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cant make up your mind between an Audi A6 or an Lexus GS? let me help....
my short experience with a 2012 audi A6 and my deepest apologies for leaving Lexus.
Living in Chicago can make you rethink every option your car offers. 45 days ago I owned a 2007 Lexus ls460 RWD. it sucked in the snow. I traded it in to a dealer that was willing to give me a good amount for it. on their lot they had an A6 awd. ($60,000 new) but I purchased it used. we all know how Audi depreciates so I got it for $8 bucks!. (kidding). i thought what the hell!! YOLO!! never owned a Audi before! this will definitely fill that insecurity gap in my life!. I drove the Audi A6 for 3 weeks. after my 21st day I took the hit and went back to Lexus with my tail between my legs.
for $60,000 the options are just not there with Audi! Lexus spoils you. how? here are a few options Lexus gave me in a base model AWD GS350 that the premium plus Audi A6 did not.
heated & ac seats ( Audi just had heated. AC seats are a must)
heated steering wheel
keyless entry - just touch the handle and you lock and unlock the doors
exiting the car the steering wheel and seat move apart for a smooth exit
aux and USB port ( that's right my 2012 Audi A6 didn't have either!!! had to pay $85 for the iPhone 6 adapter. how do you build a car without USB???)
Large trunk (the trunk on an A6 could barley hold my golf clubs. I have lay the bag on an angle which means your not fitting much of anything else in there.)
functionality - Lexus allows you to use 100% of their operating system by just connecting your phone via Bluetooth. want to buy movie tickets? reserve a table at a restaurant? check in on facebook? no problem Lexus does it all. Audi makes you purchase a Sim card from T-Mobile, then you get to pay $45 a month just so you can see buildings in 3D on your GPS and find the cheapest gas near by.
the ride - nothing compares to Lexus. even their sport vehicles offer a silky smooth quiet ride.
in the Audi....at 80mph you will have to start talking a little louder for the person sitting next to you to hear what you are saying. On the highway it will sound like your windows are open when talking to someone over the Bluetooth. ( so I am told by the person on the other end )
the A6 was too low to the ground. I am 6'3...getting in and out of the car began to get annoying after week 1.
sound system - Audi sound is garbage. if you don't spring for the Bose or their premium sound you will hate the sound Audi has to offer. I promised myself I would never drive a car without Mark Levinson but the Lexus premium sound in the GS is pretty decent. No mark Levinson....but decent.
the distinct design of an Audi face is what I loved. but that gets old fast. when you are actually inside the car for 10-15 hours a week who the hell cares what the outside looks like. Plus the new spindle grill and headlights Lexus offers compete very well.
when I ditched the Audi and went back to Lexus my car insurance dropped $120 a year.
every day you drive an Audi in the back of your mind you are thinking " when is the engine light ganna turn on?" you are just terrified that something is going to break and have to put your 6 year old child to work to start paying the bills. paranoid? that's what I thought. until I got a letter in the mail the day after I sold it saying there is a recall on a fuel system part.
if you put your cell phone on the passenger seat of an Audi that is enough to trigger the airbag sensor. once the airbag sensor comes on your car will chime, *****, and moan until the passenger seatbelt is fastened. not so bad? think how often you get into your car and whatever is in your pockets or hands goes right onto the passenger seat. purse, wallet, phone, lunch bag, books, they all set the airbag sensor off. and guess what? you get fasten a seatbelt for no reason in your $60,000+ car as if it were a 1998 for explorer.
Audi missed all the little things...hell they missed all the big things. for $60,000 you NEED to give me a heated steering wheel. you NEED to give me a smart key. I shouldn't have to pull my key out every time I need to unlock my door on a $60k car. I didn't even need to use a key in my 2008 Nissan Sentra. A SENTRA!!! a $16,000 car brand new!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!. air conditioned seats need to be installed on any car priced over $40k. I should not have to pay $45 a month to access basic things like local gas prices, and full functionality of a gps system. I should be able place my wallet on the passenger seat without having to fasten the seat belt. the list goes on guys. and I am sick of typing this on my phone so... the answer is clear. stick with a Lexus.
I have a GS 350 and an A7 which is functionally the same as an A6. I think you got an A7 that was not up to par. No question there are pros and cons to both cars, but I love the Audi.
BTW, our GS is a $59k car with Luxury and ML packages. It does not have a heated steering wheel. Am I supposed to hate the car for that? And all of the things you are carping about are available on a new A6 that lists for $65k and they offered me for $58k three months ago.
I think an A7 is slightly closer to an A8. Funny thing is the A7 holds its value more then both an A6 and an A8. Your right I did rant hard. But it cuts deep when cars priced so high have such little to offer. The Quattro was amazing in snow. And being able to say " I own an Audi " is really all this car did for me. My wife who cares less for cars absolutely loved it. So that was a huge plus. Buy a car and not get nagged by the wife? It's a win/win!! I don't hate Audi just because of a heated steering wheel. It was a long list. Everyone rants on Audi tech features. But what car made after 2005 doesn't come with a USB or an aux cable? A7 and A8s are in a different class as well. The A6 is a Volkswagen CC with a nicer interior. It's my own fault. I needed an AWD car fast and I rushed into an Audi a6 with limited options. There is premium, premium plus, and prestige. Meaning a premium plus is the second highest Audi you can buy. Mine was a premium plus and had the same options as a base model Volkswagen. That would make anyone feel kinda butt hurt when a base model Lexus ES offers more technology and convience features for $20-$25k less. I mean come one $45 a month for a T-Mobile account to utilize your GPS in a Audi? I'll be honest if the insurance wasn't so high and the reliability wasn't a issue I would have considered a 2012 Audi A8 fully loaded. But that's air ride, massage seats, premium sound, flagship ride. Totally different discussion
Originally Posted by jjscsix
I have a GS 350 and an A7 which is functionally the same as an A6. I think you got an A7 that was not up to par. No question there are pros and cons to both cars, but I love the Audi.
BTW, our GS is a $59k car with Luxury and ML packages. It does not have a heated steering wheel. Am I supposed to hate the car for that? And all of the things you are carping about are available on a new A6 that lists for $65k and they offered me for $58k three months ago.
I think an A7 is slightly closer to an A8. Funny thing is the A7 holds its value more then both an A6 and an A8. Your right I did rant hard. But it cuts deep when cars priced so high have such little to offer. The Quattro was amazing in snow. And being able to say " I own an Audi " is really all this car did for me. My wife who cares less for cars absolutely loved it. So that was a huge plus. Buy a car and not get nagged by the wife? It's a win/win!! I don't hate Audi just because of a heated steering wheel. It was a long list. Everyone rants on Audi tech features. But what car made after 2005 doesn't come with a USB or an aux cable? A7 and A8s are in a different class as well. The A6 is a Volkswagen CC with a nicer interior. It's my own fault. I needed an AWD car fast and I rushed into an Audi a6 with limited options. There is premium, premium plus, and prestige. Meaning a premium plus is the second highest Audi you can buy. Mine was a premium plus and had the same options as a base model Volkswagen. That would make anyone feel kinda butt hurt when a base model Lexus ES offers more technology and convience features for $20-$25k less. I mean come one $45 a month for a T-Mobile account to utilize your GPS in a Audi? I'll be honest if the insurance wasn't so high and the reliability wasn't a issue I would have considered a 2012 Audi A8 fully loaded. But that's air ride, massage seats, premium sound, flagship ride. Totally different discussion
Nice post. But for the record an A7 really is an A6 with different bodies. The interiors, engines and suspension are virtually identical. The A8 is a totally different car. A close friend of mine has one.
For the record, overall when shopping in 2012 for the GS new I actually preferred the A6 overall. I thought it drove a little better, preferred the looks, preferred the interior on the GS. The main reason I went GS is Audi has a terrible lease, I would have paid $200 more a month for the A6.
But, you are right about equipment. In the A6 I wouldn't have considered anything but a Prestige model, which gets the equipment you wanted, and actually has some equipment the GS doesn't have like an around view monitor, etc. I find that a common issue with German cars, in order to get options you get used to in the Lexus, say like cooled seats, you have to get a reallty high option package. BMW is the same way.
And jjscsix is right, the A7 is basically an A6 with different sheetmetal. The A8 is a completely different car.
Congrats on your GS. Great value for the buck for sure. And in snow climates, the AWD is and extra bonus. You covered all the points on what was important to your car choice.
But those cross shopping a GS with A6 might consider a few more points. Of course a Premium Plus or Prestige with the V6 3.0 will MSRP more, but will have nicer features to close the gap (convenience features) but 2 outstanding things I noticed about the Audi V6.
The Audi V6 is smooth, powerful (no lack of torque) and does have the MPG advantage. The MMI (control **** for audio/Nav/driving configuration) has better tactile feel and ease of use as well as better graphics on the pop up screen.
Bottom line for me....The Audi (Premium plus, Prestige) A6 or A7, makes my short list when cross shopping sport sedans. The Audi S6/S7 will be the cross shop for the upcoming Lexus GS F V8
For the record, overall when shopping in 2012 for the GS new I actually preferred the A6 overall. I thought it drove a little better, preferred the looks, preferred the interior on the GS. The main reason I went GS is Audi has a terrible lease, I would have paid $200 more a month for the A6.
But, you are right about equipment. In the A6 I wouldn't have considered anything but a Prestige model, which gets the equipment you wanted, and actually has some equipment the GS doesn't have like an around view monitor, etc. I find that a common issue with German cars, in order to get options you get used to in the Lexus, say like cooled seats, you have to get a reallty high option package. BMW is the same way.
And jjscsix is right, the A7 is basically an A6 with different sheetmetal. The A8 is a completely different car.
Same here. Might almost went with the A6 if it was the same price or even 50-100/mo more expensive lease. Alas, it was 250 dollars more per month! After being in the GS for more than a year though, definitely no regrets.
Love the A6's front headlight eps. with the new light. But the back without the light on looks way too similar to the Optima or maybe I should say the other way. Either way it does not look as nice from the back. I prefer GS' interior and the deal is no brainer
I also had to add one more thing Audi forgot. Cup holders! 99% of you guys either take a bottle of water, travelers mug, or hitting up a drive through before work, or picking up dinner for the fam. You will never utilize both cup holders at once unless it's strictly 2 bottles of water. Put 2 bottles of water in there and good luck trying to access the radio and gps. You have to hover your arm over your drinks to get to all your buttons. It's annoying. You cannot fit 2 McDonald's medium sized cups next to one another. If you try they both lean against each other so much a lid will pop off while driving. Picking up any fast food sucks. One drink is going into the holder the second is sitting in your lap. Your $60k design is a juggling act in your daily commute. The Lexus GS holds my nutri ninja cup without an issue. And that is the fattest cup in the world, plus a water bottle or coffe cup.
03-20-15, 01:21 PM
2013 Lexus GS350 VS 2012 AUDI A6
