VRS TDI estate vs BMW 320d touring

[Defenderben]

Tat...sorry but fwd out performs all rwd in adverse conditions full stop even with winter tyres.

All other times the BMW probably is good but not in full winter conditions and you need a car for all year..So Skoda gets my vote

Edited 23 November, 2013 by Defenderben

[Neily03]

Tat...sorry but fwd out performs all rwd in adverse conditions full stop even with winter tyres.

But the other 360 days of the year rwd wins.

[Furbytom]

Tat...sorry but fwd out performs all rwd in adverse conditions full stop even with winter tyres.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one methinks! ;-)

[Defenderben]

Oh forgot...if you fill the BMW's boot full of concrete blocks and go up hill in reverse the BMW will be the true all rounder

I love BMW's but just wish they would go fwd, I would change tomorrow!

My E30 318is, was awesome for most the year but it got parked up when my hill out of the estate froze up every time as it was a waste of space, the wife's Metro went straight up every time.

[Furbytom]

I love BMW's but just wish they would go fwd, I would change tomorrow! /quote]

Next 1-series will be FWD or so I hear. sacrilege lol! :-)

[Chunkstar]

Surely costs are more for a similar spec 320 versus vrs ,when I looked into it they were the bmw was £80 a month more oh and over 4 years not 3 oh then there's the servicing costs

Love the look of the new 3 series bmw and owned a 330d e90 for two years before,but the the skoda is so much better value

[Furbytom]

Servicing costs aren't too bad at the moment as they are heavily discounting the service packs. I have just paid £200 for 5 years servicing on my 120d which was quite nice. Having said that I paid £99 for 3 years servicing on the Fabia which was also pretty decent lol!

[olibluegoat]

If i'm only keeping it for 3 years then servicing shouldn't be too bad

 

Only reason that they both work out a similar price is financing the BMW over 6 years but selling after three and settling the finance.  I figure i will have paid 50% of the finance and the car will be worth just over 50% so work out about the same

 

 

[Orville]

The best thing about the 3-Series is that they are RWD. Anyone who says they are disadvantaged by being RWD (within anything other that severe weather conditions) is in the extreme minority. Nobody complains about Ferraris being RWD. For sports/sporty cars RWD is best. If you want an extreme weather car, buy a 4x4 and forget about FWD or RWD.

[Defenderben]

The best thing about the 3-Series is that they are RWD. Anyone who says they are disadvantaged by being RWD (within anything other that severe weather conditions) is in the extreme minority. Nobody complains about Ferraris being RWD. For sports/sporty cars RWD is best. If you want an extreme weather car, buy a 4x4 and forget about FWD or RWD.

Glad I only pointed out the BMW's total inability to deal with proper winter conditions. As said I love them but living in the middle of Dartmoor means it is not an all year vehicle and my vRS is

If I lived in a flat county then a BMW would get my vote everytime, lMHO a much classier place to be even if a little too common these days with the typical 1 & 3 series fleet market.

[Orville]

Glad I only pointed out the BMW's total inability to deal with proper winter conditions. As said I love them but living in the middle of Dartmoor means it is not an all year vehicle and my vRS is

If I lived in a flat county then a BMW would get my vote everytime, lMHO a much classier place to be even if a little too common these days with the typical 1 & 3 series fleet market.

Your location says SW England, an area where there are lots and lots of BMW's. How comes so many others don't share the same opinion as you? Do they not realise how mountainous, wet and icy it is all year around? You should buy snow mobils.

Edit: I somehow missed the Dartmoor reference, but your criteria do not apply for 99% of the UK population.

Edited 23 November, 2013 by Orville

[Honkycrash]

Been running a 140BHP 3 series M Sport Diesel (11 plate) for about 2 months while waiting for my MKIII.

Averaged 46--48 mpg from the BMW.

 

MKII Vrs Diesel had been regularly doing 45mpg.

 

Now have had new MKIII 184bhp (1000 miles) so far at 48mpg.

 

Now go over to the BMW forum and ask them, then you will have an unbiased decision based on peoples experiences.

Edited 24 November, 2013 by Honkycrash

[Honkycrash]

Also forgot to add to all other points made above which should be considered. 

 

BMW's do not often get let out of roads by other traffic or get 'allowed' to merge into single lanes.

With the Skoda you do!   (those of you who have driven both badges will have experienced this).

[olibluegoat]

How many miles are people getting out of a tank on the vrs tdi,  How big's the tank

[Furbytom]

Also forgot to add to all other points made above which should be considered.

BMW's do not often get let out of roads by other traffic or get 'allowed' to merge into single lanes.

With the Skoda you do! (those of you who have driven both badges will have experienced this).

Soooo true! When I'm in the vRS it's quite easy to nip around town and weave through traffic as you get treated normally. When in the 120d you can forget it. It often takes 2-3x the amount of waiting to be let out a junction and merging lanes can be quite a scary tussle to say the least. It's very weird but true! Not sure if it's just simple jealousy or mis-placed stereotyping? On the flip side people often stare in disbelief when you let them out/merge etc lol!

When I had the Abarth 500 it was the polar opposite - I'm sure people used to let me out or go in front so they could have a good look at the car :-)

Edited 24 November, 2013 by Furbytom

[Sheldon.Cooper]

The 320 has excellent traction, better than the FWD VRS at least. Sure, floor it in the wet and thr rear will slide out but it is very controllable and easy to avoid. Paving slabs is a silly suggestion which would worsen things and unbalance the rear, bur I think you were joking there. In the wet the BMW will put it's power down much better than the VRS. RWD is also more fun to drive.

Really?

 

Is that why BMW were offering a full set of winter tyres with every 3 or 5 series purchased this year.... because they have excellent traction?

 

They have very little weight over the rear wheels, Wintry driving is extremely tricky in them to say the least. 

 

A VRS would easily out perform them in bad conditions (with equivocal tyres on both cars). 

[Madrunner]

I thought bmw always shouted about their 50:50 weight distribution front to rear ??

[PUFPAF]

I'd say that definitely the BMW is the better car,considering the image, the driving experience and the build quiality (incl. sound-proofing, materials used etc.)

 

The 3-series is a more mature car as it has been made for decades and is currently considered as one of the best cars money can buy. The question is whether you actually need all that.

 

I didn't order a 3-series for my new car because:

1) Octy III is notably more spacious

2) Octy III is cheaper to insure and maintain

3) Octy III is more discrete and should not disturb my sleep...as BMWs have the largest theft rate here

4) Octy III vs. equally specced 3-series was a whopping EUR 15k less expensive

5) Both are not the most exciting to look at

 

3 and 4 are country dependent, but I believe are valid more or less everywhere

 

The only problem is that if you buy a Skoda, everytime you see a 3-series on the street you will know that you are driving the inferior car Good luck choosing !

[Neily03]

The 3-series is a more mature car as it has been made for decades and is currently considered as one of the best cars money can buy.

Really??

[PUFPAF]

Really??

 

Well, in terms of driving experience and overall feeling feel that is. I'm not saying it is the best value, but in this class it definitely stands out.

 

All models have 0-60 time of sub 7.5 seconds, it has the strongest residuals as well, IMO best auto-gearbox etc. all in favor of the 3-series.

 

If somebody gave me a 330xd touring as a present, I wouldn't look for anything else I guess But that's just my cup of tea

[Chunkstar]

320d sorted the plastic inlet flaps and turbos out?????

When I had my 330 d e90 there were loads of problems listed on the bmw land forum ,I know I know also lists on here and guess what every other car forum,but they did seem very common on that site

[Orville]

Guys, this is a stupid argument. The BMW is the better car. Whether or not you prefer RWD or FWD, few experts will say anything other than the BMW spanks the Octavia for ride, handling, refinement and quality. There is a reason similarly specified 3-Series cost £10K more than Octavia.

 

*If costs are the same and your priorities are quality and refinement, get the BMW. Easy choice.

*If you need the extra space and practicality, get the Skoda. Easy choice.

 

For most people the BM will end up costing much more in terms of list price and servicing/maintenance. However if finance deals are equal, choose which of the above requirements you value most.

 

The 3-Series is a great car. Sure, plenety of ******* drive them but plenty of half-blind and deaf 80+ year-olds drive Skoda's, so each clan has it's stero types (even if the reality is not always true). As someone above has said, go ask this question on the BMW forums and see what response you get. My guess is that most of the replies will be slightly bias.

 

I am moving from a 320D (company car) to a VRS TSI (privately owned due to company car policy changes) because it will cost me less money and be far more practical. If I didn't have kids, a dog, a mortgage and an expesive wife, I would have simply purchased another 3 Series. Great cars.

Edited 24 November, 2013 by Orville

[olibluegoat]

Ho did you find the maintenance costs.  I was hoping as i would only keep it for 3 years that it wouldn't be too bad as everything would be under warranty apart from normal wear and tear

[stevehg]

Glad I only pointed out the BMW's total inability to deal with proper winter conditions. As said I love them but living in the middle of Dartmoor means it is not an all year vehicle and my vRS is

If I lived in a flat county then a BMW would get my vote everytime, lMHO a much classier place to be even if a little too common these days with the typical 1 & 3 series fleet market.

This comment says more about the driving abilities of the poster than abilities of RWD

[booke23]

This comment says more about the driving abilities of the poster than abilities of RWD

 

I don't think it does. During the last spell of snow, I seen quite a few beamers stuck on pretty gentle slopes. I streaked past them in my FWD people carrier.

 

The combination of RWD and low profile tyres in snow is a catastrophically bad for traction. Of course if you put on smaller rims with higher profile winter tyres, and put about 100kg of ballast in the boot it would be a different story.