I Am Considering Lexus Is250 Awd And Audi A4 2.0t Quattro

[cshecks]

I was once a proud owner of a 2005.5 Audi A4 2.0T and sold it about 1 year ago. I am now reconsidering getting either another Audi or the Lexus. Could I please get some insight from some IS250 owners as to why this might be a better bet than the audi. I am already aware the the IS250 AWD system is vastly inferior to the Audi quattro AWD system and this is one of my major worries. I have never seen a post in an audi forum with people complaining about "it snowed 1 inch and i could not get out of my driveway with my Is250 AWD" like I have in lexus forums. Now, with that being said, I had to take my A4 to the shop probably 4 times in the first 5 months of ownership and I am pretty positive that would not happen with a lexus.

Please, serious comments/suggestions from IS250 owners. Thanks!!!!

[bartkat]

It appears that you've narrowed it down to two criteria. Which is more important to you? Much of that might depend on how and where you drive and how long you expect to keep the car.

Feel free to browse the forums, do some searching and reading. There are plenty of comments and views posted here.

[MikeL]

I had a 2000 Audi A4 1.8T and a 2003 Audi A4 1.8T. I now drive a 2007 Lexus IS250. Simply put, both are GREAT cars, but seeing how this is the Lexus forum, well, you're gonna see lots of Lexus love. Similarly, Audiworld posters will never tell you to go with Lexus.

What I've seen... and I live in Miami so little need for 4WD here anyway...

My IS is perfect tech-wise thus far, zero unscheduled service visits, it's built quite flawlessly. My A4s were also reliable, but once or twice I did have unscheduled issues that were minor, but hey, they happened. European cars have their "temper" ;). Nothing that would keep me from going with Audi again, I was just not loving the new design of the A4 too much, but probably just bored of Audi.

I'd repeat what the poster above says, it comes down to you. Despite what people say either way, both the IS and the A4 are excellent vehicles and I'd have zero problem driving either one. I did get a much better deal financially with Lexus than Audi, but that's mostly due to resale value, etc etc.

[Rx330driver]

i actually the like styling of both cars. however, obviously it comes down to the traction for you. You could get the IS250 awd and just have a set of winter tires. i hear that lexus keeps those tires in storage while your on your other ones.

cons of owning the audi:

May face redesign very soon

reliability

i never liked Audi Interiors (just my opinion there)

more money there

cons of owning a lexus:

traction

smaller dimensions that others in the class

first year may have problems

i would go for the lexus (and this is from an outsiders view). Obviously, you have owned the audi so going back to it might be boring. Ive owned by rx330 for 3and a half years and im ready to get rid of it. once you see something nicer that comes along, you cant stay with the old. I say try new things, and just use your common sense in the winter

[torvilex]

The major differences are brand related. Lexus is all about the driver's comfort and safety. Audi is focussed on the car's performance. You might find the Audi feels faster but the Lexus has a power mode that electronically changes the shift points to drive harder (and burn more gas). Full disclosure is that I work for Lexus and but we are in northern NJ and am unaware of AWD complaints. If you want to drive real fast, try the RWD 350 but the AWD 250 is perfect for suburban living and the car turns like an ice skater.

[Sidney07]

We've had the IS250 for six months now. No complaints whatsoever. It does what it's supposed to. Although my only complaint is that the tire pressure monitoring system should tell you WHICH tire is low! Even GM cars with that feature tell you which tire is low.

Other than that, pretty much what everyone else said. We are in the Seattle area as well, and I sure am seeing lots of IS250's on the road.

Have friends with Audi's. They love them. Reliability is not that bad. Way better than BMW.

Drivers car=Audi

Luxury/better(slightly?)reliability=Lexus

Don't think you can go wrong either way...lots of help I am, huh?

[is_in_red]

I was once a proud owner of a 2005.5 Audi A4 2.0T and sold it about 1 year ago. I am now reconsidering getting either another Audi or the Lexus. Could I please get some insight from some IS250 owners as to why this might be a better bet than the audi. I am already aware the the IS250 AWD system is vastly inferior to the Audi quattro AWD system and this is one of my major worries. I have never seen a post in an audi forum with people complaining about "it snowed 1 inch and i could not get out of my driveway with my Is250 AWD" like I have in lexus forums. Now, with that being said, I had to take my A4 to the shop probably 4 times in the first 5 months of ownership and I am pretty positive that would not happen with a lexus.

Please, serious comments/suggestions from IS250 owners. Thanks!!!!

I don't understand the complaints about the AWD - I own both cars (A4 Avant Quattro and IS250 AWD) and they are both very stable on snow covered roads. I have Blizzaks on the Audi and Dunlop 3D Sport snows on the Lexus. The Lexus is more on the luxury end of Sport. The Audi will give you more engine and exhaust sound, plus the turbo growl. I prefer the seating position of the Audi, it's more upright. I have an earlier build of the IS250 and it has some interior rattles but they've probably been worked out of the '07 cars.

[jrobsea]

We looked at an Audi A4 and an Outback XT before getting the IS250AWD. The Lexus has less power and probably doesn't handle as well in the snow as either of the other two.

The reasons we picked the Lexus are:

Nicest looking of the three.

We trusted the reliability of Lexus over the others.

Audi was the most expensive and expected to lose value fastest.

Outbacks are great. I drove the same one for 10 years and 145k. After 10 years and 145k miles, it's nice to have a change.

I had the most fun driving the Lexus.