NOLOGY

All 2003 models. What will you choose as far as exterior looks is concerned?

paulroad

BMW on the motor 3.0 V6 to 2.8 Straight 6
Audi on the motor 1.8T (chip it)
SAAB oon starter key location.
Audi on handling.

Krisko

I've looked at the Audi and BMW...Audi wins style wise.

TheWalrus

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I bought a 2006 BMW 330Cic about a year and a half ago. The deciding factor is that I really prefer a manual transmission. Audi has goofed on its drivetrain choices recently here in the states:
A4 cabrio only comes in automatic or CVT?
A3 Quattro doesn't come w/ manual?
TT+manual+2.0T = NO Quattro. It's all very strange...

So, I went with a BMW. I was driving my dad's A4 cabrio today and here are the pros and cons

Advantage BMW:
1) manual transmission
2) suspension is tuned to perfection on the 330Cic w/ sport package. The car just loves to grip the turns.
3) lighter weight, related to #2, the BMW is several hundred pounds lighter than the 3.2 Quattro Tip and it makes a big difference.
4) the in-line six really revs smoothly. I have the 225 horsepower 3.0 engine and it's just such a thrill to bring it up near redline. The V6 in the Audi just doesn't sound as sweet or feel as smooth even though it's more powerful by the numbers.

Advantage Audi:
1) Quattro, if this is your only car and you occasionally deal with snow, I wouldn't want to be in the BMW with those performance tires.
2) visibility and ergonomics: I'm a tall guy and I find I sit deeper in the Audi than the BMW. It makes forward visibility and looking up at stop lights much easier. I always found the BMW cramped.

Hope that helps!
-James

PS: After a year with the 330Cic, I decided it was crazy to have a convertible as my only car in the Pacific NW. So, I ended up trading it for a 2006 X3 with the same options, same engine, same miles on the odometer, and even the same color. It's an X3 3.0i, 6-speed manual, sport, premium, xenons, upgraded stereo, ipod adapter, and parking sensors. I miss the convertible, but the X3 still drives really well and gets me to the trailheads and ski resorts.

NOLOGY

Thanks for the reply. I am on for a 2003 A4 cab and what i realy liked against BMW is the interior first of all, its more impressive i believe than a BMW, the red dials,the deep seating and i find it more solid than the BMW i dont know it feels heavier lets say than a BMW. Now for the engines i cant buy a 330 so its a 1.8T for AUDI or 318-320 for BMW. what do you say about that? Now the exterior i beleive the Audi is more elegance and classic shape than a BMW beacuse i beleive the BMW E46 shape its really shown its age lets say, it looks old. So AUDI it is for me !!!

bclark

Three things sold me on my 05 Cab over the BMW. The look (ocean blue with grey), the better interior and the fact that I could get at least one set of golf clubs in the trunk.

TheWalrus

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Honestly, they're both great cars. When the wind is running through your hair on a sunny day, it won't matter one bit. Enjoy it!

And about the interior, I definitely agree with you. I drove my dad's 1998 Audi A8 and the interior still looks amazing, ten years on. As I said, I traded in my 330Cic for an X3; *clearly* interior styling is not that important to me. The X3 is not known for the quality of its interior materials or general stylishness But, it's fun to drive, I love the engine and the manual transmission, and it gets me to the trailheads. It's all good.

-James
Seattle, WA

big_sos

Saabs are UGLY. Have a huge hump at the rear where the top goes in. Very unsightly. So does the Toyota Solera, FYI.

Audi Aluminium trim adds a real touch of class. Much nicer looking.

metz123

I just went from a sequence of 3 series cabrio BMW's to a '07 A4 cabrio quatro.

I've always loved the straight 6 on the 3 series BMW's and their handling. However I couldn't justify the price tag on the new 325 hardtop convertibles.

I had the devil's choice of a 325 cabrio 6 speed vs the 2.0T A4 cabrio quatro, tiptronic. I ended up with the Audi for a few reasons.

1) For me 2.0T w/ quatro &gt; inline 6, RWD (mostly due to the 5x a year I'm driving in snow.

2) Soft top with trunk space &gt; convertible hard top

3) Audi price is much better than BMW, especially with the '07 dealer incentives. The BMW starts higher than the audi and comes pretty stripped for 45k (no leather, convenience, homelink, etc)

4) Tiptronic &gt; 6 speed. At least for my commute in stop &amp; go traffic. However I'd love to see the SMG in the A4 over the Tiptronic.

05 Cab 2.5TDI Sport

sorry just thought I'd rub it in