MassDebate Audi vs BMW vs Mercedes

S

Stark

Veteran
I have always thought the following

Audi's did the best interior and lifestyle product

BMW made the best drivers cars

Mercedes made the best styled cars and perhaps produced a higher end product


Now here is where we discuss this...when are BMW going to start looking at their designs again, perhaps Chris Bangle side of product again, I just think the products are a bit dull right now. Whereas I do think Merc are getting it much better if the lifestyle market and not bad cars to drive either but not as good as BMW.

Audi, well I wouldn't waste my money apart from the Q3/Q5/Q7 area......
 
I think BM's look better than they ever have and I have just ordered an Merc C Class 220 AMG Line Estate as my daily driver for the next three years. I was walking around a dealer yesterday and they do have some stunning looking cars now.

Audis, although a great reliable car, look so boring IMO.

H.
 
Well i agree with your first post to some degree Nick.

This time last year i had my Z4 and the wife had her slk (2012 200k)

Her interior and overall build was 100 times better (than even the e89) and it felt luxurious on the inside. Drove like s**t though... And was more a GT.

Now i have my Audi... The interior isnt as nice as the merc, but better than the BMW. The drive isnt as good as the bmw (uninvolving and just gets me to and from work) but better than the merc.

So interior quality:
Merc > Audi > BMW

Drive quality
BMW > Audi > Merc

Style is subjective... I dint like much in the BMW range at the moment apart from the Z4 and the X5... And style wise i would rather have an A3 or A4 than a 1 series or 3 series.

So audi is a good middle ground.

The one you have missed here is Jag.... I recently drove the XE and the F type....

If I was in the market for a car now i would be one of those.... Fantastic interior and in the f type styling and drive to match.
 
As above, looks are subjective. I think the rear of the new c class looks shite. It's too curvy/rounded.

A4 and 3 series both good looking cars, and yes they both look the same as they did 15 years ago. As they are still badged the same ie A4, 3 series then it's inevitable.
 
30 years ago you would buy a Mercedes for the quality, today the quality is way, way down below many mainstream cars.

I would not even look at a Merc now.
 
i had a merc c220cdi as a courtesy car earlier this year, wow bag of shite!

it felt like a fiat inside, the cheap nasty ipodesque nav screen & the poor 7 speed auto box felt jerky, engine was noisy, terrible car.


Audi's defo have a superior interior to bmws - the new F series aren't exactly very inspiring.
 
I think it really depends on what you want from a car, I perceive that Audi have better interiors than than the other two, that said the C class interior is very very well designed which gives an impression of quality, but the feel of an Audi interior is better. Driving dynamics, I think BMW still lead here but comfort probably not, that goes to Mercedes (unless we include Jaguar).

Though for me, I feel that BMW offers the best package at the moment, I believe I get good value for money, pretty good quality and excellent mechanical's. Audi, yes I like the looks, but I feel that they are miserly with their standard equipment, you have to spend a lot more to get the same as BMW or Mercedes which makes them expensive. Mercedes, not again, reasonable to buy new, they just screw you once you've got the car home.
 
I think Merc interior quality is very good now, funny how we differently perceive quality in our cars.

I think all Jags are crap and wouldn't consider them in the same field. But that's just the name association. Even if Vauxhall came out with a stunning car, I still wouldn't buy one
 
I had the same impression about jag before... Get in one and see think you'll br surprised Nick.

Current merc c class... Not a fan of at all... Thin light doors... Crap plastic, and crap screen stuck in front.

Guess the new E out next yr will be much the same as the A class is the same.

Nicest interior i have seen Lately is the mk3 TT.... Very driver orientated... Crap for a passenger though.
 
When i first got into german cars the range & ethos was simple , get in on the lower model then aspire to the next up in engine size then up in model size
Now all 3 makers have stretched their range to offer something for everyone its made it dificult to see where to go in the range & therefore there isn't the same brand following ,loyalty or aspiration ?
Many of us will switch from 1 maker to the other on a whim so without planning for it the big players in Germany have dissolved a buyers brand loyalty
Many forum members have been in & out of all the big names which kinda shows they all have something wrong in their strategy ?
interesting that the 3 Audis you would consider Stark are the 3 i would least want as 1 is ridiculously big for any street or car park & the other 2 are styled like moon buggys that could work forwards or backwards ?
When i see any of the current crop of Mercedes i see what could have been a good looking car that unfortunately appears over styled with bling better suited to a Turkish market .
They also appear to suffer horrific depreciation across the range which was never the case with MBs ?
The CLS shooting brake will surely be a used car bargain when it hits £15k which won't be very long as i watch them fall almost weekly
Audis do appear understyled by comparison ( if you ignore the running lights ) so possibly perceived as dull ? They have also managed a advertising / image masterstroke by coming from behind in the race & now have no qualms offering their like for like cars for more money than their rivals .
Quite a achievement when we all know the cars are VWs with different grills
I have no experience of driving newer Mercs so can't comment but have to agree the BMWs ive had do drive better than VAG cars ( the RWD against FWD perhaps ? )
I have a small list of cars id like to own for no other reason than id like to try them out & they appeal to me & this list involves all German car makers , as you will notice it has no brand loyalty whatsoever & are a total mixture of purpose depending on whether its weekender of family motor
Scirocco X5 57 /2012
CLS (estate version ) M3 V8
E89 530d GT
Cayman Boxster 981
Boxster 981 911 997
E Class coupe
& id have any Golf GTi from MK6 onwards
 
Mercedes all the way for me.Have sampled all three makes,and BMW come last as they have always caused me trouble,mainly small niggles,but i don't want to spend my time in BMW showrooms.Audi has always been reliable,my last two A6s were good but boring.Servicing was expensive and over 3 years they worked out much more expensive than BMW or Mercedes,with BMW being the cheapest to maintain.As for residual values,and Im only going on part exchange prices,I think they are much of a muchness.None of them compare with the quality,service provision,and overall excellence of the Porsche Cayenne we have.A German company in a completely different league.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom