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Old 02-19-2019, 01:27 PM   #31
robg
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The A4 is a bit of a bland car, though very competent. Just like bmw's, it absolutely needs the 6-speed manual, sports seats, better suspension spec as opposed to rental/loaner car 328i spec. While the engine feels better in the GTI, after gearing, economy and overall feel, I miss the 4-cyl A4 more than the v6 supercharged S4, which had enormous power, but just not as nice to drive over long distances in the real world.
Interesting. Worse ride quality?
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Old 02-19-2019, 01:30 PM   #32
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I think the x3 m40i might be pretty great. The reviews compare it favorably to the Macan and that says a lot in terms of handling, today's CUV's match yesterday's sedans in turning....

I test drove a car yesterday as well, will make a separate thread. I do think the 2016 LCI update to the f30 3-series is significant.
Cool- looking forward to reading it. From what I"ve read, BMW has made a lot of effort toward improving steeirng feel with their latest cars. Even on the loaner X3 i have, the steering did feel better than the F30s I've tried as well my current x3.
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Old 02-19-2019, 01:34 PM   #33
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The x3 with the s58 does seem like a really good package. I've been thinking about the x3M a lot lately as a replacement for the x5, but reality is the m4.0i is probably a better daily driver at this point. I'm sure the extra power and M bits are nice, but I'd trade a little of the excessive power for less ride harshness I think. I'll definitely check it out when the time comes.

kind of off topic, but who the heck can afford a Porsche Panamera. I priced out a base P4 sport turismo yesterday and was at $127k before I even got excited about the cool features or the bigger engines. That is well into an e63 wagon price range.
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Old 02-19-2019, 01:43 PM   #34
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The x3 with the s58 does seem like a really good package. I've been thinking about the x3M a lot lately as a replacement for the x5, but reality is the m4.0i is probably a better daily driver at this point. I'm sure the extra power and M bits are nice, but I'd trade a little of the excessive power for less ride harshness I think. I'll definitely check it out when the time comes.

kind of off topic, but who the heck can afford a Porsche Panamera. I priced out a base P4 sport turismo yesterday and was at $127k before I even got excited about the cool features or the bigger engines. That is well into an e63 wagon price range.
I have read some reviews that indicate the ride quality could be overly firm on the x3 40i - but the test vehicles were likely equipped with the optional 19 or 20" wheels. Assuming that isn't an issue, I'll be tempted. My current x3 has near perfect ride quality with its base suspension and base wheels.

Haven't Panameras always been ridiculously expensive?
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Old 02-19-2019, 01:44 PM   #35
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the mandatory vegan leather is a deal breaker for me.
Interesting. I guess I'm just not picky about my seat material. I've never once thought there was any issue with the leather.
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Old 02-19-2019, 01:48 PM   #36
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Interesting. I guess I'm just not picky about my seat material. I've never once thought there was any issue with the leather.
For some reason, any synthetic leather causes my back to get super sweaty. I did some googling and found a few posts on Tesla forums where people mention that it happens to some (but most are fine). GUess I'm one of the few who are sensitive to it. I remember returining a rental VW Passat (which I"ve never done before), after driving it for 15 minutes for the same reason. Just got uncomfortably hot and sweaty. VW is another OEM that now forces synthetic leather on most of their lineup. Hope it doesn't become a trend. I will say that the feel and appearance of Tesla's vegan leather is quite nice.

I'm now remembering a test drive of bmw e46 323 (long ago), that had leatherette. The sales guy was very proud of it for some reason and was like "i bet you can't tell its not leather". I was like "actually, I can and I don't like it". lol
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Old 02-19-2019, 02:41 PM   #37
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For some reason, any synthetic leather causes my back to get super sweaty. I did some googling and found a few posts on Tesla forums where people mention that it happens to some (but most are fine). GUess I'm one of the few who are sensitive to it. I remember returining a rental VW Passat (which I"ve never done before), after driving it for 15 minutes for the same reason. Just got uncomfortably hot and sweaty. VW is another OEM that now forces synthetic leather on most of their lineup. Hope it doesn't become a trend. I will say that the feel and appearance of Tesla's vegan leather is quite nice.

I'm now remembering a test drive of bmw e46 323 (long ago), that had leatherette. The sales guy was very proud of it for some reason and was like "i bet you can't tell its not leather". I was like "actually, I can and I don't like it". lol
What makes it weird is having the reaction through clothes. Although, I suppose, I may be assuming too much.
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Old 02-19-2019, 02:46 PM   #38
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What makes it weird is having the reaction through clothes. Although, I suppose, I may be assuming too much.


Lol. Think it’s just due to the lack of breathability of the material.
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Old 02-19-2019, 02:55 PM   #39
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Doesn't Tesla offer ventilated seats? I had them on the JGC and the Macan. Really nice to have on a luxo car.
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Old 02-19-2019, 03:00 PM   #40
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Interesting. Worse ride quality?
Not so much the ride quality. Comparing a 2010 b8 a4 6-speed manual sports suspension 18" wheels vs. 2014 b8.5 s4 6-speed manual... Two items stand out.
* Engine revs and response tuning. The s4 revs higher on the highway. Nuts. As a result, it is highly responsive to right foot when doing long cruises at 80mph. The 2.0T 6th gear is geared longer.
* Steering. Neither win the steering prize. On back roads, the s4 was more fun due to response of the chassis and the car. Both of them sucked on the highway due to overly weighty steering. I swear sometimes I needed two hands on the wheel to turn in sweepers. Ugh. The a4 wasn't great but had slightly more feedback due to hydraulic, but the speed sensitive weighting was screwed up. The s4 was electric and felt great on test on back roads and aggressive turns, but again was not a steady, calm ship for doing a 350mile stretch after days of skiing.
* MPG's. They had about the same size tank, which means the s4 had a much less useful range. I achieved a real 30 to 33mpg in the a4 on long stretches, compared to 23 to 25 on the s4. Same speeds.
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