ygillard

Hello,

I am looking at replacing my wife's car and read about the GS 350 AWD. We never had a Lexus (and I don't think I ever drove a Lexus) and from the reviews that I read, the GS350 AWD seems to be a great car. We have been mostly Audi/MB/BMW people and I am wondering if some people could compare the Lexus GS350 AWD to an Audi A6 3.2/4.2. I would be especially interested in people who went from Audi/BMW to Lexus.

The A6 is not a sport car but it does handle well (at least well enough for my wife's need and mine), is not very strong straight line and has a beautiful interior.

From what I can read, people seems to say that Lexus, while great performing cars, remove the sensations from the drivers and are a little soft (Handling for me is as important as straight line acceleration). Is there some truth to that?

Also, looking at the pictures of the trunk, it seems that the rear seats are not folding. Is it the case?

Thanks,

Yves.

jharmann

I just replaced my 2000 A6 2.7T with a GS 350 AWD. I did not test drive the new A6s but did research and look at them. Here are my thoughts:

I have been very happy with my A6 over the years. The turbo was fun but the handling was average. I dismissed Audi from my consideration this time becuase it seems like they haven't kept up with the competition. The 3.2 seemed underpowered relative to the competititon and the 4.2 was a big price jump that was more than I wanted to pay.

I've been very happy with the performance and agility of the GS so far. Granted, it's not a BMW, but when you add in the options for a beemer the price jumps way up too. The lexus is still much better handling than my old A6 was. I definitly consider the GS a sporty luxury car rather than a luxurious sports car.

The final competitor for my GS was the Infiniti M35x. I though the handling and performance of the M35 was actually a bit better but the luxury, styling, and service of Lexus put it over the top.

The one big shortcoming with the GS is the trunk space. It's tiny compared to the competitors. Wasn't a big problem for me though because my wife's RX400h is our family hauler. Also, I never lookup until now, but you're right, the back seats don't fold down. That's surprising, I figured that was pretty much standard these days.

twister

Interesting how you mentioned about M35x having a better performance. I test drove '07 M35x and found it to be a huge boat. Its bigger and roomier inside, felt heavier, ride was softer, and acceleration felt slower. Overall handling reminded me more of my former ES350.

Yes, GS trunk is small. Similarly, we use our Highlander as family hauler Oh, and with a back seat you only get that little opening door for golf clubs, I guess?

kuch123

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