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BMW 535i vs Lexus GS 350 vs Audi A6

73 messages,  Last post on Feb 08, 2013 at 9:08 AM

You are in the Audi A6 Forum.

What is this discussion about? BMW 5 Series, Lexus GS 350, Audi A6, Car Comparisons, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 1 of 8

#1 of 73 BMW 535i vs Lexus GS350 vs Audi A6 by slapshotk

Nov 23, 2007 (9:16 pm)

Folks..I've narrowed down my search to these three..They all ride great..are within 2k-3k of each other price wise and they also look terrific..I'll be posting this on the Audi and Lexus forum's as well..But from a BMW perspective what is the one overiding reason why I should choose BMW versus the others? My primary criteria are:
Reliability
Ride (I have 1 hr each way to work-constantly on the cell)
and "Tech"- GPS, Bluetooth, user interface etc..
Looking forward to the responses

#2 of 73 Re: BMW 535i vs Lexus GS350 vs Audi A6 [slapshotk] by shipo

Nov 23, 2007 (10:35 pm)

Replying to: slapshotk (Nov 23, 2007 9:16 pm)
I'm curious why you are even posting that question. If you don't care about the overall performance of the car, then buy the Lexus and be done with it.

#3 of 73 Re: BMW 535i vs Lexus GS350 vs Audi A6 [shipo] by slapshotk

Nov 23, 2007 (10:46 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Nov 23, 2007 10:35 pm)
Performance is important but not at the expense of having to constantly "tweak" the car or a noisy ride given the length of my commute, cell phone use etc..

#4 of 73 Re: BMW 535i vs Lexus GS350 vs Audi A6 [slapshotk] by dark_katana

Nov 28, 2007 (1:15 pm)

Replying to: slapshotk (Nov 23, 2007 10:46 pm)
I'm a BMW fan, but I also own a Lexus GX470 and I used to own an Audi A6.
 
The stock answer to your question of BMW vs. (insert competing cars in class here) is "do you want to drive or do you want to be driven?" If it's the former, the 535i is the only way to go. If its the latter, both the Lexus and Audi would be better choices. If your hour long commute is mostly stop and go traffic, the Lexus would be my pick. If, on the other hand, your commute contains some stretch where you can open it up, the BMW wins hands down.
 
You mentioned in your OP, how the cars "rode." Let me ask you a better question, "How did they drive?"

#5 of 73 Re: BMW 535i vs Lexus GS350 vs Audi A6 [dark_katana] by slapshotk

Nov 29, 2007 (7:05 am)

Replying to: dark_katana (Nov 28, 2007 1:15 pm)
Dark Katana:
 
Great post! In short, the BMW drove like a luxury sports car- tight, responsive etc..On the other end of the spectrum, the Lexus drove like a high-end luxury car, very quiet, smooth, refined...The Audi seemed to me at least to be somewhat in the middle maybe leaning towards the BMW...I'm going to go for another run this weekend with all 3..Interesting that Audi and Lexus appear to be very hungry for my business, BMW is basically saying come back when your done driving "the rest of them".....

#6 of 73 Re: BMW 535i vs Lexus GS350 vs Audi A6 [slapshotk] by tayl0rd

Nov 29, 2007 (10:59 am)

Replying to: slapshotk (Nov 23, 2007 9:16 pm)
I think the A6 is an excellent, nay, perfect compromise between the 535i and the GS350. It's way more sporty than the GS350, but it doesn't beat you up. The steering is much lighter than in the BMW, but still responsive. Having driven all three vehicles (the V8 versions, anyway), I have to say the A6 is at least as sporty as the 5-series. It handles wonderfully, takes off smartly, and it feels good going on down the road in it. And the MMI in the A6, I think, is brilliant; much better than iDrive. I've never liked Lexus' interface. It just feels like something's missing from it, as though it's there just for the sake of being there. Hard to explain, really.
 
But anyway, I doubt you'd be disappointed driving the A6 overall.

#8 of 73 Re: BMW 535i vs Lexus GS350 vs Audi A6 [tayl0rd] by slapshotk

Nov 29, 2007 (7:38 pm)

Replying to: tayl0rd (Nov 29, 2007 10:59 am)
Great feedback as well...Audi sent me an email today wanting me to schedule a test drive..I think I will take them up on this over the weekend..I very much agree with you on the Lexus interface..Even though it's a touch screen, I did not find it as "smart" as the MMI...The BMW idrive is more complicated although I think I can get the handle of it over time (I'm an IT guy..)..One thing I did notice is that Audi did not have a BMW Assist or Lexus Link type of capability although that's what I guess your cell phone is for...

#9 of 73 Re: BMW 535i vs Lexus GS350 vs Audi A6 [slapshotk] by mrsm

Nov 29, 2007 (7:53 pm)

Replying to: slapshotk (Nov 29, 2007 7:38 pm)
I don't think you're comparing apples to apples. If you're testing the 535i you need to drive the Lexus GS460. We drove the GS350 and found it lacking to the 535i due to acceleration and handling. The GS460 has a sports mode that changes the handling and gear ratio that makes it much closer in feel to the BMW. We bought the Lexus because of the reliability and our dislike of idrive and BMW turn signals. All of these cars are great and how fortunate we are that we get to drive one of them. Enjoy!

#10 of 73 Re: BMW 535i vs Lexus GS350 vs Audi A6 [slapshotk] by tayl0rd

Nov 30, 2007 (6:45 am)

Replying to: slapshotk (Nov 29, 2007 7:38 pm)
One thing I forgot to mention on the A6. The negative of the A6, to me, is that it is starting to look dated. And I hardly ever see one on the road, so that's really bad! It's just not aging well at all. But my overall positive opinion of it still stands.

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