dochusar

I agree with the OP. I must say that I am a car enthusiast and rarely keep cars for than a couple of years. I have had a 2007 Audi A6 Quattro. No power during fast acceleration, accelerator lag, very front heavy but very good in snow. When my lease ended, loved the new styling of the A6, but am not enamored of the 3 liter supercharged engine. I had a 2009 BMW 5-series wagon and the car was a pleasure to drive. Well balance, excellent steering and prompt acceleration with a slight turbo lag. It still felt heavy when driving and the run flat tires were so bad. I then opted for a 2010 Mercedes E550 series, the first year of their re-design. The car was fast but just did not have any soul. The steering was artificial, the 4 matic was acceptable, but the car was full of electronic gremlins. The most enjoyable sedan that I have is my 12 Porsche Panamera which I have for weekends, It has the same handling of a sports car with 4 doors, but cannot be my daily driver. I picked up the 13 GS350 and fell in love with the handling. The handling is smooth, the car has fast acceleration with no lag and is very well balanced. The car's ride is something that I remember with my first BMW.

Now I have a major quandary, I have a 13 Carerra S on order and I plan to trade my Panamera for the 911. I will need a weekend driver and was thinking of the 2012 Audi A8 (with the eight cylinder motor), the 2013 A8's will have the 3 liter supercharged engine (underpowered) and will likely not be enjoyable. I am also thinking of getting the 13 Lexus LS but would love to see what Lexus does with the new refresh.

As I said, I have a passion for cars, and have had the fortune to drive many different cars, with respect to loyalty, I love the VW group -- VW, Audi, Porsche and Bentley. My new Lexus has been a very pleasant surprise.

CraigerL4

The A6 was a close second to the GS for me. I liked the power and handling. What I didn't like was the silly pop up nav screen and the monthly fees that came with it. Also, several Audi owners warned me of the poor reliability and high maintenance costs. A neighbour of mine had one for about 12 months and only drove it for 6 as it was in the repair shop half the time he had it.

Craiger

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

Just to let you know that Audi will release the newer 2013 A8L with the 4.0T V8 engine this late summer/fall. Will be rated at 420 hp and will replace the current 4.2l V8. Its not been announced but internal ordering documents are on audiworld.com so I have taken a look at them already but decided that the change of 40 hp was not going to push me to wait that long.

dseag2

The A6 or A7 would have been a natural for me, since I traded in an Audi S5 Cabriolet. The Audi dealership treated me really well, and in terms of reliability I never had issues with any of the 3 Audis I owned from 2009-2011. (Low mileage though.)

Honestly, the exterior of the A6 did nothing for me, so I didn't even test drive one. I can tell you that the torque with the 3.0 Supercharged engine is fantastic. My S5 was super fast, with torque always available, so I would imagine the A6, being a bit lighter, would be even faster. Unfortunately, I find the A6 boring to look at. Also, I preferred the GS interior. Like someone else said, I didn't care for the pop-up screen and I could just see it failing down the road.

I love the A7, but to get one with B&O sound system (the Bose sucks) would run $73k. It's just not worth it for me at that price, plus the interior is identical to that of the A6.

I now have 1,350 miles on my GS F Sport and love it more every time I drive it.

Kaydee

with 5 series styling and prestige, I think the Bimmer is best in class and would be hard to topple

dseag2

I will agree on prestige, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

SW17LS

I also agree that the 5 is the best looking car in the segment, IMHO. I think its one of if not the best looking sedan on the road right now.

However, they are everywhere. I kind of want something next time that isn't everywhere.

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

I found the new 5 to be ho-hum and bland after owning it for 1 year. No comments or no stares compared to my 2013 GS F-Sport that has received 1 great comment on average every 2 weeks for the past 3 months! The GS is more emotional and more exciting to look at then the 5.

natnut

I think the A6 Quattro needs the optional Audi Sports Differential to liven up the handling.

But I agree with the OP. I test drove the A7 3.0T (no Sports diff) which has the same chassis and found it to be a a great car. It's supercharged engine has NO lag and makes low end acceleration effortless --one advantage it has over the GS350.

In terms of steering feel, ride-handling balance and tossability around the corners, the GS350 wins but the A6 3.0T is very very close in overall rating as a sports sedan. Even though the A6 has a bigger rear seats in theory, I sat in one at the car show-room and found the seats too upright and less comfortable than the GS350's rear.

It a VERY competent car but too clinical but it pushes the GS350 F-Sport very close. Anyone getting the A6/A7 3.0T isn't going too far wrong IMO.

Doesn't it speak volumes that the 5 series is "best in class" only due to it's looks and prestige now? But in actual qualities like handling, steering, throttle response and seat comfort, it is no longer the benchmark?

IMO BMW 5 series is coasting right now on past glories and the 5er really needs to buck up especially when the A6 and GS is breathing down its neck and the E class refresh is just around the corner.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

V interesting thread, great comparative info. Thx

SW17LS

I don't think thats so much that people think the GS is better looking than the 5 as much as its that people see 5's all the time...the GS is unusual.

To natnut, the term "clinical" is a pretty good one to compare the feel of the A6 to the GS...

nantang

I drive a GS450h. I don't think Audi offers a counterpart yet that can beat 35 mpg and SULEV in a luxury sports car. But, I dare say, bring it on...

dseag2

To each his own. I think the 7 series is one of the best looking sedans on the road. I can't get excited about the design of the 5 series. When I see one on the road I don't have buyer's remorse. Maybe, as you said, they are too ubiquitous and I am just used to the design.

The GS F Sport won't stand out either a year from now when they are more common, but at least I know I will still be enjoying the knock-out Cabernet interior and the driving experience.

kssod

A6 has great power and tranny. Don't like the seats, even in the prestige, seem very narrow and their is too much plastic on the side. The leather just does not look or feel upscale. My RL seems much better.
GS seems to be the leader IMO, but concerned that their will be a power and transmission upgrade next year, like Lexus did with 3GS. Also almost impossible to get the ML with F AWD.
Really wish the Acura RLX was out, 370hp with hybrid torque vectoring AWD, but I probably can't wait another year.

SW17LS

See I think the 7 looks a little misproportioned at certain angles...