Audi A4

[Frankma]

Of the 3 cars listed, only 1 can be modded easily to 190Bhp and that car's technology has been know to very fuel-conservative.

 

Ultimately, all factors (including financial costs) must be considered before buying ...

[Wt_know]

I6 or V6 anytime ....

 

IS250 dislikes (personal opinion only)

 

1. Limited headroom for front seat

2. Limited legroom for rear seat

 

  Quote

or if you are looking at 1.8 A4, what about the c180?

 

C180 vs 1.8A4 vs IS250. All below 140k. But only the IS250 with a V6!

Edited April 21, 2008 by Wt_know

[Viceroymenthol]

what about 320i?

 

320i vs C180K vs 1.8T vs IS250 because all below $140k, right?

 

Based on this criteria, the following facts:

 

All are RWD except for A4

 

Only 320i and IS 250 have NA engines

 

Only IS 250 has 6 cylinders

 

 

Personal opinion and experience:

 

C180K and 1.8T have the most boost in acceleration, especially mid range

 

320i and IS250 have the smoothest engines

 

1.8T can be chipped up and other mods done easily to increase bhp

 

320i and IS 250 have the best handling, C180k a very surprising close second (the new chassis is good lah), A4 1.8T has the worst. Of course if you buy the Quattro then it is a different story, and also different price range already.

 

IS 250 have legendary Lexus reliability and 'perfect' engineering - this may result in car feeling 'too perfect', not enough character and quirks, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Some Euro carmmakers equate quirks and unreliability to 'character', which i think is wrong as there is no excuse for a bad car.

 

Bang for the buck (value for money): Lexus IS 250.

 

If i had only $140k to spare and prestige is not an issue, I would buy the Lexus IS 250.

 

If prestige is an issue, I would get the Merc C180K or A4 1.8T. The supercharger in C180K can be modified too, and some other mods done to increase power, although not as much as A4 (pity about A4's FWD).

 

If prestige is an issue I would not choose 320i because that is currently the lowest base model of BMW (barring the 1-series, which is not 'officially' in by AD yet), and I belong to the camp that says a BMW with a small 4 cylinder engine is just bullsh*t. You will get many other BMW owners laughing at you and saying insulting things.

Edited April 21, 2008 by Viceroymenthol

[Shinichi21]

the new Audi A4 now cost 139k for the 1st 100 cars.

 

after that no more liao, the batch after that price at 149k. but will include the

xenon light with 14 led daytime running light and S line bodykit and bigger rims.

 

cant order the basic 139k anymore.

 

anyone think its worth it to get A4 at 149 k???

[Shinichi21]

  Quote

Front - TT-ish with R8 running day lights.

rear - hint of E92 3 coupe.

Side profile - look like the old Rover 75

 

gotta see the interior for further judgement. but basis photos from Geneva Auto Salon, it lacked imagination and look like a B7 A4. If only they also use some TT/R8 interior bits.

 

[Edison]

Forget about the 139K basic model, noone will want tat, it looks horribly ugly with those smallish 16 inch, see the car , u know what i mean. Its just a joke, so the car is effectively priced at $149K.

 

How to compare A4 and IS 250?? almost $25K diff leh! A4 seems to have moved to a diff league already....if both same price, definitely get A4 (but only with the kit and bigger rims).

[Edison]

Btw, the pre FL A6s are been cleared at $155K..but not sure if still available. Now that is a tough decision, A4 or A6 ???

[Miles]

i think PA made a mistake underestimated the market and ordered the basic A4, but most customers want higher spec cars,... so now they are trying to get rid of their stock and introduce a higher spec car for higher price.

 

but i could be wrong.

 

$149k worth it or not depends on what is the OMV.

[Edison]

PA really are suckers, their profit margin, think the reason why they bring in the 139k version is pure marketing strategy, trying to make us think that they are keeping prices low for us...the OMV for the $149K version is below $40K!! total turnoff man when i heard that....

[Shinichi21]

its true that the 139 is ugly lol. especially without the lights. anyway, there wont be the 139 anymore. coz thats only the 1st 100 cars. after that, all will be the 149k version.

 

anyway, the A5 also tempting, A4 at 150k and A5 at 170k..... the price not that far difference.....but then again if we keep adding bit by bit, there will be no end lol, coz many cars all are priced closely.

 

if anyone read the last month autocar if i not wrong, they test 8 cars of small executive sedan.

no 1 is bmw, 2 is merc, 3 is mondeo, 4 is audi, 5 is alfa i think. the IS come in 7th place.

i forgot about the no 6 n 8

[Edison]

Yah, read that issue, but i thiknk that comparison is not relevant to us because their cars are or diff specs and prices. I think in singapore no way the 320 to beat IS250 in terms of ranking of best compact executive if presitge doesnt come into consideration here. Personally i will have a tough time choosing the C230, 325i and A4 2.0T with DSG gearbox....its a pity lexus has no representative in this segment. no IS350 in sg :

[Shinichi21]

i think the is250 is still the best value for money car.

but in that review, the guy said that its noisy which he dislike, coz usually

lexus built a car that is almost "sound proof" from outside noise.

and the worst about the car is just the lack of room.

 

and until now i still dont know why bmw always top the ranking. im no racing driver, and i

dont think ill be able to notice that much difference in driving between all those cars.

[Miles]

forget about the C230. look at the specs, its only 0.1 sec faster than the C200 and has 5Nm less torque. Consumes more fuel too. The only + for C230 is the V6 engine and 7Gtronic autobox. Go for the C280 or stick to C200.

 

Anyway, for value perspective, BMW has the best price/OMV ratio. Audi, SAAB, Merc and Volvos... the AD try to make too much. Lexus is decent and a true good alternative to the bimmer.

 

DSG, dont crave too much for the gearbox for now... its still very new and very costly to replace or maintain when something goes wrong. wait for the dual clutch technology to mature a little more. Soon, dual clutch will be replacing conventional torque converter autobox in the mainstream. BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Ford and GM are all developing theirs with Gertrag.

Nissan already have theirs on the GT-R. and Mitsubishi their SST on new EVO X and Outlander.

[Miles]

the test conducted by autocar was all on diesel engine cars.

the engine used by IS220D was their 2.2l Diesel found in European Toyota Avenis. So, its not a typical Lexus quiet engine.

Whereas BMW has excelled in their latest common rail diesel engine. Refine and powerful. The 320d from the test is a newly revised engine and has the most power, and torque that could match a 330i.

So, you'd have guessed why BMW came away tops.

 

In terms of chassis and steering, you WILL feel the difference if you drive all the cars back to back. Steering feel is best on the 3, but i feel that the C class steering is more accurate, but a tad to light.

[Patience]

hi, i'd like to ask why isn't is250 campared against bmw323, c230 etc? instead you guys tend to compare it to c180/200, bmw320 etc. shldn't we compare based on cc?

[Edison]

because they r priced differently...323 and c230 cost at least $25K more. Of cause price is no issue, i will prob go for C230, follow by 323 , then IS

[Patience]

oic.

 

price is the main factor for comparisons.

 

so when buying cars, we shld compare their price first then their CCs cuz road tax is only paid once a yr. thus rd tax is only a small issue. am i right to say this?

[Eyke]

  Quote

anyone think its worth it to get A4 at 149 k???

 

149K is siao, given that it's a CVT, FWD, and Audi's crappy resale value.

 

C200 is a better deal at 154K.