A3 vs 1 Series

[dick wad]

Well after being jerked around by Audi being told my A3 would be here in twelve weeks then sixteen and now twenty to twenty four weeks i,m considering a BMW one series. I walked into my local BMW dealer today and was greeted by a very attractive young lady who told me she used to be a professional dancer. This did not distract me in the slightest of coarse but what did was the fact she told me straight away if i ordered this month they would give me seven percent discount. So i spect up a car to £33,000 and they said we will do it for thirty you will have it in eight to ten weeks definitely. WTF i thought.
What do you guys think ?????????

 

[cemerson]

Depends if the delivery time is that important to you, or the car you get at the other end of it!

 

[CraigI]

I think the 1 series is ugly.

 

[Fragup]

I am not sure your asking in the right place for an unbiased opinion,
I only sat in the m sport and it was nicer than some alternatives, quite stylish, but inside doesn't live upto the A3, is a bit plasticy in comparison. I am 6'3 and so my main problem was the 1 series felt a bit cramped compared to the A3, which ruled it out before I got to test drive stage. A3 was the better inside than any alternatives by an absolute mile and i think worth the wait and I will be very surprised if you get any other opinion on here. I would look else where for a balanced view.
N.b rear wheel drive will be next to useless in ice and snow, BMW's renowned for it, and as can be crappy weather for couple of weeks a year on average here, that could be an absolute pain.

 

[boost-addict]

Never having owned a new a3 or 1 series from the outside they both look nice yet the front end styling of the a3 is far better. I like the drl and headlight shape.

The build quality is far superior to bmw and i for one wouldn't choose a bmw again. No matter how good they get.

I know im comparing older models but i had a bmw e46 and then my current a4.
The a4 is older yet feels better built and feels more solid. I believe this is a trend across all audi/vw cars and i heard from a customer at work that now owns a 13 plate merc he wouldn't buy a bmw again. They feel cheap inside and have no refinement. And cost about the same apparently. He took it back after 2 weeks and walked away with his money straight to merc!

 

[Cumbrian_bob]

Not a fan of the 1 series style. But I dont hate it. The cabin isnt the same as the A3. I can give you more negatives than positives, but then I have ordered an S3 not a BMW

But if you want a reason to by the BMW, and I would only get the M135i

If they offerd 7% ask for 10% and spec the car well, you'll get value for money, add all the toys, and with the change buy yorself a track day, or a cheap nissan micra for the winter driving.
It might be the last rear wheel drive 1 series, that does give you the chance for a bit more fun.
Its got a 6 cylinder engine
You get it sooner, by the sounds of it much much sooner.

Would I buy one, see my signiture, and each time I did look at a BMW.

 

[A3sportbackMark]

It sounds to me that you are having a bad experience with your dealer, and understandably you are frustrated with audi.

It all depends what which car you really want, and when. These are the questions I would ask myself.

Last march, I also went to BMW and asked about delivery times for the 1 series, they couldnt give me a definitive answer, not even the standard 12 weeks that most dealers would "automatically" say to get your business. After test driving the BMW, I knew the car wasn't for me, so end of story.

 

[bpnike]

my friend ordered his 116d at the beginning if june and received it in exactly 8 weeks, I have ordered my a3 at the same time and still waiting with unconfirmed build week 42. but I still think that the bmw 1 series is ugly and a3 is worth the wait

 

[baldrick]

Given the OPs A3 spec was a 2.0TDi I doubt he is looking at an M135i but a highly specced diesel 1 series.

For me it comes down to preference for the package - I wouldn't get the 1 series if it was a second choice over the A3 and vice versa for the sake of waiting some more weeks. However, the dealer experience is part of the package and getting messed around loses confidence for the future - what if there is a problem that needs swift dealer assistance? It niggles in the back of the mind although chances are you won't see the dealer again except for routine servicing which is getting further and further apart.

Having owned an A3 8P 2.0T and currently a 320d the experiences have been such that I would happily own either marque. The A3 was the most embarrassing car I have owned in over 30 years in snow but fortunately we don't get much of that in the south west. If we did then the Audi would get the nod but only in quattro form.

Personally I like both A3 and 1 series and they form my final short list. I wouldn't let delivery times alone (within reason of course) be the deciding factor but it is part of the decision process IMHO.

 

[Keifling]

Well after being jerked around by Audi being told my A3 would be here in twelve weeks then sixteen and now twenty to twenty four weeks i,m considering a BMW one series. I walked into my local BMW dealer today and was greeted by a very attractive young lady who told me she used to be a professional dancer. This did not distract me in the slightest of coarse but what did was the fact she told me straight away if i ordered this month they would give me seven percent discount. So i spect up a car to £33,000 and they said we will do it for thirty you will have it in eight to ten weeks definitely. WTF i thought.
What do you guys think ?????????

I had 1 series prior to sportback. A3 worth wait

 

[Pulp84]

Interesting thread....

So a very good mate of mine has just got (yesterday) a new 320i M Sport with lots of options that list was £36k. Took 6 weeks to be built, but the best bit was that with out much pushing he got £5000 off the car and £2000 towards his deposit. Plus after finding out he was £900 in negative equity with his trade in they made the difference up too - wtf? To sweeten the deal further - finance is 3.9% APR.

Turns out BMW UK have very aggressive targets for remainder of the year. So great deals to be done. My friends salesman said BMW were taking a lot of Audi business because during the last 3 years they have not cut build capacity where as (apparently) VAG have and now struggling to gear up production.

6 months for an S3 is a joke......Lol but I'm still going to wait for one

 

[Buneet]

I had the choice between the new A3, 1 series or A class. Obviously I chose the new A3 but after sitting in the 1 series I realised now small it feels, and I'm 6ft 2". One thing I liked about the 1 series was that it's RWD so it does feel a bit better to drive but it's not that significant. The price is pretty much the same for both. But I loved the look and feel of the A3 much better, I believe it's worth the wait.

 

[Daveotto]

If time to ownership is important go with BMW, build quality then it has to be Audi but if it is drive quality that is the important factor for you it's down to FWD v RWD and for me FWD all the way, end of story.

 

[paullowther]

Interesting thread....

So a very good mate of mine has just got (yesterday) a new 320i M Sport with lots of options that list was £36k. Took 6 weeks to be built, but the best bit was that with out much pushing he got £5000 off the car and £2000 towards his deposit. Plus after finding out he was £900 in negative equity with his trade in they made the difference up too - wtf? To sweeten the deal further - finance is 3.9% APR.

If it was the 3 door, coupe/convertible version then the reason he's got such a good deal is because they're coming to the end of production and want to get rid of the final few ready for launch of the 4 series.

When I was looking at an A3 my old man was also looking to replace his merc CL and the bloke in the Audi garage offered him £20k straight away off of the price of the A8, presumably because the facelift version is about to be launched!

Funnily enough, he also told us that a bloke had put a deposit down on the yet to be launched next R8! That's a solid 2/3 year wait!

 

[twig]

I has the choice between the new A3, 1 series or A class. Obviously I chose the new A3 but after sitting in the 1 series I realised now small it feels, and I'm 6ft 2". One thing I liked about the 1 series was that it's RWD so it does feel a bit better to drive but it's not that significant. The price is pretty much the same for both. But I loved the look and feel of the A3 much better, I believe it's worth the wait.

Strange thing I had a sit in a 1 series last Spring time and thought exactly the same. Very claustrophobic. Then when the AMG A45 came out fell in love with it and ordered for delivery end September. In my opinion it's perfect as a true hot hatch. Then they gave me an update of end November and I cancelled having had a new look at the A3 sportsback. Can't wait for my delivery to come round but some months to go yet. I know I'v made the right choice for me and my family this time and will stick with it.

 

[driver_tim]

I looked at, and test drove both. I do think the 1 series is slightly better to drive (RWD does help with the handling), however the offset pedals made it a no-no for me. I also think the A3 has a much nicer interior, and is generally better looking.

It sounds like escalation within your dealer, and possibly Audi UK is the way forward. I'm fairly sure VAG have a scheme where they give you a hire car if your delivery date is missed by more than a certain amount...

 

[baldrick]

Meat & poison and all that. I felt a little detached sitting in the S3 after the M135i, the latter I felt a little more at one in. I am only 5ft 9 though. It just felt a better fit but I do like smaller cars I guess. The first generation was too cramped in the back for the family, the new one seems just ok but I wouldn't want to be a rear passenger with a 6ft 2 guy in front

 

[lozzermo]

I came close to buying an M135i. Was discussing a 15%+ discount on a car that was ready to go. Like others here the M135 felt more complete from a driving perspective, but the exterior looks and interior finish were some way off of the S3. I drive an S4 and had a similar experience when choosing that over the M3 and the C63 Mercedes.

To be honest, if I was able to agree the right discount for the BMW I would have taken it as I am impatient. However, my order is in for the S3 and although the wait is going to kill me, I've made my decision and hopefully it's the right one.

 

[CraigI]

If time to ownership is important go with BMW, build quality then it has to be Audi but if it is drive quality that is the important factor for you it's down to FWD v RWD and for me FWD all the way, end of story.

Interesting comment????????
Driving a RWD is far better than FWD in the dry.
Far more involving, much more interesting and with better feedback and grip than FWD.

 

[Daveotto]

Interesting comment????????
Driving a RWD is far better than FWD in the dry.
Far more involving, much more interesting and with better feedback and grip than FWD.

Of course it is down to a matter of personal opinion and I would not have disagreed with you if we were comparing to the old 8P but the new 8V is a completely different and more engaging machine to drive. Not sure if you have test driven an 8v but would recommend it if nothing else to give you a new reference point for comparison to RWD.

 

[CraigI]

Of course it is down to a matter of personal opinion and I would not have disagreed with you if we were comparing to the old 8P but the new 8V is a completely different and more engaging machine to drive. Not sure if you have test driven an 8v but would recommend it if nothing else to give you a new reference point for comparison to RWD.

i wouldn't bother with FWD, the whole point for me buying an Audi is Quattro.
If I was buying a FWD car it wouldn't be an Audi, would likely be a Renaultsport Megane with the differential, which is night and day over driving a FWD without one.

I stand by the fact that RWD will always be a more involving and interesting drive than any FWD in the dry.
I'd agree with you if you were talking about day to day use in UK, whereby we get some very wet, occassionally icy/snowy weather then FWD over RWD, but for the driving experience (which is what I think you are talking about) then it's RWD.

I guess it's all down to driving style and what floats your boat.
For me RWD front engined is the best driving set up in the best conditions.

 

[Cal67]

A friend of mine was also given the runaround with delivery dates. He ordered his A3 back in February and eventually received car in September. He was however able to use the delayed delivery time to negotiate a considerable discount on leather interior and alloys and has said the car was worth the wait. Perhaps the OP can use the delayed delivery time to get a better deal?

 

[Pulp84]

If it was the 3 door, coupe/convertible version then the reason he's got such a good deal is because they're coming to the end of production and want to get rid of the final few ready for launch of the 4 series.

When I was looking at an A3 my old man was also looking to replace his merc CL and the bloke in the Audi garage offered him £20k straight away off of the price of the A8, presumably because the facelift version is about to be launched!

Funnily enough, he also told us that a bloke had put a deposit down on the yet to be launched next R8! That's a solid 2/3 year wait!

No the F30 5 door. As said - BMW UK have aggressive targets for year end. So great deals on offer.

 

[PembsA3]

AND 1 Series now available with X-Drive - I'm seriously tempted esp with comments on short lead time on delivery... Yes, the BeeEm is ugly but Audi have really messed me about and after delivering my last 8P damaged and keeping me waiting to order a suitable replacement I will at least investigate a BMW alternative. I REALLY want the A3 but at the end of the day it's about who can deliver the car you want for the right price...

 

[Cumbrian_bob]

Pembs, could you really drive a car you thought was ugly?
Just think some time you will be in town, see the car in a windows and realise your driving a car you dont like the look of, and just because you didnt want to wait.

 

[manor13]

did you get a dance thats what i want to know

 

[baldrick]

Pembs, could you really drive a car you thought was ugly?

I owned an Alfa 33 for several years, hardly the prettiest Alfa and my family never liked its looks, yet I loved the car because it was the last of the boxer engines and it had loads of character in spite of not being a looker. The one series is the last generation of the small BMW RWD hot hatch and in the case of the M135i the last of the six cylinder engine in the car before it shares the FWD new Mini platform with three or four pot engines.

It is the relationship between man and machine that goes beyond skin deep - or something like that

 

[PembsA3]

Hmmm... I know... But I would probably consider going for a 3 series touring instead. Still an 'odd' droopy front end but not as ugly as 1 series... Just really cross with Audi... Probably cutting my nose off to spite my face... JUST SELL ME THE CAR I WANT - (184 diesel Quattro MANUAL)!!!!!

 

[cemerson]

A friend of mine was also given the runaround with delivery dates. He ordered his A3 back in February and eventually received car in September. He was however able to use the delayed delivery time to negotiate a considerable discount on leather interior and alloys and has said the car was worth the wait. Perhaps the OP can use the delayed delivery time to get a better deal?

I agree with this - if they are messing you around, use it to your advantage to get some more things thrown in or a discount

 

[viperfire]

They are decent looking cars from the outside. Always found the interior of Bms to be lacking though especially when coming from Audi. It lets them down badly.

id be tempted if they improved their interiors

 

[StefRobinson]

I considered both when I got my first A3 Sportback (8P), which was when both the Sportback and the 1 series were new models.

I liked them both, but also found the interior quality of the Audi to be much better than the BMW. Also, the rear wheel drive of the BMW put me off, where the Audi had front wheel drive, and the option of quattro on many models. Having to drive over high exposed roads to get to work, having something that could deal with a bit of snow was important to me.

I had never owned either brands before, but I decided on the Audi, and have never looked back since. I've just bought my 3rd Audi. I do like both the BMW and Mercedes equivalents, but I've never regretted my choice.