Was anyone deciding between a7 and GS350? and any known problems with the new GS?
08-07-14, 10:39 AM
#16
Driver School Candidate
I shopped both the A7 and GS and landed on the GS. Loved the look of the A7, but just way too many nightmare stories about Audi's electrical problems through the decades, and when I asked my mechanic about which to go with he basically said "don't bring it here", so that made my decision easy.
08-07-14, 05:42 PM
#17
I shopped both the A7 and GS and landed on the GS. Loved the look of the A7, but just way too many nightmare stories about Audi's electrical problems through the decades, and when I asked my mechanic about which to go with he basically said "don't bring it here", so that made my decision easy.
08-07-14, 07:09 PM
#18
Lexus Champion
I'll give you an unbiased opinion because I owned an '09 Audi A5, '10 S5 Cab and '11 S5 Cab prior to trading for my GS. I just needed more utility.
Although the longest I kept my Audis was for 10k miles, I had no issues at all. The V6 Supercharged engine in my S5's was stellar. That is the same engine in the A7. I do think Audi's reliability has gotten much better.
So, when the time came to trade my last S5 Cab I considered the A6, A7 and GS. The A6 just looks bland to me. The A7, as everyone has acknowledged, is one of the most beautiful cars on the road. However, even with no reliability issues I read on the forums that the Bose sound system is horrible, more in the A7 than the A6 because of the cavernous hatchback. To upgrade to Bang & Olufson costs over $6000 (just to get a decent sound system). I also read about strange sounds coming from the back (again, likely from the big hatchback.) There have also been consistent complaints about the seats (too flat, too short). And, like others have mentioned, I just wasn't blown away by the interior. The materials and fit/finish, yes. The design, no.
The GS isn't even close in exterior appearance but it is no slouch. The engine may not be as fast off the mark as the A7, but it can still get up and go with a great "growl". The interior design in the GS wins for me, hands down. Also, I can enjoy great sound from the Mark Levinson system without having to pay an additional $6k. Lastly, I've had my GS for 28 months and 17,500 with no issues and it is still like new.
The one last consideration if you use nav, etc. frequently is whether the MMI (wheel) system in the Audi is preferable to the Mouse sytem in the Lexus. I found the MMI system more intuitive, but of course the Lexus screen is much bigger.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say you can't go wrong with either, but do your research on the Audi Forums as well as here.
Although the longest I kept my Audis was for 10k miles, I had no issues at all. The V6 Supercharged engine in my S5's was stellar. That is the same engine in the A7. I do think Audi's reliability has gotten much better.
So, when the time came to trade my last S5 Cab I considered the A6, A7 and GS. The A6 just looks bland to me. The A7, as everyone has acknowledged, is one of the most beautiful cars on the road. However, even with no reliability issues I read on the forums that the Bose sound system is horrible, more in the A7 than the A6 because of the cavernous hatchback. To upgrade to Bang & Olufson costs over $6000 (just to get a decent sound system). I also read about strange sounds coming from the back (again, likely from the big hatchback.) There have also been consistent complaints about the seats (too flat, too short). And, like others have mentioned, I just wasn't blown away by the interior. The materials and fit/finish, yes. The design, no.
The GS isn't even close in exterior appearance but it is no slouch. The engine may not be as fast off the mark as the A7, but it can still get up and go with a great "growl". The interior design in the GS wins for me, hands down. Also, I can enjoy great sound from the Mark Levinson system without having to pay an additional $6k. Lastly, I've had my GS for 28 months and 17,500 with no issues and it is still like new.
The one last consideration if you use nav, etc. frequently is whether the MMI (wheel) system in the Audi is preferable to the Mouse sytem in the Lexus. I found the MMI system more intuitive, but of course the Lexus screen is much bigger.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say you can't go wrong with either, but do your research on the Audi Forums as well as here.
08-08-14, 03:22 AM
#19
My own $.02, the F Sport version of this car looks as good if not better than the A7. It grows on you over time and you like it even more. The back I've come to really like now.
I also had a '11 Audi, fuel tank problems that caused me to run out of fuel early. Lemon lawed it and they acknowledged it was a design flaw. I'll never buy another Audi again. It's not luxury, it's just sporty. And my GS with rear steer, it will out handle that Audi every day.
I also had a '11 Audi, fuel tank problems that caused me to run out of fuel early. Lemon lawed it and they acknowledged it was a design flaw. I'll never buy another Audi again. It's not luxury, it's just sporty. And my GS with rear steer, it will out handle that Audi every day.
08-08-14, 07:10 AM
#20
A7 barely beat (barely) the GS350 F Sport in the comparo test by Motor Trend. they are 2 totally diff cars BTW... i didn't think it was fair to compare the F sport to an A7, but the Lexus did very well. the A7 is sexy as hell though. i would still choose Lexus.
08-08-14, 08:26 AM
#21
I'll give you an unbiased opinion because I owned an '09 Audi A5, '10 S5 Cab and '11 S5 Cab prior to trading for my GS. I just needed more utility.
Although the longest I kept my Audis was for 10k miles, I had no issues at all. The V6 Supercharged engine in my S5's was stellar. That is the same engine in the A7. I do think Audi's reliability has gotten much better.
So, when the time came to trade my last S5 Cab I considered the A6, A7 and GS. The A6 just looks bland to me. The A7, as everyone has acknowledged, is one of the most beautiful cars on the road. However, even with no reliability issues I read on the forums that the Bose sound system is horrible, more in the A7 than the A6 because of the cavernous hatchback. To upgrade to Bang & Olufson costs over $6000 (just to get a decent sound system). I also read about strange sounds coming from the back (again, likely from the big hatchback.) There have also been consistent complaints about the seats (too flat, too short). And, like others have mentioned, I just wasn't blown away by the interior. The materials and fit/finish, yes. The design, no.
The GS isn't even close in exterior appearance but it is no slouch. The engine may not be as fast off the mark as the A7, but it can still get up and go with a great "growl". The interior design in the GS wins for me, hands down. Also, I can enjoy great sound from the Mark Levinson system without having to pay an additional $6k. Lastly, I've had my GS for 28 months and 17,500 with no issues and it is still like new.
The one last consideration if you use nav, etc. frequently is whether the MMI (wheel) system in the Audi is preferable to the Mouse sytem in the Lexus. I found the MMI system more intuitive, but of course the Lexus screen is much bigger.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say you can't go wrong with either, but do your research on the Audi Forums as well as here.
Although the longest I kept my Audis was for 10k miles, I had no issues at all. The V6 Supercharged engine in my S5's was stellar. That is the same engine in the A7. I do think Audi's reliability has gotten much better.
So, when the time came to trade my last S5 Cab I considered the A6, A7 and GS. The A6 just looks bland to me. The A7, as everyone has acknowledged, is one of the most beautiful cars on the road. However, even with no reliability issues I read on the forums that the Bose sound system is horrible, more in the A7 than the A6 because of the cavernous hatchback. To upgrade to Bang & Olufson costs over $6000 (just to get a decent sound system). I also read about strange sounds coming from the back (again, likely from the big hatchback.) There have also been consistent complaints about the seats (too flat, too short). And, like others have mentioned, I just wasn't blown away by the interior. The materials and fit/finish, yes. The design, no.
The GS isn't even close in exterior appearance but it is no slouch. The engine may not be as fast off the mark as the A7, but it can still get up and go with a great "growl". The interior design in the GS wins for me, hands down. Also, I can enjoy great sound from the Mark Levinson system without having to pay an additional $6k. Lastly, I've had my GS for 28 months and 17,500 with no issues and it is still like new.
The one last consideration if you use nav, etc. frequently is whether the MMI (wheel) system in the Audi is preferable to the Mouse sytem in the Lexus. I found the MMI system more intuitive, but of course the Lexus screen is much bigger.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say you can't go wrong with either, but do your research on the Audi Forums as well as here.
08-08-14, 08:38 AM
#22
I'll give you an unbiased opinion because I owned an '09 Audi A5, '10 S5 Cab and '11 S5 Cab prior to trading for my GS. I just needed more utility.
Although the longest I kept my Audis was for 10k miles, I had no issues at all. The V6 Supercharged engine in my S5's was stellar. That is the same engine in the A7. I do think Audi's reliability has gotten much better.
So, when the time came to trade my last S5 Cab I considered the A6, A7 and GS. The A6 just looks bland to me. The A7, as everyone has acknowledged, is one of the most beautiful cars on the road. However, even with no reliability issues I read on the forums that the Bose sound system is horrible, more in the A7 than the A6 because of the cavernous hatchback. To upgrade to Bang & Olufson costs over $6000 (just to get a decent sound system). I also read about strange sounds coming from the back (again, likely from the big hatchback.) There have also been consistent complaints about the seats (too flat, too short). And, like others have mentioned, I just wasn't blown away by the interior. The materials and fit/finish, yes. The design, no.
The GS isn't even close in exterior appearance but it is no slouch. The engine may not be as fast off the mark as the A7, but it can still get up and go with a great "growl". The interior design in the GS wins for me, hands down. Also, I can enjoy great sound from the Mark Levinson system without having to pay an additional $6k. Lastly, I've had my GS for 28 months and 17,500 with no issues and it is still like new.
The one last consideration if you use nav, etc. frequently is whether the MMI (wheel) system in the Audi is preferable to the Mouse sytem in the Lexus. I found the MMI system more intuitive, but of course the Lexus screen is much bigger.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say you can't go wrong with either, but do your research on the Audi Forums as well as here.
Although the longest I kept my Audis was for 10k miles, I had no issues at all. The V6 Supercharged engine in my S5's was stellar. That is the same engine in the A7. I do think Audi's reliability has gotten much better.
So, when the time came to trade my last S5 Cab I considered the A6, A7 and GS. The A6 just looks bland to me. The A7, as everyone has acknowledged, is one of the most beautiful cars on the road. However, even with no reliability issues I read on the forums that the Bose sound system is horrible, more in the A7 than the A6 because of the cavernous hatchback. To upgrade to Bang & Olufson costs over $6000 (just to get a decent sound system). I also read about strange sounds coming from the back (again, likely from the big hatchback.) There have also been consistent complaints about the seats (too flat, too short). And, like others have mentioned, I just wasn't blown away by the interior. The materials and fit/finish, yes. The design, no.
The GS isn't even close in exterior appearance but it is no slouch. The engine may not be as fast off the mark as the A7, but it can still get up and go with a great "growl". The interior design in the GS wins for me, hands down. Also, I can enjoy great sound from the Mark Levinson system without having to pay an additional $6k. Lastly, I've had my GS for 28 months and 17,500 with no issues and it is still like new.
The one last consideration if you use nav, etc. frequently is whether the MMI (wheel) system in the Audi is preferable to the Mouse sytem in the Lexus. I found the MMI system more intuitive, but of course the Lexus screen is much bigger.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say you can't go wrong with either, but do your research on the Audi Forums as well as here.
krava - Going to the Audi forums and trolling there would be a great idea. You should throw the same questions at them as you've posted here:
A6 vs GS
Good price on used A? (instead of GS obviously)
Credit options with Audi (instead of Lexus)
A7 vs GS
Last edited by Christobol; 08-08-14 at 08:52 AM.
08-08-14, 05:59 PM
#23
Lexus Champion
Like GregCanada said, 10k miles is an oil change. You really don't have the experience to comment on the long term reliability of the car. I'm basing my comments on my mechanic, Consumer Reports, and JD Power, all of which have dealt with cars that are more than a year old.
krava - Going to the Audi forums and trolling there would be a great idea. You should throw the same questions at them as you've posted here:
A6 vs GS
Good price on used A? (instead of GS obviously)
Credit options with Audi (instead of Lexus)
A7 vs GS
krava - Going to the Audi forums and trolling there would be a great idea. You should throw the same questions at them as you've posted here:
A6 vs GS
Good price on used A? (instead of GS obviously)
Credit options with Audi (instead of Lexus)
A7 vs GS
08-08-14, 06:06 PM
#24
Lexus Test Driver
08-08-14, 06:24 PM
#25
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