wayne wrote:
> If BMW is a sporty luxury German brand and Mercedes is a luxury but more
> conservative older businessmans car, then you have Volvo,(boring but less so
> now) Saab (individual, almost eccentric but less so now post GM) and Alfa
> (sporty, fun and daring), where does Audi fit in exactly? What im trying to
> find out is what is the image of Audis' cars and what type of poeple buy
> them?
>
> Ive owned Beemers and now thinking of buying a new A4 and have been thinking
> about this stuff.

I'm a BMW M3 owner myself but I considered an A4 back in 1997 and will
again when I replace my car. Audi is known for all-wheel drive and they
tend to market to the "I want the car with everything" type. The
downside at least with the A4 has and still is with the
transmission/engine matching. While it's improved over the years, the
A4 still slow off the line. Check out the owner reviews on Edmunds to
verify. I think the main difference between BMW and Audi is that BMWs
lean more towards overall performance and Audi leans more toward overall
luxury. Audi models also cost slightly less than similar BMW ones. So
perhaps, Audi is a happy middle ground between BMW and Mercedes.

 

Robert La Ferla wrote:

> So
> perhaps, Audi is a happy middle ground between BMW and Mercedes.

That's how I see it, and I'd say that's a very happy place to be. Let's
face it, at least in this part of the world (Long Island NY USA), most
Bimmer owners don't use 10% of their car's capabilities. Meanwhile, MBs
are *too* cushy IMO, and too expensive to own. Audi fits right in the
middle - more than sporty enough, while still very comfy, rock-solid,
and not too terribly expensive (unless you *must* have an A.

--
Mike Smith