I've driven some pretty soft BMWs. Really, the M series and AMGs are a match for each other, but the base levels are not. Personally, I think that the dynamics of a base level S class are more sporty than a base level 7 series, but the opposite for the E vs 5 and the C vs 3. I don't think it matters too much anyway...unless you live in the countryside, traffic is so bad these days that sportyness is just an image.
yeah, that's what I was trying to say. I've only been driving in a 7 series, so can't comment on the comparison to the S class. true, but even people who live in the city often drive in the countryside. I lived for many years of my life in cities in or close to mountainous areas, and there it really does matter. sometimes even a lot. traffic allows free driving, and I remember a few years ago I drove a rental car (don't remember the make, I think it was some Asian car), which had a horribly soft suspension, in the Pyrenees, close to Barcelona. I was more or less fine since I was behind the wheel, but the poor souls who had to sit in the back got properly sick. on European mountain roads it certainly does matter. on the other side, a friend of mine was driving a Merc C class through London, and he would accelerate onto speed-bumps, would do nothing for either car or comfort. it seems speed-bumps are just for the poor not sure you can do that with a standard 3 series. that rental car I mentioned earlier reminds me, why do rental cars tend to have such horribly soft suspensions? I had the same thing a few times. the only time I got a proper car for a reasonable price was with Avis in Germany. they gave me an Audi A3 sports for around €300/week, now that was fun to drive! but other than that, you either pay yourself silly, or you get some rubbish.
I think its probably in the rental company's best interest to make their cars as boring as possible. Rentals are incredibly abused as it is. But if you ever take a trip to LA, there are certainly a few rental companies that will let you get a nice exotic for a pretty price.
can you get an RS4 over there? they seem to be impossible to rent in Europe. even if I could afford one, I probably wouldn't buy one, but would love to have a spin in it.
Probably not here, because they don't sell it here. But you can get a Bugatti Veyron! There are a few exotic rental companies in the UK: http://www.emguk.com/hire.php?car=1 http://www.platinumcarz.co.uk/ It looks like both of them have RS4s.
The A3 is awesome. I've driven both an A3 and A4 and I actually prefer the A3 to the A4 but I don't have a problem with small autos.
I think Audi stopped production of the RS4 back in 2008. A friend of mine in Florida has one and he loves his.
cool, thanks! the first link has the RS4 cabriolet, I've seen them in other places, but a cabriolet is kind of missing the point of that car, would have to be a hardtop. the second link has a hardtop, so once I have a spare grand I might take it for a weekend up to Scotland.. just out of interest, how much is that Veyron? (including deposit please )
the A3 is really a great car. but when it comes to the cabriolets, the A4 is far cooler than the A3 cabriolet. in fact the A4 cabriolet is one of the coolest cars around. so much class..
Honestly, I was never sold on the idea of the A3 cabriolet. For some reason, it just doesn't seem right. Supposedly, Audi is coming out w/ an R8 cabriolet as well. Unless, it is a hard top, I'm not sure how I feel about it..Not as if I will be buying one anytime soon..but still.. The A4 in general is one of the finest automobiles ever designed. I loved the way the B6 model's interior lit up at night--almost like being in the cockpit of an airplane.
I don't know...I looked it up once, and it seems to be one of those "If you have to ask, we wont tell you" type of prices.
last time I checked, it ran for a cool million. From what I've been told, an oil change for that thing is 20K+...
well, the A4 hardtop looks a bit boring I have to say, but the cabriolet is fantastic. as for the A3 cabriolet, it seems some car designers just don't get that simply cutting the roof off doesn't make a great looking cabriolet. the A3 hardtop looks quite cool, but the cabriolet just doesn't work. BMW made the same mistake with the Mini. with the A4 they actually bothered to design the cabriolet for it's purpose, and it shows.
that would be to buy though, not to rent. funny thing is, production costs (including development) are said to be around £5 million per car. don't know whether they decided to build more of them than originally planned, then of course that cost would go down.
If you're going to go through the "trouble" to rent a Veyron, you might as well buy it. According to wiki, only 200 of them were produced up until last year. The Grand Sport, the targa top version, went into production this spring. Supposedly, the that thing can hit 408km/h when the roof is up.
I think Mercedes is better than BMW. What I know, Mercedes is more solid and has more reliable engine even though both companies get outsourced their engines VQ and V6.
It's not that horrible, I mean it can't be any worse than a TT. If you want to see a truly gorgeous sixer look back to this. I've got a clear bias towards BMW as my old man has been obsessed with bimmers since we moved here. My first car was an 1982 320i and my high school graduation was an M6 like the above only an 86. The one difference was that mine had BBS hugs instead of the roundel. Amazing car unfortunately I sold it five years ago when I got divorced. The M88 platform inside and out is one of the finest cars made. Another addition to the BMW family is it's relationship with the tuner Dinan. Dinan are the only tuner who's work is covered under warranty by BMW plus you can purchase the upgrades via the dealership.
How is Dinan overrated and to which tuners are you comparing them? Is it engine performance, suspension, braking, body kits........no beef with your opinion but I am curious as to why you feel that way. As far Dinan being overpriced, they aren't cheap but if I'm buying a new or certified pre-owned bimmer I'd gladly pay a bit more just for the piece of mind that it won't void my warranty. You could pay an additional $2500k for upgrades or you can pay considerably more for a trashed M engine? What's really more cost effective?
Dinan being overrated and over priced is a well known fact and common sentiment shared amoung bimmer entusistas, including myslef. Here is a pic of my car Yes, its warranty approved but the premium you pay for such little performance gains (if any) do not justify the cost. Dinan was popular 10 years ago when there wasn't much competition. Back then dinan meant something and people cared about stacking up dinan points to get that dinan badge. Now there are companies who can do more for less. ie, Gruppe M, eisenman, Moton, Brembo. These guys also supply parts for high end cars Porsche and Aston Martin.
First of all very nice car, I'd love to see some more photos from different angles. I'm a bimmer enthusiast as well and have been to numerous Oktoberfests and Shark Fests and while some don't prefer Dinan they also don't claim it to be overrated. Where Dinan differs from the groups you listed is that they offer a broader range of products. Those groups you listed are more specialists in certain areas i.e. brakes, exhaust....nothing wrong with that just a matter of taste I guess. As for questionable performance gains, my 86 M6 wasn't badged but with what Dinan work i did get done increased my HP a good 55 points and the torque from 251 ft. lbs to 315 which was very noticeable on an already quick car. My father on the other hand has a badged E39 M5 and I don't think anyone would ever complain about his power gains over stock performance. Granted as you alluded to it did cost a lot of money but I'd say worth it. I get to drive it twice a year and jeebus that thing is insane. Here's an actual picture of my old car taken somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway along Skyline Drive. One of the best road trips ever.
I will surely go for BMW due to the engineering-high standards. I am not underestimating the standards of Benz. It's a personal preference