Well, just got back from test driving a 4.2 and a BMW 328i. Many comments to share.

First, one of the reasons I'm moving forward with this deal is because of Geordie. I don't know whether he's particularly knowledgable or not, but I actually like the guy. No pushiness, no hard sale. If he has information, he'll volunteer it. It's like dealing with a friend...pretty scary since we haven't played with the financing/leasing yet, but so far, he's the best car sales guy I've encountered.

My best friend came along with me, strongly pushing that I purchase a BMW 328i instead. Her roommate has one and she feels it's an incredible car. Of course, the 328i chimes in at $44K loaded, compared to $55K loaded for the A6. A 5-series with comparable equipment would be $63K. which is out of my price-range. The A6 is a stretch already.

To start, the BMW barely had a trunk. The A6 is of a functional size and seems usable. My current car, a '98 626ES-V6 has been used for moving tables and computing equipment which, especially with the rear seats folded down, it "consumes." No way I could do that with the Bimmer. The A6 wins that argument hands-down.

Then, there's trim. What's up with the single piece of wood trim and the console around the shifter? My 626 has an incredible polished wood console and it's of MUCH higher quality than the BMW. So are the plastics, which are downright crappy on the BMW. Again, I'd take the 626 any day. The A6, however, really shines. The wood is of a remarkable quality; it looks lush, a thing of beauty. And...it's not just the shifter area and a single strip on the passenger's side.

The fit and finish on the A6 is without question, superior, luxurious. The details are well taken care of. The BMW was utilitarian. Functional, uncluttered, but nothing to write home about.

The BMW definitely outhandled the A6. It *felt* like a sports car. It wasn't a particularly smooth ride on city streets (I felt the bumps and pot holes) and it was just okay at highway speeds; there was noticeable wind noise. Here, I disagreed with my friend who finds the BMW smoother at highway speeds. Also, the steering felt better, very much like my 626 in fact, tight and sporty. The engine could be heard enough to feel the speeed. The seats were small, though.

That 4.2 *feels* like it's overcoming inertia when you mash on the gas from a stop. Actually, all the way up to 90 MPH, it feels like nothing's happening. I haven't figured out whether the engine is that quiet or what... It gets to speed pretty fast, but there's no great surge of power. I can also see doing 130 in the 4.2 and not noticing it. You just don't hear any engine strain at all. There's no sense of speed and I don't know whether that's all good or all bad.

It's like being on the TGV in France. You're hurtling down the rails at incredible speed, but you're not swaying back and forth. It feels as if nothing's happening, but darn the trees are going by fast! I can imagine getting a lot of tickets with the A6 4.2 just because, darn it officer, I honestly couldn't tell I was moving that fast! Seriously, it's a good thing they have that 130 mph limit.

Braking in both cars is intense. On the A6, I had to move the seat further back so that a mild slow down or heel-to-toe movement wouldn't've become a panic stop.

The non-sports seats are incredibly supportive and, though it took a while to get them just right, were too good to be true. If the sports seats are better, I don't need to know that.

The A/C was quite acceptable, even though we're running 90 degree days around here.

I rode in the rear at first and found the ride/view very good. The rear seats were as comfortable as the BMW's driver's seat. Even from there, the interior looked glamorous. It's not often that I enjoy being in back. Oh, and the Audi's doors open REAL wide, making it super-easy to get in/out. On the BMW, I was beginning to feel my age.

The BMW *is* quieter in back, though.

Oh, I do understand why you wouldn't want a fancy color NAV in this car. For one thing, it would look tacky with such a high-quality interior. For another, there's just too much going on for the driver, already. I like gadgets and I'd prefer a color LCD NAV, but I understand why they went with this solution. The dashboard on the BMW looked pretty much the same as a Subaru, in terms of quality and business, so you could pretty much mount a color television there and not effect the atmosphere.

Maybe that's the best way to put it. The BMW has a lot of great PARTS. Even the 3-series is superior to the A6, I feel, in every way except wood grain, interior design/layout and plastics. The A6, however, tells a far better story with what it has. I *felt* like I was in a luxury car with the A6. In the BMW, I felt like I was in my 626, but with a faster engine, better brakes, a better name/logo, cheap seats, less soundproofing and a stiffer ride.

If the Audi weren't around, I'd get another 626 and pocket the $25K.

We also looked at, but didn't test drive, a 5-series. The Audi STILL looks and feels tons better. I'm going to test drive a 5-series next weekend, possibly, but I'd have to get a stripped-down version to fit my budget.

Final comments: I hate to say it, but the racing green on the 2000 A6 we test drove looked inferior to the forest green on my '98 Mazda; maybe they screwed up the wax job. I haven't seen one, but I believe I'm going with vanilla/royal blue for the interior. I did see two more melange and two with the tungsten grey (which was nice, but pretty darned tame). Geordie tells me there aren't any in the area either, but my friend is going to go search for me...while convincing me to buy the BMW instead.

 

...compared to the Lexus GS300, there is no comparison. The Lexus feels unrefined compared to the A6, though quieter still. It made me keep thinking "Toyota Camry" the entire time. What's the point?

 

You are comparing two different classes of cars there. The 3 series is comparable to the A4 and the A6 is comparable to the 5 series. The A6 is classified as an "executive saloon" in Germany and the 3 series is classed as a "standard saloon". Two totally different size and weight classes. The A6 2.7T can be had at prices close to the 3 series you mentioned. You should take a look at it. The soon to arrive 530i will be similarly priced. I would look at those also. If you go with a 3 series, I would wait the two or three months for the 330i to arrive. One final note is that the A6 has a larger rear seat and trunk than the 5 series does. Good luck.

PS - I have a 4.2 and love its performance and people/luggage hauling balance. If I wanted a sports car, I would have bought a sports car (which is what I am doing next year ;-) ).

 

Just a thought.

A good comparison would be 328 to A4
M3 to S4
528 To A6 2.7T
540 to A6 4.2

I think the 328 and A6 4.2 serve different purposes. The A6 is roomier, more of a 4 adult sedan like the 528. The 328 is basically a two seater (ala A4) and can carry people in the back but if they are 6 foot tall everyone will be awfully cramp. Just depends on your needs and situation. The Automatic 4.2 and Automatic 2.7T will hold its own in the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times with a 6 speed 328 Ci.
Resale value favors the 328 or any BMW right now.Can't go wrong with either choice. Have you inquired about the new C class coming from MB?

 

What happened to the 2.7 test drive. The A6 and 3-series are very different car, imo

 

No. I'm afraid of getting a turbo...more moving parts. No clue how to fix a turbo problem if I'm stranded. The 5-series, comparably equipped, is out of my budget range. I can stretch it to $54K with an A6 4.2, but no way am I going to get into the $60k range with a 5-series.

Faced with either a loaded 3-series or a near-base 5-series, the 5 gets eliminated...

 

I am going to check out the 5-series, but in terms of price, the 5-series is out of my budget. The A6 comes with a serious amount of equipment standard; a fully-equipped 3-series gets soundly into the price range of the A6.

I will test drive a 5-series next weekend, but I'm pretty darn certain I'm going to stick with the A6 4.2 at this point. It's not a sports car, but it's close enough for my needs.

 

Not willing to risk turbo-problems. Prefer conventional technology.

 

The 530i will be a big improvement over the 528i, and still be cheaper than the 4.2, But if you can swing the 300 HP without putting yourself in a fiscally imprudent situation, then go for it. The 3 series is going to be smaller than your 626 in every day life situations. The new C class is going to be a huge step forward over the previous C class. Maybe you should lokk at those also.

It sucks having so much good stuff to choose from does it not!?

 

Stu, the 330 is already out, I've had my 330Ci for a month now