Well, I disagree, in 2000 TL the fake wood looks way too fake. Its very obvious that its plastic.

With that being said, some real wood trims can look pretty bad as well, this can be said about first gen Lexus LS/ES, older MBs and Jags. Right now I have to say the best wood trims (whether real or not) are done by Lexus and Jag.

 

Some of the wood in the LS actually makes it appear a little overdone, tacky almost.

 

I personally love the LS430 and SC430, they have the best Lexus interiors ever. I dont find that wood trim tacky at all, in fact I think its quite stunning, especially in SC430.

 

if you think 230hp with "regular" options (leather, xenon, nav) for 40k is a ripoff (which it is) then the a4 2.0 is complete highway robbery. im surprised the a4 beat out the TL, especially considering both are brand new. the TL may be ugly, but the kit you get with it completely destroys what the a4 offers for the price.

 

Where in the world are you getting your info?

Go to AudiUSA.com and price out an A4

I just did... FWD 2.0t with automatic and premium plus package which includes xenon lights, leather, sunroof, heated seats, ipod interface, among many other upgrades but not including nav.

35 grand

Equipping a 328i as closely as possible I went over 40 without nav.

And yet your numbers are suggesting that an A4 equipped like a 40k dollar 328i would run even more than 40? You need to spell out that configuration for me because I don't think it exists. The A4 has always presented better overall value IMO... especially once fuel economy is considered.

 

I just read the article. The BMW won by a scant 2 points over the G so it was hair-thin close. It was funny that in the summary the editors even admitted that they were "drunk on the Bimmer Kool-Aid".

 

A4 have always been a better buy, that BMW badge cost 6 to 7 thousand dollars and you also get one of the most boring interior in the business. Performance wise, the two are pretty close, with the 3 series coming out on top, but for $7000 less, I would take the 4 interlocking ring logo.

 

uh if i configure an a4 2.0quattro with premium plus and nav it comes out to 39k which is about the same as a 328i with similar options. yet you get more hp with the bmw and free maintenance. how is audi the value buy? and why bother comparing the fwd version if its not even in the comparo?

 

The Bimmers are that good. Those who have never driven one should get behind the wheel of one. Well, there are always the copies for the miser at heart.. Vroom vroom


I do love the Infiniti drop top though.. Such a beautiful machine.. The hard top on that car was done by one of the best companies in that dept. Karmann The coupe version is no BMW when it comes to the drive.

 

actually i would say the 135i drives better than the 335i. the 335i is pretty soft.

 

I'll take the 6 pot brakes from the 1 series any day.. I love the little booger.. As far as the 335 driving "soft" (funny) how does it compare to say....the IS350?..

 

The TL "used" to be the best value/bargain around. Lots of kit for a lower price. The price has risen where its now IMO overpriced or no longer a bargain. 40-45k for a TL, you got to be kidding me. That is now the G37, the best value/bargain around. Not sure what the TL offers over the competition? What does it lead this class in? Nothing. It also has the oldest tranny/engine around, 2 of the most VITAL parts of a car. I don't want to hear nice interior or well built because ALL THE CARS in this class have that.
Yeah but its FWD, not AWD like the TL. I would only consider a AWD A4, my FWD days are over unless its a Prius or Mini.

The funny thing is I believe the A4 is nearly or as quick as the TL with 100 more hp.

Any links? 2 point is basically a tie in my book.

 

I didn't see the cars they used in the article.

I just priced out an A4 2.0t AWD 6-speed manual with premium plus and navigation. $38,350

Now for the BMW 328i xDrive. Well hell it already starts at $36,425... that's just under the A4 and we haven't added a single option. In order to match the options of the Premium Plus A4 I needed to add:
-Cold weather package
-Premium Plus package
-Xenon lights
-Navigation
-Ipod/USB adapter
Total price? $44,770

Seriously dude... thats over 6 grand in Audi's favor. How in the world did you come up with the 328i actually costing LESS than the A4 unless you just made it up? To me it seems like you're just talking without any idea what you're talking about... put a little more effort into researching this stuff if you're going to try to make outlandish claims.

 

At these low power output levels AWD will do almost nothing but slow you down if you're not dealing with snow, which you're probably not in Atlanta. In general the FWD Audi A4 is faster than the AWD Audi A4.. same with the 328i RWD vs AWD. Only thing I can see it helping with in your area is a little more confidence in turns when driving in the rain.

My 06 2.0t FWD A4 w/ 6-speed MT would run right along side my friend's 05 TL automatic both from a light, on the highway, and even when we went to the 1/4-mile track with them. Of course I'm sure he'd have had the edge if he had a manual trans, though.

 

Threxx, why haven't you talked to APR or GIAC? Your friends TL won't stand any chance after that.