Nice cars but a bit dull. No drivers car, hard ride. Golf offers much the same for less. Interior on the current model is pretty hard to beat though, best in class.

I also had a TFSI S3 and hated it. Boring to drive, mega under steer and pretty poor MPG for the performance on offer - it wasn't that quick. My 911 achieves the same MPG as did the M3 I had before the S3 and both are massively quicker/better. The build quality was good, but I wouldn't buy another Audi in a hurry.

so glad i didn't buy a coupe, get a 3 series tiger

end of the combi

http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/news/volkswagen-camper-van-reaches-end-031029027.html

^
Think Dee's is petrol, I've had a '08 330D M Sport for about 4-5 months and rate it. Also drove a Merc 320 CDI Sport when I was looking and thought the ride felt very detached in comparison.

Had to wait a few months to find one with the toys I wanted - auto, heated leather, pro satnav, sunroof etc. Averages 30mpg round town, 50+mpg on a run and is plenty rapid enough in sport mode. Ride can be a bit harsh with M Sport kit & runflats. Revised engines with a bit more power came out in 2007 for 330 petrol, 2008 330 diesel, so worth considering.

petrol, 330i m - covered approx 1K miles in it, very nice drive, a little firm being the M as W says but I prefer that upfront, not so much as a passenger but we only got the little man in the back.

Plenty of power, rear wheel drive 3 litre so can be lively, in a good way. I thought i was turning the traction control on in the wet but turns out i was turning it off so had it sideways a little early on. Smooth and really quiet under power, something I was surprised with. On B roads it handles really well - not had it anywhere near the limits on these roads though as it's been a while since I drove a modern motor. Petrol is good for around 35mpg long runs, around town low 20's so not as good as diesel but swings & roundabouts.

Went with a full leather spec, some extras but no idrive, figured an iphone covers that and the plainer dash looks nicer imo, seats are really good, nice driving pos etc.

I've found one small problem which seems to be an issue with bmw engines including the 5 series and current models where there can be a slight loss of power on acceleration from time to time, it's about a second and feels like a clutch slip or stall and the natural response is to foot down so when it picks up it can be a bit of a shock. Had it happen to me twice so far and currently doing a bit of research in to it as I can't afford any work on it just yet.

http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f125/e91-330i-auto-loss-power-when-acceleration-stutter-falter-when-neutral-blipping-throttle-t148266/

Lost my garage for the bug a week before christmas so looking like I might have to put it in long term storage for a while or let it go, so priorities on money need to go in to getting that a new ticket and hopefully somewhere safe to keep it.

I think it affects manual too - common issue but nothing too much of a worry for me at the mo. I'm going to see how it progresses, reading something about adaptive accelerators and resetting them so will see. Really enjoying it at the mo and taking it out at any opportunity but as I said been driving aircooled for so long now so can't exactly compare it to anything else. I'm used to lights not working or indicators and washers sticking on so it's all a big change. Was a bit bothered with the auto situ at first but can see why so many ppl go for them now, piece of piss to drive esp long distance, getting old and seeing the benefits of these easy life options.

should have bought an estate

my mums got an old automatic, does the same. infact even my dads new automatic does it. always got that lag, as nick says - its probably downshifting.

prefer to drive a manual myself, always feel more in control

Great to drive, steering is well weighted and handles very well, feels like a smaller car when you're driving it. Good driving position, seats are very comfortable, iDrive's great and very easy to use, and it's got good visibility. I've got 4 door saloon and there's load of room in the back even with front seats pushed back, boot's very big too but no spare / spacesaver as M Sports came with runflats.

I used to have an S4 Avant which the wife hated, thought it was too big, but she's fine with the BMW which is pretty much the same size (although the BMW's got front & rear parking sensors which the S4 didn't have). Still have a Golf which I've had remapped to around 200 brake, the BMW isn't as nippy but is faster, handles much better too. RWD power delivery makes for easier drive imo, still have sport mode (auto with paddle shift) if I want it.

Not seen anything in particular about reliability issues, only swirl flap problems and blown turbos on oil burners.