Hmmm, which company car?

[Hard-Drive]

Decision time...my existing BMW 320D (old shape) needs to go, and the best cars on the list are as follows. Just appreciate anyone's thoughts, especially if they have one....

BMW320d SE, pretty much basic spec, I have to say I've loved my existing car, but I can't help but think that the new 3 series is a bit...erm...ugly. But nice and comfy and RWD!

BMW 120d M Sport...with 177BHP this has got to be pretty quick, but again I'm just not sure about the styling, and unless I'm being a divvy with the configurator thing, the only non metallic (hence no surcharge) colour I can have is red?

Audi A3 Sportback 170 S Line, has to be the fave for me at the moment, I'm also really tempted by the DSG box for when I'm stuck in traffic or feeling lazy. Leather, 18" alloys etc, but FWD (boo). Or I could go for the quattro Sport 6 speed manual instead of the S Line, not as nice trim wise but the quattro would be nice.

I keep hearing good things about the Audi S Tronic gearbox, is it as good as people make out?

[paultither]

I doubt I would choose any of the above. I would however consider a Alfa Brera or C320 CDI Sport

[briSk]

dsg is fantastic (for that sort of thing).. but that engine is a bit rough and the a3 just doesn't seem as nice as the equivalent golf to me.

guessing you don't want something too big? (i.e. no mondeos or anything).

not that quick but what about a c30/s50/v50 diseasel? not actually as good as a focus but better looking and better image.
loaded accord/civic cdti

i'd just pay the extra for a sydney blue 120d personally.

[Hard-Drive]

Sorry, should have said. It's a fixed list, those are the best cars on it, and I cannot pay to have extras...

[briSk]

paultither said:

I doubt I would choose any of the above. I would however consider a Alfa Brera or C320 CDI Sport

because the c320 cdi is in the same price bracket isn't it..?!

[edwardsje]

The A3 sounds like a bag of nails but is quick. Handles OK but no better. Decent image, dreadful ride, excellent quality, bobbins drivers seat (I just can't get comfortable as the seat seems to tip you forwards).

DSG good when in motion, but tends to crash and bang a bit at junctions.

Not familiar with the others I'm afraid.

My wife likes hers though!

Edited by edwardsje on Friday 14th December 16:59

[briSk]

Hard-Drive said:

and I cannot pay to have extras...

that's insane.

well sod it just get a dcr one then.

that's so daft because it'll be worth so much more to the leasingfirm /company in metallic (ironically with the different resids it'd *possibly* get the monthly charge down).

[PhillT]

The 120d is quite a giggle, as far as diesels go.

[paultither]

briSk said:

paultither said:

I doubt I would choose any of the above. I would however consider a Alfa Brera or C320 CDI Sport

because the c320 cdi is in the same price bracket isn't it..?!

C220 CDI then

[Snowman23]

I'm going through a similar choice at the moment (118d M sport or A3 2.0 tdi 140 S line) having had a 118d for 2.5 years I'm leaning towards the Audi, more for having a change more than anything else.

As for Quattro or DSG, I would have the 4wd, I have test driven the 140 quattro in greasy conditions and it was fantastic (if not as much fun as rwd)

Good thing about the Audi is it can be had in black (non-metallic) for nothing, which I think is one of it's best colours, very handsome car

Having lived with a 1er for 2. years and 80k I would say if you need rear space or a decent sized boot, forget it.

[Hard-Drive]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'd be really interested to test drive the DSG box, am I right in assuming it's much more like a manual in the way it operates? I've had one or two autos which have the tiptronic style change as courtesy cars, and I could not really see the point, the bloody thing would still do more or less what it wanted to (Peugeot 407) regardless. If the DSG is the proper thing then great.

I've just checked the spec on the 320D SE and it's quite good actually, I thought it was poverty spec like my current 3 series but it does have climate and parking sensors and the like.

Tough choice...basically I think it will boil down to how good the A3's DSG box is. If it's good and I can live with it and have the ability to be lazy in traffic I'll go for that, but if it's not all that and I want a manual then I reckon that the 3 series is the one to go for, simply because I have enjoyed my current 3 so much.

[biglepton]

The 320d now has the 177bhp version of the diesel like the 1 series - in either case they drive very well with the auto or manual. The Audi feels old compared to either with its rough engine and inferior chassis.

If the list is that limited it's between the small BMW or the even smaller BMW. . . .

[biglepton]

Hard-Drive said:

If the DSG is the proper thing then great.

I've driven several cars with the DSG and it's very good, but not good enough to make up for sacrificing the excellent chassis and fine engines in the BMW for the agricultural VAG diesel and wooden FWD A3 chassis.

[texasjohn]

biglepton said:

Hard-Drive said:

If the DSG is the proper thing then great.

I've driven several cars with the DSG and it's very good, but not good enough to make up for sacrificing the excellent chassis and fine engines in the BMW for the agricultural VAG diesel and wooden FWD A3 chassis.

Couldnt have summed it up better myself, having looked at all these cars recently and others too for my choice. I had the A3 DSG v A3 quattro manual dilemma too at first, then I actually drove the A3 and realised how noisy it was and the FWD chassis just annoyed me. Like a Fabia vRS (great car but 1st gear useless due torque and too noisy)!

I made a thread on here about DSG v Quattro manual and the general consensus was choose the 4WD over the electronic gizmo gearbox every time. that said, I currently run a BMW with SMG and think these DSG/SMG boxes are bloody great though.

The Volvo C30/S40 has a decent motor but the car is set up to be comfy rather than a driver's car like the BMWs.

There is the Alfa 147 or GT with the Q2 LSD system, the Alfa diesel engine is probably the next best diesel motor out there after the BMW.

I have actually settled on the 118d SE with a lot of options - my allowance, similar to yours, would otherwise stretch to a base spec 320d SE. I went for the SE as like yourself realised the limited choice of colours for the M; you get a choice of 5 and yes red is the only solid colour at the moment! Alpine white may come back at some stage I guess... I went for the light blue metallic, dynamic pack, sunroof, xenons, top hifi, and some convenience items like heated seats, cruise, auto lights (think those last two are standard on the 3 series though) etc.

Reason I went for the 1er is that it is more fun to drive being a smaller car, well that is what I found anyway. The income tax you will pay on the 118d is next to nothing from April 08 due to the new tax band coming in to encourage sub-119gKM cars.

The 30hp extra in the 120d just isnt worth £500 a year in extra tax (over the 118d) to me, but had my allowance stretched to the 123d then I would be prepared to pay that extra £500 for 60hp I think...

That £500 per year saving will keep my weekend car taxed and insured each year.

Edited by texasjohn on Saturday 15th December 09:41

[kippax]

Out of those choices i'd go for the 320d se it was my 2nd choice on my co. car list (dwindled down from hundreds!) I ended up going for the Lexus 220d as I got far more as standard & preferred the looks (although the economy isn't as good as the 320)

H

[Hard-Drive]

Good stuff guys...Texasjohn I also have the option of the A3 Quattro sport manual, but again if I go manual I will go for a BMW3 or 1.

Hmmmm, you're all starting to put me off the A3 a bit now...I did have a Bora PD150 Sport for a bit and fast as it was the power delivery was a bit "on/off" and it does not have the smoothness or the happiness to rev that my 320 does. Also, I can get my kicks as any RWD fan can in the BMW, yet in the Bora about the best thing you could do was to switch the ESP off and chuckle about how miserably the FWD coped with putting 150bhp down in the wet. It did also sound like a bloody tractor compared to the BMW...OK so the A3 chassis is a generation ahead but it has another 20bhp to deal with...

On reflection the Bora had every single option available, yet to drive it was absolutely nowhere near the BMW, which only has leather and the M suspension upgrade. Hmmmm...

How much better is the current 3 series compared to the old 3 then?

[texasjohn]

kippax said:

Out of those choices i'd go for the 320d se it was my 2nd choice on my co. car list (dwindled down from hundreds!) I ended up going for the Lexus 220d as I got far more as standard & preferred the looks (although the economy isn't as good as the 320)

H

Is the Lexus IS still RWD? I had a quick look at their website but it wasn't obvious anywhere in the specs...

Good alternative choice IMHO, our quality guy has the 220. The one thing with BMWs is everyone has them.

At my place it is mostly the 1 series or the Civic people choose. Mostly the civics though (My supposition is that the satnav and leather attracts the non petrolheads who probably dont know or care about the driven wheels).

[texasjohn]

Hard-Drive said:

Good stuff guys...Texasjohn I also have the option of the A3 Quattro sport manual, but again if I go manual I will go for a BMW3 or 1.

Hmmmm, you're all starting to put me off the A3 a bit now...I did have a Bora PD150 Sport for a bit and fast as it was the power delivery was a bit "on/off" and it does not have the smoothness or the happiness to rev that my 320 does. Also, I can get my kicks as any RWD fan can in the BMW, yet in the Bora about the best thing you could do was to switch the ESP off and chuckle about how miserably the FWD coped with putting 150bhp down in the wet. It did also sound like a bloody tractor compared to the BMW...OK so the A3 chassis is a generation ahead but it has another 20bhp to deal with...

On reflection the Bora had every single option available, yet to drive it was absolutely nowhere near the BMW, which only has leather and the M suspension upgrade. Hmmmm...

How much better is the current 3 series compared to the old 3 then?

Not sure as I have not driven the E90 (new 3). Colleague has the SE with no options and it is more than plush enough in there. He says it drives really really nicely and funnily enough he had the A4 06 plate pool car (diesel 140) before for about 2 months as he is new here. He says the 3 is tons better than the A4.

I have however owned a 330d SE old shape (04) and I went to that car straight from the Fabia vRS. Ok, one costs twice as much but that aside -

The BMW engines are much quieter, the PD system in the VAG diesel (and the PD130/150 before it) makes it noisy.
You of course have that same kick in the BMW as the turbo spools up but it is much smoother and pulls to the redline. I found the VAG diesels good but the polite way to describe it IMHO is a generation behind.

The only problem I found with the 6 cyl BMW diesel motor was that it begs to be driven hard all the time and can be a great risk to your licence!

I would imagine this new 177hp 2.0d BMW motor is not far off the performance of the older 200hp 3.0 I had, especially in the lighter 1 series.

Best advice is go test drive it!

Edit: IMHOthe 3 series will look good in white, but maybe only in the M Sport spec? The current SE wheels aren't that unsporty-looking though. Unsporty, lol, couldnt think of a better word.

Edited by texasjohn on Saturday 15th December 10:05

[kippax]

texasjohn said:

kippax said:

Out of those choices i'd go for the 320d se it was my 2nd choice on my co. car list (dwindled down from hundreds!) I ended up going for the Lexus 220d as I got far more as standard & preferred the looks (although the economy isn't as good as the 320)

H

Is the Lexus IS still RWD? I had a quick look at their website but it wasn't obvious anywhere in the specs...

Good alternative choice IMHO, our quality guy has the 220. The one thing with BMWs is everyone has them.

At my place it is mostly the 1 series or the Civic people choose. Mostly the civics though (My supposition is that the satnav and leather attracts the non petrolheads who probably dont know or care about the driven wheels).

Yes as with BMW's all Lexus' are rear wheel drive.

H

[flattotheboards]

if i were you i would go for the 120d unless you need the extra space of the 320d.