The German automaker Audi has always been one of the top dogs in the automobile industry while the British legendary car maker BMW has never been far behind. The two brands are one of the most valuable brands in the country in all segments. Audi A3 and BMW 3 Series are somewhat relatively low range luxury cars which have started to gain popularity in the Indian market and certainly enhanced the overall sales record of both the brands. Let us put the two luxury sedans against each other and see which one comes out on top.
1. Appearance
BMW 3 series comes with the signature twin-kidney grilles on the front fascia and has an elongated front portion with beautiful character lines. The alloy wheels on the side and the tail light cluster look beautiful in collaboration giving the sedan an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Audi A3, however, is a lot more glittery and flamboyant with a lot more sporty looking exterior. The character lines here too are prominent while the signature four rings symbol on the front does create a nice aesthetic view from the front. Dimensionally, the Audi A3 comes with a length of 4456mm, a width of 1960mm and a height of 1416mm. Whereas, BMW 3 Series has a length of 4824mm, a width of 2047mm and a height of 1508mm.
Audi cars are not the cheapest but when it comes to second hand used Audi, India has a lot of options and the same goes for the BMW 3 Series. Both the cars do not hold back when it comes to color choices. Audi A3 offers 6 colors including brilliant black, Misano red pearl effect, scuba blue metallic, glacier white metallic, floret silver metallic and beluga brown metallic. BMW 3 Series also offers the same number of color choices although the shades are slightly different including black sapphire, alpine white, imperial blue brilliant effect, glacier silver, arctic grey brilliant effect and jatoba.
2. Engine
Customers would love the engine with both these cars. With BMW X3 you get a 1995cc 2 litre 16V diesel engine that works with four cylinders of four valves each. In effect, the numbers for power and torque are also impressive with the former being 184bhp at 4000rpm and the latter being 380Nm at 1750 to 2750rpm. BMW X3 uses a rear wheel drive setup and is mated to an 8 speed automatic transmission system.
Audi A3 on the other hand uses the 16V TDI diesel engine that holds a displacement of 1968cc with a 2-litre capacity. The engine churns away 143bhp power @3500-4000rpm and twists away a torque of 320Nm @1750-3000rpm. With a forward wheel setup under its setup, the engine uses a 6 speed automatic transmission system.
3. Performance
When it comes to performance, both the luxury sedans travel smooth without much glitch irrespective of the terrain. Audi A3 can go from 0-100kmph in just 8.6 seconds and hit a top speed of 215kmph. BMW 3 Series on the other hand can go from 0 to 100kmph in just 7.9 seconds which is quicker in comparison. The top speed for the British manufacturer is also better at 226kmph.
As far as mileage is concerned, Audi A3 can give you 18.08kmpl for cities and 20.38kmpl for highways. BMW 3 Series on the other falls behind in this regard with 15.54kmpl for cities and 19.59kmpl for highways.
4. Interiors
Inside the cabin both the cars are quite cozy and comfortable. The Audi A3 does bring in a lot of stylish elements while the BMW 3 Series also uses a lot of leather coverings for its seat and steering wheel. The cabin is spacious for both while there are safety features in place as well.