Finished road testing the BMW 535xi and the Audi A6 and made my purchase

[auditron]

Yes sgroer, I remember my black 92 Bimmer. Really shows the dirt after a while and detail once a year is a good idea.

[The G Man]

Originally Posted by auditron

Yes G Man the BMW has a grab the road, heavier feel. The A6 feels lighter and nimble. I would say the 535xi is now more of a highway or road car while the A6 is good all around but not as planted a feel after a time on the long highway commute I have.

Perhaps BMW's grab the road feel is from the heavier feel. The Quattro system is pretty good at grabbing the road as well. I try to break the tires lose a few times with no luck. The 535i is a bit quieter on the highway and feels more solid. I tend to leave the steering in dynamic mode and the transmssion in the normal mode, it helps with highway driving.

[Estimated Prophet]

I'm stopping by the dealer to do another test drive of the A6 later today and a 5 series tomorrow or Sunday. Both are great cars and both have their pluses and minuses. I'm still undecided. If I could somehow transplant the multi-contour seats from the BMW into the A6 it would be a done deal. I would order the car today. But in my mind anyway, the significant difference in seat comfort negates some of the A6's advantages in other areas. I do the love instant response of the S/C V-6 vs. the Turbo on the 535i though.

[BugeyeRX]

Yeah if you are looking for huggy seat the A6 is not a good choice, but if you like roomy and comfy seat the Prestige seat are nice. It's like driving my couch, I love them.

[stoulana]

Originally Posted by auditron

Good move stoulana in also keeping the Bimmer as well.Mine had too many miles at 191,000 and was starting to cost me money. I agree, you have the best of two worlds.

I got 52K miles on my 535i & still like new, when I tested new 535i there was no steering feel, handling was not great so passed on it & got A6. Love A6 response & handling & really happy to be part of Audi family.

[Estimated Prophet]

Originally Posted by BugeyeRX

Yeah if you are looking for huggy seat the A6 is not a good choice, but if you like roomy and comfy seat the Prestige seat are nice. It's like driving my couch, I love them.

Yes, I agree. After my post yesterday I went down and test drove an A6 again. In sitting in various A6's in the showroom I found the Prestige ventilated seats more to my liking than the seats in the Premier models. Not that they were uncomfortable by any means but the Prestige seat seemed to fit my body better.

I went back after dark and did a very short test drive to check out the LED headlights. While very bright, I was disappointed in the low beam throw. High beams were excellent. I'm not sure if it was an adjustment issue or what but the HID's in my Infiniti light the road much farther ahead of the car than the LED's. If I were to order an A6 today I would probably go with the HID's based on this even though I love the look of the LED's.

I test drove the 528i/535i again today too. Some random thoughts. While the bimmer might have the seat advantage the A6 is a definite winner in the power train dept with it's S/C, instant response engine. No contest there IMHO. The A6 is faster and more responsive. I didn't get much of a chance to test the handling of either but both would seem to be excellent commuters/cruisers which is more of what I am interested in than ultimate handling. The 535i seemed slightly quieter than the A6.

I really like what Audi has done with the multi-display located between the tach and speedo. Much info can be displayed there and controlled with the steering wheel. I'm not so sure the A6 might not have an advantage in the chassis dept too. The structure of the 535i seemed to shutter slightly a couple of times when hitting larger irregularities in the road. I didn't ever notice anything like this in the A6. All BMW's have runflats which is a major disadvantage in my book. The standard stereo in the 535i seemed better than the Bose in the A6. The $950 premium setup was much better. I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the retractable MMI display in the A6. The A6 seems sportier, the 535i more laid back (both had 19" sport packages). Exterior - subjective. Interior A6 is beautiful, 5 Series seems more businesslike. 535i has an advantage in craftsmanship, materials and solid, buttoned-down feel IMHO.

I really think both are fine cars and would serve me well. I do know the bimmer can get out of control price-wise in a hurry if you start clicking off options on the build sheet. I haven't compared them feature for feature but it seems the A6 might be have an advantage there. You can get a 5 series pretty close to invoice, not sure about the A6 as I haven't talked price with the dealer yet.

[The G Man]

Originally Posted by Estimated Prophet

I really think both are fine cars and would serve me well. I do know the bimmer can get out of control price-wise in a hurry if you start clicking off options on the build sheet. I haven't compared them feature for feature but it seems the A6 might be have an advantage there. You can get a 5 series pretty close to invoice, not sure about the A6 as I haven't talked price with the dealer yet.

Option for option, the 535xi is about $5000 more than the A6 3.0T. You should be able to get the A6 at invoice or close to it.

[InterAudi]

My wife and I were debating between BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. We test drove both over the weekend and decided on Audi. My wife was the one test driving the car and I was sitting in the back. What an awesome and luxurious ride on the Audi. BMW interior and passenger comfort (a key criteria for us) are no match to the Audi.

We just pulled the trigger yesterday and placed an order for a 2013 A6 Premium Plus..... Very excited as this is our first German Car!

[Helmar]

Originally Posted by Estimated Prophet

...I was disappointed in the low beam throw...

I have the same issue on my Lexus which has LED low-beams.

"Form follows function", and HID headlights throw much more usable light than LED's.

HBH

[The G Man]

We test drove the Lexus RX450h with LED headlight last year at night, it was not as good as the A6's LED headlight. The LED lights do cast a bit shorter beam than the HID, but the area that it lights up is much brighter and clearer.