costasz

I bought one 3 months ago and it's without doubt the best car I've ever owned. I grin every time I get in it. My wife has an A6 3.2 and it feels like an oil tanker compared to the driving feel of the 335xi. Of course, she hates the 335xi "feel". She thinks it's too rough and "masculine". The A6 has a better fit and finish but somehow the 335xi feels more "taut". The handling is superb. It seems that I can go as fast as i want around any corner and I cannot get the car to scare me yet. My 335 has the sport pkg so it also has the sport seats and the fatter steering wheel with the aluminum tranny paddles. I like both marques a LOT but right now nothing beats the 335i/xi. A guy at work got a red S5 and it's a GORGEOUS car. Somehow, I find my 335 a little bit better aesthetically on the exterior. The interior of the bimmer is not as glitzy as the S5 but it's good enough. Also, the 335's back seat is significantly roomier than the S5's. In the snow/ice, I was able to get up my very steep driveway when it was covered with ice while my wife's A6 had a hard time getting up there on the same day.

AnimaTTor

Your A6 is a family sedan that's quite a bit larger (one model size up) than the 335xi. Your Audi is also fitted with an engine that is one class below the 335's engine. So comparing the two and concluding that the 335xi handles better is just plain weird. Try comparing the A6 3.2 to its actual competitor: the 528xi. That would be fair.

As for the A6's quattro verses the 335xi's xDrive, it's a common fact that Audi's Torsen quattro (permanent, mechanical, instantaneous reaction) is vastly superior to BMW's AWD system (a slow, understeer-prone electronic system that only reacts after there is significant wheel spin). I know this for a fact as I've driven both AWD systems and found Audi's to be far more effective in snow conditions. I drive the Big Bear (a CA ski resort) every weekend during the winter and I can't tell you how many xDrive BMW's I see stuck in the snow or forced to wear chains as I just drive past them (without chains). Quattro is also considerably more performance oriented than BMW's rather awkward AWD setup. Again it's weird that you claim that Audi's universally acclaimed quattro (being developed for 30 years now) is somehow superior to BMW's rather poorly received xDrive.

If you do want to compare the 335xi to anything, it would NOT be the A6 (especially with a 3.2), but to an S5.

I test drove an S5, 335xi and regular 335i back-to-back-to back. All cars had quite different behaviors. The 335i was the most nimble by a slim margin over the S5 and also was the most easy to control tail behavior via the throttle. The S5 had the best grip, best body rigidity, and the best top-end power. The 335xi was the worst car by a wide margin. It exhibited the most oversteer and was the most sluggish. The best overall car was the S5, however its gas mileage was comparibly poor. My conclusion was this: If you love rear-wheel driving, don't drive in the rain or snow, and plan to do a lot of track time, get the 335i. If you want a real-world car with great handling, power, all-weather safety, get the S5. The 335xi to me failed as both a performance car and an AWD car.

I'm sure you love the 335xi, but to use a completely different Audi model to claim its superiority is off-base and invalid.

Finally, I suggest check your A6's tire treads.