dseag2

My last 3 cars before my GS were Audis... an '09 A5 Coupe, a '10 S5 Cab and an '11 S5 Cab. The supercharged V6 and tranny in the S5 Cabs are fantastic. However, I needed something more practical, so the A6 would have been the most obvious choice. Frankly, I wasn't blown away by the A6 styling, the interior looked too busy for me and (as the orignal OP mentioned) to get the B&O sound system in an A6 costs an additional $6k. It was approx. $800 in my other Audis. I've read in the forums that the standard Bose system is terrible, and I also like a great sound system, but I'm not willing to pay $6k for it.

The GS F-Sport performed well, had a more unique exterior, had a more cohesive and attractive interior with supportive seats (which is also a negative with the Audi), has a great Mark Levinson sound system, plus I know it will be trouble-free for many years to come. With the annual miles you put on your car I would be afraid to go with anything German. I only put 7,500 miles a year on my cars, which is the only reason I was willing to consider an Audi.

Don't get me wrong... I loved my Audis and I would have been willing to put up with various electronic gremlins and unexpected maintenance for a car as special as the S5 Cab. For a premium sedan, not so much.

I'm unbiased here because I'm sure Audi would have given me a great deal for trading the fourth car in four years, but I wasn't feelin it.

SW17LS

I'm not sure what options the A6 has the GS doesn't have, other than an around view camera...

dseag2

Google Earth with nav, and I think that's about it.

Also, if you listen to satellite radio quite a bit, the Audi MMI system gives you the ability to see the song that's playing on the channel before you change it. That's a nice feature the GS doesn't have. I listen to my iPod all the time so really don't need it.

BOBFSPORT

I dont think "LET" is the right word.......

DrKeith

I looked at the GS, 535, A6. I am a physician too and need a car I know will be reliable. I typically keep my cars for 10+ years so that was an important factor.

-I have the ML and typically listen to USB audio or iPod and have never had a problem with rattles or distortion.
-Chose the GS over the German cars for the interior, and smooth and very quiet ride
-Wanted a car that wasn't everywhere. In my area I can't drive without passing many 5 series and a few A6's. I have only seen 4 GS on the road in the ~10 months I have owned my GS.
-Also, if I need service on the car my Lexus dealer will bring a loaner to me at my home or work and pick up my GS. Our local Audi and BMW dealers do not offer

I used to be in Northern CA and agree the roads are terrible. What part of CA are you in?

qbizzy

Dr Keith and others....

Thanks for your replies. They really helped.

I wrote the same scenario in the Audi forum and got no response. I check in here and I have two pages worth of responses. I just like to say that its nice to have input from such an active community. I actually wrote these questions this morning and then drove the A6 shortly thereafter.

I live in SoCal and spend most of my time driving in the Inland Empire although I live in Orange County.

My observations from today's test drive:
-I did notice the Bose system to be below ML in terms of quality. The bass was weak and slow. Slow in the sense that it felt like the amp that was powering that car had a low dampening factor which influences the speaker's ability to recover for the the next signal.
-did anyone notice how loud the fans were in Audi's ventilated seats? It was loud! It was like having an oscillating fan in the back seat!
-I didn't mind the ride in the Audi. I liked the throaty response of the 3.0L engine. I think its kind of lame that Lexus uses a speaker to amplify the revving sound of the engine when accelerating hard.
-I am kind of pissed that the Lexus trunk is neither spring loaded or powered (unless you order the luxury edition). I mean, at this price point, this is something that should be included.

So there is more that I want to write but suffice it to say, you guys were a factor in my decision to get the GS-350.

So now its time to decide. I think I am going to go with the f-sport because I like being able to change the suspension to sport+. Kind of wish I had those back window shades.

If you got a killer deal, feel free to chime in. I mean a real deal - one that perhaps, with a little luck, I can pull off tomorrow.

Cheers,
QBIZZY

DrKeith

You can also get sport + with the luxury package but lose the aluminum trim and the other external f sport cosmetic differences such as spoiler and frint grills.

SNiiP3R

iTrader: (3)

Qbizzy,

GS with Luxury package has the Sport / Sport+ modes, and you get the rear and back windows shades. The base model does not have those options. The F-Sport on the other hand, has the rear-wheel steering. However, you most likely will have to special order the car, unless dealer can find one locally.

terrycs

Is this normal for every Lexus dealership service department?!

Bayman

The dealerships in the DC area also offer this service.

LexFather

Qbizzy Lexus does not use a speaker to amplify sound ala BMW. Lexus actually runs a secondary intake tube into the cabin so you can hear the sound. It's real and I love it

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

Good choice Doctor!

From,


Doctor with a GS F-sport : )

rjm

I have to agree with Rexus300 completely. For the past 13 years I have driven 4 different models of BMW's and became very unhappy with the new models (F10's) for the same reasons outlined above. Run flat tires, steering problems, hesitation problems, battery charging problems, lousy NAV system, start/stop system, and constant software updates all persuaded me to buy the 2013 GS350 and I love it. It has replaced BMW as the Ultimate Driving Machine as attested in nearly all of the current automotive magazines. I also still have my 2008 BMW (E60) which has been an excellent car. Prior to my purchase I test-drove all of the new models of BMW's at my local dealer and was very disappointed in how drastically they have changed.

qbizzy

I did not know that about the secondary tube. I actually had a salesman tell me that sound was generated by a speaker.

Since we are on the topic (tangent) of speaker/noise - does Lexus still use an internal speaker to cancel out engine noise? I thought that they did that or used to, and thats another reason why their cabins are so quiet. The noise canceling was achieved by creating an opposing sound wave causing destructive interference. Maybe they used to do that but not anymore. I would think if they still did that, it would be a feature that they would talk about.

I am going out this afternoon after work in search of my lexus. Mission Viejo is the closest with the selection that I want. Lets hope they want to make a deal.

qbizzy

Ok, so I am a bit confused. the luxury package has sport/sport+

The salesman told me that on the luxury model, the sport + just changes the revving/shift points on the engine tranny. That it doesn't have the adjustable shocks. I was liked the F-sport because I can go from couch mode to fun mode with a twist of the dial.

Can someone please tell me what I gain/lose with Luxury vs F-sport? I want the shades to keep the heat out during the summer months. Plus I would really like to have a power trunk. I don't want to order it and wait 3 months. I just want to dial down on a option set and fine tune my search.

Thanks guys