Car and Driver Comparison Test: 2014 Audi A6 3.0T Defeats Cadillac CTS, Mercedes-Benz E550 and BMW 535i Finishes in Last Place!

Someone deboosted you for mentioning an obvious mistake? Hopefully they clicked the deboost by accident. I cannot imagine any other scenario.

Very interesting that the sales leaders in this segment were voted the bottom two cars. Benz knows that most customers are looking for a luxury car first and sports sedan second if at all. Although the a6 won the test I don't see many on the road. Here in the states I wouldn't doubt if Mercedes sells twice as many e class sedans than Audi sells A6's. Cadillac is the sportiest but I don't know if too many people with 60k to spend are going to want an all out sports sedan. I guess the E is the most versatile in the way you can get a great luxury car in the 350 or the best sports sedan in the E63 amg.

Surprised the the GS350 wasn't included. Wasn't the GS the darling of everything last year? Supposedly beating out the BMW and all.

Read the article. It states the GS already lost to the current A6, so it wasn't included.

Thanks

As seems to be a growing trend with cars in the luxury classes, you really can't go wrong with any choice. Looking at the scoring, each car has their own strengths and weaknesses, so it all comes down to personal choice of drivability, style, etc. If you look at places 1-3, there's not much between them, really.

Audi is to be commended for their absolute consistent results with their A6/S6 class. It truly has no glaring weakness nor does it have an overwhelming strength. The Caddie has the phenomenal chassis, but everything else is a step or two behind (which was the trend with the ATS as well). The Mercedes is a fantastic luxury car, but its driving dynamics could be improved. The Audi has the best of both worlds.

I'm still a bit in sticker shock over an almost $70k price tag for a this CTS that's not even the V-Sport model. With the unfortunate vintage-Caddie butt. I've said in the past that the CTS would be much like the ATS where its driving dynamics would rule, but alot of other factors would bring its rating down.

The other shocker, for me, is just what's happened to BMW's 5 Series.

Why is this such a "shocker". As I previously stated, BMW I s trying to pander to a broader audience. You have BMW trying to reach the out to the Cadillac drivers, Benz, Soccer mom's with the SUVs (X4, X6, X5 and ?). I owned a couple 3er/5ers several years ago and after Bengal changed things (for the worst), I stopped buying BMWs.

But I love my Audi 6er. Audi makes a very nice product with quality interiors.

Well, it's not a "shocker" in a surprised sort of way. It's a shocker in a "I can't believe BMW has chosen to stray from their proven formula" sort of way.

GermanNut - you must be in heaven :-) But it's a heckuva accomplishment to get Car & Driver to pick you over a BMW.

Too bad the customers don't.

Audi has been racking up many wins over BMW and Mercedes-Benz in recent Car and Driver comparison test:

1. Audi S6 defeated the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and BMW M5
2. Audi A7 defeated the Mercedse-Benz CLS550 and BMW 640i Gran Coupe 3. 3. Audi RS7 defeated the BMW M6 Gran Coupe and Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG 4Matic S

Audi is clearly a force to reckoned with and in many cases is chosen ahead of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Remember that Audi outsells BMW and Mercedes-Benz in both Europe and China. It's just the U.S. where Audi lags behind and with is new SUV expansion and impressive, consistent comparison test wins that soon could change.

Each of the Germans has its strong points and weak points. Audi's strong point is the mid-size category, including the 4-door coupes. BMW still has the small premium category in its strangehold, for the most part. Mercedes has made no question it continues to make the best large luxury car. Audi has a strong competitor in the small SUV class but Mercedes clearly has it outclassed in the large SUV class. And BMW has the best mid-size SUV (though Audi really doesn't have one yet). Let's not forget that the SLS' recent updates have bested the R8's recent updates. Actually, the SL63 has bested the R8 as well. I do think that Audis' biggest strength is its entry-level product the A3 which, from what I've read, accounts for a good percentage of its sales success.

If you are old enough to remember what BMWs use to drive/feel like, BMW feels that you should pay the premium and by an "M" model.

Very well said. I have always liked BMW and owned several. But when that Bengal (sp) fellow too over, things started to change dramatically. BMW will always have fabulous drivetrains and engines. But you can give me the sweetest engine you want to, but if I have pulling a "tank" around or very heavy feeling now (like the current 5 series), what good is it. They need to take a page Range Rover and shed some unnecessary weight off the 5er for handling purposes.

I am quite proud of the Caddy. Five years ago it wouldn't even be mentioned with such vehicles without a few (OK! More than a few!) raised noses.

"If the Mercedes is the supreme luxury car of the group and the Cadillac is the dominant sports sedan, the Audi A6 3.0T is the great compromise.

Nice. Cadillac has nothing to be ashamed of, placing second in such august company.

I DO like such a fierce competition. We are the winners.

I thought this was a lousy comparison. They pick a "winner" when the scores come down entirely to subjective opinion. As has been shown time and time again, the opinion of these magazines on subjective measures doesn't stack up well to what customers want. That being said, for C&D to pick a winner when the objective measures are about as close as they can be for these four cars is like Bush claiming a mandate in the 2000 election. There just isn't a justifiable reason to say one of these cars is better than the other. They are all great, all excel over others in certain respects and not others, and all have made choices in recent years that have being designed to widen market appeal. It's just a weird and stupid article. I quit reading when we got things like "steering feel" and "brake feel." Stupid.

To be honest, 90% of people who actually buy these cars don't give damn about who wins an car magazine comparison test. They only care about what they like most in the car or which one other people say is the best. Car magazine (especially American ones) focus way too much on the sporty aspect of cars which Most buyers would be happy to know, but don't really care.