rmur23

Hello all - newbie here who is just getting into the intro lux sedan field. Have been looking at the BMW 3 series and the Audi A4. Have not had either car before. Am looking for something "sporty" which originally pulled me to the 3 series but the more I looked into the A4 the more it appeals to me.

I originally was looking at the A4 sport package w sport suspension but upon reading this forum and some others, it seems this can be a little firm/rough at times. I'm in upstate new york and we do get some rough roads in winter. I'm not going to be doing any 110 mph track handling conditions, but I would like something with some play and some sport to it. If I settled on the Prestige with adaptive suspension, do people find this has enough 'sport' in it? Realizing that it probably is not on the same level as a 3 series. And from what I can decipher, the suspension can be changed manually to a 'sporty' mode, correct?

Also - best tires for either suspension? From what I've read, it sounds like people prefer 18 to 19s just for quieter road noise - not sure if one performs better than other.

Many thanks for any opinions!

rmur23

Or any info on the adaptive suspension at all. It seems people think the 'comfort' setting is almost too soft.

minmet

Did you test drive them? 328 vs A4 stock vs A4 sports even A4 with adaptive if possible. I think you need to test drive them if not yet since you are new to this category. Sportiness is subjective. I wouldn't just read too much into prints.

clr1945

I've got the 2017 A4 Prestige with the Adaptive Suspension and love it. I usually leave it in the Auto mode around town (Washington, DC and suburbs). But if I'm out on country roads, such as in Western Maryland or WV, I find the Dynamic setting to be a lot of fun. It's quick and responsive, the steering is crisp and the acceleration is quite enough for me. The only time I use the comfort mode is on long trips on the interstate.
I considered the sport suspension, but with a lot of urban/suburban driving, decided against it.

rmur23

I haven't test drove yet but I'm going to, just looking for people's experiences who already own the cars and more knowledge than me.



Awesome. Thanks for your input.

scoutmasterdave

My take is that the sport suspension is over-damped, given the low spring rates of the sport springs. I replaced my springs with H&R Sports (and added a thicker rear sway bar too), and I'm much happier with the ride. It is comfortably firm, emphasis on comfort.

yvantheterrible

I think the adaptive suspension on the A4 is fantastic also, one thing to keep in mind is if you test drive the BMW 3 and compare it with Audi A4, Bimmers come with runflat tires and trust me you feel every little cracks and bumps on the road with runflats. The suspension on the 3 series is not that bad but the tires ruin it.

I had some runflats on my MB CLA 250 and when I changed them to non-runflats Michelins it was like riding on a cloud.

Many people try to compare suspensions without looking at the rubber first and this makes it a very uneven comparison.

rmur23

Yeah, I believe that there is the option to get non-run flats on the 3 series and that most people who go in on 3 series M sport or track handling get the non-run flats because they're much better.



For the A4 adaptive or sport is the 18" 5 spoke better than the 19"?

DirkM

Comfort Adaptive Suspension is not as firm as Sport and not a soft as Standard but you cannot really compare those three because ADS constantly changes the suspension rate. Yes, on a bumpy road you can switch between Comfort and Dynamic mode and feel a difference but I doubt that you can feel the difference between the three during a normal test drive.

The main advantage of ADS I that it has more than two modes and adjusts in milliseconds from firm on a smooth road to soft on bumps. Not as much as air suspension I suppose but still doing a good job. Worth $1000? Maybe not.