If The Keys For Both Of These Cars Were On The Table, Which Would You Pick Up?

I always found conversations like that on the BMW forum I used to frequent a lot. Lot of respect on both sides of the plate. This site is just full of a lot of angry people. Hate leads to the dark side.....

Here is how I see it:
The Audi has better seats and a better AWD system. The BMW has a better 6 cylinder engine because it is in the in-line configuration rather than an inherently-out-of-balance 90-degree V-configuration as is the case for Audi and also the C-class Mercedes.

One is likely to get a better deal on a new Audi and Audi maintenance is likely cheaper also. On life-cycle cost alone, Audi wins by a landslide. One can simply order the Audi with a V8 when that engine becomes available to escape the shame of driving around with an inherently-out-of-balance 90-degree V6.

kthor - this is the choice that i am stuck with and the insurance thing that you speak about isn't a fact. when i called my insurance company they gave me a quote of $7 more a month for the bmw. not much but over a life cycle it adds up.

This should please everyone.

1. I would Definitely choose the BMW 335i. The Audi sucks! AWD is great, IN THE SNOW. Unless there is a rally race in Alaska immidiately following this question, the Audi might as well be a snowmobile. The interior is basic, square, and ugly. There are too many buttons. The wheels look like the ones they put on the cars in "Back to the Future II". Not to mention the fact that I have driven this car. It drives JUST LIKE an old Cadillac Eldorado. (FYI, this car was FWD).

2. I would definitly choose the Audi. The BMW sucks! It is overpriced, Chris Bangle ruined the design, and it's rear-wheel drive! Jesus don't these morons at BMW know that RWD sucks in the snow?!?!?! Don't even get me started on the maligned i-drive system. I know three-year olds can figure it out lickety-split, BUT THREE-YEAR OLDS DON'T DRIVE!!! The Audi is smooth, better designed, and we all know AWD is superior to RWD. That's why those stupid M3s don't ever win any races!

What? What did you say? It is? Oh. Apparently the M3, even WITH it's RWD system, has been one of the most winning cars in racing history. Shit. I retract.

on this site its a free-for-all

If only between thoes 2, 335i & S5, i will take S5.

I agree. I would take the S5. But throw the M3 in the picture, and the M3 wins....

4 pipe look way better than 2 pipe :)

If they were solely the coupes I'd have to take the S5, if it was a 335i Convertible i'd go with that. But i would be ecstatic to have either. They are both very nice cars and it really comes down to a looks preference for me (the S5 barely edging out the 335i)

kthor: except in this case the S5 will have a much higher resale value than the 335 because of availibility. It is currently in the top 10 resale in the States at this time.
If you opt for the Audi care program, the S5 will not cost that much more than a 335 in ownership.

I choose cars purely on how pretty they are so Audi all the way!!! When I feel like having a great driving experience and appreciating excellent design and engineering I would choose the BMW all the way!!!!

S5 is in another league....waaaaay better looking.

I'd take the 335i without the tacky rear bodykit and trunk spoiler. Keep it simple and clean in my book.

The white, modified BMW screams Long Island and his "Freeport BMW" license plate backs that up.

335i, no question.

S5 no question (bet ya didn't see that coming)

The 335I......M3 would be a better comparison with the S5 though

no it wouldn't. the 335 and the S5 both have 300+hp. if we are going to talk about 400+hp then you've got to talk M3 and RS4.

or S5 Evo, if it comes over here

335i but the s5 looks much better but handleing not so much...throw in 100 bucks id go witht he s5

While the A5 is prettier and has a better interior, The BMW wins on so many levels overall performance, fuel economy and for me a real sunroof.

S5, because of the looks, and I think that every other person around my area has a 3er.

But its not like an easy decision.

The M3 should be used in comparison to the S5. Both are around $55-$58 thousand. Both are nice cars, the 335i and S5, but for the money I'll take the M3.

I think you'll find it very difficult to find an M3 for under 60K...

Audi's are nice looking from afar but upon closer inspection the parts are strait from the VW bin. S5 is a looker for sure but I would take the 3.

Care to give some examples? Especially on the B8 platform.....headlight switch I'll give you but otherwise fail.

e36er

please refrain to carry out your ignorance and bias. The A5 has nothing to do with a VW, from far and from close. Even if VW owns Audi since 1965 and there was a time were that was the case, this is no longer. However Audi does recycle a lot of stuff through VW and VW does use there prerogative of ownership to acquire Audi technologies, but then so does Porsche more recently.
If it was not for Audi, Lamborghini will be dead and if it was not for VW so would be Bentley.

Gimme the Audi.

I'd take a 4-door version of either instead. I just don't understand coupes.

If it was truly based on these 2 cars, the Audi would be the car of choice for me. I like the color combination better, and at least for the time being the S5 is the rarer of the 2 choices.

-00J

OH God here we go again...

here we go again.....this poster is really on this whole Audi and BMW kick...i dont get but oh well....I would rather have the 335i...it is the best performer...it doesnt get 14 mpg, and i like its interior better

Both are beautiful and kick ass.

However, I would take the Audi (especially in black).

S5 !!! that the best looking sport sedan ever. ZOMG so good.

you meant sports coupe right?

I.....don't know.

Bimmer...

In 10 years, are you going to be sitting around saying, "I really wish I had gone with the Audi...?"

I hate the BMW coupes now.
The sedan is better lookig
I'll take a 335ix that looks like the S5, please.
DrFill

It would be a 335xi

There's way too many BMW's on the road already.

S5.

S5 HANDS DOWN!

S5 all the way!!

WOW! it's such a tough decision. I've test driven both at the dealerships and their both amazing to drive. 335i's more nimble and light whereas the S5 is a typical Audi-heavy but safe car with some punch.

I'm all about the interior so for that I would have to pick the S5. The only way a 3 series interior doesn't look boring is with the navigation/-idrive screen in place.

Both are great car, but I'll take S5 this time.

Between those 2, I would take the S5!

Can I have both? :)

The Lexus

Great Pictures. I like the clean lines of the Audi, I love Quattro, even in Florida, with the amount of rain we get, Quattro has its uses. The Audi ouzes class.

If the choice were based strictly on looks, the S5 would win hands down. I'm not saying that the 335i is ugly - far from it - but the S5 is so much sleeker and sexier. In terms of performance the two cars are pretty much evenly matched, but the 335i would be a little more "fun" on a racetrack. The BMW is slightly cheaper, gets better gas mileage, and has a slightly roomier back seat.

However, as I am too tall to fit in either car, all of these points are moot. I can barely fit in the 335i sedan, but only if I don't get the narrow sport seats which are part of the Sport Package.

I have been considering the BMW 535i sedan with the Sports Package. The seats are wider than in the smaller car, the 535i is only about 100 pounds heavier than the 335i, and the bigger car handles beautifully. Unfortunately, the 535i lists for $67,000 equipped the way I want it.

It seems the Big Guy Upstairs doesn't want me to buy an BMW! Oh well, I guess I'll have to choose between the 2009 Audi A4 3.0 TDI (available in January 2009), the 2010 Audi S4 (available in July-September 2009), or the 2009 Cadillac CTS.

In terms of driving I take the 335i *only car in its class with a real handbreak*
In terms of style i would take the S5.
I like to drive 335i is the winner for me.

If only there was a way to have the 335i's handling capabilities and Engine in the S5, now THAT would be the best car ever made.

S5 for me, the 335i just doesn't look right to me. The E46 was a much more classic car.

S5 - rarer, looks better, better interior, plus it has a great sounding V8.

I with you on that one, + quattro. Not that the 3 doesnt look hot...

Neither---sorry

Then what would you suggest. An Infiniti G37?

Yep

Then you would have the last place car. Enjoy.

I'll be honest here, both of them are very nice looking. The Audi looks much more elegant and upmarket. On the other hand, the BMW looks more sporty and I love the Aero-kit installed on this one. But I wouldnt take it in white as it makes it look more plain compared to the black S5. I'll make that a draw between the two. It depends on personal preference.

In performance, I think the Audi is faster in a straightline because of the V8, without underestimating the amazing TT I6 in the 335i. But when it comes to corners, the Audi feels heavy, while the BMW runs like a champ. So the BMW wins this one.

Interior... Tough choice. The Audi uses higher quality materials, but looks very fussy. The BMW's interior looks cleaner, and sportier. So some will choose the more luxury interior in the Audi, some will go for the sportier interior in the BMW. So thats a draw.

Price and Fuel economy... the BMW wins by a fair margin, considering it's fully loaded with the Aero-kit.

So based on this, I would take the BMW 335i but not in white though. I prefer the sportier feel of the BMW. But I would never regret taking an S5 though.

This is why I love cars!

Excellent. Next well have a post to see how many of you can afford either of these machines.

Audi S5 - both great cars - love the styling better - greater exclusivity - history of quattro awd

Neither of these would be my choice for a fast luxury motor.

I'll take the Audi. It's probably not everybody's 1st choice so there's a good chance my neighbor won't have one too. And once I saw the commercial with those slick LEDs in the headlights coming at me I was sold...

I would take the Audi S5. Interior has good layout and like V8 over twin-turbo. Plus S5 will "age" better. In three years it will still look good.

For me the 335 hands down, I love the straight six engine, and looks great in person.

They are both great cars. I would take the S5, though. If it were S5 vs M3, I would take the M3.

I really like both but I would take the audi because theres to many of the BMW and the S5 is more unique.

If anyone is wondering the score currently sits at:

335i - 13 votes

S5 - 27 votes, 28 including mine

perfect article for me because i am going through the same choice as we speak. imo money not being a factor s5 but u cant lease them for under 1g a month and being 6k more then the 335 with no better performance is a tough choice. As of today im going S5 just because you dont see 100 of them and the interior. finally stop the s5 doesnt compete with the m3 and that wasnt the question or it would be rs5 vs m3.

I had the same problem couple months ago but went with the 335xi coupe because the S5 moon roof doesn't open. AWD, better acceleration, more aftermarket mods available, it was still a hard choice but the 335xi did it for me.

I would take the 335, the way it drives is just to good to pass up. I don't buy a car to have the most presence or to be the most stylish, even though the 335 is a looker to. The 335 does more with less, I appreciate engineering beauty....in my opinion.

Ill take the keys to the BMW

place holder

S5 without question, besides the sexiness of it, the 335's are out in force on the highways. S5 's seems more exclusive, have only seen 2 since they came out, both times my jaw dropped.

Give me the keys to the Bimmer if I'm going to the track or driving a twisty mountain road, otherwise...I'd take the S5's V8 acceleration & sleeker yet bolder sheet metal any day.

s5's acceleration is actually not much faster than 335i's.
i really like the s5's look, and that LED light.
but to drive everyday, i really think the S5's backseats are way tooooo small.

i don't know about you but i like to drive in the front seat. it just seems easier. all jokes aside though, if i'm buying a coupe it's not going to be for people to get in the back seats. as a matter of fact, that would be the my reason of buying a coupe, so that no one gets in the car besides me and one passanger.

in my opinion, coupes are supposed to be the pleasure driven car not the everyday driver. backseats = useless (in a coupe).

i agree thats why I would mind the 335i but prefer an M3

love the looks of the 3 series coupe, so 335 for me.

S5 no question.

Better exterior, better interior, better sound.

S5 EVO>335tii>S5>335

This whole debate smacks of Ford vs Chevy. The relative merits of either are generally ignored because of a badge. With the the whole "I am neutral" thing out of the way, I would distract with a cleverly executed "Hey is that Dick Cheney with a shotgun"? Grab both sets of keys and run like hell. ;)

S5...so beautiful!

the BM but love the S5.

Audi S5 for exclusitivity, head-turning style, cream your pants interior, and rumbling V8.

Both cars are exceptionally better than their competition.

henbmw, how sad. You're not able to answer the simple question, do that first then make such a claim.

Ok, designer, the S5.

S5 and I would be smiling the whole time.

Definitely the S5.

009 questions like these you have to have a survey to know which car is getting more votes.

me, i'm taking to the keys to the bmw. i know it's going to be good. the audi looks good but kind of copies the bmw style, except the front and i am thinking i could be driving a reworked passat coupe.

olscuul

are you trying to emulate Michaeltaylor by spewing statements based on ignorance versus facts.

IT IS TIME THAT PEOPLE STOP SAYING THAT AUDI ARE REBADGED OR REWORKED VW'S. IT MAY BE THE CASE FOR THE A3 BUT IT STOPS HERE. BTW, ANYBODY HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE BENTLEY GT AND SPUR BEING BASED ON A PHAETON?

Sorry for the CAP but people like olscuul really get on my nerves.

Definitely the S5

wait.
are we being given the cars, or are we stealing them?