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Audi A4 Avant vs. BMW 3-Series Wagon vs. Mercedes C-Class Wagon

35 messages,  Last post on Jan 15, 2009 at 1:22 PM

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What is this discussion about? Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Car Buying, Wagon

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#3 of 35 wagons by bluetrane Nov 15, 2006 (5:25 pm)
I had a 2002 A4 Avant that I absolutley loved - still miss that car. You do have some real pros and cons downsizing from a 4Runner to a small wagon.   1) Rear seat legroom in the A4 and the 3 series (and I think the C class) is limited, especially if relatively tall people are sitting in front. I ultimately got rid of my A4 due to my increasingly long-legged older daughter complaining of feeling cramped. This should not be an issue with a toddler, but if you are the sort that keeps your cars a long time it will become so. This will be less of an issue in the larger A6/5 series/V70 if you go that route.   2) Speaking as to the Audi, you will be floored at how much better it handles and drives than a truck based SUV. I'm sure the others are the same. Audis are wonderful in foul weather.   3) Usable carrying capacity is pretty darn good in all of these. The BMW 5 series wagon has more cargo room than their X5 SUV by a good margin.   4) Never own a European car out of warranty. While I think the reliability gap has narrowed a lot in recent years, the cars you mention above are all breathtakingly expensive to repair out of warranty.   Hope this helps! Replies to this message: waid10 (Nov 16, 2006 7:59 am)
#4 of 35 Re: wagons [bluetrane] by waid10 Nov 16, 2006 (7:59 am)
Replying to: bluetrane (Nov 15, 2006 5:25 pm) Bluetrane,   Thanks for your thoughts. I am a bit concerned about the cargo room available in the A4 Avant/C-class wagon/325 wagon. I need to compare these with their larger siblings.   Also, I am 6'3" and 215 pounds, so I need to make sure I am comfortable in the driver and passenger seats. I am comfortable in the driver seat of my 4runner for the most part, but feel cramped in the passenger seat. The wagon we pick will be our primary car for road trips so this is an important factor. Also, many of our road trips are to see family in the snow belt of northwest PA, so I need to be sure that these wagons are capable in snow. I am aware of Audi's reputation in the elements. I am not familiar with the capabilities of BMW's x-drive and Mercedes 4matic in bad weather.
#6 of 35 im in the same market by sprinkles23 Nov 17, 2006 (11:25 pm)
I've been recently shopping for the same type of car, and had it narrowed down to those 8 as well. After test drive a few i chose the 5 series wagon, because it gets better mileage then the rest, handles better, and has the most complete options list. it just feels better to drive as well. I also like Idrive despite what most editors think. Once you learn it, you dont miss a conventional setup at all, and its capable of more. And as for winter performace, i have a quattro(audi awd system) equipped vehicle and its been great, but the new xdrive(bmw awd) is more advanced and from what i can tell is better. Edmunds reviewed the 530xi in the snow and thought it was. http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=104929 test drive it and try iDrive to see if you like it. if you do, i would definelty recomemnd it.
#7 of 35 Re: Audi A4 Avant vs. BMW 3-Series Wagon vs. Mercedes C - Class Wagon [bruc by nevcool Dec 11, 2006 (3:39 pm)
Replying to: bruceomega (Nov 15, 2006 7:27 am) I'm also in the market to trade in my 2001 330xi for either a 2007 328xit or a 2007 X3. i have a 4yr old and a 7 month old. I also put in some fairly long drives visiting clients for work. Does anyone have any thoughts?   My pro's and cons for each are as follows.   328xit Pro - better Navigation system with Traffic Updates     - Easier to Park     - Sportier, less body roll   Con - Lousy cup holders     - Cramped back seat(I'm 6 Foot and tend to keep the seat all the way back.   X3 pro - More storage space     - More leg room in back     - More Horse power   Con - Worse MPG     - Older design     - May seem more ostentatious to some.   I'm torn between the two. I'd appreciate an opinion on either car.   Thanks! Replies to this message: shipo (Dec 11, 2006 4:06 pm) nevcool (Dec 11, 2006 4:51 pm) shipo (Dec 11, 2006 5:56 pm)
#8 of 35 Re: Audi A4 Avant vs. BMW 3-Series Wagon vs. Mercedes C - Class Wagon [bruc [nevcool] by shipo Dec 11, 2006 (4:06 pm)
Replying to: nevcool (Dec 11, 2006 3:39 pm) Regarding your "Pros" for the X3, you listed "More Horse Power", however, offsetting that extra power is also extra weight, 242 pounds to be exact. In order of horsepower the X3 is indeed the most powerful (260 HP) with the 328iT and 328xiT offering only 230. The other side of the coin is the power to weight ratio which ranks the cars as 328iT (15.34:1), X3 (15.43:1) and 328xiT (16.39:1). Then there is the gearing that allows these vehicles to accelerate. The order is still the same as the power to weight (6.5, 6.9, 7.1), however, the acceleration difference is fairly insignificant between the 328xiT and the X3.   Best Regards, Shipo Replies to this message: nevcool (Dec 11, 2006 4:51 pm) shipo (Dec 11, 2006 5:56 pm)
#9 of 35 Re: Audi A4 Avant vs. BMW 3-Series Wagon vs. Mercedes C - Class Wagon [ship by nevcool Dec 11, 2006 (4:51 pm)
Replying to: shipo (Dec 11, 2006 4:06 pm) Shipo,   Thanks for the info.   Which one would you choose?   Thanks,   Nev Replies to this message: shipo (Dec 11, 2006 5:56 pm)
#10 of 35 Re: Audi A4 Avant vs. BMW 3-Series Wagon vs. Mercedes C - Class Wagon [ship [nevcool] by shipo Dec 11, 2006 (5:56 pm)
Replying to: nevcool (Dec 11, 2006 4:51 pm) Easy answer. I live in southern New Hampshire and we get LOTS of snow, so what I would order (and BTW, due to a new family member in the form of a yellow Lab puppy am seriously considering it) would be a 328iT (yes, a RWD version) 6-Speed Manual, PP, SP, Premium Audio and Xenon. Then, as its first winter approaches, I'd buy a full set of winter wheels and tires and keep on trucking. For my needs, wants and desires, AWD need not apply.   Best Regards, Shipo
#11 of 35 A$ vs 328xi by badnews Dec 17, 2006 (9:00 pm)
I don't have experience with all the vehicles, but I just passed my 2004 MDX onto my wife and was comparing the A4 Avant with the 328xi. Being a prior satisfied Audi owner, I was trying to decide between the 2.0 and the 3.2. But then I saw a comparison test between the A4 and the 328xi and decided I needed to test drive that vehicle. Back when I bought my 96 A4 the 3 series was to small for my likes, but I was surprised to find that the 2007 was a much larger vehicle. I researched the cars so closely that my wife contacted my psychiatrist to see if I should change my meds. After test driving each of the cars 3 times and contacted a dozen Audi dealers and 11 BMW dealers I found:   1) The Audi A4 2.0 is a wonderful car but pales in comparison to the 3.2 (both with a sport suspension of course). There is simply no comparison. Go with the 3.2 and you'll never be sorry. However, when it comes to overall performance (not just straight line thrust) the BMW was an easy pick. Even my wife understood the difference after driving the cars, and she's been known to back into mail boxes!   2) If you like an interior with all the bells and whistles, go with the Audi. For me, it just is not that important. The question is: does it make it a better driving car? Alright it is hard to see how heated seats make the car drive better, but here in the Northwest, but it really does.   3) Audi dealers are much more willing to negotiate a good price over invoice than the BMW dealers.   4) Both the cars are being ordered by the dealers with all the extras on them: driving up the price (above my budget). You are best to negotiate a deal with a dealer based on a specific dollar amount for a car on the lot, and then hold them to the number and special order the car you want. I even argue that they should sell it for less because there is no risk to them if I special order it, but I haven't succeed there yet.   Funny thing is that I found a stripped down BMW 328xi at a local dealer who matched the best offer I had so far. First time I had bought from a local dealer for 17 years.   As for switching back to a smaller car: my 328xi is a bigger car than my 96 A4 (and is more comfortable than a 2007 A4), and the MDX was always too big for me (5' 11" 195 lbs). The 328xi fits like a comfortable pair of shoes, not one that I hope can grow into someday, and the all wheel drive functions like it should: you don't know it's there, it just does its job. With the MDX I always knew when the AWD kicked in (after the wheels started to slip of course). Replies to this message: pat (Dec 18, 2006 4:26 am) bryan3536 (Dec 18, 2007 6:47 am) laurasdada (Dec 20, 2007 11:06 am) georgek2 (Dec 28, 2007 10:05 am) bryan3536 (Dec 28, 2007 8:40 pm)
#12 of 35 Re: A$ vs 328xi [badnews] by pat HOST Dec 18, 2006 (4:26 am)
Replying to: badnews (Dec 17, 2006 9:00 pm) Very helpful post, thanks.

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