a790

Will keep this quick. Lately I've been cross-shopping other vehicles in the same price bracket as the IS350 AWD.

I paid $58,700 CAD out the door for my '14 IS350 AWD F-Sport Executive. White w/ red leather interior. Yummy.

Comparably equipped Audi S4 Teknik = $66,000.


Price: Lexus.

Over $7,500 cheaper when everything is said and done.


Power: Audi.

Audi has 27 more hp to boot, way more torque, and is boosted. At my altitude (3,700 ft) a naturally aspirated car loses about 11.5% of its horsepower. The Audi, by virtue of its boost, does not.


Looks: Audi.

The F-Sport is ridiculous looking. I've never liked it. This is obviously subjective.


Interior: Lexus

The Audi has a great interior, but so does the Lexus. The headliner in the Lexus is much nicer. The fit and finish in the Lexus seems to be nice. The Lexus feels more compact, more driver-oriented (which is weird given that the S4 is more of a drivers car).

I have issues with some of the materials used in the Lexus, but without similar experience in the Audi I cannot really comment.

I suspect the Lexus will wear nicer over time.


Engine/Transmissoin: Audi

The 333 hp supercharged six is a great engine. It sounds fantastic, always has power. The Lexus needs to be wound up to unlock its power. The Audi is a better "city driver" because it has more hp/tq down low.

The 3.5L V6 in the Lexus is still a gem of an engine though.


Handling: Lexus

Before you tear me apart, bear with me. The S4 has great suspension, brakes, and chassis. No doubt. But the Lexus ALSO has a great chassis/brakes/suspension. IMO the selectable suspension in the Lexus is fantastic.

The chassis in the Lexus is also superb. It's so balanced and neutral that you forget you're in a Lexus. Too bad it doesn't have the extra 30 - 50 hp that it needs to really back it up.

The Audi's turn-in is a little more aggressive. It stays planted through the corners. Love driving this car.

The Lexus, however, wins this one simply because of how adaptable it is in the city. In real-world environments, where you aren't screaming through every corner, the Lexus is more compliant and forgiving. When you do wind it out, it is right there with you. It's willing to do more, give more, go faster. More importantly, it feels light and spritely as it does this. The Audi starts to throw its weight around a little, and if you're inexperienced/not a hardcore performance driver, that can get intimidating.

The Lexus feels smaller and more nimble, which is exactly how I want my daily driver to feel.


Acceleration: Audi.

Oh yes, the Audi. It goes. At my altitude, it simply leaves the Lexus in the dust.


Fun factor: Audi

Narrowly, but still the Audi.

The Lexus is such a great car to really drive though. My car, a 6-speed AWD variant, howls as you go screaming through a corner. It's always screaming at me, "come on A790, you can GO FASTER, GO FASTER A790, COME ON A790!"

The Audi? "Excuse me sir, but it appears you want to go faster. Should I engage the hyperdrive?"

And then it does. And the sound. I know it's mic'd in, but so is the Lexus (in a way). It's fantastic. And that transmission when you shift- intoxicating. It sounds like it's literally consuming the pavement and has yet to be satiated.

If the Audi scores 100, the Lexus scores 90. It is close.


Dealership Experience: Lexus.

Hands down. It's not even a question. The post-sale service I've received from Lexus has been top-notch, and Audi flat out told me they don't offer/do a lot of what Lexus does (pick up my car for servicing, brew me a coffee when I call and ask (seriously), etc.).


What car do I want the most? The Audi.

It is a premium German sports sedan that never stops. It always wants more. Its 333 hp and 295 ft-lbs of torque are a fantastic balance between crazy power and usable, "not going to go insane in the city limits" kind of power.


What car would I buy if given a second chance? The Lexus*.

I prefer the interior, chassis, and size of the car. I also prefer the dealer experience. Long-term, I know the 3.5L V6 will be a reliable and capable powerplant. The Audi has a history of, ehh, questionable long-term desirability.

*However, I'd have the dealer change the F-Sport front bumper to a regular front-bumper. I don't care what it costs. F-Sport bumper looks like someone sucked on a lemon. I bloody hate it.

Also, it's $7,500 cheaper. An S4 with adjustable suspension/etc. is nearly $10,000 more expensive (granted it includes things like a sports differential and few other go-faster goodies the Lexus doesn't/can't have).

There are my thoughts. I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

wow I really appreciate you taking time to write it up. I agree with most of your comments but a few.

I agree that 3IS F Sport has a better suspension setup. This is right on spot. In fact I think F Sport has the best suspension in its class right from the factory. You don't need to upgrade it with aftermarket springs, shocks etc. It is ready for a spirited driving right off the factory. Audi's on the other hand, even being RS, have a lot of unnecessary body roll. This however is easily fixable with aftermarket upgrade. H&R have very nice springs for them. I don't understand why Audi does that, it is a big puzzle for me. Audi has the easiest access to the best racing technology in the world, Porsche. Why not to use some of Porsche suspension components?

Interior: I would say it is 50%/50%. I am not sure if you carefully examined both interiors but in Audi you will find all materials to be "real". You have a real leather, real aluminum panels, accents etc, real wood and better more solid materials used overall (Yes headliner seems to be better in Lexus). In Lexus you will find at the beginning the interior to be better because it is prettier and warmer as well as more modern. Very soft NuLuxe seats, very pretty design overall. But with time you will see that they will start to lose its appeal, at least this how it appeared to me. NuLuxe is a synthetic material and is more flammable than leather. On of my friends dropped his cigarette on my seat and it left permanent demage on NuLuxe. I would imagine that would not have happened on the real leather. The carpet in 3IS is a joke. I bet it is taken straight from Corolla. Also something to consider, A/S4 is probably the oldest car in its class and it is to be updated with the next model year. Right now it indeed looks outdated inside compared to its competition.

Lastly, I would not say that Lexus service is better than Audi. You know all those things such as coffee, small snacks in the waiting room is probably the cheapest way to attract the customers. Nissan, Ford and many others already have that here in Bay Area. Audi does come to your home and pick up your car and leave you a loaner. in my opinion only one thing is very important when you rate a service department - HOW DO THEY ADDRESS YOUR COMPLAINTS. it all comes down how willing they are to help you solve even seemingly a small issue. I really hope you won't have any issues with your 3IS but if you do let's bring this subject up again

Enjoy your lovely F Sport, and by the way the front bumper grows on you with time. Give it a chance and you will love it after some time.

a790

Had the IS now for 7 months, still hate the bumper

Where I am, Audi will not pick up the vehicle/leave a loaner. Lexus will. Seems to be dealer specific?

And the sales gal at Audi did mention that a new refresh is coming in a year, with a rumoured twin turbo engine <3

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

I am not sure if it is a dealer specific but i experienced this service from most San Francisco Bay Area dealers.

Wow about twin turbo engine. But it seems highly unlikely. 3.0T supercharged engine is very popular and Audi will keep using it on the future models.

bhvrdr

I agree that the S4 is just a better car. It is a true AWD car (not front wheel drive biased) and the 3.0T engine is just a monster. Living at altitude the benefit will be that much greater.

To me the 3IS interiors only appear better at first glance because of their newer looking design cues but if you look at materials, Audi wins hand down just as Salva says. You look at an audi door panel and you get a mixture of either real aluminum, real carbon fiber, or real wood with real leather and soft touch materials. I can tell you the Audi interiors dont wear well because of this (look up "peeling interior") but they are very nice while they last. The Lexus interiors hold up extremely well but that is because they are basically made out of Playskool plastics.

I love the handling of the 3IS but if you want to get around a track faster the AWD of the audi is hard to beat. Put the active sport differential in it and you cant beat the S4. Perhaps ride is better. You can get rid of any roll you want with a cheap set of sways. The HR springs will not do it. They arent much stiffer at all.

One thing worth mentioning is the transmission. Our trannys are just plain clunky compared to the S4 units. Floor it while cruising in the IS350 and its...wait for it...wait for it....one thousand one...one thousand two.... The S4 direct shift gearbox is a better unit. Again, it will be more prone to service needs, but when it works, its awesome.

With respect to dealership service, Lexus is actually ranked highest. ..

http://www.jdpower.com/ja/node/3015

But Audi is right up there in sixth place.

The ratings are averages and will depend greatly on your area. Each dealership of each brand can differ massively in how they treat customers. There is no set standard per se.

In reality, the 3IS competes with the A4 and not the S4. The A4 with its 4 cylinder is equally as fast as the IS350 and priced more similarly. The S4 is in another league IMO.

The only downside I can see with the S4 is of course reliability (who cares if you arent keeping it more than 4 years) but more importantly the fact that it is long overdue for a refresh. It has been around for 5 years now. I cant wait to see the B9.

Mike