Possibly leasing. Audi A4 vs BMW 328i

[kookoo4nsx]

I need a new car for the wife. Budget is limited since she went back to school. Looking to lease a base 2013 A4 or BMW 328i

Both have lease offers in the mid to high $300 range with about $3500 out of pocket. I have owned multiple BMW's over the years

and an Audi about 20 years ago. I like the looks of the 2013 A4 since they revised and improved the interior. Both have room for 4

good 4 cyl turbo motors and acceptable road handling. Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

 

[A.S. Motorsport]

I'd take and recommend the BMW hands down.
Not only is it a much better engineered car but also drives better.

VAG (vw,audi) are in my opinion over rated hugely.
And have by far the most issues in day to day use even more than french cars.
I see and hear of these cars coming in delay not only with oil leakage issues but with a host of other issues and they are a PITA to work on as well.

Is a Acura TSX in the picture? those are great cars with good handling and look beautiful. (we have them as Accord over here)

 

[White92]

I 2nd the TSX. Have you considered the ILX too? They both have pretty cheap leases.

 

[Hapa88]

While I agree that in the long term you'll probably have lots of issues with the Audi, over a 3 year lease you should have very minimal problems if any. Just make sure that at the end you TURN IT IN.. don't buy it.

That being said, I probably would lease the Audi but buy the BMW. TSX is another good alternative as is the Infiniti G37. I think the ILX looks horrible though (at least the back does)..

 

[RYU]

We have a new 2013 328i. I'll tell you what... that 4cyl turbo is a phenomenal motor. I am seriously impressed with it. The start/stop is a clunky and it sounds like a diesel but overall it's a fantastic engine all around (power and efficiency/mpg). It also has a really mild hint of turbo "lag". The new 3series feel like a boat even with the M-sport package (which we have). So it's really more a 5 series of yesteryear and should be considered as such. It's become more of a family sports-sedan than a sport-compact imho.

Haven't experienced any of the newer VAG offerings...

I like this car

 

[bigbadberry]

If you have snow problems, Audi. Otherwise BMW.

 

[kookoo4nsx]

We drove the Audi A4 and BMW 328i.

Audi first. Nice looking, well thought out inside and 6' headroom in front and rear.
Salesman was an idiot. Did not know the answer to 99% of any question., and he was the Internet mgr. did not like the CVT! The brake pedal felt mushy, too. when it came to the deal, they gave me the". There's no cars in Fl like the lease offer of 329.00." They had 1 with 1k of options that he wanted $110 more per month and an additional 1k down. Said they could order the base advertised model but it would take 4 months. Later dude!

Now to BMW. Friendly. Had like 80 328i's to choose from. Honored the newspaper add, was super relaxed and knew every detail of the car. No pressure and even offered to give me the car for 24 hours with no commitment. It was like black and white. (Sales experience)

We may be checking out the TL because they have crazy 299/mo lease deals(which the BMW salesman told us about.) I really liked the 240hp 2.0 turbo and 8 speed tranny, the std stereo pumped and the Bluetooth/iPhone integration was smooth. My wife panic stopped and was shocked at the stopping ability.

That's all for now. Hope this helps someone else.

We have a new 2013 328i. I'll tell you what... that 4cyl turbo is a phenominal motor. I am seriously impressed with it. The start/stop is a clunky and it sounds like a diesel but overall it's a fantastic engine all around (power and efficiency/mpg). It also has a really mild hint of turbo "lag". The new 3series feel like boats though even with the M-sport package which we have. So it's really more a 5 series of yesteryear and should be considered as such.

Haven't experienced any of the newer VAG offerings...

 

[White92]

We may be checking out the TL because they have crazy 299/mo lease deals(which the BMW salesman told us about.) I really liked the 240hp 2.0 turbo and 8 speed tranny, the std stereo pumped and the Bluetooth/iPhone integration was smooth. My wife panic stopped and was shocked at the stopping ability.

That's all for now. Hope this helps someone else.

I don't know of a $299 TL deal, but that's what the TSX lease is. TL is $349 I believe.

 

[kaede]

+1 for the 328i. I have worked for Audi before and my gawd are they bad. Don't get me wrong they drive nice and is a very nice car when there is nothing wrong with it. But over the years of working at an Audi & Volkswagen Dealership, I have pretty much seen enough to know to stay away from it. Mind you, a Lease should not be much of a trouble and like what another member suggested, just dont go and buy the thing afterwards.

However, I will still choose to 328i not because I am a little bit of a BMW fanboy (previously owned 3x e39 M5, 2x e36 M3, e46 M3, and currently driving a JB4 slighly modded 420hp 07 335i Sedan 6MT [ULTIMATE SLEEPER]), its because that 2.0T engine is phenomenal! My friend who works for BMW lend me his to try to convince me to pick up the new 335i xD. Yes, the steering feel compared to the E90s has been toned down due to newer electrical steering design, but it is still one heck of a good drive when compared to the Audi counterpart which my cousin has. Also, the engine is for sure underated both in power and mileage. Feels very close to my 335i stock. The engine doesn't seem to idle as smooth on the outside, but inside I couldn't tell a difference. Get the BMW, you'll be more happy =D

 

[DRIFTER]

Prime is not the best place to ask about Euro cars you will get noting but trash talk and bad info. Like most threads start out steering you toward the bland boring Honda / Acura equivalent. Living in FL I would recommend the 3 series over the Audi only because you don't have to deal with snow. If you're leasing you wont have any issues with any car you lease regardless of make or model. So get what you like best. Beat the hell out of it who cares you're giving it back in 3 years. As for me in the North East I love My Audi and wouldn't trade them for anything on a snowy day. People love push the view of the 1980 AUDI and VW on todays cars. These people have no experience with the new Audi/VW. Sure they have a few minor issues with select cars as with any automotive line but no more then the rest. Im excited to see whats in store for Audi/VW now that they got Ducati and their cam patents.

 

[Hapa88]

People love push the view of the 1980 AUDI and VW on todays cars. These people have no experience with the new Audi/VW. Sure they have a few minor issues with select cars as with any automotive line but no more then the rest. Im excited to see whats in store for Audi/VW now that they got Ducati and their cam patents.

Haha. I've had two VWs, one a 1991 Jetta, and a 2001 Jetta 1.8T (shared parts with VW GTI, Golf, Bettle, Passat, Audi A4, Seat, Audi TT amoung others)
Here's a short list of what happened to my 2001 Jetta.
1) 4 Coilpack failures - one left me stranded in SF (I live in LA) because the part was 3 months backordered. This got so bad, I ended up ordering a spare set. VW and Audi have a TSB on this
2) Premature rear brake pad wear - TSB on this one
3) Engine Coilant Temp Sensor reading incorrectly causing misfires and rough idle - TSB on this one
4) Mass Air Flow failure causing misfires and rough idle - TSB/recall on this one
5) O2 sensor reading incorrectly causing rough idle - TSB on this one
6) Bad transmission syncros making it impossible to shift 1st to 2nd - lead to a full transmission replacement under warranty
7) Brake light switch - didn't happen to me personally, but was recalled
8) Hazard light switch failure - leads to no hazard lights AND no turn signals!! TSB on that one
9) Driver/Passengar window regulator failure - wind drops off track and into the door. TSB on that one
10) Wiring harness to the coilpacks started to come apart exposing tons of bare wire!
11) A Coilant hose burst while I was giving a potential buyer a test drive!!

I had that car from ~120k miles and by the end, the CEL was illuminated more than it was off. I had a VAG tool and OBD-II computer so I could check them out and reset them.. but seriously it was getting badddd.
All the issues I had were relatively common. Check VWVortex.com and you'll see.

 

[davidf]

Before you make a ruling, at least drive a TSX. I drove my neighbors and was very impressed. Smooth, very quiet inside. Although the TSX requires premium fuel, the service tech told her to run 87 and she'd be fine. Shes ran 87 for about 5 years in it now with zero issues. Now on turbo'd cars, well thats probably not wise.

 

[RYU]

I'm not a hellaflush guy but I approve.

 

[Caustic]

I'm not a hellaflush guy but I approve.

When I scrolled down and saw that picture I actually said out loud, "wow that's hot!" Then again I have a soft spot for good looking wagons. I approve too.

 

[A.S. Motorsport]

I'm not a hellaflush guy but I approve.

Very very cool car, the Porsche wheels look good too.
TSX is a awesome car, ether in K24 or J35 trim pretty, reliable and quick.

kaede & hapa88 are completely correct the engineering is horrendous, not only chassis under steers and all bushings fail, the small polo even snap tie rods and control arms.
Electrical, sensor after sensor will fail then mystery cell... oil leaks are standard on all, a friend of mine has head two new golfs in with timing issues(chain stretching)
Tip of the ice berg....

ILX is a cool car too, CTE just lunched a very neat supercharger package.