the audi vs bmw thing...

[Eaton Dave <dave.eaton@minedu.govt.nz>]

interesting to see though that bmw has deliberately made the new e46 (3
series) a lot softer in handling etc.  as noted by the european testers.

perhaps they're following audi on this one?  the great unwashed don't want
motorsports machines, but the enthusiast does.  so produce those speciality
machines and give the rest what they want.  in recent years, bmw *has* done
this better than audi.

however, don't forget that bmw has been selling less 3-series than the a4
for some time.  i certainly can't see the e46 changing that.

not to say that audi aren't playing catchup in the usa.  but in the rest of
the world, no way.  while i would certainly like to see the s4 finally
arrive, the a3 had been huge and taken all new territory for audi (and area
which bmw has seemingly given up on), and the a6 seems to be a solid
performer in the executive class.  the ttc has been getting rave reviews and
is being compared to the boxster, not the z3 or slk.  i certainly don't see
audi doing too much wrong in this area.

i would love an up-to-date ur-quattro w/300hp and modern ergonomics though
:-(

also, bear in mind that bmw has only 1 m-car available today; the m3 which
is based still on the e36.  the e46-based m3 is still 2 years away.  the s4
is now avialable, as is the m-b c43.   the m5 will debut around the same
time as the s6 and both will have similar hp specs.  there is no bmw
competitor to the s8 or the e55, or the s3 for that matter.

so who has the better motor-sports orientated lineup today?

dave
'95 rs2
'90 ur-q

> ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1998 07:06:46 -0500
> From: "Matt & Jenai" <matjen@xsite.net>
> Subject: Re:  audi rallying
> 
> Amen.  However, I wouldn't just limit this thought to the various M cars.
I
> think up and down the line BMW pretty much has the better
> handling/braking/faster car than Audi.  I used to confidantly make the 1.8
> an exception in that clearly bests a 318.  I haven't driven a 323 and am
not
> sure of the price but it does narrrow Audi's advantage in this price
point.
> It seems that in the states Audi is stuck firmly between BMW and MB.  The
> cars are less expensive but sort of soft like many MBs.  They generally
> don't have the sporting nature of any of the BMWs they compete with.  I
> think the end result is that many new Audis are sold to people who:
> 1)enjoy the styling,  2) want European sedan cachet, 3)  think awd is a
> safety advantage, 4) and also want a discount over BMW and MB.  I see
> nothing wrong with any of these reasons but I do not think many new Audis
> are sold for pure motorsport enthusiasm.  Igor and a few others on the
list
> are obvious exceptions!
>