2013 Audi S7 defeats BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz CLS550 4Matic in Road and Track Comparison Test!

What an awesome picture with this article! Thank you whatever Agent posted it.

All three have nice... colors.

"but the Audi’s fuel economy couldn’t beat that of the much heavier, larger-displacement, no-cylinder-deactivation BMW."

Chewy I guess the EPA isnt always right..


"The 650i is easily the sportiest driver of the bunch"

"we unanimously declared the dashboard to be the most beautiful, elegant, warm, and inviting."

"which gives the S7 phenomenal handling balance on steady-state corners, but still can’t match the BMW’s overall grip)."

If money is no option take the 650i, if your on a budget get the S7.

Wait what, both had observed mpg of 17.7. The lighter Merc did better than both in their hands. Someone there didn't proofread what they wrote. R&D does price independent/price dependent results, the S7 won both. The S7's biggest win was in the Performance category where the CLS came in 2nd and the GC third. In the subjective category the S7 had a slight lead over the GC with the CLS distantly in third. Yes the article says it was a close one but they liked the S7 a little more. American magazines usually rank cars even if things are close and don't cop out and don't pick a winner. The results are reasonable as all three are quite fine automobiles and any reasonable person wouldn't disagree.

Or you can wait just a bit for the RS7 if you must spend over 100k.

I dont think you read what I wrote. Were you just not debating about EPA figures on another thread? Despite the S7's higher EPA rating, it achieved the same as the larger 4.4 liter 650xi..

"Yes the article says it was a close one but they liked the S7 a little more."

They liked its price a little more.

Also if you read the test sheet notes it says

"The Audi's launch control gave it a clear advantage in the acceleration tests. This was otherwise and evenly matched group, with no more than a tenth of a second between all three cars when using the braking=torque technique to improve off the line acceleration."

So aside from the launch control which has no real world use. They are all evenly matched acceleration wise. The CLS had the best brakes though.

They are all great cars though, and the Audi won! So no need to go back an forth!

I wasn't, I was just pointing out that by looking at the European fuel economy ratings you only get an idea of what the EPA ratings can be which in then gives you an idea of what the actual fuel economy will be. I agree that they are all pretty good if not even better than pretty good, I never pretend that these brands don't all make good cars (only a certain poster here does) As for the acceleration, the S7 pulls away as speeds rise so it would be a bit quicker in speed pulls not from a start also.

Oh, but I also forgot to mention about the Audi's numb steering Steamer....Blah blah blah. I was just stating the 650i did very well, and only really lost due to price. Im not knocking the Audi, I didn't say the S7 is not a good car, because it is!

Also many people buying these cars could afford both without a second thought. this is not a segment where people car counting pennies...the porsche panamera is more expensive than all these cars with the same performance, and sells VERY well. People will buy what they like, and its not just for a "badge". IMO I think the CLS, and 650i looks the best (in that order), and am not a fan of Audi styling as much,so I would buy the CLS for that. Maybe its for driving experience (Panamera, or 650), maybe added utility (S7)....Just stating my opinion...were allowed to do that on here right?

Nice Billboard, but i'd still take the CLS, cant stand to look at the back of the A7 dead on and would always feel like the 2 door 6 series is more special and exclusive than the 4 door

BMW totally screwed up the pricing of the 6 Gran Coupe.

The A7 defeated the 640i Gran Coupe and one of the reasons was because the 640i Gran Coupe cost so much more.

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2012-audi-a7-30t-quattro-vs-2013-bmw-640i-gran-coupe-comparison-test

"In the end, it wasn’t even close. An A7 with many of the BMW’s gizmos can still approach 85 large, but the 640i would’ve needed a standard flux capacitor to stage a comeback. The A7 isn’t perfect, but it does more with less, winning most of our subjective categories despite its lower price. It may not weaken the knees like the Gran Coupe, but it’s still exceedingly pretty. And it doesn’t exact as dear a toll for its beauty."

On quality, the S7's interior matches the BMW 650i xDrive Gran Coupe's, but the BMW's infotainment system is slightly better:

" The S7’s interior is every bit as stunning and quiet as the BMW’s, with gorgeous diamond stitching on the seats and carbon-fiber accents that don’t seem out of place.

Audi’s infotainment system lags behind the BMW’s in usability, but only slightly. It can display not only Google Maps satellite images but also Street View snapshots of intersections. While so many automotive navigation systems seem to lag a decade behind the rest of the world, it’s refreshing that the S7’s can compete with—and occasionally beat—
your smartphone."

I'd have to agree with the results. MB is making all of its non-AMG models straight-line and autobahn ready but handling is geared toward luxury. For true driving dynamics, you'd have to go with AMG. The GC is just priced ridiculously. Yes, it's beautiful, but I'd never wanted to drive it: coffin-like driving position and longest snout of any sedan. The A7/S7 is the perfect compromise in this segment.

The unfortunate thing, in the US anyway, is that all this driving and design goodness isn't translating to sales domination. Globally, Audi's lower-end models are helping it. But Audi is still trailing BMW and MB by a significant margin in the US. The A6 has been trouncing this class for years now. And the A4 and A8 have been rightfully competitive in their own right.

cidflekken, Audi hasn't seen the sales success in the U.S. that it has enjoyed globally for two main reasons:

1) Audi sells fewer models in the U.S. than BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

2) Audi refuses to offer huge discounts in order to sell more cars.

As Audi offers more models in the U.S. that are tailored for what U.S. consumers want (namely the A3 sedan but also the Q3 SUV) its sales will skyrocket. Americans realize Audi's quality is on par or better than BMW's and it offers the complete package. Audi didn't offer a complete mix of cars that U.S. buyers wanted, until now.

Audi wants to preserve its profit margins instead of just selling more cars at huge discounts. This strategy will allow Audi to protect its brand reputation and resale value.

Audi will catch up in the U.S. In fact, this year, Audi's sales are already 18% higher than they were in 2011. BMW's sales are only 10% higher and Mercedes-Benz's are only 12% higher than 2011.

Really? Because in another thread you said this:

"Yonder7, I do enjoy the huge incentives currently being offered by the German 3 as a consumer.

Audi is offering $3,000 discounts on the A8 for qualified buyers! The A4 deal at $349 per month is still going, too!"

Hypocrite much? Wait, nevermind, forgot who I was talking to.

Germanut, I don't believe you are correct. Well, first of all, "Duh" on point #1. Regarding point #2, Audi has been offering lease incentives and sales incentives for a while now. I've been tracking these deals for a couple of years since I was in the market for an S5. They also offer loyalty programs to existing Audi owners/drivers, or even any previous Audi driver, regardless of when they owned/drove it.

$3,000 is only on the A8, JRob. BMW is offering $3,500 on the 3-series, 5-series, X3 and X5!

(sigh) I don't know why I bother, but BMW isn't offering $3500 on the 3-Series ($1000, same as Audi) or 5-Series ($2000, Audi is $1500). Audi isn't running cash on the Q5 and BMW is running $1000 on the X3, but to get the $1000 you have to take BMW's 3.29% financing, and Audi is running 1.9%, so 1.9% vs. 3.29% outweighs the $1000. The $3500 is on the 7-Series, much like Audi's $3000 on the A8, but again to get ANY of BMW's cash you have to take their 3.29% financing, while Audi runs their cash with 1.9% rates, which actually means Audi is incentivizing more than BMW. Of course, I am sure you knew all that and posted your lies anyway, because hey, it's the internet, and that's what you do. Audi uber alles! BTW, I hope Chewy and I95 and whoever else sees this and maybe understands why I end up defending BMW (or Benz or whoever GermanNutInMyMouth is attacking that day). If your Audi mouthpiece wasn't such a lying, one sided charlatan, I'd be defending Audi, or Benz, or whoever. But he has a boner for BMW, and everything out of his mouth (fingers) is completely fictitious. So here I am. I end up having to be his opposite, even though I hate it. Frankly I'd have left this site already if I was satisfied there was some semblance of factuality behind me, that's how not enjoyable he has made it.

my cousin just got a 2013 bmw gran coupe 650i x drive 105,000 msrp total 1700 out of pocket including 1st month payment 36 months 10k a year for 1215 per month..

the audi S7 , 80,000 msrp was 3,000 out of pocket 1200 per month... as far as leasing goes, audi is still trash...
as far as the drive goes, i have an M3 and will say the 650 is AMAZING.. never drove the S7 but if you drive the 650 you wont feel like you need much more...

JRob, correct me if I'm wrong here:

http://www.bmwusa.com/standard/content/experience/events/year_end_event.aspx

It shows a 3/5/X3/X5 and says "Enjoy a Holiday Credit of Up to $3,500"

Now I'm not going to click through each damn model, but why does BMW show the pictures of their respective models and say "Enjoy a Holiday Credit of Up to $3,500"?

My Audi mouth piece is factual, fair and simple. You may not like the statistics I post, but they are true and backed up by:

1) links to comparison tests
2) direct qotes from those comparison tests
3) direct information straight from the monthly press releases (directly from the manufacturer's website) for both domestic and global sales.

Ah, sorry, I was giving you too much credit -- I assumed you were somewhat intelligent and understood what "up to" meant. Thank you for admitting you are not. My apologies, I will make no such assumptions again.

I love how JRob gets all defense when I attack BMW using

1) links to comparison tests
2) direct qotes from those comparison tests
3) direct information straight from the monthly press releases (directly from the manufacturer's website) for both domestic and global sales.

I would do the same thing if you attacked Audi or Benz or even Lexus with a bunch of made up BS. You just choose to make it be BMW every time with your shenanigans, and someone has to stand up and be the yin to your yang. BTW, everyone here has internet access -- if I felt like playing your game and posting links to all the European comparisons where BMW beat everyone I could do the same thing you spend all day doing. But unlike you I am not getting paid to be an internet troll, and unlike you I respect the brands enough not to turn people off them by acting like a jackass 24/7. I'm still going to call out every time you either flat out lie, or get caught lying and then say you were either too lazy to "click each car" or too stupid to understand what "up to" means. Yin-yang.