K-A

The Benz finally caught up. The A5 was up 15-11 at one point I think.

ipp

I think it's because they have certain qualities the the other brands doesn't have. Especially when VW's and Audi's are alot cheaper...

gaazmon

WAIT WAIT... you can't OPEN the sunroof???

Rowrbazzle

Naw, I only just got the Benz (my first) and didn't have one when I looked at the A5. I looked at a bunch of cars, but actually decided on the sedan over the coupe.

I didn't really think the Audi was clearly superior in terms of interior (didn't think it was inferior either), but I probably didn't spend enough time in them to really tell. The Audi definitely had more options. Didn't get to see either at night, though. I agree, when cars are all lit up it can be so nice. Even after almost 6 years I still enjoyed the look of my Mazda3 at night and the ambient lighting in the E Sedan is outstanding.

cmcbenz

two thoughts - first, i paid around $60k for my E550 coupe with P2 and appearance package, so your price is insane on the merc for a 350 coupe.
second, is the Audi 2.0T engine available? may save on price for not much sacrifice in power? not sure on this though and wonder if anyone has thoughts...

cmcbenz

another thought - the merc has a better backseat and is quieter and more solid with a better transmission IMO

cmcbenz

depends which class you're talkin about. Audi is King of nothing -> BMW is king of handling, Merc is King of luxury (or in the case of black series & AMG: kicking everyone's ***), and Audi is King of being somewhere in the middle with overweight cars and overpriced VW's. I exclude from this comment anything from Audi that starts with "RS".

rieger

Look at what Award Audi cars have won lately and what Magazine comparisons Audi has won lately and tell me what MB has won lately.

A6 platform that is 6years old beat a new E350 and the new E350 brought up the rear.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...quattro_page_6

King of luxury is something that MB owners give to their own cars but that is not what is happening unless you like the bottom of the ladder.

S4 beats the 335i

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/09q4/2010_audi_s4_vs._2009_bmw_335i-comparison_tests

C-class not even close in this segment so MB left out of the comparison.

And so you won't say that C&D is biased here is an Edmunds comparison.

http://www.insideline.com/audi/s4/20...-bmw-335i.html

TT vs slk we won't have to go there because the TT is definitely the superior car.

S class is the superior car in that segment no arguement their.

R8 vs sl we know who the winner is here and BMW not represented here.


So if you say Audi is the king of the middle road, then your definition of middle road performance and luxury is definitely different than most people.

RS and AMG cars we won't compare as you indicated. And AMG cars are not kicking ***. If they were they wouldn't offer $10,000 off on some of those cars.

ipp

ipp

ffs, you can always find tests pointing in your direction... doesn't mean anything in this 'argument'.

To me Audis are completely pointless, we have BMW and MB who always are making something better. And if I really want Audi interior, tech, engines, drivetrains, colours....... I'd rather buy a VW for half the amount of money.

rieger

Tyical ignorant post of MB fanboy. No facts no information just your useless opinion. Reason for your useless opinion is obvious because you don't read any car magazines or auto related reviews since you think they are useless.
You are definitely not an auto enthusiast so no need to debate with you any longer since you are just going to raise your pom poms and cheer for anything that MB puts out.
To me your opinions are totally pointless if you don't have anything to back it up.
And if you can't give credit where credit is due is just pathetic.
If you think the R8, S4, TTRS, RS4, RS6, RS5, are all just VW cars or not the best cars or on par in it's segment than you are just totally ignorant.
CMC and ipp have you guys even owned an Audi or are you speaking from your a$$.

cmcbenz

i have not owned an Audi so yeah i'm speaking from my a$$. BTW, the RS4 blew my mind, but for 75 g's at the time there was no way I could afford it. i still stand by my statement about luxury and handling and audi being in the middle, but that's not to say that they don't want to be in the middle or that the middle is a bad place to be, now that i think about it. they do some things well. plus they have the quattro handling, the tech-savvy approach, etc.

i've owned several BMW's and the handling is incredibly intuitive. but it's a rough ride. on the other hand, the merc is soft - unless you get an AMG or IMO the E550 coupe. But still, the merc doesn't have the direct road feel of the bmw or even the audi.

so i don't know what my point is here, but whatever.

gaazmon

My sister's friend's father went to test drive an Audi. They told him he couldn't test drive unless he signs a contract to buy

He said f*ck you guys and walked out.

From what I've heard from my friends, Audi dealer experience sucks.

Lol, I still can't believe you can't open the sunroof. I liked the look of the A5 better than E, but now my vote is going to the E. I have to have my sunroof and glass too (ya, that ones to you Porsche).

220S

Yeah, +1 on that. I went to Rusnak and it was a crap experience. Same with Santa Monica Audi. I gave up.

It's too bad 'cause Audi has become a worthwhile choice. But why is buying one have to be a struggle? Even their website and way of marketing the car is a pain. Premium, Premium Plus, Prestige. WTF? You have to hunt to find what comes on which version, etc..

I realize it's about simpler packaging for Audi and makes it a lot easier to manufacture, but why make it a struggle to have to figure out what is available with which package, etc.. And the bad part is that the salespeople don't seem to know either.

Rowrbazzle

My trips to the Audi dealership were good and bad. The main salesman I talked to was very friendly and knowledgeable. He even sent me updates on inventory when it changed. I'm sure it was sent to other people too, but it was more than I got from a lot of dealerships.

On the other hand, I stopped by one day for a test drive when "my guy" wasn't there and the person I talked to then was pretty much useless in terms of specific knowledge. He had to go to the computer to look up answers for just about all of my questions.

They didn't try to get a commitment out of me on the test drives, though. That's just nuts. Just copied my license, handed me the keys, and let me go on my own.

rieger

Definitely agree with you guys on this. MOst of the Audi dealerships have crappy sales and service. That said I guess I am lucky that I have 2 dealerships in my area that are very good while the other 4 are horrible. Atleast I have 2 good ones. Most Audi dealerships are independently owned so I guess not enough training, while 90% of the MB dealerships in my area are coroporately owned so they are a little better. Most Audi guys just take it in for the oil changes that are needed while in warranty and once out of warranty their are a lot more independent/tuning shops for audi's than for MB and those shops are the best because they usually cater to Audi enthusiasts so they have to know their stuff so usually get car fixed by someone who knows what they are doing rather than the stealership mechanics.
Not all stealership mechanics are like konigstiger you know.

rieger

If you liked the RS4 then you should really try the 2010 3.0T S4. Ride is smoother but handles just as well if not better and it seems faster also. The kicker would be that it starts at only $47k. Interior is also phenomenal.

ipp

Why this anger, are you working for Audi? I'm just sharing my opinions. No I've not owned an Audi, but almost.. a VW Touareg, which in my opinion is as good as any Audi. I have driven different BMW:s the last 9 years and I do still own a BMW 1-series. This time I didn't want to wait for the new 5-series and went with MB, will probably go back to BM in a year or so. The A6 was no option for me, I can't think of a more dull and boring car in the segment. Again; my opinion, hope I'm not ignorant just because I'm no Audi fanboy.

I've driven dozens of Audis, the are very common where I come from Audi A4/5 is the 6th most sold car this Q. Apparently other people like them, but they don't speak to me.

Out of curiosity why are you praising here when you're having a hard time reading that there are people not thinking Audi is the ****?

gaazmon

Not only an Audi (Q7), but a Porsche Cayenne as well

rieger

No I don't work for Audi as I had 3 MB's and just sold my last MB a 2003 E500.I've also had a 2001 S430, and a 2000 C320, and I still have a 2000 A4 1.8T modified. So as you can see I have owned many more MB's than Audi's. also had a Maxima and 240sx in the past and also a BMW 540i. I am definitely no brand ***** as you can see. I also currently own a GS350. I am definitely no brands fanboy.
If I make a dumb opinion like the MB is basically a Chrysler when MB owned both I would have been attacked. So you make a dumb opinion like Audi is a VW than you will be attacked. So you drove a Toureg so why don't you tell everyone you drove a Cayenne than since like you say they are the same.
Just because VW and Audi for example share the 2.0T engine does it make them the same car? Answer is NO. They aren't mounted in the same direction on the car, the engine doesn't even put out the same hp and torque numbers. Sharing platforms doesn't make a VW an Audi just like, does it make the new E-Class coupe a C-Class since it shares the same platform. Answer is NO.
In reality Audi is the **** right now if you don't know. Their sales are through the roof compared to BMW and MB in terms of marketshare gains. MB has picked it up as of late but for the last 3 year Audi has gained on both MB and BMW worldwide sales numbers and marketshare. The reality is also they have been winning numerous awards also.
Before you form an opinion it is advised that you have something to back it up not just a stupid opinion because that is what I think kind of opinion. Otherwise I will say I think you are ignorant kind of opinion.
In all honesty the hostility is not towards you in a way but towards the opinion because it seems like you just don't really know what you are saying.
Look if you have some information that can change my mind than present it and I will change my mind like CMC changed his.
I really appreciate people like CMC who can debate the issue and are able to see the issue for what it is once the information is out.

cmcbenz

i went to two audi dealers in the atlanta area. they didn't seem too excited about selling me a car. do-de-do. i drove not one but two S-5's [one with the interior still wrapped ]. In fairness, they didn't know much about the cars b/c they were so new. They said the MSRP stickers were wrong - OK, mistake by the mfr perhaps. I'm in my late twenties - they didn't seem to take me seriously at all, as if a hardworking, successful twenty/thirty-something doesn't buy an audi (!). Even one older salesman said to me, "is your mom buying this car for you?" WTF???? Are you fing kidding me? then when I went back a second time to look at the S5, the guy didn't remember who I was (blamed it on Alzheimers) and passed me off to a younger guy because he was "too busy". I really think I should stop by there now and tell the manager how much effort his team put into pissing me off. I'll just pull up in my $60G merc, park it outside and say "you could have had my business if you took me seriously, idiots."

actually - one more point - they passed me off to the youngest salesperson there, who was head and shoulders above everyone else. he put energy into our test drive, he was excited about the car... in a word, he was trying to SELL it to me. gtfo! but i was already miffed.

cmcbenz

appreciate these comments

off topic, well sort of on topic as well , can you tell me something since you seem to know a good deal about these cars -> if the S5 has ~340 HP and ~the same torque and is 150+ lbs heavier than the E550C, which has ~392 HP & Torque... then why would the S5 be quicker / faster as many claim? i have a youtube video where i did 0-60 in 5.1 seconds as a street start with no wheel spin. do you happen to know the 1/4 mile times of each car from a "real" test?

also - does anyone know why audi doesn't have - or when they will have - an RS4 again?

FEGELEIN

A5 is a nice ride, but I would go MB all the way. MB simply outclasses Audi. If you can , go for the 550. This is is my second ride in a 550 (1st 08' CLK 550)and they are fantastic!

ipp

Fair enough, please ignore me in the future. I don't have any 'hard facts' about why I don't like Audi, guess that equals I'm not allowed to think so anymore.

I'm not here to change anyones opinion about Audis. I'm here to discuss MB. I saw this thread and I was amazed over the fact that so many had voted for the A5. But that is changed now, alles in ordnung. Especially on a MB board!

Btw. Can you guys from the US explain to me what people in general thinks about Audi compared to the other german brands? Seems like they have done some pretty decent marketing over there.

rieger

I haven't looked at the gear ratios or anything but it probably has something to do with the more aggressive throttle and throttle response and gearing. MB has traditionally been more conservative in this area. When you really step on the gas pedal the MB doesn't jerk your head back as in a BMW or Audi because MB gears are usually bigger and also the throttle response is less agressive so not to jerk your head back. Audi and BMW since the cars are geared more towards performance have a much more aggressive throttle response and more aggressive gears down low to get a good performance even though the engines are smaller. That is the reason if you take your cars on the highway and you do really illegal speed limits is where the MB really shines. They will pull away from the Audi and BMW in most cases because the gears are larger and big *** engines. If the MB engines weren't so big the gearing would have to be much more aggressive to attain the 5.1 that it can do currently.
A reason possibley why you got bad treatment from the older sales guy is probably he knows that the S5 is in demand and their is a waiting list to get the car. It use to be upto a year but could be 3-4months now. Audi for some reason or another don't produce much of the S or the RS cars. For example the S4 will only have 7000 cars worldwide and only 3000 for North America which means probably only 2250 or so cars for the U.S since Canada will also get some. This should not be an excuse but a lot of the times this is the reason why the salesman are not so attentive when a customer comes in looking for a vehicle that they can't get their hands on any. I don't think it is your age because I went in and they gave me the same crap and when I said I wanted to order the new S4 and was willing to wait the salesmans attitude changed instantly, but so did mine. I was pissed and went somewhere else and I let him and his manager know it also.
The RS4 won't be made this generation because Audi is producing the RS5. Audi usually produces the RS4 and RS5 in skip generations. Don't ask my why because I have no clue. Exclusivity maybe or just don't have the resources is my guess.
1/4 mile times are around 13.1-13.4. Here edmund did a test against the M3 of an S5 and you will see what I am talking about with the gear ratios and how that translates to the 0-60 and 1/4mile times. Eventually the hp catches up with the S4 because it needs smaller gears to get decent acceleration. In reality though might make a difference in Germany but in NA we don't get to those speeds often enough to notice the difference.

http://www.************/car-videos-08...i-S5-Coupe.htm