[Caramba]

Yes.

Honestly think this is a question only for the local market as the brands are viewed very differently in other countries.

In India, they may have got a lot of strategies wrong on marketing, but their products are spot on. Me thinks their product is a perfect mix of the other two.
Disclaimer: I own an audi after a lot of test drives of the other luxury brands.

[@PetrolheadASH]

Mercedes- Classy, sophisticated, beautiful to look at. Getting prettier and more luxurious by the day.
BMW- Sporty, sporty, sporty. Getting sportier/ uglier (that front grille - UGH!) by the day.
Audi- Sensible, balanced. Getting more sensible and balanced by the day.

[SatishChour]

I voted Yes.

Audi strikes a commendable balance, not necessarily claiming the top spot, but skillfully blending the refinement reminiscent of a Mercedes with the agile driving dynamics characteristic of a BMW.
While some of its models may appear a bit dated, if the 2024 Audi Q3 is designed as depicted in the below image, it could potentially be the best-looking entry-level luxury SUV from my perspective.

[UD17]

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

The perception in the market therefore is you bought a Audi, because you could not afford a Mercedes or a BMW.

This one sentence propagates perception of many people i knew who bought Merc or BMW. Most of these buyers did not even considered the Audi brand but restricted to Mercedes and BMW. Heck even Volvo and Jaguar did not have such brand recall.

One of my friend finally settled in for Audi A4 because C class and 3 series were going way out of budget for him. Is he happy-Yes, But would he be more happier with Merc or BMW: Yes.

Voted- No. I do not own any of the above cars. My view are purely perception based.

[GeeTee TSI]

I voted yes, but more from the global perception of Audis and their like-for-like model line up. I also see it as a brand from VAG which has superior products above its own (and perhaps as someone who doesn't need to try too hard!)

[exhaustpipe]

I own all three brands. In my experience Audi, Merc and BMW are on par with each other.

They all feel premium, provide a similar driving experience and return similar emotional RoI.

I would also like to add that, personally, BMW does not feel any sportier than its German cousins. Any 2.0 litre diesel or frugally tuned petrol engine in these cars is less engaging than taking a ride on a public bus

[PrasannaDhana]

Audi somehow gives an impression of a glorified volkswagen.
I am not even thinking about the prices in comparison with BMW and Mercedes.

[sgmuser]

Oh when I voted NO it I made this poll a tie at 191 each. Mercedes and BMW are close to each other. There was time when Mercedes had a clear lead and then BMW closed it on with the recent offerings. I did a test drive of X3 M40i and compared it with GLC new gen. I believe personally BMW is simply a class of its own. Both the exterior and interior, stability thus confidence inspiring ride at triple digit speeds and the premiumness over all - I came out very impressed. Looking Q5 it's outright boring design in the external and internal as well. These are just sample but clearly Beemer and Merc have distanced themselves a lot in the last decade or so I percept. In X3 BMW has 3 different packaging and GLC simply can't match the M40i at all. I can easily see the same pattern continues in for eg X1 as well and thus X1 sells like crazy and I see it on roads more. If we consider just the snob value the perception is MB has a slight advantage though. But remember I might change by turning a bit more older and will admire MB more. That age factor is also there.

[VW2010]

I do not consider BMW to be close to Mercedes. Mercedes is a class above the other two. Almost like the wealthy vs suddenly rich comparison. But between BMW and Audi I believe there are some overlapping based on specific models. This is about the Indian Market.

Once you change the country even Mercedes is just a taxi. I guess it's all a perspective from where you look at its brand value.

VW is just a rebadged Audi is how I view VW and hence may buy a VW over an Audi saving some money for just the badge. So Audi < BMW < Mercedes in an Indian Context.


https://www.truecar.com/best-cars-tr.../brand-german/

The first Audi comes after a couple of VW's

[ChiragM]

OT:

Is this the closest poll ever?

[mohaks19]

As others have pointed out, I think Audi has significantly diluted their brand in India thanks to lack of larger motors (namely 3.0 V6), Quattro, availability of latest generation models, and significant discounts on offer. The A4/5 and Q5/7 lines have also not been updated in a while globally, which contributes to the dated appeal for many people.

That said, here in the US, it's a different story. Many people I speak to think of Audi as the "more luxurious" brand compared to the likes of BMW and Lexus. Their S and RS variants are also very popular amongst traditional BMW fanboys, who often upgrade them aftermarket thanks to a huge ecosystem of VAG-specific tuners and availability of aftermarket parts from EU. Comparing the base US-spec A6 2.0 Quattro and E350 head-to-head (driven the former, family owned the latter), I've actually come to prefer the timeless design and build quality of the Audi. I've never heard a single rattle in an Audi (here, or in our A3 in India), whereas our 2021 E350 had misaligned panels and a loose center console after merely 20k miles of usage in Bay Area roads (could be specific to that build, but this is common feedback I've heard from several Merc owners globally).

Audi's 2.0 and 3.0 motors are usually more exciting, Quattro is quite confidence inspiring (esp in inclement weather), and variants like the RS7 and e-tron GT look drool-worthy, especially with the dynamic lighting packages here in the US and EU. The only thing I can complain about is lackluster steering feel compared to Mercs and BMWs (which is much more sorted in the RS variants these days) and a chassis that tends to understeer on back-roads, though that really isn't a concern for most people unless you attack canyon roads on a daily basis, in which case you should buy neither of the 3 brands.

Tl;dr - would rate them the same as BMW or Mercedes, if not slightly better (subjective preference), but I see how their missteps in India have diluted their brand reputation in the country, hence this poll.

[Raghu M]

Slightly off topic but among the EU brands or to be precise big brands, Merc has a very different appeal and I guess no other brand comes close. We talk engines, features and other stuff but go to rural India ask a regular guy and you will hear just one name/brand - Benzz!! Take one to a village and you will know it's craze.

[hrk997]

Gentlemen, this poll is indicative of car enthusiasts and not the general Indian population in the market for luxury cars. And even within car enthusiasts, it is reflective of only the sub 1 cr segment.

As far as the average indian is concerned, the German trio as well as jaguar and Volvo are all viewed on the same spectrum, as a luxury car. Except Mercedes, even villagers recognize the star and it is viewed as the most luxurious of the lot simply because it has been around much longer and enjoys a grand reputation in India.

This poll really only discusses a few models all of which are under 1 cr. They're not representative of the actual brand value. Audi brand is linked to it's sports cars and luxury SUVs that are past the 1 cr mark. At that price point, brand perception is more or less the same. I'm not going to think an X7 will make me look more prestigious than a q8 or a range rover.

With that being said, I would say that mercedes is far ahead in terms of brand value than everything else. Audi's problems started with the discontinuing of diesel models and then Quattro. But it's present 2.0 tfsi engine is on par with petrol modelsfrom other brands. Giving good discounts and undercutting the competition is good for the consumer, especially considering the rise in the prices of these cars. BMW is going down some very weird design language route and it is starting to look unpleasant. Saw the new i7, massive but weird. All of their cars are better to drive, but all are also uncomfortable compared to audi. The 5 series rear seat cannot comfortably accommodate 6 ft people. The 3 series also has the same issue. In fact, I can say the same for their SUV counter parts. There is a good deal of bias towards bmw in tbhp where every recommendation is always bmw, i have seen people recommending an m340i over an x5 as a family vehicle, it's not necessaryily a bad recommendation but it isn't a good one either. These cars are all neck and neck from the perspective of machines. Bmw has the gearbox and suspension, merc has roomy interiors and audi has comfortable and practical cars.

Their brand value comes from the amg, rs and msport cars. Some practical perspective is needed here.

[sydras]

Let us consider some upgrade scenarios i.e. what one might be upgrading from.

1) If you are upgrading from for e.g. a Corolla Altis, Octavia, Octavia RS, Superb or Jetta to for e.g. a C-class then the 1.5L (although turbo charged) petrol engine will seem like a downgrade when you compare what you are upgrading against.

The D1/D2 segment cars also aren't exactly bad in terms of interiors. So, I don't know whether one will be impressed with the faux leather seats and the usage of piano black everywhere (instead of classy wood trim in the previous generation) in the C-class.

Then there's the lack of physical buttons and the swiping actions that one has to contend with if they want to God forbid, adjust their seat or (gasp) open the sunroof!

Also, the less said about the lack of ventilated seats, column mounted drive shifter(you have to literally re-learn driving in a Merc), spare wheel in boot, lowest ground clearance among all entry level sedans etc. in the C-class the better.

Want some discount? Too bad. Mercedes doesn't do them anymore thanks to their so called "One India" price and being fair to their customers pan India 'n all that jazz.

Even if you are upgrading from a C2 segment vehicle, paying what was once close to E-class money might not sit well with you when you see what is on offer by brand Mercedes.


2) If you are upgrading from say an Octavia, Octavia RS or a Superb to a for e.g. BMW 3 series, while the 2.0L turbocharged engine and RWD setup might impress you, the interiors will feel like a big let down. There is rear seat headroom and legroom in the LWB version but the lack of features and gizmos lend a spartan feel to the car. Maybe as your 2nd car, it is ok but when you are plonking what was once close to 5 series money, I wonder if this is the luxury you were dreaming about.

Again, the less said about ventilated seats, run flat tires, no spare tire, poor ground clearance, etc. the better.

Want a 3 series in red? BMW doesn't do red anymore for some reason. Want some discount? BMW knows Mercedes isn't doing discounts anymore so you'll take what they'll give you.


Now in the case of Audi, you get a proper 2.0L turbocharged engine (like BMW but with slightly lesser power), no run flat tires, spare tire in it's own wheel well ensuring a properly usable boot and a decent (although digital) centrally mounted drive shift lever.

Interiors may not look as striking as the C-class but everything is of good quality and certainly better than BMW. Plus, you also get an all wheel multilink suspension. This coupled with a very well insulated, silent cabin gives you that luxury feel all for a good 10-15L less when compared to Mercedes or BMW. Yes, there's no RWD or AWD on offer but I feel that both didn't suit the A4 anyway.

As far as upgrading to an entry level luxury sedan goes, I rest my case in favour of Audi vs both Mercedes and BMW.

[PB65]

My 2 cents:YES.
Mercedes has been on a downward spiral in terms of everything, except seats. Who would've thought that one will hear rattles and squeeks in a 4 month old S-Class cabin? Moving on, the 9-Speed gearbox has pathetic reliability, and if you ever get to drive a Skoda Superb, and then the E-Class, you'll be like, Meh 😕.

BMW is great. Good quality, mechanicals are strong, performance is obviously strong and apart from frequent oil leaks, there's nothing to fault. Although the ones built on MINI platform suffer from inferior quality and hence inferior reliability.

But as an average 35+ car buyer, how many of us will be willing to attack corners/twisties at 90+ kph? Some, definitely yes, majority, absolutely no. Ofcourse, electronic will fail in your Audi, but so will they in a BMW or Mercedes. Audi engines have been good, apart from the 1.4 TSI. DSG have also been surprisingly unproblematic, generally speaking. They handle better than a Merc, are more comfortable than a Beemer, and interior quality has always been the best. A perfect middle ground. And that you can always poach spares from a VW/ Skoda dealership ( for lower models) is an added advantage, along with the discounts.