Pahnda
06-03-2009, 09:44 AM
First of all, not sure if this should be here or in the Members Rides section. Please move it if it's supposed to be there; thanks!
So I've been spending the past month testing and reading about cars with the following criteria in mind:
- AWD
- Manual tranny
- Balance of comfy yet sporty, quiet yet a decent sound when you push it, good pickup and power but I don't drive crazy so I'm not into having a LOT of power. So essentially a good balance of everything.
The 1st two points above pretty much gave me a short list of:
- Legacy (Spec B of course)
- 3 series
- 5 series (used; not nearly baller enough for new, haha)
- the redesigned A4 (I didn't really like the previous generation a lot)
Tried the 3 series, really didn't like the interior and while it was a good drive, it just didn't feel much better than I thought it would or anything. Really wasn't impressed I guess I could say. Relatively noisy also, in a bad way.
Tried a 2007 530xi, the wind noise was totally inexcusable, hopefully it's just a bad example of the 5 series but checking on messageboards I've found a ton of other people with the same complaint. The audio system was mediocre, iDrive sucks (went in expecting that), the voice command system is useless. Other than that it was a decent ride, again I'm not a fan of the interior in it as it seemed way too dated. I do like the exterior of a good 5 with the M sport package (the one I tested) or the M5 itself. The ride is pretty good, as it should be for a car that was originally 90k.
I tried a G, and IS even though they don't technically fit my requirements. Neither of them were 'fun' (probably due to the auto tranny) and while they're both good cars in their own respect, I couldn't really get fully interested in either.
The Legacy was good, but too much on the sporty side, not so much on the comfy. But again, that should be expected. On a side note, the Legacy nav system is one of the best integrated ones I've used as far as controls go.
I originally wasn't going to even look at the A4, because even though I've been happy with what Audi has been doing as of late (R8, the new TT), I never really thought of the A4 originally, also I was under the false assumption it was only available in AWD and tiptronic. Friend suggested I try it and I'm really glad he did! Picked this up yesterday after work after waiting for shipping:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4976/dsc00487dxw.jpg
It has really good pickup (258lb-ft@1500), not a LOT of horsepower but more than enough for me (211@5300) as I'm a relatively 'reasonable' driver. Also being the 2.0T it's a blast to drive and returns pretty good mileage. Of course that wasn't the forefront issue in my mind, but it's a nice added bonus! Handling is sharp and direct and on par with the 3 I tested in MOST situations. Honestly, the 3 would *probably* edge out for handling in higher speeds than I normally do. That's probably at least in part due to the slightly uneven weight distribution in the new A4; which is something like 46/54 or something I believe.
The ride is a nice blend of comfy yet firm. The features (I got the tech package on a 2.0T premium trim) trounce the 3 for the price and actually it has more in it than the 5 I tried! The computer system is much nicer/quicker to use than iDrive also, which makes me pretty happy! The interior is also much cleaner now that they did away with the manual parking brake and are using the electromechanical one. The road and wind noise is also really low, even at highway speeds, which is probably why I have my complaint of the 5 series' noise level.
I could probably go on way longer than this about reasons why it's a good fit for me, but it's already a friggen long post! :whipped: I guess when you're moving from a base model Chevy Aveo hatchback to this it's a bit exciting. Also, I didn't mean anywhere in here to bash the other cars mentioned (unless where warranted). They're all really good in their own right. It pretty much comes down to personal choice in a lot of situations. So if I offended anyone with my opinions then please remember that's all they are, my opinions. :)
So I've been spending the past month testing and reading about cars with the following criteria in mind:
- AWD
- Manual tranny
- Balance of comfy yet sporty, quiet yet a decent sound when you push it, good pickup and power but I don't drive crazy so I'm not into having a LOT of power. So essentially a good balance of everything.
The 1st two points above pretty much gave me a short list of:
- Legacy (Spec B of course)
- 3 series
- 5 series (used; not nearly baller enough for new, haha)
- the redesigned A4 (I didn't really like the previous generation a lot)
Tried the 3 series, really didn't like the interior and while it was a good drive, it just didn't feel much better than I thought it would or anything. Really wasn't impressed I guess I could say. Relatively noisy also, in a bad way.
Tried a 2007 530xi, the wind noise was totally inexcusable, hopefully it's just a bad example of the 5 series but checking on messageboards I've found a ton of other people with the same complaint. The audio system was mediocre, iDrive sucks (went in expecting that), the voice command system is useless. Other than that it was a decent ride, again I'm not a fan of the interior in it as it seemed way too dated. I do like the exterior of a good 5 with the M sport package (the one I tested) or the M5 itself. The ride is pretty good, as it should be for a car that was originally 90k.
I tried a G, and IS even though they don't technically fit my requirements. Neither of them were 'fun' (probably due to the auto tranny) and while they're both good cars in their own respect, I couldn't really get fully interested in either.
The Legacy was good, but too much on the sporty side, not so much on the comfy. But again, that should be expected. On a side note, the Legacy nav system is one of the best integrated ones I've used as far as controls go.
I originally wasn't going to even look at the A4, because even though I've been happy with what Audi has been doing as of late (R8, the new TT), I never really thought of the A4 originally, also I was under the false assumption it was only available in AWD and tiptronic. Friend suggested I try it and I'm really glad he did! Picked this up yesterday after work after waiting for shipping:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/4976/dsc00487dxw.jpg
It has really good pickup (258lb-ft@1500), not a LOT of horsepower but more than enough for me (211@5300) as I'm a relatively 'reasonable' driver. Also being the 2.0T it's a blast to drive and returns pretty good mileage. Of course that wasn't the forefront issue in my mind, but it's a nice added bonus! Handling is sharp and direct and on par with the 3 I tested in MOST situations. Honestly, the 3 would *probably* edge out for handling in higher speeds than I normally do. That's probably at least in part due to the slightly uneven weight distribution in the new A4; which is something like 46/54 or something I believe.
The ride is a nice blend of comfy yet firm. The features (I got the tech package on a 2.0T premium trim) trounce the 3 for the price and actually it has more in it than the 5 I tried! The computer system is much nicer/quicker to use than iDrive also, which makes me pretty happy! The interior is also much cleaner now that they did away with the manual parking brake and are using the electromechanical one. The road and wind noise is also really low, even at highway speeds, which is probably why I have my complaint of the 5 series' noise level.
I could probably go on way longer than this about reasons why it's a good fit for me, but it's already a friggen long post! :whipped: I guess when you're moving from a base model Chevy Aveo hatchback to this it's a bit exciting. Also, I didn't mean anywhere in here to bash the other cars mentioned (unless where warranted). They're all really good in their own right. It pretty much comes down to personal choice in a lot of situations. So if I offended anyone with my opinions then please remember that's all they are, my opinions. :)