[manujkansal]

So I am looking forward to buy a new car for the family. The car will be self driven and in the city most of the times with occasional outstation trips. My current options are :

1. Mercedes E220 CDI - around 46L on road
2. BMW 520d - 45L on road
3. Audi A6- 45L on road

I test drove the merc & the bimmer last week & as stereotyped as it may sound but really its the ride quality vs the drive factor between these two & to be honest I was more in favour of the three pointed star but reliability is a very important factor for me & thats where I become vary of the Merc as I have heard some horrifying post ownership tales
BMW with BSI Ultimate gives the peace of mind.

Haven't driven the A6 yet. Plan to do it this week. What should I expect from it ?

There is also an option of a E200 CGI with the dealer giving good discounts on it ( comes out to approx 40L on road). My monthly run would be about 1000-1200 kms max so I think thats a viable option

I have no personal experience with these cars so any help would be much appreciated

[Harbir]

I tested the diesel and petrol variants for my dad before finally recommending the A6 3.0T (petrol), which he bought.

The BMWs are the most fun to drive hard and that should be choice if you are willing to forgo the superiority of the merce and the audi on every other front. But if fun to drive is the consideration, I don't see why you would buy a 2.0 5 series, when you could have the hugely more fun 3er or A4 3.0TDI.

Once you get past the fun to drive aspect, the A6 dominates the class totally. But the mercedes is worth considering as well because its less techno geeky than the A6, It is a more upright, more formal, less sports car like experience than the A6 which is a pretty good thing for a luxury car since you don't feel like you are looking at the world though the gun slit of a military bunker as you do in the A6. That makes it much easier to drive in slow urban situations, and its low speed NVH characteristics are superior to the A6, which includes road textures, tire noise, etc.

But the A6 is really in a league of its own overall. It makes the 5 series feel like its from a class down and it makes the E class feel like its a generation or more older.

This might help as well.

Volvo S80 D3 vs Audi A6 vs Merc E220 CDI vs BMW 520d | Feature | Autocar India

[manujkansal]

Thanks for the prompt reply harbir but 3 ltrs are out of consideration dur to budget constraints. I started from superbs and have come this far Don't think I can stretch any further.

[Harbir]

I wasn't suggesting that you do. my comments about the cars were all without regard to the engines and as generally apply to all variants of each model.

and the autocar article I linked to is for the engines you are considering.

A suggestion if you buy the Audi. Get one with the LED headlights despite the monstrous cost because the Xenons are terrible. But don't waste your money on any other options packages.

[manujkansal]

Does the Audi have a maintenance package like the BSI ? I am going t test drive the A6 today

[Akshay1234]

Don't mean to offend you, but seeing that you are stretching from a Superb, and you are saying that it will be self driven most of the time - Do you really need a car from this segment?

I mean saving a good 7-8 lacs you can get the C250cdi Avantgarde, or even the new 3 series which is being launched in 3 weeks, or the A4. Now these will be easier to drive everyday, and will be the fully loaded models unlike buying the base model of a bigger car.

[Harbir]

My view is that unless you're so rich that the cost of an expensive car is not pain at all, or you have the desire to flaunt a fancy badge, there is no reason to have a chauffeur driven car above the camry/accord/superb class, since these cars all have better rear seat comfort than the A6/5er/E class brigade, and as a passenger, you have nothing to appreciate in the car apart from the space and comfort, at which they are not as good as, say, the camry. the back seat of my dad's A6 is horrendous compared to the back seat of the camry I used to have some years ago, and the Mercedes E class rear seat is even worse than the A6 as far as legroom is concerned.

In my view, if you're buying a car to drive yourself, buy the nicest car you can afford whether its for fun (3er/A4) or to pamper yourself (E class/A6/5er).

buying these cars for chauffeur driven purposes is only a matter of status. that matters to a lot of people but those it doesn't, its would be stupidity to buy a car like that and then have a chauffeur drive it.

Maybe I am the stupid one who doesn't give a flying flop about status in the car. I think its stupid to buy a nice car just to have a driver enjoy the majority of its niceness so you can bask in the glow of prestige the badge endows. I am not that desperate for admiration or approval.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Harbir

My view is that unless you're so rich that the cost of an expensive car is not pain at all, or you have the desire to flaunt a fancy badge, there is no reason to have a chauffeur driven car above the camry/accord/superb class, since these cars all have better rear seat comfort than the A6/5er/E class brigade, and as a passenger, you have nothing to appreciate in the car apart from the space and comfort, at which they are not as good as, say, the camry. the back seat of my dad's A6 is horrendous compared to the back seat of the camry I used to have some years ago, and the Mercedes E class rear seat is even worse than the A6 as far as legroom is concerned.

I don't know if your post was directed at me. But I agree with you. The Superb, Camry and Teana give you pretty much everything you would need if you are chauffeur driven. Of course below an S class.

Then again if you are driving everyday, in the city, I would prefer a smaller car to drive around. I actually prefer the 3 in Bombay traffic compared to the Accord, just because of the size.

[VW2010]

Here is my take on the three cars. Non technical, non operational and more of a personal view.

A6 - You will own a premium car and still feel Beamers are better for unknown reason.

Beamer - You will own a premium car and feel smug about driving it all day.

Merc - Every other person around you have already percieved Mercs to tbe premium car and owning one means something priviledged though the owning experience of yourself may not be on par with Beamer or Audi.

The world looks at Merc better than Beamer better than Audi in sheer ownership.

Audi - some of our friends say is the car for the newly rich guy, beamer - Father rich guy and Merc - History of WEALTH..more like a car for the wealthy ones.

Fact is that you cannot go wrong with either of the cars. All three give you the premium ride, premium build and premium service (should i laugh on the service part)....

Go with your heart. Dont listen to us. We will feed what we like and force it down your throat

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Have you considered the Passat ?

(1) It is far cheaper than the 3 you have mentioned above with features that could put the all of them to shame. Auto-park and ventilated seats ??? How good is that ?

(2) IIRC it shares its engine with the A6 2.0 tdi so you will be in the league of the big 3 where power/torque is concerned.

(3) Ok it is no where as spacious as the superb on outright space but i am guessing its better than the 3 Germans & when you are paying almost 12-15 lakhs less it makes a lot of sense.

(4) Ok it is boring to look at and does not command the snob value of the other 3 but it surely does not look bad and less snob value means less unwanted attention. Probably a good thing on our streets.

All in all a good cruiser loaded to the gills and the epitome of German engineering at its finest.
Thinking practically it would make a lot of sense or buying a loaded Superb would save you even more moolah.

Good luck

[Harbir]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

I don't know if your post was directed at me. But I agree with you. The Superb, Camry and Teana give you pretty much everything you would need if you are chauffeur driven. Of course below an S class.

Then again if you are driving everyday, in the city, I would prefer a smaller car to drive around. I actually prefer the 3 in Bombay traffic compared to the Accord, just because of the size.

Not directed at you at all. I was just reacting to the general trend I see where these cars are bought as chauffeur driven cars and wanted to give my 2 cents. I agree with everything you've just said. my wife's i10 automatic is convenient in the city that if it had more legroom, I would buy one for myself for city use. as it is, the smallest automatic transmission car with adequate legroom for my 6'3" body is the new Swift notchback sedan and if I ever need to start driving regularly in delhi, I'd buy one of those.

and if I was going to be chauffeur driven (highly likely since I hate driving in delhi), I'd buy a camry even if I had a 50lac budget.

Short of an S class, buying cars higher than the camry/accord/superb to have the chauffeur drive it is a monumental waste of money because you, as a passenger, get nothing for the extra 25-30 lacs except the prestige.If it matters that much, and it does to most buyers, by all means buy a 5/A6/E.

[AdiSinghV12]

Since you mentioned that the car'd be 'self driven' most of the time, why not check out the exclusive edition 3er? It has all the bells and whistles(maybe a bit more) that are present in the 3 you mentioned above.

Though the ride quality is quite stiff in compared to the 3-Pointed star, it'd be a more 'fun & easy' to drive vehicle in Delhi's traffic. Since its an outgoing model you'd be able to fetch some good discount and you can spend the money saved on the 'BMW PERFORMANCE KIT' and transform your vehicle into a true Diesel Rocket. My 2 cents. All the best!

[anb]

Since you are driving most of time in city , compact A4/ 3 series/ C class would be a better choice. Why don't you consider A4 3.0 TDI ? I think it's within your budget.

[dipen]

I think we need to emphasize a little on the self-driven yet family oriented car which says, I should like to drive while my family should enjoy good comfort and luxury.

The best and the most length option is to test-drive every car from 520d, 330i (near 30 lakhs on-road for a loaded version), A4 3.0d depending on discounts available, E220 and A6 2.0d and see which suits you and makes your family smile.

[manujkansal]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Don't mean to offend you, but seeing that you are stretching from a Superb, and you are saying that it will be self driven most of the time - Do you really need a car from this segment?

I mean saving a good 7-8 lacs you can get the C250cdi Avantgarde, or even the new 3 series which is being launched in 3 weeks, or the A4. Now these will be easier to drive everyday, and will be the fully loaded models unlike buying the base model of a bigger car.

actually I quite agree with you on this point but the fact is that the backseat leg space is a big let down in these cars( 320/A4/C250) and although may be once a week, whole of the family(of 4) would be traveling in the car, & they are not going to be happy about it .
I think now my reasons for going for this segment are clear & hopefully sane

and as far as i know the 520d has all the features of the top end version of 3 series . correct me if I am wrong.