Anyone check out the 328 w/traction control? I have owned quite a few Audi's and BMW's and am impressed with the new model? What's the downfalls, how does it compare to the Quattro? I think they have done a good job with this car for the price point but also am interested in an 2.8, I only wish Audi made a coupe version.

Maybe it would have been better with snow tires instead of the all seasons it had. The Audi with sport package is a more enjoyable car to drive. Bimmer had very notchy shifter and touchy brakes. It was always hard to do a smooth start in first due to a stiff clutch and aggressive first gear.

In the M3 section there is a button for RWD and in that area you will see a comparison for A vs R vs FWD. BMW defends their stance on RWD in that section but also praises AWD for being good for all weather conditions and for start off the line since all 4 wheels are working. Its a fairly objective point. And yes, its too bad Audi doesn't offer a coupe in the A4.

parkerpt
99.5 1.8T qms

Rear Wheel Drive

Fore-aft weight distribution more balanced.
Braking performance enhanced.

Tire wear more even.

Cornering easier, more responsive.

Lighter than AWD configuration for better acceleration and cornering performance and better fuel-efficiency.

Better hard acceleration performance on good surfaces than with FWD.

Better cornering ability because steering and propulsion are applied at separate axles.

Greater agility because of lower resistance to changes in direction (lower moment of inertia).

Longer wheelbase for smoother ride.

Absence of torque steering effect common with FWD.

No CV (Constant Velocity) joints to replace.

Front Wheel Drive


Good traction during mild acceleration on slippery surfaces.
Lighter weight helps fuel-efficiency.

Interior room enhanced by lack of longitudinal drive shaft.

Less expensive to manufacture.

All Wheel Drive (aka Quattro)

Traction enhanced on all road surfaces under all weather conditions.

Faster acceleration "off the line" due to all wheels driving.

Better road grip during cornering in adverse weather or slippery road conditions.

.

I've driven the 328i directly against the A4 at the track. A very good car. Unfortunately, when you lose it ( traction control or no ), there is very little you can do to gather up the car again. The tracion control can get confused by repeated sudden violent inputs ( as in an inexperienced driver ) and actually contribute to spin-outs.

With an Audi, just steer where you want and apply a smooth increase in throttle and unless there is no traction at all, you will regain control

Of the A4, C230K, V70AWD, and Lexus GS300, the Bimmer was the spinout King. Once it went up the embankment at the track with windows open. Looked like a sandbox after that.

The Volvo could be faked out because of the viscous coupling that could send random shots of power to the rear after the problem had passed ( time taken by fluid coupling to react ). Nice torque low down.

BMW is right to look at AWD again. We'll see if they can make it reliable ;-)

Granted most drivers that don't know what they are doing can't drive and would lose control. For the rest of us the little ASC light goes off and we drive with the back end next to the car.

I have both an A4 1.8TQM and a BMW Z3 with traction control. The only time I significantly experienced the BMW traction control, was in some gravel/sand on the road. The more I pushed the throttle, the less power I had. The traction control was shutting down power to the slipping wheel, which happened to be both wheels. It was as if I was hitting the rev limiter. Quattro on the other hand is awesome! You can power your way out of anything. Traction control might be ok for some situations, but for wet and snow driving, I'll take quattro any day.

CraigB

There is definitely all kinds of ways to gather up a BMW when the tail gets out :) I do it all the time in my M3. AWD is great, but unless it is set up correctly, many AWD systems are NOT balanced...meaning it will oversteer like hell. AWD IMHO makes a car easier to drive, but not necessarily faster. Oh I know I know the whole "audo Quattro was banned" argument. Those things have NOTHING in common with your cars except that they are AWD...the advantage to them is that they have LOTS of power that quattro helps put to the ground. On tight autocross hairpins, I use the extra power of my M3 to break the rear loose a little and rotate it around if I'm not pointing how I like. Not the ideal approach, but it's better than running too wide :) BTW I definitely turn traction control OFF when I race...it does nothing but slow you down!

Happy motoring/autocrossing,
Brad

We recently went to a Ultimate Driving Experience (UDE), just so we could compare the 328 to the A4Q. For those that aren't familiar with UDE, it's an event sponsored by BMW. It's run in several cities each year. All you have to do is pre-register, and for free, you get to drive a 3-series BMW around a small autocross course, under the instruction of a BMW professional instructor. Pretty close to a 'free lunch' --- if it comes to your city, I highly recommend you taking anyone to it that's ever had reservations about autocross (or the benefits of driver education). 2 friends went with me, and they both came out of it totally wanting to get involved in autocross.

Anyway, this made for a pretty good performance test of the 328. I was totally underwhelmed. I think the fit and finish of the A4 is superior, and have the same thoughts as CraigB in terms of the comparison of traction control vs. quattro. The UDE even included a demo of the traction control (on and off) on a make-shift skid pad....VERY unimpressive, especially compared to quattro.

Bimmers are very nice cars, no doubt. But if AWD is something that is high on your priority list in a car, quattro beats the #@%$ out of BMW's traction control.

FWIW,
Planetman