I went though the same decision almost two years ago. I was between the 540 and the A6. After numerous hours of research and driving both, the A6 4.2 had more horsepower, grip, low end and high end torque and the AWD allowed for taking the curviest of entrance ramps at 50+ miles per hour. Good luck in the BMW. Likewise, wet weather driving is never a white knuckle ride as it is in most others. The interior is tight and neat and ample for a lux car. Mine is a 2003, A6 4.2 with lux and sport packages. I put 18's on it with TSW Rims. I typically blow the BMW awayin any (few) head to head invitations. However the new 4.2 has 330 hp still while the 550 produces 360. Overall, I like the fact that there are less audis on the road. It just sems like every TD&H has a BMW.

 

I owned a 2000 528i with sport and premium packages. I put on 90k miles when my son got rear-ended in it and the insurance company totaled it. After looking around at my Bimmer options I chose a 2002 A6 3.0 Quattro. Here's my 2 cents worth after driving the A6 for two days now.

1. Driving: Nothing drives like a Bimmer in terms of control. The car does EXACTLY what you tell it to do. The feedback to the driver is unmatched. Having said that, it became a bit too stiff for me. The M suspension and 17" low profile tiresgive you a lot of road feedback. It also sits lower which is sometimes a pain for getting in and out. I was looking for a good used 5-series without the sport package but could not find one. The A6 gives me better road feel than any Japanese car without the stiffness of the 5. The throttle is not as responsive as the Bimmer, but the steering and suspension are great.

2. Reliability- the BMW is expensive to maintain, but I expect the Audi will be too. Changing rotors everytime the pads need changing gets expensive. The Bosch ABS modules eventually go out ($1,100+), plastic radiators blow a hole in the top, causing a head gasket to blow (commonly known). Again, it's a German car, so it's going to be more expensive than a boring Japanese car.

3. Style: The interior of the A6 wins hands-down. The E39 Bimmer is looking dated while I still think the A6 looks good, but that's a matter of personal preference.

4.Value: A6 wins hands-down. Comparable used bimmer would have been about 2 years older and more miles than the A6 I just bought.

5. Safety: There's a lot of confusing reports about safety out there. From what I read the 5 might have an edge, but in the end German cars are designed to protect its occupants during a crash on the Autobahn so I feel safe in any German car. My son walked away from the accident without a scratch and that was worth the price of the car. I feel safe in the Audi.

6. Interior: The front passenger seat of the 5 feels cramped because of the way the dash curves in at the center. I'm a bit below average in height but even I had to move the seat back to avoid feeling like I was eating the dashboard. I had tall people sit in there and have to move the seat back and recline it, leaving no leg room in the back. The Audi has more style elements than BMW.

I knew I was giving up driving response when I bought the Audi, but value and ride quality was more important to me this time. Everyone here in the bay area drives Bimmers and Mercedes so the Audi was a bit more unique and I want to try the Quattro for awhile. If I like it I may be a loyal Audi owner for the next several cars I buy.

Gary