jmpage2

And I should point out that I also live in CO.

bimmers2

http://www.audimv.com/inventory-miss..._yeardesc.html

jperryrocks

There are ups and downs of both.

It's harder to trade out of cars with the higher residuals. If you're going to just keep the BMW for the lease term and not worry about trading it or running up the miles on the lease unexpectedly, then it sounds like a good deal.

On the Audi, lots of customers are making money on the end of the lease as the cars are holding value and the residuals are indeed conservative.

BMW isn't necesarily the ultimate driving machine.

It's more like the ultimate lease deal.

jmpage2

Turns out the residuals are higher on the 2013s. 56% for 3 year 45K miles and 58% for 3 years 30K miles.

jmpage2

I have driven both cars and they are quite competitive, but I will give the nod to BMW that their transmission and handling are a little better (Road & Track actually put them in 1st place and Audi in 4th, ouch).

However, this was comparing a RWD 3 series to a FWD A4. An interesting comparison would be quattro A4 to x-drive 3 series.

I don't think however that I am patient enough for x-drive cars to show up on dealer lots in September before I place an order for one or the other.

gunsmoker

The transmission in the A4 Quattro is exactly the same as the one in the bimmer. They have different final drive ratios though.
Car and Driver Mag compared the RWD 328i with the AWD A4 and said the handling of the A4 was better. Their A4 didn't have the sport suspension and seats.
BMW's x-drive cars are not usually performance oriented (softer suspension, higher stance) whereas Audi's Quattro models are the sportiest of the bunch. The FWD has a CVT transmission.