Did Any Of You 2013 Owners Consider The A6?

[SW03ES]

Just curious.

I was over by the auto park in Silver Spring the other day, about 2 hours early for an appointment and I sent over and drove the A6, E Class, and GS. I have driven an E Class before, but it was some time ago, and had never driven an A6.

I really didn't like the E class, awkward driving position, boaty ride (boatier than my ES if you can believe it), poor navigation quality, etc) but thats the topic for another thread.

What I was surprised by was how much I liked the A6! The interior is a little bland, but if you get a color with something to it, like that saddle brown interior it spices it up, interior quality is excellent, the exterior is smooth and appealing IMHO and I loved how it drove and rode. The GS I think is still sportier, has a more unique exterior (which I still haven't decided 100% if I like that), and no doubt has a nicer interior, but that A6 is easily my second favorite car in the category...

[Lexus South Atlanta]

I actually own an E350 which is a tank. Slow response and the ride is floating. I had BMW's for 15 years and loved them and would not look at a Lexus. I just got a 2013 GS350 and have never enjoyed driving more. I got an "F" sport with the Mark Levinson and rear steering....holy cow! I drove the A6 and liked the car but the responsiveness was not the typical German feel that they have had in the past. A little underpowered even at the lower RPM's where the torque is supposed to be.

Now my wife drives the E350 until the lease is up and then she is going into the new "F" sport RX350. I hope they do as well with that as the GS.........

[rwallican]

I've driven the A6 and A7 and was very impressed with both the look AND the drive. The interiors are definitely bland but seem to be of great quality (especially compared to the Benz/BMW). Audi is my 2nd favorite car brand as well. I just don't know anything about them as far as dependability, maintenance, etc.

[bigshoe]

I looked at the A6 before considering the GS F. I forget the three 'levels' it comes in but I looked at the top one. I like the acceleration and the handling but I wasn't overly impressed. The model had all the bells and whistles like the touch pad, enhanced audio, etc. I liked it, not loved it, but liked it.

What I didn't like was the a la cart pricing. The baseline price had none of the bells in my test drive model. After adding every single feature that I saw and wanted, the price was slightly over my upper limit. That was going to be the car I got in a couple of months.

That weekend, I was casually looking at the Lexus web sight, never really considering them but I had heard good things from friends and family. The styling of the GS 350 F interested me. I test drove one the next day and bought it the day after.

The handling was better, the acceleration was better, you got a lot of gadgetry in the base line model and the few additional things they had in the one I wanted was still nearly 20K less than the Audi.

Bottom line, value for money award goes to the Lexus. I'll take 'German engineered, Japanese built' over 'German engineered, German built' if it means 20K less any day.

[usnavy1610]

I just purchased a GS350 F Sport today, after contemplating it and the A6 for the couple of weeks. The A6 was nice and had a good drive and feel, but it was much more expensive up front and for the 5 year cost, plus I know I would not have gotten the deal I got with the Lexus. I think you get the best all worlds with the F Sport. Another reason was that my Lexus dealer and rep in Austin was outstanding, patient, and helpful. Every time I went to Audi, I would stand out in the parking lot looking at cars, and no one came out to help. When I went inside, I would stand there for at least 5 minutes. To me they were snobs, almost as bad as BMW.

[DJ45cal]

I recently purchased a 2013 GS 350 and looked at the A6. On paper, the A6 had everything that I was looking for. However, in reality, I thought the A6's interior was dull compared to the GS350. Also, the performance was sluggish. Don't get me wrong, the A6 is a nice car, but it is more family/luxury compared to the GS 350 which has more sport/performance. I also looked at the E350/E550 & BMW 535/550. For my tastes, I quickly eliminated the A6 & E350/E550.

[Uncle Ben]

Yes, I looked at the A6, the MB C and E classes, and BMW 3-series. Once you add up the options, the price of competing models exceeded my budget. The legendary reliability of Toyota/Lexus also played a big part.

[rwallican]

Yes, let's not forget reliability. It's amazing to me how some totally deny JD Powers and other reliability studies when their brands aren't listed as reliable. One of the joys of driving a car, to me, is not having to do much maintenance outside out of the scheduled stuff.

[SW03ES]

I wound up in the GS ;)

[rwallican]

Great choice. I was at the Audi dealer with a friend this morning. He's looking at the A7. It's like comparing apples and oranges. I was in the service area getting coffee and talked to a current A6 owner. he said he was in for some electrical problem that they just couldn't resolve and his excuse was "you know that German engineering".....All I was thinking was how *BLEEP*ed I'd be if I was sitting at a dealership on Christmas Eve dealing with some recurring issue. That's what I mean when I say I don't know anything about other brands. All I think about when I hear German is reliability issues. So Lexus it is!

[midwesterner]

Baseline car for me was '06 Saab Aero V6 -- nimble, responsive, fast, outstanding mid-range acceleration, fuel-efficient, distinctive. If Saab hadn't gone out of business, I'd still own it.

Looked at German cars as replacements, but not very hard because of reliability problems and local dealer issues. Drove a late-model BMW 3-series and was disappointed in extent to which traditional BMW simplicity and nimbleness had given way to big car feel. Viscerally, I'd probably have preferred Audi, BMW, or Merc, and have owned each in the past. Also was interested in Cadillac ATS or CTS.

Although the GS350 AWD is a bigger, heavier car than I originally sought, I was impressed by solidity and handling, and its quiet interior. Dealership very professional. I don't usually lease, but decided to do so in this case, and the offer was impressive -- could not have duplicated with the German cars or Cadillac.

After six weeks and 1200 miles, car is meeting expectations except for fuel consumption. I have yet to hit 26 mpg on the road, although have managed 20 or 21 in winter suburban driving -- about equivalent to the Saab under same conditions. Suspension probably not quite as buttoned down as the Germans, but close, and steering is in range witih Europeans. Braking excellent. Lexus needs a 7- or 8-speed transmission in this car, which would help with fuel consumption. Wifes '09 RX350 can hit 27 mgp on the road under the right circumstances, with speeds in the 70 - 75 mph range.

On balance, I'd say pretty competitive with the A6, from what I know, with perhaps a few advantages and a couple of shortcomings. I am generally happy with the car and willing to accept some trade-off in mpg for the awd and other features I like. Compares well in my mind with standard offerings from Audi BMW, and M-B, less expensive to own and operate, and likely more reliable. Delear and customer care better.

[13GS350FownerVA]

New to the forum and BRAND new owner of a pearl (Cabernet interior) 350 F Sport as of this past Saturday. I noticed this thread and faced many of the same questions as the original poster. I attended the DC Car show thinking the E350/A6 was for me (former owner of 06 IS350). I got in the E350 and felt like I was in a 65,000 Honda Accord (interior-wise. Never drove it). Loved the A6, however for the difference in cost, could not justify it. Absolutely love the new ride.

[jta52]

Audi was a serious consideration, first test drove the A6, when they were giving out $100 to test drive. I did not like the feel of the road thru the steering wheel, loved everything else, especially navigation. Then I test drove the A4, liked the car, felt it was under powered. Really liked the S4 and S5, but the dealer moved 30 miles away from me and I didn't want to drive that far to negotiate a deal or if I bought it, take it into the shop, that far away. Ended up with the GS F Sport.

[FastGirl]

Drove the A6 before I bought the GS450H. It was nice but I kept hearing of issues from Audi owners. I was already driving an IS350 so I thought going with Lexus again only made sense given my good experience with Lexus.

[LEX-SV]

Good feedback from new GS owners that drove the competition. I drove the GS at Lexus event in the summer and was impressed.

[Afrosheenix]

I didn't even look at Audi. Most of their platforms seem like glorified VW's (transverse 4 cylinders with front wheel drive) and the interiors were both ugly and boring. I was dead set on an Infiniti Q50 but the dealer couldn't get my car in a reasonable amount of time, so I cross shopped and fell in love. I ended up getting an F Sport with every option minus the cold weather package, and got a great lease deal on it without too much haggling.

I did look around for a Volvo S60 T6 just to be open minded but the dealer here is pretty weak, either that or supply of that model is very thin, so I didn't even get to test drive one.

My GS F Sport is the total package. Looks, reliability, stunning interior and the huge screen you never get tired of. Plus, some of the best seats (with ventilation) I've ever ridden in. What surprises me is how often I see people on the street staring at it. I think a black car is pretty low key and nothing is particularly gawk-worthy...until I wash it by hand and get a reminder of the F Sport darth vader bumper.

The only problem is that Lexus is on the crest of making so many good cars, when my lease is up in a few years I won't know what to get next. The GS-F is coming, the RC, RC F Sport and RC-F are just around the corner, and the LF-LC (which is probably way out of my budget range) is also sneaking up. Too many good choices but I'm about halfway in love with the RC F Sport's interior already.