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BMW 328i or Acura TL

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RampantAndroid said:
The S4 is far more powerful.

Oh, and for performance, the 350 is what, 0-60 in 5.7s with AWD. An S4 is around 4.9 and an A4 AWD is 6.7s (using a few 2013 numbers here; the A4 in 2014 got a new intake manifold and gained some HP in general, and a bunch of HP for E85 which is only supported in 2014 A4s with Quattro due to a 5th injector being added so the car can cold start using E85.) If I feel like it I can easily mod my A4 to gain some extra boost here and there, put in an HFC to remove any spool up time and do a stage 1 tune from APR (which doesn't need a new exhaust and intercooler) for not too much cash and gain quite a bit of power.

If my choice was between an IS350 and a S4...I'd make the same choice I did before: Audi.
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I get it - AWD was what was most important. The S4 packs a whopping 26 HP more than the IS350 - I would not call that "far more powerful" -
 
Phanuel said:
Except for that the new TD1 issue and flagging for warranty voiding modifications ruining all of that fun. A pulley swapped S4 would be amazing but Audi hates us.
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AFAIK, things like a new intercooler, new piping removing the soundbox, catch can, HFC, new diff mounts, new transmission mounts, new sway bars and engine strengthening brace (one piece milled aluminum) don't void warranty. A APR turbo and APR/that other company with tunes WILL td1 you when they scan the car.

Will the Eurocode lightweight pulley really TD1?

Fmr12B said:
I get it - AWD was what was most important. The S4 packs a whopping 26 HP more than the IS350 - I would not call that "far more powerful" -
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I call 1 second in 0-60 times more powerful. But yes, I wanted a performance car that I could take places and not worry about conditions until snow gets too high. 🙂

Edit: Also, the SS has no blue color. My cars must be dark blue. Or dark green. Which means they must be blue because only Subaru offers green cars, really. (the pale green on the SS just doesn't do it for me...)
 
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RampantAndroid said:
AFAIK, things like a new intercooler, new piping removing the soundbox, catch can, HFC, new diff mounts, new transmission mounts, new sway bars and engine strengthening brace (one piece milled aluminum) don't void warranty. A APR turbo and APR/that other company with tunes WILL td1 you when they scan the car.

Will the Eurocode lightweight pulley really TD1?
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A pulley with no software is completely useless. It won't increase power as the stock ecu will reduce incoming boost beyond a certain point.

And the dealer can TD1 you for anything they see visually or via an ECU pull as far as I'm aware. I'd be extremely wary of doing any modifications to the engine at all.

I call 1 second in 0-60 times more powerful. But yes, I wanted a performance car that I could take places and not worry about conditions until snow gets too high. 🙂
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The 333 quoted number is an outright lie from Audi. The 3.0T is a ridiculous engine that is underrated from the factory. The car dynos at nearly 300 to the wheels. Crank figures are estimated at 360-ish HP.
 
Phanuel said:
A pulley with no software is completely useless. It won't increase power as the stock ecu will reduce incoming boost beyond a certain point.

And the dealer can TD1 you for anything they see visually or via an ECU pull as far as I'm aware. I'd be extremely wary of doing any modifications to the engine at all.
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They have to prove the mod caused it. A pulley however doesn't change the boost, it just means you're spinning a pound less on the engine, and while you don't gain HP per se, you see it sooner when accelerating. I ALMOST did the group buy for the pulley, but was concerned about how much it was underdriving.

Only a tune will auto-TD1 you per Audi USA rules. That is auto reported and out of the dealer's control. The mechanical/visual mods are up to the dealer.
 
RampantAndroid said:
They have to prove the mod caused it. A pulley however doesn't change the boost, it just means you're spinning a pound less on the engine, and while you don't gain HP per se, you see it sooner when accelerating. I ALMOST did the group buy for the pulley, but was concerned about how much it was underdriving.

Only a tune will auto-TD1 you per Audi USA rules. That is auto reported and out of the dealer's control. The mechanical/visual mods are up to the dealer.
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Edit: Oh I see, a lightweight. We're talking two different pulleys. I can see a lightweight pulley doing a little bit of an improvement in throttle response, sure. But I'd rather get a smaller pulley and the Stage "II" tune for it instead and be pushing well over 400 hp instead.
 
On Saturday I went for a test drive...

The Acura TL felt the "fastest" and I felt safer in the TL than the BMW. However, the BMW went from 0-40 in ~5 seconds, not even flooring it. I was so-so on the Lexus as IMO it didn't handle as well as the others. I am leaving toward the TL for a few reasons: felt the safest and fastest, and IMO gave a good balance of features, speed, safety, and family wise for the 40,000 price tag. Also, the TL had the most leg room.
 
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NewYorksFinest said:
On Saturday I went for a test drive...

The Acura TL felt the "fastest" and I felt safer in the TL than the BMW. However, the BMW went from 0-40 in ~5 seconds, not even flooring it. I was so-so on the Lexus as IMO it didn't handle as well as the others. I am leaving toward the TL for a few reasons: felt the safest and fastest, and IMO gave a good balance of features, speed, safety, and family wise for the 40,000 price tag. Also, the TL had the most leg room.
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As an FYI, my TSX with a straight 4 had oil burn issues. Acura was pretty much towing the honda line of "if it's burning less than 1qt per 1k miles, we don't give a shit" - I don't know if the TL's V6 has similar oil burn issues (I'd guess not) but I'd suggest looking into it, and other common problems (as I'd suggest for ALL car purchases.)
 
If you're set on this generation tl wait for the tlx to come out so you can get a good deal on it. I personally hate the tl and can't wait for the tlx, and I'm a Honda fan...
 
Fmr12B said:
So let me get this straight - you went from a 306HP V6 to a 210HP 4cyl Turbo A4. You do realize the IS350F Sport is a S4/33p/C350 competitor right?
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It really isn't. That non turbo engine is about as fast to 60 as the 328i.

An s4 / 335i would destroy it. That and the front end looks absolutely ridiculous
 
Fmr12B said:
Oh I forgot, when spending $45K on a car, an extra $1000 a year in gas would be breaking the bank............ FYI Premium fuel is not required.

Every review says the interior is nice and the tech is quite good.

Meh Looks? Have you seen a Acura lately and its beaked nose and "meh" performance.

At least the SS comes standard with leather unlike the 328i which give you "leatherette" AKA Vinyl.
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Its a 30k motor in a 20k car. Its like buying a one of the high end pony cars. For some people that's great. However its not really competitor in the luxury market.

I'm not really sure who I'd recommend the SS for. I guess someone who really wants a v8 pony car or corvette and absolutely has to have a back seat.
 
RampantAndroid said:
As an FYI, my TSX with a straight 4 had oil burn issues. Acura was pretty much towing the honda line of "if it's burning less than 1qt per 1k miles, we don't give a shit" - I don't know if the TL's V6 has similar oil burn issues (I'd guess not) but I'd suggest looking into it, and other common problems (as I'd suggest for ALL car purchases.)
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The v6 has no major issues. Acurazine was by far the most helpful site when I had my TL.
 
Typical internet thread. People are not responding to the OP but rather their own biases and preferences. They are more interested in getting their own opinions in rather than helping.

NewYorksFinest: You did the right thing in going out and testing things yourself. You will find the answer to your own question yourself. Try something out yourself and save yourself the confusion.
 
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Fmr12B said:
Ugly? No one would refer to the SS as ugly - bland yes, understated, yes - but ugly?

C'mon now. Not everyone wants there car to have sharp edges and a beaked nose.

The Smoking Tires SS Review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM_-xRPRulM
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In typical GM fashion, they get SO MUCH right with the car and then skimp on blatantly obvious details.

Personally, I can't stand the black plastic all over the car. The front is the worst. It looks so cheap, like something you'd buy from toys-r-us.

I just don't understand how design-wise they can actually take a step back from the G8 GT.

I get it, mid size 4 door with big stonkin v8, I truly understand what they're marketing for. But I REALLY wish they had spent an extra hour finalizing the styling details.
 
raildogg said:
Typical internet thread. People are not responding to the OP but rather their own biases and preferences. They are more interested in getting their own opinions in rather than helping.

NewYorksFinest: You did the right thing in going out and testing things yourself. You will find the answer to your own question yourself. Try something out yourself and save yourself the confusion.
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He came on here for opinions. He got what he wanted...a generic car thread. FWIW, I made my issues with Acura known, and others told him to wait for a TLX. All good advice.
 
SpatiallyAware said:
In typical GM fashion, they get SO MUCH right with the car and then skimp on blatantly obvious details..
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Well that's American cars in a nutshell. They often get the broad stokes right, but seem to stop at 90% completion. I feel like the bean counters get to them or something. Or maybe they get focus grouped into bland pudding.
 
Midwayman said:
Well that's American cars in a nutshell. They often get the broad stokes right, but seem to stop at 90% completion. I feel like the bean counters get to them or something. Or maybe they get focus grouped into bland pudding.
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I disagree, I feel most current brands get the details just fine. Tesla's are great. So is ford. If ford made a good 4 door RWD muscle car I'd take a seriously look at it. But they are smartly playing it safe right now, churning out cookie cutter vehicles.

Chrysler is the kia of american cars. Good value, cheap for the masses. They fit their niche.
 
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