FabianS

Hey all, new to the site. Wife bought a 2015 NX in December, so I thought I'd join. Anyway, I'm looking to sell my current daily driver (2007 Tacoma TRD Sport) and snag a nice sports sedan. I've done a bunch of research I've got it down to the 2015 IS350 F-Sport, series 1 AWD, or a 2015 Audi S3. I've driven, and like both. The Audi is cheaper, and much, much quicker, and could be even more so with a tune, while the IS can't really get any faster than it is. I love the exterior, and especially the interior of the IS, but wonder how it will age over the 6-8 years I figure I'll have it? The Audi on the other hand is more conservative, and will likely age better. The Lexus will be super reliable, and won't get carbon build up due to the direct, and port injection, while the Audi likely will, and will also not be quite as reliable. Anyone want to chime in with opinions/ knowledge to help me decide? I know this is a Lexus site, so the IS will get more love here, but maybe some of you have had Audi's before.

Cheers.

ddvette9

Two big factors to consider.

One is a forced induction car, the other is naturally aspirated. Big difference in driving feel. Some prefer one or the other.

Second, one is a German car, the other is a JDM car. Different parts, different mods, different support, different lifestyle.

Best of luck. If I wanted performance I would go audi but if I wanted overall fit and finish and reliability I would choose the lexus.

bhvrdr

I've had 4 different Audi A4 and an S4.

You are correct the S3 will be a faster car. The styling of Audis is IMO just about perfect. It is an understated class. Their interiors are very high quality although the A3 and S3 is not up to par with the rest of their lineup IMO. I'm sure you won't find much fault in the driving dynamics as well.

The only thing that would sway me big time is that you said you plan to keep the car for 6-8 years. I absolutely would not own the Audi without being under warranty. I have replaced engines, transmissions, and so many other parts on these cars and I've never owned one past 100,000 miles.

I went with the IS350 for this year because it is basically fast enough for a daily driver and I just got sick of dealing with maintenance issues. . Most of my Audis were all under warranty but I an recall spending almost 3 months out of a 12 month period without my car one year due to the dealership being clueless about fixing it. Also for the IS350 I found the styling is a lot better than the usual ultraconservative and bland japanese styling.

I dont think you can be faulted for either car really. They both are great. Keep in mind if you flash the S3 you will need to have it bench flashed back to stock before each dealer visit. You cannot port flash it youself back to stock. You have to take it to the performance shop. And you really do need to do this. Audi will plug in your car at dealership visits and interrogate the ECU. The car will be flagged TD1 when they find evidence of the performance flash and they will make warranty work a hell. Audi has really started cracking down since 2013 or so.

Mike

drbazing

I wouldn't say it's plenty quicker than an IS350, maybe from a stop. Nuluxe interior generally lasts longer than leather. I like the look of both cars, leaning more towards the Audi though. An average Lexus will probably outlast your average Audi. All Audi's that my group of friends had been problematic. These were the old Audi's though and I've heard good things about the new gen Audi's being reliable. I'd have to try owning an S4/RS4 sometime in my life lol.

What made me choose the IS is because of the long term. It's reliable and is fast enough. If I could exchange it for an ISF though... Oh well, we'll see what I decide on after the 3-year lease.

RoiteTrom

Never driven an Audi before, but I've seen their quattro system do amazing things in snow... just throwing that in since your profile says you live in Alberta, Canada

Loe

Generally speaking (I have not been in the Audi scene for some years now), but I think the TFSI engines were the answer to carbon build up issues that plagued the older FSI engines. Having driven the A3 FWD 1.8t version, I can say without a doubt that it's a good car to drive and I would have gotten one the 2.0t Quattro if the lease rates were competitive. If I were buying a car in this price range, the S3 would be one of my picks. However, do keep in mind that it's a smaller car, and the stubbier proportions reflect that.

I didn't have many issues with my 2004 S4 I had, but then again it didn't have direct injection and was a simple N/A V8 6speed model. Aside from maintenance/wear & tear items, Tthe only mechanical issue I had was replacing two coil packs around 70k miles, it was electrically sound, and I ended up selling it at 107K miles. The Torsen-based Quattro was nice (although there was some powertrain binding at full steering lock at low speeds). I have read the Haldex-based Quattro unit doesn't respond as quick since it's "reactive."

Lindenlea

Are you interested in being on a first name basis with your SA? Then buy the Audi.
I have owned 2 A4's and while very nice to drive,it became almost comical how often I had them at the dealership for warranty claims.
As a previous poster said,don't own an Audi out of warranty,unless you have extremely deep pockets.
The IS 350 F sport, on the other hand has been a lot of fun to drive and has a much better reputation for reliability the Audi has ever had

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

OP, I am in a similar situation as you are but with a little bit of modifications required lol

I am in the stage as I don't know how to get rid of my IS 350 F-Sport and get 2015 Audi S3 without getting hit by trade in and such. I am honestly rather disappointed in Lexus's acclaimed customer service. Lexus does not want to acknowledge the real problems that customers have and perhaps this is part of the reason of them being reliable. Heated seats don't work on NuLuxe seats, some deformity develops on NuLuxe seats, crappy nav system etc. The NuLuxe material that Lexus uses is a total and utter crap, nothing else. Lexus uses NuLuxe to cut the cost. While leather in Audi is of really high quality. If you did not notice it, VW group luxury divisions including Audi, Bentley etc all of them use the leather from the same Austrian based supplier and believe me they provided awesome quality leather. Audi's interior ages extremely well - I dare to say the best in the auto industry.

Audi's perceived notaries reliability is generally over exaggerated. Audi has become very reliable recently. Look at the consumer reports survey. For the last two to three years Audi has been within top 5 reliable auto makers. While Lexus is still more reliable than Audi, I would not call Audi as the most unreliable brand.
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2014-...bility-survey/


Other than that both cars have their own merits but I prefer Audi S3 than 3IS 350 F Sport. Mainly because S3 has better powertrain, sounds better inside and outside (compared stock to stock), a lot more tune friendly, more fun to drive, has a lot better more functional and easier to use infotainment system (MMI), world class audio system (B&O), real leather, better gas mileage etc etc.

One example about the bad customer service that I received from Lexus customer relation recently. I called Lexus 1800 number and tried to bring up the issue concerning the NuLuxe seats, the lady representing Lexus was rather rude to me and she was not willing to give me last name when I asked. I honestly was astonished by the manner she talked to me. Perhaps it is one employee is bad and I should not be unfairly judging the company by one person's behavior but nevertheless it left pretty bad impression.

AdvanSLF

honestly, i think european cars have more perks and features that most japanese cars offfer. for instance, the 3IS F Sport has no fold in mirrors, no memory seats, not adjustable lumbar height, no engine sound generator control **** in the cabin, no HUD, smaller nav screen, so the list goes on and on.. i was seriously about to pull the gun on the 3series bimmer, and fell over awwwing for my friends S4, but in the end i went with the 3IS for one pure reason, it does the same thing as the competition, maybe not as perfect, but i'm dailying my car, not tracking it so it wouldn't matter and no matter how much i beat the ***** out of it, i know i'm still gonna be able to drive it home while the euro cars will be stuck on the back of a tow truck.

bhvrdr

For the folks who are talking about Audis most recent reliablity. I do not see it as improved. I've owned Audis starting from 2000 and until now.

Actually the old 1.8t engines that were around from 1997 to 2005 were the most reliable.

The FSI engines that first came out in the 2005.5 A4 was crap for reliablity. Everyone knows that. I had one. You had to replace the high pressure fuel pumps. You had to replace the cam followers regularly. The TFSI or TSI engine came out in the 2009 A4 and later A5. It was supposed to help these things. That engine has proven to be even worse. Audi had to settle a class action on them due to bad piston rings. It results in oil consumption or a total engine failure. Yes, I had one of these too. Yes I had to replace the entire engine. No, it does not do anything to address carbon buildup.

If you look on these boards you see complaints about seat heaters not being as hot as people would like or their seats having dye on them from their jeans. If you look on the Audi boards you see people complaining their car left them stranded again and it needs a new engine, lol.

Here is the oil consumption thread. There are almost 3000 posts in it.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...umption-Thread

My car was burning 1 quart of oil every 200 miles. Yes, I had to carry a case of oil with me in the trunk. Of course us Audi owners also carry coil packs in the trunk. Those leave us stranded too. Audi dropped the price on them down to about $25 because they can't seem to make a quality one. So they just make them disposable, lol.

Mike

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

Generally on the forums people who have the problems with their cars post their complains. While most owners that never have issues with their vehicles don't post anything. You get my point. So the percentage of owners who have the problems relative to the total number of owners is small and to make a reliable conclusion from reading forum posts is impossible. Generally to get a better more reliable statistical data on reliability of a certain make is to conduct large studies, such as those conducted by JD Power and Consumer Reports. Please read the latest consumer report findings on reliability. Audi has been ranked among the top 5 most reliable makes for the last three years.

On the side note - I had a seventh generation a A6 with 3.0 supercharged engine. It was very reliable power train. The car had other small electrical issues but none of them had to do with power train.
My 3IS also have had small issues in year of ownership. From owning these two cars I cannot say that 3IS has been more reliable than Audi.

theoryguy3

If you plan on keeping the car for awhile get the Lexus, if not Audi

bhvrdr

Actually this involved 126,000 vehicles with crap engines so I would take that consumer reports annual study with a grain of salt. The consumer report study you posted about focuses ONLY on the first 12 months of ownership.

http://www.dailyreportingsuite.com/p...e_class_action

A study that is a little better is the JD powers that covers 3 years of ownership. There audi falls way down the list.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...power/5403139/

Mike

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

You do realize that Audi has been within top five reliable makes on Consumer Reports for for two consecutive years, 2013 and 2014. And within top 10 for three consecutive years, 2012, 2013 and 2014. What this trend shows is that Audi as a brand has dramatically stepped up its reliability. Yes it was pretty bad before and it seems Audi learned its lesson on their own mistakes. Consumer reports discusses Audi and how it has progressed recently, please watch this youtube:

Please fast forward it to 19min and they will start talking about Audis in 5, 6 seconds.

JD Power survey that provided above is obsolete already, it is for 2011 and earlier years. During those years yes Audi had many issues. Starting 2012 Audi has become a lot better.

Again, I am not trying to discredit Lexus 3IS. Lexus is by far the most reliable brand and everybody knows that. I am trying to be fair toward Audi and just make sure that folks don't stereotype Audi. Please folks, the new German cars are not more expensive to maintain than Lexus. They have 10K maintenance interval same as Lexus and all you do is oil and filter change. Very simple these days to maintain modern cars.

CJW

iTrader: (1)

I will never buy another Lexus so long as they make a sport version that is neutered on luxury options.

No cooled seats (2015 changes that), no rain sensing wipers, no memory seats, no power tilt/telescope, No LED headlights, no clearance sensors.