[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I doubt many people will opt for this since the OTR price is only 2-3 L cheaper than the regular models of the A4 and 3 series.
Does this atleast have ACC? Asking because the Q3 sports edition ( Ex-showroom of 25L approx) comes without DRLs and Manual AC!

You mean to say the ex-showroom price of the regular A4 is 25.99L + 2 or 3 lakhs more? The ex-showroom price is 25.99 pan India, but here in Bangalore the dealers are always ambiguous when it comes to OTR. I had enquired (over phone) with Audi dealer about 2 months back and was told the OTR is 37L which I am sure is nothing close to reality. Are all their ex-showroom prices are same all over the country?

In Bangalore you need to add 20% to ex-showroom price to get approx OTR price, which includes road tax, insurance, RTO charges etc, but the three Germans' dealers here liberally add at least 22-23% to arrive at OTR price.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

You mean to say the ex-showroom price of the regular A4 is 25.99L + 2 or 3 lakhs more?

No but almost all those cars have discounts on them. So the effective price comes down. From what I found out in this last month of car hunting, the base models ( not these corporation edition ones) all sum up to around 32-33L OTR after discounts. So this celebration edition A4 is going to also come to around 30L OTR unless the dealers are offering discount over and above this price too! At 30L OTR it makes more sense in opting for a regular base model that comes with decent feature list including Xenons, DRLs and Autofolding mirrors.

[zulfi hansi]

@drmohit>Yes, it makes better sense. In Bangalore this A4 CE will cost about 32L OTR.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Just for knowledge:

I was offered 2012 Volvo S60@23 lakhs OTR earlier this year. I was tempted but I'll most probably buy Octavia in the next 3-4 months. I didn't want to go for that league of car since I feared of the car turning into a white elephant.

I quoted this to tell the folks that F-A-T discounts are a part and parcel of Luxury car segment. So, this price is not as lucrative as it looks a the first go.

I have to be mad in being interested in a Skoda after saying the white elephant statement

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

I quoted this to tell the folks that F-A-T discounts are a part and parcel of Luxury car segment. So, this price is not as lucrative as it looks a the first go

Will go a step further and say that the price is not attractive AT ALL! The old A4 with its underpowered engine and lazy CVT transmission was overpriced as it is. With a much nicer heart under the hood, I would pay the extra xx lakh and buy the full spec A4. Maybe if they'd popped in a 6 speed MT a la the Q3 S it would have some charm!

The timing sucks as well. A "celebration" edition was best launched around October to capitalise on festive season buying. This time of year, most carmakers offer discounts anyway!

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

@drmohit>Yes, it makes better sense. In Bangalore this A4 CE will cost about 32L OTR.

My sympathies are with you. But the % difference is still the same between this and the regular baseline variant pricing.

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

I was tempted but I'll most probably buy Octavia in the next 3-4 months. I didn't want to go for that league of car since I feared of the car turning into a white elephant.

Its been too long now since you have been stuck in this planning stage. Go ahead and buy the car! The S60 is still being offered at very good discounts and I would really advice you to look beyond the D segment since the actual price difference is not that much. And it would just transform your Garage!

Originally Posted by noopster

Will go a step further and say that the price is not attractive AT ALL! The old A4 with its underpowered engine and lazy CVT transmission was overpriced as it is. With a much nicer heart under the hood, I would pay the extra xx lakh and buy the full spec A4.

Even the "nicer heart" Audi felt really sluggish to drive though they claim to have 177 horses under it. Rather the S60 with 163 horses felt much more spirited to drive. From my experience of TDs, Audi is your buy only if you do not like pushing your car ever.

[microaubin]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

You mean to say the ex-showroom price of the regular A4 is 25.99L + 2 or 3 lakhs more? The ex-showroom price is 25.99 pan India, but here in Bangalore the dealers are always ambiguous when it comes to OTR. I had enquired (over phone) with Audi dealer about 2 months back and was told the OTR is 37L which I am sure is nothing close to reality. Are all their ex-showroom prices are same all over the country?

In Bangalore you need to add 20% to ex-showroom price to get approx OTR price, which includes road tax, insurance, RTO charges etc, but the three Germans' dealers here liberally add at least 22-23% to arrive at OTR price.

I have been told ex-showroom prices are same everywhere and Audi offer schemes are also the same everywhere. However maybe the dealer might offer something extra.

Reality is attached

[microaubin]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Even the "nicer heart" Audi felt really sluggish to drive though they claim to have 177 horses under it. Rather the S60 with 163 horses felt much more spirited to drive. From my experience of TDs, Audi is your buy only if you do not like pushing your car ever.

I recently happened to TD both the 3 seires and the A4 177bhp with Drive Select and can vouch for the fact that the A4 though not in the league of the Beemer in sheer driveablity is certainly no slouch.

The A4 has got a sport mode where you can just toggle the gear lever down for instant acceleration. This can be done in any of the Drive select modes. Plus with the Triptronic function even though a CVT there is no sluggishness at all.

With easy ingress and egress and lots of more features than the 3'er, my family found more value in the A4 than the 3!!

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by microaubin

I recently happened to TD both the 3 seires and the A4 177bhp with Drive Select and can vouch for the fact that the A4 though not in the league of the Beemer in sheer driveablity is certainly no slouch.

The A4 has got a sport mode where you can just toggle the gear lever down for instant acceleration. This can be done in any of the Drive select modes. Plus with the Triptronic function even though a CVT there is no sluggishness at all.

With easy ingress and egress and lots of more features than the 3'er, my family found more value in the A4 than the 3!!

Even, I drove all the cars in same bracket last month. What I felt in Audi is that, it just doesn't gives that adrenaline rush that you can get in a 3 series. Audi had the best interiors in class no doubt, it was quite comfy too. But a single drive in 320d in sports mode made me forget all of it, the 3 series is by far no doubt is the best pick in segment. How I wish, I could get a4 interiors in a 3 series!!

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Its been too long now since you have been stuck in this planning stage. Go ahead and buy the car! The S60 is still being offered at very good discounts and I would really advice you to look beyond the D segment since the actual price difference is not that much. And it would just transform your Garage!

Yes, I know this has been a protracted saga now. Some financial planning reasons caused the delay. And I must say I was/ and still am tempted by the offer but I think the D segment is where my stretched budget will finish. So, I won't be able to afford anything costlier.

BTW, I like the S60. The quality levels of the interiors are second to none. I found the interiors, for the sheer quality of materials and build quality, the be better than those of the Audi. The design is a little plain jane though. So, if you are offered FAT discounts, you may want to consider it.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by microaubin

I recently happened to TD both the 3 seires and the A4 177bhp with Drive Select and can vouch for the fact that the A4 though not in the league of the Beemer in sheer driveablity is certainly no slouch.

The A4 has got a sport mode where you can just toggle the gear lever down for instant acceleration. This can be done in any of the Drive select modes. Plus with the Triptronic function even though a CVT there is no sluggishness at all.

The triptronic mode cannot be considered when talking about thge power of the car. Its the AT box that counts as in without having to shift gears manually. Also the Audi has a sluggish transmission where you feel the gears changing which is not the case with BMW. But yes the interiors of Audi felt much more premium in terms of layout and design than the BMW. The quality of the material used is at par across the brands.
Also I found the rear seat space at a premium in the Audi compared to the BMW.

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

So, if you are offered FAT discounts, you may want to consider it.

I already decided to go ahead with the BMW.

[zulfi hansi]

Actually the S60 makes better sense in comparison to the CE edition of the A4 if one is on a tight budget, even if it is priced the same. Looks are subjective, I personally like the looks of S 60 than A4.

For me though I'd buy a preowned BMW 320d if I am on a tight budget.

[DeepakS]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

This one has dual zone, I guess. Only thing gone is auto folding, cruise, small alloys and couple of nic nacks in interiors. I guess this is the old business edition with older tune of engine, which Audi is trying to clear stocks. I might be wrong though.

There's another major thing gone:
The seats are now "not 100% leather, but a mixture of artificial stuff and leather" as told to me by the Audi Jaipur rep.

[microaubin]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

The triptronic mode cannot be considered when talking about thge power of the car. Its the AT box that counts as in without having to shift gears manually. Also the Audi has a sluggish transmission where you feel the gears changing which is not the case with BMW. But yes the interiors of Audi felt much more premium in terms of layout and design than the BMW. The quality of the material used is at par across the brands.
Also I found the rear seat space at a premium in the Audi compared to the BMW.

BMW provides almost a karting experience when driving. But if you take out that sport plus mode, apart from the sheer road hugging drive all the other modes are pretty average.

I was referring to the sport mode in the A4 where you can get instant power in any of the drive select modes. And correct me if I'm wrong, but being a CVT is there a question of feeling gear shifting??

I also felt that the 3'er was more low slung than the A4, with ingress and egress a bit more difficlut. Also the high transmission tunnel in the 3 series limits the 3 rd passenger in the back seat. I had driven the sportline but now wondering if the luxuryline is in anyway different in these aspects.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by microaubin

I also felt that the 3'er was more low slung than the A4, with ingress and egress a bit more difficlut. Also the high transmission tunnel in the 3 series limits the 3 rd passenger in the back seat. I had driven the sportline but now wondering if the luxuryline is in anyway different in these aspects.

Yes the BMW is slightly more low slung and ingress is more difficult than the A4.

The 5th passenger is not welcome in either one and in the A4 the rear leg space is lesser compared to the 3.