What else can be said? The BMW 3 series has won against the new Mercedes
C-Class, against the new Audi A4, and against the new Jaguar X-Type. It
has been elected "best car of its class" now for the 9th time. A waste of
time testing it again? Well, this time the rivals were powered on all four
wheels and had to show who's best in the class of luxery 4-wheel-drive sedans.
And again...
| Body / Quality |
Audi |
BMW |
Jag |
Performance |
Audi |
BMW |
Jag |
| interior space front |
10 |
8 |
5 |
acceleration |
13 |
13 |
12 |
| interior space rear |
6 |
8 |
9 |
elasticity / torque |
13 |
12 |
10 |
| trunk / variability |
9 |
8 |
| top speed |
15 |
15 |
13 |
| maximum load |
8 |
4 |
13 |
Comfort |
| quality / finish |
14 |
14 |
10 |
suspension |
12 |
13 |
11 |
| Chassis / Safety |
seats |
13 |
13 |
12 |
| stability in curves |
12 |
14 |
13 |
noise |
10 |
10 |
6 |
| controllability |
12 |
13 |
13 |
comfort features |
9 |
10 |
10 |
| braking distance |
10 |
12 |
11 |
climate control |
13 |
13 |
11 |
| safety features |
9 |
10 |
9 |
Costs |
| ergonomics |
14 |
13 |
12 |
absolute base price |
8 |
6 |
5 |
| viewing / turning circle |
11 |
12 |
12 |
normalized price |
13 |
14 |
15 |
| Transmission / Fun Factor |
fuel consumption |
1 |
2 |
1 |
| engine |
13 |
15 |
11 |
maintenance |
11 |
12 |
5 |
| transmission / gear box |
14 |
14 |
11 |
guarantee |
8 |
7 |
9 |
| handling / steering |
13 |
12 |
11 |
Total |
294 |
297 |
271 |
Some quotes from the report (AB no.33, Aug. 2001):
"Especially BMW's straight six is a real masterpiece -- in all disciplines.
It's a dream of an engine: agile, powerful, and spontaneous, with a seductive sound, and at
the same time smooth as only a straight six can be. You catch yourself playing with the gears
all the time -- shifting up and down and up again, just to feel this engine develop thrust!
And it's an easy game: the gear box matches just perfect. Once you sit in this car, you never
want to get out!"
Well said :-)
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