Road Test: Comparison Test

2006 BMW 330i vs. 2005 Audi A4 Comparison Test Introduction By Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief Date posted: 06-16-2005   Video Highlights of these vehicles The 2006 BMW 3 Series and the 2005 Audi A4 are the two greatest cars in the world. No, make that the universe. They're both so perfect in every imaginable way, instead of wasting time evaluating their awesome abilities and timeless style we should be celebrating their excellence, building monuments in their likeness and naming our children in their honor. There, that should keep the lunatic fringe of the BMW 3 Series Extremist Society and the maniacal membership of the Militant Audi A4 Owners of America off our backs. Now let's get to the business at hand, which is crowning the ultimate sport sedan. Is it the completely redesigned new BMW 3 Series or the almost completely redesigned new Audi A4? Read on. The Cars Two emails went out. The first to BMW of America located just outside the city that never sleeps and the other to Audi USA headquarters just outside the Motor City. The first one said: "Dear BMW, Send us the sportiest 3 Series ya got. Sincerely, Inside Line." The response was the delivery of a bright red 330i with a six-speed manual transmission, a sport package, a premium package, assorted other sundries and a sticker price of $41,390. The second email read: "Dear Audi, send us the sportiest A4 ya got. Sincerely, Inside Line." The response was the delivery of a bright red 2.0 T quattro sedan with a six-speed manual transmission, a sport package, a premium package, assorted other sundries and a sticker price of $35,995. Savvy readers have just noticed that BMW sent over a much more powerful car. "The 330i," the savvy are saying, "is powered by a 255-horsepower normally aspirated 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder, while the A4 2.0 T is motivated by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 200 hp." And the savvy are right. Fact is a BMW 325i, which is powered by a 215-hp, 3.0-liter inline six is more in line with the 2.0-liter Audi. But remember, we asked each for the sportiest version of their vehicle. "Then why didn't Audi," the inquisitive savvy readers will ask, "send an A4 powered by its new 255-hp, 3.2-liter V6?" The answer is the six-speed manual gearbox, which is a must-have in a true sport sedan. Audi only pairs its V6 with an automatic. It's a Tiptronic automatic with a likable manual gate, but it's an automatic just the same. Besides, if you're dying to read about that drivetrain, we tested a so equipped A4 Avant not that long ago. Audi also probably figured that the lower sticker price of its smaller engine model would give it a value edge in this two-car showdown. After all, the $36,995 base price of the 330i is a thousand bucks higher than the Audi's as-tested sticker. The Test Grueling is the only word for it. First, we drove each as any normal consumer would. We carried our families, drove to work, hit the dry cleaners, the drive-thrus and the dog groomers. We threw too many kids in their backseats and too many bottles of bottled water in their trunks. We drove them in anger and in traffic. In the city, in the 'burbs and through the woods. And then we got serious. At the test track we ran them through our usual battery of instrumented testing and then we maliciously flogged them through the endless canyon roads north of L.A. For two weeks we prodded, probed and poked about. Notes were taken. Opinions were pooh-poohed and conclusions were concluded. The End Result Honestly, as wonderful as both cars are, choosing between the two wasn't as hard as we thought it would be. The BMW proved to be superior in nearly every way. Sure, it's a good bit more expensive, but it's also faster, it handles better, has superior brakes, is roomier and, to our eyes, is more attractive. The Audi's lower price point, high content and finer interior appointments kept it close, but the new BMW 3 Series is without question the king of the sport sedans. As good as the 2005 Audi A4 is, the 2006 BMW 330i, is unequivocally better. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Militant Audi A4 Owners of America.

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