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Old 24th August 2011, 23:54   #1
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BMW 530d versus Audi A6

Hi Team,

I am planning to buy a BMW 530D in a week or so. Can the current owners please share their experiences with the car and its service in India. Any problems with the car that I should expect? How about stability at high speeds?

The thing that I am really skeptical about is the Run Flat Tires. How do they perform and what is the life of Run Flat Tires?

I would really appreciate any feedback that will help make a decision between Audi A6 or BMW 530D. I am bent towards the 530D though.

Manvir
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Old 25th August 2011, 10:30   #2
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Re: Buying BMW

Hi Manvirr,

In one of the recent (one month or so) car magazines (Autocar or Overdrive) there was a comparo between the 530d, new A6 and a Merc.
The new A6 was declared the clear winner in terms of living with the car (power, interiors and a perfect balance between ride and handling).
I will check the mag this evening and revert with the article if I can. Meanwhile you could also check out the websites for this info.

Sorry, cannot help further as have not owned either of the brands yet

Cheers!
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Old 25th August 2011, 10:35   #3
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Drive both the A6 and 530d to see which car suits you better.

Personally, I would pick the 530d, as its slightly better to drive and better value for money.

Also, when I test drove the A6, I was less than impressed with its brakes.
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Old 25th August 2011, 10:54   #4
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Re: Buying BMW

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyborg View Post
Hi Manvirr,

In one of the recent (one month or so) car magazines (Autocar or Overdrive) there was a comparo between the 530d, new A6 and a Merc.
The new A6 was declared the clear winner in terms of living with the car (power, interiors and a perfect balance between ride and handling).
I will check the mag this evening and revert with the article if I can. Meanwhile you could also check out the websites for this info.

Sorry, cannot help further as have not owned either of the brands yet

Cheers!
Autocar always picks the latest model as the winner in the comparisons. Always.

Personally, I would go for 530D which I strongly believe will hold better value couple of years down the road. And there is that small matter of ...TORQUE
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Old 25th August 2011, 11:02   #5
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Re: Buying BMW

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Originally Posted by manvirr View Post

I would really appreciate any feedback that will help make a decision between Audi A6 or BMW 530D. I am bent towards the 530D though.

Manvir
The 530D is a brilliant car, and a great all rounder. You will not have any issues with it but take a BSI package too. However, you should drive the A6 too, the interiors are a class apart and its got an air suspension. I don't think you can make a choice like this with anyones help here, you need to drive both first.
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Old 25th August 2011, 11:09   #6
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Re: Buying BMW

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Originally Posted by manvirr View Post

I would really appreciate any feedback that will help make a decision between Audi A6 or BMW 530D. I am bent towards the 530D though.

Manvir
Runflats by itsleft is not an issue but when you have no spare in ur trunk, it may cause problem. Bmw suggests that you throw the tire if it has a puncture in it but i have fixed the flat and never had any problem with it. I would not know the life of run flats but i would assume its more or less the same as the regular tubeless. And this is the only negative aspect of the 5er. The performance is more or less the same among these cars. Audi may be a tenth of a second faster to 100. But the bimmer makes up for it in handling and breaking.
Both the cars are so competitive it comes down to your personal preference and the aesthetics of the cars. Personally i have never liked the profile of a6. but i have to admit that they have up ed their game with this new a6. The rear is still dull and boring though. The 5er is a more conservative of the two.

Keeping the badges aside, i would go for the 5er simply because its much more fun to drive a rear wheel drive car.

I too strongly suggest you go to the dealerships and test drive em for yourself.

Last edited by Mike89 : 25th August 2011 at 11:18.
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Old 25th August 2011, 11:16   #7
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Re: Buying BMW

Thanks Guys for the feedback. I have test driven both 530D and the new A6. 530D was by far more thrilling to drive. I am bent towards 530D and has been my dream car for a few years now. But lately when I was doing a research pre buying the dream machine, I came across a lot of issues reported by owners. A lot of good things said about the car and service also. Just wanted to get a second opinion from the team here.

I currently drive a 2007 Accord V6. The V6 is a very fun car and out of the three (BMW, Audi and Merc) only BMW gave me the thrill followed by audi. Merc was a clear reject in the first look and drive.

What I am afraid of with 530D are the Run Flat Tires. Not sure what happens if there is a flat. Is the tire repaired or changed. If it is changed this is more pain if repaired, I can live with it.
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Old 25th August 2011, 12:06   #8
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Re: Buying BMW

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What I am afraid of with 530D are the Run Flat Tires. Not sure what happens if there is a flat. Is the tire repaired or changed. If it is changed this is more pain if repaired, I can live with it.
RFT can be fixed (its not recommended by bmw) but it works fine. I can say that from my personal experience. However if you drive when the tire is flat it may damage the walls of the rft and then you may have to replace the entire thing. I was suggested to fill it up with air and drive to tire shop to fix it. I have had over 10000 miles so far on the tire after the fix and no issues what so ever. The other thing i was told is that it cannot be fixed if the objected has puncture the edge of the tire. I don't really know the reason behind that but it almost never happens.
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Old 25th August 2011, 13:01   #9
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Re: Buying BMW

Thanks Mike,

I will be going to the two dealerships again today and book one of the two. Its more likely going to be the beemer. ... All said and done I have had my heart on the beemer for a few years now...

Will post my decision in the evening

Cheers
Manvir
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Old 25th August 2011, 14:22   #10
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Re: Buying BMW

The key is to repair the runflat as soon as you get a flat. It is quite easy to do yourself if you are a hands on person. Cosnidering that the tyre is a runflt, the risk is low if it loses air again.

If you are constantly drivng flat out on unlimited autobahn's daily, then I would advise otherwise!
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Old 25th August 2011, 14:54   #11
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Re: Buying BMW

A friend of mine was recently faced with the same question, but ended up going in for the A6. The A6, even I found to be more feature rich, as compared to the 5 Series. He anyways had a 3 series in his garage, but despite this it was the bigger list of features that took him to Audi, and even the driveability and handling seemed better in the 6. But in the end it is more about preference and appeal. You cant go wrong with one of these ;-)

As for Run flats, if you are worried about it, you can always change them to the regular tubeless tyres.

Last edited by thedreamcatcher : 25th August 2011 at 14:56.
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Old 25th August 2011, 14:56   #12
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Re: Buying BMW

Do all BMWs with runflats also come with TPMS? In which case it should be easy to know when you have a flat and repair it asap(provided you're not stuck, to quote GTO's pet scenario, exactly halfway between Mumbai and Goa )

The 5 is my dream car. I would suggest you go for it without a second thought. The A6 is a worthy competitor but lacks the awe-inspiring quality that a 5 series posseses in plenty!
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Old 25th August 2011, 14:59   #13
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If you have made up your mind go in for a healthy negotiation with BMW itself or your trusted tyre guy. Get the RFT exchanged for nice tubeless. It will enhance the drive comfort. Many forum members have done so with their BMWs 3 and 5.

Else, RFT works well in city conditions but yes given our road infrastructure it's a gambit on highway. Any tyre with it's sidewall compromised has to be changed anyways.

All the best and update us on the double Cheers!
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Old 25th August 2011, 15:29   #14
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Re: Buying BMW

Manvirr

You can simply go-ahead with 530D without any reservations on runflat or service costs - in fact because of service package - BSI many people including me prefer over Audi or Mercedes ( buy 60 T Km- 3 Year one ) .

I recently checked A6 which appears externally almost same as A4 except for few minor things & if you want to have something for fun of driving then A4 with 3.0 engine can be a good choice .

A word of caution - Rear seat of 5 series is very bad - if you plan to been driven around you must avoid this car instead look for E class or something else ( they are having good promotions on 7 series )

Last edited by Turbanator : 25th August 2011 at 15:31.
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Old 25th August 2011, 15:38   #15
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Re: Buying BMW

Have had both cars at my doorstep earlier this month and here are my quick observations and summary. I drove both cars around for 2 days each.

First, the Audi A6 3.0 TDI:

- Great Interiors
- Luxurious Feel
- Great Ride Quality
- No Runflats
- Efficient Engine

Now the Beemer 530D:

- Typical BMW interiors; Boring in one word and didn't excite me much.
- Slightly large Steering wheel for my taste
- iDrive is much more user friendly now, but screen is smaller in size.
- Slightly harder ride quality
- What a stable car at high speeds! I took it upto 230 kmph on Expressay and it was planted like rock! Definately better stability than Audi.
- Runflats are surely a negative (for me at least)
- Steering feels lifeless at low speeds but weights perfect and gives immense feedback at higher speeds.


- Huge Bump below rear seats in both cars. 4 people sit comfortably, but definately not 5 can go on a long drive in either.
- Looks (although Subjective) better than Audi externally but Audi excels in terms of interiors.
- Beemer is more driver focused, Audi will be good to be driven in.

My pick:

BMW 530D in Silver or Black! Hope it helps.
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