German Car Zone

Bugger. You beat me to it...

You're quite right. This is the problem when journo's get their petrol and diesel turbocharged sixes confused. A shameful mistake. One then wonders what credibility the author has in truly disseminating the salient characteristics of these two vehicles in an objective fashion.

I noticed this too, I am glad somebody else caught it already. I noticed the same mistake in an edmunds article .

The BMW too big...where as the audi look's agresive and smaller...personally i would have the audi A5..

The Audi is larger and also looks it, by a good margi, both in pictures and in real life.

But then again, the 335i is just another 3-series and the S5 is, well a S-car and I think it looks pretty special.

The 335i in my opinion is not just another 3er, it is an amazing 3er for a non M car.

I think what is remarkable about this car is how it goes about doing what it does best in an unassuming manner. Seriously it looks docile and so innocent but she (I think it is safe to call the 3er a she) ready to defend her territory with great ferocity, and attack with such agility that leaves her opponent bewildered.
She can take on an S4/5 or an A4 3.2 litre V6.

When she is dressed in her E92 dress, she is beauty to die for- yet her athleticism leaves her rivals with a feeling of awe.

Just that is what the ordinary 3-series has become. Quite extraordinary.

Well I've done some extensive reading today on both the E92 and A5 while in the local Barnes & Noble. Through my reading I made many findings that lead to an in depth analysis on both cars and their respective beginnings in their brands. If I make some points that you guys may already know, don't shoot the messenger, just stating the facts.

Basically the overall consensus on the A5 is that it's a modest but unsuccessful attempt to make their cars more dynamic and sporting. While the A5 is agile and has comparatively better steering than any of it's predecessors(basically all Audi's before it) it is only better in that respect and in the general sense offers decent feel with decent reflexes. It's also been said that the whole MLB platform is an evolution rather than a revolution for Audi. Aside from that there's split opinion on the styling but overall it tends to center on mediocrity. When it come to the lineup of A5 variants the 3.0 TDI takes the cake while the S5 is seen as a tool for covering vast expanses of land in short time, and the 3.2 is, well, mediocre. So a generic Audi product that pushes the dynamic envelope only sightly.

Inevitably many comparisons have been made between the E92 and B8 A5, more specifically the S5 and 335i(the base of this thread). The 335i is a far more engaging prospect only losing out in it's fundamental RWD layout vs. the S5's more dexterous AWD, but with more usable power that adds up to a more entertaining driving experience that's fun at the same time. The S5 on the other hand is just, fast, not a tool used for painting your own canvas on the road.

Reading a review or two on the 335i I made some rather alarming discoveries that I've pondered in the past, both here and in discussion with other car nuts , the concern develops from BMW's new engineering and recommended servicing practices; 1) It's been found by journalists that the 335i's engine oil heats considerably during modest driving, and under hard driving can send oil temps to 300 degrees, causing the computer to trigger "limp home" mode - a setting that allows the car to be driven only so fast at only so high an rpm in order to protect the engine when it senses it may be harmed if current driving behavior continues. This pisses on tracking the car for an extensive amount of time and tracking it in general. 2) With hot oil temps there's also the concern that the recommended 15.000 ml oil change intervals are too long and may have a negative side effect on the longevity of the engine. I should hope that BMW engineered the N54 to last a long long time and not a purposely short life span to keep BMW drivers in newer BMW's once the lease terminates in 4 yrs, leaving beaten N54's on the market as risky prospects. To boot it also seems as if BMW is starting to rely more on electronics to monitor the cars various operating functions, including checking the oil level(notice the lack of a dip stick in all new BMW's? there you go), I also question how long those pesky seat belt presenters in the E92 will fare in the long run, better yet how long those plastic arms will actually last?

All in all, having been a serious BMW fan since the age of 12 -flirting with Audi occasionally- I find it hard to turn my back on my favorite auto maker over their pushiness to be all things to all tech heads- which I am most certainly not- and while this is most certainly alarming, BMW is quite honestly the standard of the auto industry, and that's just not the cars, but what it takes to be successful in the business in a highly competitive industry. Beyond that there's nothing that quite matches the balance in handling and performance like a BMW for reasonable money- though the prices seem to be creeping up.

Nice read! I'll take my S5 now.

I'll go with my jerez black 335i

The 335i just ruined the S5 fun.
I think BMW inadvertently drove a knife into Audi A4 game plan with the 335i.
Price wise is more of a 3.2 litre V6 A4 competitor however it is generation ahead in the performance department. It is practically an S4/S5 competitor in the performance department.
Moral of the story is that Audi needs to find a way to make the S4/S5 cheaper to be truly competitive with the 335i.