[swchang]

I'm talking general public here. I guess probably most of the non-enthusiast public would pick Lexus, but it seems like on many (German) car forums that I frequent, Audi would be the more prestigious model. What say y'all?

 

[ed325i]

Status wise, Lexus over Audi

Reliablity, Lexus over Audi

 

[Scorp76]

If status equals being able to brag about topping silly lists that mean nothing or how well your service department kisses your ass (all lexus has going for it) then they'd get the nod.

But if anyone knows anything about cars, design, engineering, passion, innovation, etc. they'd pick Audi over them.

 

[528i]

Interesting.

If asked, I would say Audi over Lexus..

As a Japanese car, I generally feel its going to be more sterile than a German car. However, I did have a co-worker attempt to inform me that Lexus was a European brand :rofl:

 

[F1Crazy]

Lexus was non-existent outside of US and to many it's still nothing more than upscale Toyota. Hard to disagree, if you have any doubts go and drive ES330, there is no car like it in near luxury segment, not even Lincoln makes such a POS : puke:

Lexus is marketing driven, Audi is technology driven, enough said.

 

[AsianImage]

His question was"status" only...so in that LEXUS.

I agree a lexus is a glorified TOYOTA...but...again his question was "status" only.

Audi has all this engineering and great technology etc etc...I know and admit and give credit..Audi makes great cars...BUT....once you buy one you cant give it away afterwards. The resale value of an Audi is pretty much non existing. BUT...once again...if I had a 2001 Lexus GS300 to trade in vs. an Audi A6 same year...etc...I am willing to bet the lexus will get more money than the Audi.

Sad but true...Audis hold no resale value...or better...they do not retain as much as other brands.

 

[Matthew330Ci]

"lexis is a glorified toyota"

an audi is a glorified vw too.

to the original question, lexus has more status than an audi imo.

 

[mkh]

General public who cares about status drives Lexus, no doubt about it.

Most of the wealthy people I met or know who have absolutely no idea of what a car is and just care about status drive only two models - Lexus LS400 and Mercedes S500. None of them I know drives Audi. Nuff said.

 

[brkf]

I'm talking general public here. I guess probably most of the non-enthusiast public would pick Lexus, but it seems like on many (German) car forums that I frequent, Audi would be the more prestigious model. What say y'all?

Neither. They're cars.

 

[Chris90]

While I personally think Audi makes great cars, and are only let down by poor reliability, I've noticed the general public has a low opinion of Audis. Most people you talk to think of the Audi 5000, and expect all Audis will randomly accelerate through their garage wall.

So I'd have to say Lexus on this one. Most luxury buyers don't want to visit their service shop every month, they just want something safe, luxurious and looks good in their driveway. Lexus is making a ton of money for this reason.

 

[dojobi]

It depends on which country you're in. When I was in the US I noticed that Lexus was a really strong brand, and definitely had the whole "status" thing working for them. Over here in Aus, Lexus is seen as a very good car maker, but pretty much every Euro manufacturer would have more status.

That's the way I see it, anyway. I'm sure other Aussies might disagree, but I'm sure they'd at least agree that Lexus is WAY stronger in the US.

I really don't agree with the way it is, though, as I think BMW and Lexus are easily the top 2 manufacturers.

 

[F1Crazy]

"lexis is a glorified toyota"

an audi is a glorified vw too.

to the original question, lexus has more status than an audi imo.

Audi is a glorified VW? Where did you hear that? Audi Automobilwerke GmbH was founded in 1910, some 20 years before Ferdinand Porsche started working on first 'people's car". All the innovations start at Audi and then are passed to VW.

General public in US thinks that Lexus is more of a status symbol but there are many people that will only buy European car. On the other side of the Atlantic Audi has more prestige than Lexus.

 

[Betcour]

General public in US thinks that Lexus is more of a status symbol but there are many people that will only buy European car. On the other side of the Atlantic Audi has more prestige than Lexus.

:stupid:
Lexus has not much brand recognition at all in Europe. Those who know it mostly think of it as high-end Toyota. (wheras a RS6 certainly doesn't remind anyone of VW)

 

[Uncle Fester]

I could never buy a Lexus while they still use that stuck-up pretentious arse doing the voiceover on their commercials (in the US).

 

[ObD]

Lexus = chick car
Audi = funky

Status -> Lexus only because chicks covet them. Any guy that drives a Lexus is gender challenged.

 

[F1Crazy]

Any guy that drives a Lexus is gender challenged.

... or old.
Lexus wants to take over from MB and Caddy as the old rich folks' car. I applaud Infiniti for doing something different and trying to produce driver's cars.

 

[Justindo]

I think the general public would say Lexus has more status. Of course the informed individual would say Audi, just as he/she realizes that Bose isn’t the best speaker and Rolex isn’t the best watch.

 

[swchang]

... or old.
Lexus wants to take over from MB and Caddy as the old rich folks' car. I applaud Infiniti for doing something different and trying to produce driver's cars.

Also depends on the model, though. The IS average buyer's age (or at least average driver's age) was 29.

 

[Chupracabre]

Audi - has many many mechanical issues.

Maybe I didn't get the question.


But I think we all chose BMW over both.

 

[swchang]

I think the general public would say Lexus has more status. Of course the informed individual would say Audi, just as he/she realizes that Bose isn't the best speaker and Rolex isn't the best watch.

That's my impression as well. I've heard that in Europe, particularly Germany, where Lexus isn't quite as big (yet), Audi is sometimes considered on a higher level than MB or BMW. :dunno: VW also has much more "prestige" than it does here in the US.