Comparo: 2013 BMW 328i xDrive vs. Audi A4 2.0 TFSI Quattro

Story by John LeBlanc It’s raining felines and canines. Or there’s mud clogging your lane to your favourite weekend getaway. And here you are with one of those fancy, German sports sedans you carve corners with during drier road conditions but are now faced with less-than-perfect pavement or grip. What’s a Canadian driving enthusiast to do? As you may know, luxury automakers have jumped all over Canadian driver's bad weather driving fears by making what was once rare all-wheel-drive available on most of their models, including BMW’s popular 3 Series and Audi’s A4 compact sports sedans. The question is: which of this pair of all-weather-friendly compact sports sedans is the better to drive?:

FIRST-PLACE: 2013 A4 2.0 TFSI Quattro

After four years being on sale, the current, fourth-generation A4 sedan has been refreshed for 2013, focusing on styling changes outside and an updated infotainment system inside. So how did an aging Audi beat an all-new BMW? For starters, the A4 is a better value. Base, front-wheel-drive models start at $37,800. But nobody in Canada buys that car, instead opting for the $39,700 A4 2.0 TFSI with the brand’s pioneering Quattro AWD system. Even with its eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission (a $1,600 extra over the standard six-speed manual) the A4 Quattro offers more standard kit (i.e. anti-theft system, power moonroof) that are options on the $39,900 328i xDrive that only comes with an autobox with a similar eight gear count. Age hasn’t made the A4 Quattro’s interior any less useful. Its class-leading interior build quality is a given, as are ergonomics that are more functional and easier-to-use than the 328i xDrive's over-styled cabin. And because of BMW’s insistence on using stiff-walled runflat tires, the Audi’s ride quality is much more forgiving over frost-heaved roads. The A4 sedan’s lone powerplant is the Volkswagen Group’s ubiquitous 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder. With only 211 hp, it’s 30 horses shy of the 328i’s rating. Yet both share a 258 pound-feet of torque output. The A4 Quattro is 0.7 seconds behind the BMW in the scoot from zero 100 km/h, taking 6.7 seconds. Subjectively, though, Audi’s engine/transmission combo is more refined in use. The A4’s autobox never felt like it was in the wrong gear or tuned for fuel economy when the driver made the call to the engine room. Audi did switch the A4’s steering system to a new electromechanical assist system for 2013, mainly to save fuel.  Yet steering feel — long a quality lacking in Audis — was more obvious than in the less communicative BMW. The A4 Quattro turns into a corner as if the driver’s arms are connected directly to the steering system, where the 328i xDrive takes a millisecond to telegraph its path. Ultimately, at any speeds — legal or not — the Audi is the more composed, and ultimately, our bad-weather sports sedan winner.

SECOND PLACE: 2013 BMW 328i xDrive

Already behind on the price/value equation, we were hoping BMW's all-weather compact sports sedan would make up the difference with the brand’s well-deserved reputation as a maker of Ultimate Driving Machines. But as you can read, er, nope. BMW’s sixth-generation of its 3 Series compact four-door sedans arrived for the 2012 model year as the first models in an all-new family, with a wagon and various other 4 Series-badged coupes and hatchbacks on the way. To counter rivals like the A4 — and broaden its appeal beyond driving enthusiasts — the new 3 Sedan offers more high-tech gadgets, comfort features and interior room than ever before. But with iffy steering, a less-than-refined motor, a slow-to-react gearbox and an interior that ‘s sacrificed function of form, the 328i xDrive has some issues fans of driving will have to overcome. Like the A4, the 3 Series comes with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder base engine. In the starter, rear-drive $35,900 320i, the 2.0 unit churns out 181 hp. But the $4,000-more 328i makes 60 additional horses. If you want one of the brand’s super-smooth inline sixes, you’ll need to pony up to the $53,800 335i xDrive. With Natural Resources Canada fuel economy ratings of 8.0 L/100 km in the city and 5.3 on the highway, the 328i xDrive handily beats the A4 Quattro’s 10.0 and 7.0 numbers. Unfortunately, most of the credit goes to BMW’s stop/start system, which, because of its herky-jerky actions, most owners will switch off. Plus, subjectively, the BMW four is less refined in use, not helped by a woeful exhaust sound. Between their respective AWD systems, the Audi gets the nod. In slippery road conditions, the 328i xDrive will more readily understeer in corners, forcing you to get off the gas. Whereas the A4 Quattro's system applies torque to the front tires seemingly quicker, straightening out the vehicle without forcing the driver to slow down. Finally, despite a four-year development advantage, the 3 Series interior is no better screwed together than the A4 Quattro. In fact, some of the gaps between the numerous sweeps and curves would seem out of place in a Honda Accord.

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