Unofficial Snowy Driveway Test: BMW v. Audi
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Kill It With Fire
YOU’VE likely seen this shot before.
Like a crumpled dollar bill, it’s been circulating through the Internet for a few weeks now. And while the source of this marketing currency isn’t clear (the image’s posted on an anonymous blogger account with few other automotive articles) the message pretty much is – pro-Audi.
Hardly a match up of equals, the BMW 3er e46 gen. is rear wheel drive riding on stock grand touring tyres. The Audi A4 B6 gen.’s beefier treads tracked truer thanks to Quattro all-wheel drive.
The light amount of snow and the modest cant of the driveway suggests both Teutons were “goosed” a bit.
Needless to say, BMW also offers all-wheel drive on the 3-Series (both current and e46 generations). Which makes you wonder: was this wintry comparo an Audi PR made-for-web ploy?
Or merely a gear head who took time to note the difference between miss-matched autos?
Either way, Audi seems to have some benefit to gain from this dispersed pic. Will BMW counter?
Thanks, HD!
About the Author: Gunnar Heinrich is publisher of Automobiles De Luxe online and is executive producer of the Automobiles De Luxe Television series on PBS member station CPTV.
Jim | Jan 8, 2010 | Reply
He hee. Though I will say that for about 8 years I regularly drove between Minneapolis and Des Moines for business and after snow or ice storms the most frequently seen cars in the ditches along I35 were Audis along with rafts of SUVs and 4wd pick ups.
AWD is great for getting you going, but its usefulness diminishes as speed increases.
Jon | Jan 31, 2010 | Reply
lol, i strongly disagree. awd works the whole time, and though its benefits get reduced as speed increases, it definitely does not “diminish”. u’d have to be going unreasonably fast to lose it