qbizzy

Hi Lexus owners,

I am going to my second test drive today for an A6 3.0 2013. I have tested the GS-350 Fsport 3 times.

I am new to Audi and Lexus. I've owned a BMW 335i with Dinan (389hp/420tor) and was happy with that performance level but always wished I had more interior space and a longer wheelbase. The roads in California are horrible.

I would like your honest opinion of your experience with this car. Obviously this is an owners forum so I expect a fair amount of brand loyalty. But thats ok, I want to hear what you like/don't like about your Lexus.

So I am comparing these models:
A6 3.0 Prestige, BMW 550i, Lexus GS 350 F Sport

Now before you attack the other brands please consider what is of value to me if you can. Perhaps you are in the same bracket:

I drive 26k mi/yr. I am in sales so I am in and out of my car all day long. In and out of the trunk etc etc. My car is my office away from home. I drive about 75mph on average but sometimes need to get to the hospital for trauma situations and need to safely exceed the speed limit. I am most concerned about the quality/durability/reliability at 100k miles. My first suspicion is that the Lexus will be in the best shape at this mileage point but that is because I have owned many toyota products in the past. Last but not least, the stereo is very important to me. Spent too much time at chop shops claiming to make your car sound better. I want a OEM system that will sound amazing. I know the A6 can come with the Bang Olufsen option, but at 6k+, its not worth it in my opinion.

Thanks for your input.
QBIZZY

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I actually like the A6 Prestige a bit more but the numbers were higher.Factors with getting a A6 is I usually don't keep a car long or do many miles.
If you're going to do 26K miles per,probably better to go GS.
The ML is hit or miss with some.Also some rattles reported caused by the ML system.The stock system isn't bad.
You should to listen to both.

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

I am also a physician and require a fast car and a reliable one. I do about 18-20k a year.

I had a 2011 BMW 535i xdrive from Jan 2011-Jan 2012 plagued with vibration in the chassis 70-80 mph, poor alignment (wandering at high speed), choppy ride from runflats that I replaced with regular tires, and other issues that made me really HATE this car so much. The handling was SUBPAR and nothing like the older 5 series. I still have a 2008 BMW 335xi coupe and its perfect.

Now, I have a 2013 GS350 F-sport and 19 inch rims with good Michelin tires and I have 13,000 miles on it so far. The car is amazing, sharp in handling, smooth in ride, and great feedback with the road. The quality is superior with 1 issue so far. I love the technology in the car and I have gotten great comments from people about the exterior looks and the interior layout. NOT ONCE did I get any comments on my 5 series in 1 year... Not surprising given the ubiquous nature and the bland styling of that car.

We also have a 2012 Audi A8L which is my fathers car and its excellent and I love the ride and handling of Audis but the A6 bores me. The steering is dead numb on center and the layout of the cabin is a bit lacking and doesn't surround you nicely in a cockpit kind of way like the Lexus GS. The exterior of the A6 is so-so without sports package but with the sports package and 20 inch rims, the ride is very shoddy over bad pavements and has been slammed by reviewers in the Car and Driver and Motortrend magazine while the praises go to the GS for the best suspension of the bunch.

I hope this helps!

terrycs

I was also on the wall between A6 Premium Plus and GS.

It was a tough choice though because the A6 can easily produce another 100 Hp with a tune.

The technology in the GS is more advanced than that in the A6 too. I wasn't a big fan of the monitor in the A6 either. It looked out of place when it was on which for most people is all the time.

I tend to keep my cars as long as I can so I went with the reliability of Lexus. I passed up the power because the GS has sufficient power for 99% of the way I drive the car. My last car had about 500 WHp and I didn't use all that power enough as a daily driver.

Good luck with your decision.

BarrettF77

Coming from an Audi product, I can tell you that the service side of things with them will be terrible. This isn't just my opinion, but several other people's too on here and family and friends have noticed a cheapening of the company. Their interiors are nowhere as nice or as quiet, and while the Lexus may get less in the numbers department, the fuel economy, reliability, and customer centric treatment will be worlds better than anything German. This coming from someone who has owned 5 german cars over the last decade between all 3 of the big names. Each had their own strengths and weaknesses, but I'm most happy with Lexus as I too was apprehensive about buying one.

For the high mileage you drive, I'd take reliability and peace of mind over a little more horsepower and the potential to be at foreign dealerships with unexpected downtimes. There's a reason Toyota avoids blowers on their cars and also a reason why most german manufacturers overvalue their vehicles.

XBimR

GS350 FS is a great car and I chose it over A6 and 535i.

I will say you can't go wrong in that group. Reliability and cost were other factors in my decision - this was the first Lexus I really looked forward to driving.

I have ML system, sounds great with most of my music. Read through strings on this forum for more.

With your mileage, why not go with something with better gas mileage? Most modern cars will speed just fine, it's the handling that separates them. You sound like a perfect candidate for a two car solution. Put the miles on something cheaper to buy and operate.

sydtoosic

the streets in CALI are horrible. that's the first time i've heard that. the BMW 550i is in another price bracket with 400 hp and once you add some toys then you may as well add 10-15K on top of the 62K starting price, so it's not a fair comparison against the GS F Sport or the Audi A6. the GS F Sport is a great car and your test drive (3 times) can attest to that. i like everything about the car. the minor nuisances are overlooked after a couple of weeks, after that ... smooth sailing. depends on what you want in a car. Lexus did a great job with the 2013 GS F Sport, give us your answer once you test drive the Audi and BMW 535i .

tankton

My only real annoyance is you cannot combine the F-Sport with the Luxury package. It's either one or the other. The Germans do not do that - they let you have it all.

1111GS

For what I do, I need something that I can depend on and can not afford going to the service center if not needed. I also cross shopped GS with 5s (28 and 35), A6 and Es. I chose GS Luxury mainly for that. Other things are the interior and ride quality. Here is a thread that I got quite some good feedback from the forum.

CincyBrad

Reliability out of warrany is an issue for you, so this decision is very easy....stay away from anything german. That is the primary reason I went with Lexus over the Germans to, I don't have the time to deal with constant dealer visits to fix things.

German cars lose their luster quickly when you have to start paying staggering maintenance and repair costs.

mrbulk

Between my wife and I we have had three German cars (2 BMWs and one Benz) and four Japanese cars (2 Lexus, 2 Infiniti) and had reliability issues with only the German vehicles.

As far as driving feel, performance, mileage, etc., those could be personal deciding factors.

But I hate being stuck somewhere on the road or in the service department, so for us it has been all Lexus and Infiniti lately.

If you take a moment to read the various forums for the German cars, you may more likely see posts about reliability issues, frustration, etc., whereas at the Lexus and Infiniti message boards all they ever get to talk about is mods, upgrades, wheels and tires. Perhaps that might help you decide.

SW17LS

I'm also in sales and drive a lot, in and out of the car all day, etc. For me it also was between the Audi A6 Prestige and the GS350 Luxury model. I crossed the 5 series off my list because they are just everywhere, I wanted something that would be a little bit unusual.

I also loved the A6, but as Joe said from a lease perspective the A6 was going to be close to $200 a month more than the GS due to less attractive lease terms from Audi. I prefer the exterior of the A6, and the interior of the GS. The A6 doesn't have the same quality materials inside (although they are quite good), seats aren't as large and comfortable, not as many power adjustments. I preferred the bigger and more integrated screen on the GS.

Reliabilitywise the Lexus is going to win, but had the lease payments been closer I might have tried out the A6...

modthispny

i also wanted something that you don't see too often, although the 5 series is still a great car, but i chose not to get it since the revision is out in a few months and did not want to drive the older looking version.

i really like the looks of the A6, but the one i wanted would cost about 66k and out of budget, i wouldn't really want to drive one that was priced the same as the gs350 f-sport (58k), although the 66k a6 has a lot more options than the GS and is faster as well.

i test drove one after i got the GS just for fun, even though it was a pretty base model, it felt very cheap and VW ish inside, the leather, materials, and layout isn't nice.

scionized

I've owned an audi rs4 and bmw 335i before i got the lexus. If reliability is your priority when buying a car, there is no question that at 100k miles lexus will be in best shape and will give you fewer problems than the other two.

dchar

I also cross-shopped the GS F-sport and A6 prestige. I really like the styling on the GS and the interior. Also, I wanted to get something more unique. I see quite a few A6 on the road. The lease was also way better in the GS than the A6.