ChinaBob
Well-known member
Now that the buybacks have started TDI owners are looking in earnest for alternative transportation. Judging by what I see in the forums, many have already bought but most are still considering. If you want to stay with a diesel sedan or wagon, the pickings are mighty slim, and even more so now that M-B has dropped their only diesel sedan for 2017. Except for the new, and unproven, Jag XE 2.0 diesel and the anticipated Chevy Cruze, there’s only the BMW 328d in sedan or wagon form. Actually, it’s not such a bad choice to have. I got mine in August and now have enough miles, about 12,000, to feel confident in comparing it to my A3 TDI.
The cars: My 2015 Audi A3 TDI is a Premium Plus with the Convenience Package, MMI Navigation Plus and Drive Assistance. The 2016 328d is an xDrive (AWD) with Premium, Cold Weather, Driver’s Assistance, and Luxury Packages plus standalone Navigation System. If I had it to do over again, I’d get the Technology Package, which includes the navigation and adds the Heads Up Display, a very worthwhile addition I only first saw after I got the car. C'est la vie.
I really like the A3, enough to put over 80,000 miles on it in less than two years. It’s been an excellent car mechanically, the only problem being a frustratingly intermittent glitch in the navigation, replaced under warranty. My main design complaint is the lack of visibility out of the rear quarters. I consider the blind spot monitors a necessity, and even then I am extra wary about what’s coming up beside and behind me. The Bimmer, being more upright with thinner window pillars, has no such problem. You can get it with blind spot monitors but I don’t think they are really necessary.
While I like the Audi, I love the BMW. It’s so much more car in almost every way: acceleration, handling, quietness, road manners, etc. It just goes about its business with ready aplomb, all while getting about the same fuel economy in a package the size of a Jetta. Sure, it lists for 10 grand more so it should be better, but still its refinement puts it in a different league entirely. And, thanks to BMW’s aggressive leasing programs, CPOs are plentiful and reasonably priced.
Now for the caveats. (I did say the BMW is better in “almost” every way.) The first is driver’s seat comfort. A small but significant number of 328 owners have a problem with it, including yours truly. I spent a lot of time and effort trying various cushions, bolsters and wedges, including just about every offering at Relax the Back, before I found a wedge that’s acceptable. Not great, but it does the job.
The second caveat is the stereo system. It’s not good. I’m not normally very fussy about audio. The A3’s standard system is just fine with me, but I found the base BMW system really grating. Consider the Harman Kardon upgrade or budget for the Bavsound or other aftermarket audio if it’s at all important to you.
The final caveat is window tinting, or lack thereof in the standard 3 series. I’ve never even considered tinting any previous car, but this one needs it, even in New England, IMHO, and I’m headed for Florida after the new year. I got the legally-allowed 35% on sides and back and it helps a lot.
That’s it for caveats. I could wax rhapsodic for many more paragraphs about the virtues of the 328d as a replacement for the A3 TDI, but I won’t. It's enough to say that for me it's a really great car.
The cars: My 2015 Audi A3 TDI is a Premium Plus with the Convenience Package, MMI Navigation Plus and Drive Assistance. The 2016 328d is an xDrive (AWD) with Premium, Cold Weather, Driver’s Assistance, and Luxury Packages plus standalone Navigation System. If I had it to do over again, I’d get the Technology Package, which includes the navigation and adds the Heads Up Display, a very worthwhile addition I only first saw after I got the car. C'est la vie.
I really like the A3, enough to put over 80,000 miles on it in less than two years. It’s been an excellent car mechanically, the only problem being a frustratingly intermittent glitch in the navigation, replaced under warranty. My main design complaint is the lack of visibility out of the rear quarters. I consider the blind spot monitors a necessity, and even then I am extra wary about what’s coming up beside and behind me. The Bimmer, being more upright with thinner window pillars, has no such problem. You can get it with blind spot monitors but I don’t think they are really necessary.
While I like the Audi, I love the BMW. It’s so much more car in almost every way: acceleration, handling, quietness, road manners, etc. It just goes about its business with ready aplomb, all while getting about the same fuel economy in a package the size of a Jetta. Sure, it lists for 10 grand more so it should be better, but still its refinement puts it in a different league entirely. And, thanks to BMW’s aggressive leasing programs, CPOs are plentiful and reasonably priced.
Now for the caveats. (I did say the BMW is better in “almost” every way.) The first is driver’s seat comfort. A small but significant number of 328 owners have a problem with it, including yours truly. I spent a lot of time and effort trying various cushions, bolsters and wedges, including just about every offering at Relax the Back, before I found a wedge that’s acceptable. Not great, but it does the job.
The second caveat is the stereo system. It’s not good. I’m not normally very fussy about audio. The A3’s standard system is just fine with me, but I found the base BMW system really grating. Consider the Harman Kardon upgrade or budget for the Bavsound or other aftermarket audio if it’s at all important to you.
The final caveat is window tinting, or lack thereof in the standard 3 series. I’ve never even considered tinting any previous car, but this one needs it, even in New England, IMHO, and I’m headed for Florida after the new year. I got the legally-allowed 35% on sides and back and it helps a lot.
That’s it for caveats. I could wax rhapsodic for many more paragraphs about the virtues of the 328d as a replacement for the A3 TDI, but I won’t. It's enough to say that for me it's a really great car.
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