What's special about Audi? Srs.

[Towerworld]

I never driven a German car, let a lone a performance car, but I can see the appeal of BMW and Mercedes. Mercedes you have AMG, big V8, brute power, tail happy. BMW you have a fine tuned high revving machine, all about balance and precision.

Audi? Though they have good styling, Audi seems boring to me. Are their cars actually fun? They're good in bad weather conditions but that's about it. I do like the B7 RS4 and RS4 Wagon. The S7 and RS7 are monsters but only good on highways

Mercedes is the only special one out of the three, BMW makes Audi's at this point; souless technology filled barges that have good 0-60 times and high EPA ratings( With the exception of the M2)
I will say that Audi makes a good interior and strong daily driver but that's pretty much it unless you're talking about the R8.

Audi stopped being good in B7 like you said, BMW started to suck when E92 generation ended.

[Holyfenix]

My experience with all three big german lux brands (and the porsche SUV cause why not). BTW the lower end of these cars tend to be much more reliable than the upper end because they have so much less electronics.
2015 Audi A3 and 2018 Audi Q5
2015 MB C300
2015 BMW M235i, 2017 BMW x5 (5.0), 1998 BMW M3
2017 Porsche Macan

-Comparatively between all the brands the Audi doesn't feel...Special to me. It really does seem like a supped up VW. The Audi leather doesn't even feel all that much nicer than a VW at all TBH. They do however have decent low end grunt and the AWD system is very capable. Otherwise they both felt more in line with regular cars than luxury brands. I have driven the V8 R8 and the most recent RS7 and they are in a completely different category.
-MB is definitely the most comfortable with plenty of power to make it feel like a true luxury brand. It has the most linear acceleration of any of the other cars which makes it the easiest to drive in day to day traffic. Even in sport mode it has a ton of dampening and does exactly what it was designed to do, get you where you need to go in as much comfort as possible. The higher you go up in the echelon the better it gets too. Looks wise they are typically timeless as well.
-BMW is hard to pin down because mostly they've gotten a little "fat" over the years. The 2 series is really the only true sport option now and has effectively taken the title of best BMW if you still want a drivers car. The M235i/M240i/ and Especially the M2 are fantastic vehicles that I recommend anyone drive who is a BMW fan. The M3's and M4's are just too heavy to be good anymore. The M5 IMO is still pretty excellent and yes I have driven the last gen and it is an interesting experience to say the least. Driving that car in regular mode and then all out its like two totally different cars and it does both jobs fairly well IMO. The upper echelon 6 and 7 series are not worth it over an S class IMO. Sure they can be a bit faster but I think the comfort you get with a MB is not worth the switch.
-The Macan is truly a great small SUV. It handles great, has a great AWD system, insanely comfortable with a fantastic transmission and every level has a great engine from the base to the top tier GT4 option. If you're in the market for a small SUV and can afford it, the Macan is the best option on the market IMO. Everyone who has driven mine agrees. Yes its the same structure as the Q5 but having driven both back to back multiple times I can honestly tell you Porsche took a decent base SUV and made it truly special.

[Retoaded]

My experience with all three big german lux brands (and the porsche SUV cause why not). BTW the lower end of these cars tend to be much more reliable than the upper end because they have so much less electronics.
2015 Audi A3 and 2018 Audi Q5
2015 MB C300
2015 BMW M235i, 2017 BMW x5 (5.0), 1998 BMW M3
2017 Porsche Macan

-Comparatively between all the brands the Audi doesn't feel...Special to me. It really does seem like a supped up VW. The Audi leather doesn't even feel all that much nicer than a VW at all TBH. They do however have decent low end grunt and the AWD system is very capable. Otherwise they both felt more in line with regular cars than luxury brands. I have driven the V8 R8 and the most recent RS7 and they are in a completely different category.
-MB is definitely the most comfortable with plenty of power to make it feel like a true luxury brand. It has the most linear acceleration of any of the other cars which makes it the easiest to drive in day to day traffic. Even in sport mode it has a ton of dampening and does exactly what it was designed to do, get you where you need to go in as much comfort as possible. The higher you go up in the echelon the better it gets too. Looks wise they are typically timeless as well.
-BMW is hard to pin down because mostly they've gotten a little "fat" over the years. The 2 series is really the only true sport option now and has effectively taken the title of best BMW if you still want a drivers car. The M235i/M240i/ and Especially the M2 are fantastic vehicles that I recommend anyone drive who is a BMW fan. The M3's and M4's are just too heavy to be good anymore. The M5 IMO is still pretty excellent and yes I have driven the last gen and it is an interesting experience to say the least. Driving that car in regular mode and then all out its like two totally different cars and it does both jobs fairly well IMO. The upper echelon 6 and 7 series are not worth it over an S class IMO. Sure they can be a bit faster but I think the comfort you get with a MB is not worth the switch.
-The Macan is truly a great small SUV. It handles great, has a great AWD system, insanely comfortable with a fantastic transmission and every level has a great engine from the base to the top tier GT4 option. If you're in the market for a small SUV and can afford it, the Macan is the best option on the market IMO. Everyone who has driven mine agrees. Yes its the same structure as the Q5 but having driven both back to back multiple times I can honestly tell you Porsche took a decent base SUV and made it truly special.

We have a '16 Cayenne GTS and a '12 Audi A6 3.0t. I agree with your general assessment. I don't care for BMWs. At the time when we bought the A6, we drove the A6, a 535 BMW, and a MB E-class and the Audi was nicer, faster, etc, and with the BMW it was not even close.

The current MBs look like they have set the new standard, and I don't like the design direction that Audi is going.

Obviously the Cayenne GTS is on a different level interior, performance, handling, etc, than the Audi but it should be because its twice as expensive and spec'ed out the ass (sport chrono, sport exhaust, full leather with deviated stitching, black alcantara roof, etc)...jelly the wife gets to drive it every day, but my Audi is company owned and free, so can't complain...

[menseks]

Interior: MB took the crown a few years ago but then slipped into gaudiness. now audi is coming back as the leader with LCD readouts in the temperature knobs, super responsive screens, best flat bottom steering wheels in the business. BMW's spartan interior never did it for me.
Winner: Audi

Exterior: Audi's single frame grill makes all the cars look alike, but they all look classy. MB's sticking with the droopy slug look. BMW looks plain, but M versions look amazing. Audi could have been the winner, but even the RS versions of their cars don't have the aggressive wide bodies you expect from fast cars.
Winner: BMW

Engine: i'm partial to audi's 5-pot and the amazing NA V10. M engines don't sound as nice. MB's still trying to eek out hp from their 4-pot while weighing down their higher end cars with V8.
Winner: Audi

Driving dynamics: BMW M chassis, not question.
Winner: BMW

Crazy factor: MB. AMG is just madness to this day. the muscle car of the german brands.
Winner: MB

Tech: Audi pioneered the digital dash a few years back and so far, i haven't seen anyone get close to the smoothness and customization. has both android auto and apple carplay (LOL bmw). doesn't have tacked on looking tablet for instrument cluster (LOL MB)
Winner: Audi

Reliability: Audi actually leads over MB and BMW these days according to consumer reports. Looks like they got their chit together.
Winner: Audi

Daily driver: based on reliability, cool tech, AWD, i'd say audi wins the DD award as well.
Winner: Audi

Winner: Audi. Those were all the points i considered when buying a car. audi drivers aren't crazy...lol

[Retoaded]

^^I think the brand new MB interiors are pretty awesome, but they were obnoxious in the last generation. Audi interiors, at least in the 6, 7, 8 range are a little too angular for me now.

Exterior-wise, I don't think any of them are headed in a direction I really like. MB tails are horrible, BMWs are plane jane, Audis are getting too angular. Audis look much better in person from varying angles than they do in press pictures though.

[mrtheend]

I primarily thought the big difference-maker in Audi is AWD. The chief reason why Subaru does well as well.

[dannyg1217]

We have a '16 Cayenne GTS and a '12 Audi A6 3.0t. I agree with your general assessment. I don't care for BMWs. At the time when we bought the A6, we drove the A6, a 535 BMW, and a MB E-class and the Audi was nicer, faster, etc, and with the BMW it was not even close.

The current MBs look like they have set the new standard, and I don't like the design direction that Audi is going.

Obviously the Cayenne GTS is on a different level interior, performance, handling, etc, than the Audi but it should be because its twice as expensive and spec'ed out the ass (sport chrono, sport exhaust, full leather with deviated stitching, black alcantara roof, etc)...jelly the wife gets to drive it every day, but my Audi is company owned and free, so can't complain...

I agree completely with these assessments. Porsche is on a whole other level than the other German manufacturers. I have a cayenne turbo, all be it older, but it's luxurious, comfortable, smooth, and powerful all in one package.
I will from now on buy nothing but Porsche for a few reasons, the transmissions are much better than anything out there, the interiors are much more comfortable, the power plant is better than any other comparable.

As far as maintenance, I have been able to handle anything with my current porsche, even as invasive as the coolant lines under the intake manifold. It's not overly expensive if you are mechanically inclined.

[Retoaded]

I agree completely with these assessments. Porsche is on a whole other level than the other German manufacturers. I have a cayenne turbo, all be it older, but it's luxurious, comfortable, smooth, and powerful all in one package.
I will from now on buy nothing but Porsche for a few reasons, the transmissions are much better than anything out there, the interiors are much more comfortable, the power plant is better than any other comparable.

As far as maintenance, I have been able to handle anything with my current porsche, even as invasive as the coolant lines under the intake manifold. It's not overly expensive if you are mechanically inclined.

yep or have an independent who will let you buy and ship parts to them.

Also not mentioned, nothing else steers like a Porsche. Go drive another SUV after driving your CT and it will feel like a school bus, 100%.

[WRXbrah]

Hmm, but you're a mechanic so what do we know


Mileage @23 seconds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF-ncih6-dU

Legitstreetcars has one with ~410k miles

19 year old car. Yes Bmws and Benz's were better/more reliable in the early 2000's than Audis but that's changed now.

[ralphlaurenbrah]

Only luxury brand worth it is Porsche tbh.

The new Mercedes SUV interiors are pretty nice though.