[cvandenhaute]

I think at the end of the day it strictly depends what we are looking for in a brand. I am no brand loyalist (except for Mazda since every one of their models are a blast to drive, including my practical all duty CX9) and I look in some specific features. I bought my 1er because it was one of the very few compact RWD fun to drive coupe on the market.

I believe Audi makes great cars, there is just none that appeal to me because most (in my price range at least) are NOT as fun to drive. I did cross shop the TT when I was looking for my current car and the lack of manual gearbox, 4 cylinder engine and overall bad weight distribution just killed it for me.

Now I am not excited to see where BMW is heading (heavier, bulkier, disparition of the NA straight six, electric power steering...), really not sure what I will buy when it will be time to replace the 1er...

Not sure if there is a real point to compare brands, models would be more appropriate and in this regard it is fairly difficult to compare the 1er to anything...