That's what I'm thinking, although I suppose the new 3 series w 4 cyl. turbo will be worth checking out too. But there's no guarantee they'll offer it with awd (if they follow the lead of the 5er.)

 

Agreed, although I've always preferred the awd system of Audi to BMW.
The new BMWs are very pretty though.

 

If you're going to be on back roads, I'd be concerned with ground clearance. The A4 is pretty low unless you go advent or Volvo cross country? What about a Subaru outback?

 

Volvo: no MT.
Subaru: I know this makes the most sense, but it doesn't get great mileage. And more importantly, it doesn't excite me in the least. At least the 3 series or A4 will have some fun to drive factor. Or the Golf R as mentioned previously.

 

I'd reconsider the 535,it is the perfect daily driver.

 

I had 99 audi a4 for 10+ years. I thought it was a good car until I bought BMW. My A4 and my brother's A4 came with plenty of electrical issues. There are way too many problem to listed them. I was surprised nobody ever mentioned that. May be people who recommend A4 never owned one as this is a Porsche forum. I would stay away from Audi for now. I think new 2012 BMW 528i w/ 4 cylinder Turbo would be a nice car to have for DD. 535 is even nicer if price is no object.

 

Newer Audi is more reliable, but they do have their share of issues a tad bit more than others. If under warranty it shouldn't be a reason not to buy one thought, they are still good cars.

 

We've had our 2006 A4 2.0T for almost 6 years now and haven't had a single thing wrong with it other than one brake light bulb that went out. knocking on wood. It's been an incredible vehicle.

 

I have a Q5 2.0T loaded with 19" wheels....love it as a daily driver. It's quick and nimble. I have not put a chip in it. It gets about 22-24 mpg on the highway. The clearance is just high enough for 99% of the snow mess that you can find yourself in.

My only problem with it has been topping off the oil every month when the oil warning light comes on. I suspect this may be true of the A4 as well.

 

I agree, but a 6 MT is not available with xdrive.

 

The articles about the new Mazda CX-5 are pretty impressive. It might be a good car to buy and park, kind of like a Subie. I could drive my GTS most of the time, and only use the CX-5 when the weather is really crappy.

 

We get 23+ mpg in the wife's X3. Being a 2009, and at the end of that generation's cycle, it's been quite trouble-free. Not a MT, but the Manu-matic does surprisingly well, and the auto in sport mode will hold gears to keep the car in the power band.

 

I have a Audi 2.0 Quattro, and I must say its the perfect DD ever, I love the 4wd, the gas rating, and the size of the car, good for grocery shopping, but yet small to fit into small parking spots, and it has a Bose surround sound system. Hands down one of the best awd DD on the market, just make sure you get your oil changed and use 91/93, it burns a lot of oil, that was the only complaint I heard for others.....GL

 

plus 1, same here with mine, a lot of people complained about Audi in the pass, but they have step up there game big time....

 

I have an Audi Q5 as a company car, so I guess it's my DD....free gas and maintenance! Can't beat that. It's an awesome car. My only complaint is that the 2.0T seems to burn oil. I have to top off monthly.