Audi A6 4.2 vs Lexus GS450h vs Mercedes-Benz E420 CDI

Can't wait for the comments...my two cents..I am quite surprised the Lexus Hybrid did'nt do better (at least better than a gas engine) from everything I have read its been touted as quite efficient. I also didnt know that the trunk space in the Lexus was that small. Is it because of the hybrid equipment?

Yes- the battery, which is located in the trunk, makes the space about as small as in a hardtop convertible.

The GS450h's main objective is speed, not as much fuel economy. Its real world numbers aren't much better than the GS430's.

Will, the people who will most likely buy this car want a "luxury car that gets good gas mileage", not speed, especially since the GS isn't the sportiest car out there. The lack of a proper trunk is an issue. Hybrid or not, people want a proper trunk for their shopping or whatever.

Will, IT IS AN ISSUE.

Imagine if a potential Lexus GS450h buyer says: "Well, I might as well go for the E320 CDI Bluetec. At least I get a trunk with that car and good gas mileage when I go on vacation with that car and my family...".

The GS demonstrated good gas mileage in this comparison, but the fact that it has a small trunk when compared to the competition doesn't sit to well. Might as well go for a GS300.

"But why would anyone buy a "performance hybrid" if it isn't economic, underperforms and lacks bootspace?! Please... A small price to pay, for what? A bad car?!?"

LOL so true! You're making Will go crazy!

Will, the GS450h isn't going to be a big seller. The GS350 just makes too much sense.

It is an issue. You can defend the small trunk of the 450h all you want, it is an issue to most buyers.

In a car of this class, SPACE is important.

I am not tearing down Lexus, I am tearing down your logic. Stop being biased and open your eyes. The Lexus GS isn't perfect and this small trunk of the hybrid GS is one aspect of that.

"Fuel economy, price, comfort/luxury, and quality are important as well. Guess which one of the three excels the most in all of these aspects?"

Hmm...

Fuel economy: E420

Price: A6

Luxury: Debatable (all have nice interiors)

Oh and...

Quality: definitely A6

This GS450h really doesn't seem to be doing the wonders one would think a performance hybrid should...In fact the whole GS line-up has received terrible reveiws when pitted against it's competitors.

If I was a hard-core Lexus fan I would be fighting for something to boast about, and then I would come to the realization that...Hey my favoured car company makes all of 1 vehicle at the top of it's class, and it's the soccer mom class leading RX!

What's that say about Lexus "Will"? That they're exciting & fun-filled car's? Or mabye their a little more on the conservative soft side of the spectrum.

Either way you have all of three car's from Lexus to choose from that wouldn't be considered a 'chick car'!

I bet from those three vehicles the GS450h had the lowest emissions!!!

Captain Obvious reincarnates himself (2JZSoarer).

But if the "fuel economic performance" is no better than a gas rival (audi) or a diesel whats the point? Trunk space is a factor especially in this class of car and it turns out that its about the size of a VW Polo! (thats smaller than a Golf/Rabbit). So really, whats the point of a "performance Hybrid"? if the performance is no better than its rivals and the hybrid part is no better than conventional technology? The ONLY logic i see is that of marketing hype, and Lexus has played this very well with current gas price fluctuations.

And it has no trunk, literally. The others do. Notice that the MB was also much heavier than the GS, weighing almost 2-tons.

smaller than a polo!!
jesus....it's got such a fat arse though!

Both the Audi and Mercedes weigh more, and the Audi's excuse is AWD...

"The GS aced the Audi and did slightly better than the Benz in acceleration times. AND it got the best mpg ratings out of all three."

And yet, the Lexus got beaten by both. Ouch.

I know, because the Lexus lost, it MUST be biased... geez, you stop at nothing.

Will- GET IT THROUGH YOUR DENSE HEAD! LEXUS IS NOT THE BEST AT EVERYTHING, AND THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ALWAYS WIN COMPARISON TESTS!

In fact, I don't remember the last comparo in which a Lexus won...

But as a hybrid I would have expected it to outperform its conventional rivals, it did not and as a "Performance" Hybrid it should have outperformed a diesel any day of the week and not by a few seconds..A DIESEL! It is not a slam dunk, and as the test showed the numbers are all very close, some do better in certain areas. The subjective winners are the conventional technologies..SO, what is the point? Again, I say its the hype surrounding the current popularity of "hybrid" and thats where it ends, except of course for the small trunk.

extremely minute!
too true.

the thing is will, what if you want to go on holiday, or even go to the airport? you will not be able to fit your luggage in that boot. the boot size would be a major consideration for many people, and you simply would not be able to overlook it. the e 420 cdi (we don't get it in the UK!) would be a much better bet.

"An extremely minute issue considering the fact that you're buying a HYBRID vehicle."

I still don't see what you're trying to say here. People buying hybrids don't care about trunks? What's the Highlander and RX hybrid for, then?

If you're buying a SEDAN, you care about trunk space. If you're buying a sports car or convertible, though, you don't really.

"Will" your a Lexus fan...enough said.

No, the A6 is still less.

"To be fair, the A6 shouldn't have been included. It stood no chance if you're focusing on mileage."

They were comparing gas vs. diesel vs. hybrid.

If it were a fuel efficiency contest, they would've included the A6 4.2TDI.

Is there even an A6 4.2 TDI? I think the Benz is the only car in this class to offer a V8 diesel. BMW never had a V8 diesel 5-series.

we all have reliability ANECDOTES from "single sample" sources. Consumer Reports, in the course of surveying MILLIONS of owners, is the ultimate authority on reliability.

granted, with modern cars, many can claim to have had NO reliability issues. what CR reports are records of say, 5% of owners having problems. or 15%. or (in the case of toyota and lexus) 1% or less.
everything is relative, and there does exist a RANGE of reliability.

CR gives some german models the dreaded "Not Recommended" verdict because their reliability is "much worse than average."

the WORST any toyota motor product has EVER gotten is "average."

Lexus should have won the competition hands-down given the hybrid advantage. That it didn't shows: the hybrid is not an advantage. And with the price differential over a regular gas car, it's more than a loser. It's a bust.

"0-60 in 5.5sec is more than enough time to make a sandwich while its beating the E320 diesel."

Umm, doesn't the E320 Blutec have about 220hp? It would be pretty sad if the GS hybrid was slower.

"Again, the A6 should've been excluded because it didn't stand a chance, which is unfair."

Even though it still beat the GS? Hmm...

Well the Lexus will always lose when comparing to the German brand,because it does not have the so called "Magic feel",by the way what the hell is the "Magic feel"????

The feeling Lexus drivers get when looking at their appliances...

Its not that it was a German, the firm is heavily invested in Diesel technology, have a very lucrative contract with Mercedes and a somewhat lucrative one with Audi, they also are anti-Japanese because of the war, oh and the actual editor of the report was in an accident...and you guessed it, a Lexus hit him from behind...its all a conspiracy...how desparate.

guys, enjoyed both your last comments...its all true except he was rear ended by a hybrid...great!

The objective of this comparison was to see which engine would be "most fuel efficient".

biased POS motherpuckers cameout with an excuse about trunkspaces and other irrelvant issues to have a Lexus place on the 3rd place.

On the Audi:
2nd Place: Audi A6 4.2 V8 Quattro (492/600)
"The only downside is the high fuel consumption".

<----The objective of this comparison was to see which engine would be "most fuel efficient". So if they claimed that the only downside is the high fuel consumpution, how is this German POS rated above a Lexus for godsakes? Lexus crushes its competitors in the Fuel Efficiency Compartment, especially in the city. The first place should have gone easily to the Lexus.

and

If this article has truely stuck with its "who is the most efficient engine?" article...It should have been like reading an obituaries for Audi and Mercedes.

just full of crock

I'm guessing that the purpose of the article was NOT to see which was more fuel efficient, the results are black and white. The purpose of the article was to compare 3 similar performance machines, two being fuel savers and a base line, the gas conventional engine (audi)..they rated based on a number of items and one of them came up wanting...a larger trunk, better interior, better suspension..

Marksuck, the very first sentence says:

The objective of this comparison was to see which engine would be most fuel efficient: a gasoline V8, a diesel V8, or a gasoline V6 coupled to an electric motor that produces the power of a V8.

But,

Like you've stated...it actually became who is better "overall" comparison. Oh well.

Keep in mind that first sentence is added/translated by someone, its not the title of the German article...at least that is my take. I think whoever did the translation may have assumed that, but it doesnt make sense as the article does compare all sorts of items. If it was indeed just a mpg comparo, Lexus should have been the favourite.

Checkout the article in itself.

The little article below examines the fuel efficiency of the three cars under different situations.

In the city, the Lexus wins the fuel economy test by a mile, even the diesel Mercedes can't touch it.

However, out in the countryside or on the Autobahn, the Mercedes E420 CDI achieves the best fuel economy.

The Audi A6 V8 was never really a contender because a gasoline V8 engine is simply thirsty.

Having said that: The winner should have logically gone to the Lexus, period.

What a crock II

Another thing:

Lexus(V6) blows away both MB(V8) and Audiwagon(V8) on

Being fastest cars of the two w/a V6 coupled with Best in the Fuel efficiency.

Lexus should have won, period.

"The objective of this comparison was to see which engine would be "most fuel efficient". So if they claimed that the only downside is the high fuel consumpution, how is this German POS rated above a Lexus for godsakes? Lexus crushes its competitors in the Fuel Efficiency Compartment, especially in the city. The first place should have gone easily to the Lexus."

Umm, actually, it wasn't. They conducted this comparison to see how conventional gasoline engines, diesel engines and hybrid engines stacked up.

I'm tired of you using the term "German POS". The A6 is a worldwide design leader, while Lexus picks the ugliest shades of wood I've ever seen in the GS.

"Lexus(V6) blows away both MB(V8) and Audiwagon(V8) on

Being fastest cars of the two w/a V6 coupled with Best in the Fuel efficiency.

Lexus should have won, period."

And I know that this is coming from a totally un-biased view... gosh, you crack me up.

S4cabriofox,

First, have you read this article? I have. There are no mentioning about what you have claimed about "how conventional gasoline engines, diesel engines and hybrid engines stacked up".<---These are YOUR WORDS.

Rather it states clearly in a black and white letter stating "The objective of this comparison was to see which engine would be most fuel efficient", period.

I'll type that here again just for you S4.

MOST FUEL EFFICIENT.

MOST FUEL EFFICIENT.

MOST FUEL EFFICIENT.

MOST FUEL EFFICEENT.

got it?

Lexus picks the ugliest shades of wood I've ever seen in the GS.

At least its a real wood. Audi uses recycled toilet papers mixed in with a cow manure mixed together to create that brownish wood like for their Audi, go smell one..smell's like a shit.

"At least its a real wood. Audi uses recycled toilet papers mixed in with a cow manure mixed together to create that brownish wood like for their Audi, go smell one..smell's like a shit."

Wow, that is just low, nicehomer... the A6 has one of the most beautiful interiors ever put in a luxury sedan (only bested by the A8), and you can't deny that.

In every comparison test in which the A6 is included, they note how they love the interior. Oddly enough, they say Lexus interiors are well-made, but not how much they love their designs. There's a big discrepancy there

Lexus was most fuel efficent and fastest. Go eyeball the article first next time.

Can any of you people even read german?

The fuel efficiency test is just an addition to the overall test of the cars.
This article is from Auto Motor und Sport and they work with a point system to judge the cars.

You can see a big list with all those numbers and catagorys on wwhere the cars are judged.

The first catogory is Carrroserie with things like boot space, interior, space, functionality and quality: Mercedes scores 73, Audi 70 and Lexus 73 points.
Next catogory:Interior usability, Mercedes 44, Audi 42, Lexus 39
Next: Driving comfort: Merc 86, Audi 76, Lexus 66
Next: Engine: Merc 84, Audi 74, Lexus 76
Next: Driving dynamics: Merc 79, Audi 85, Lexus 76
Next: Brakes: Merc 42, Audi 43, Lexus 35
Next: Enviroment: Merc 22, Audi 19, Lexus 27
Next: Costs: Merc 77, Audi 84, Lexus 75

Coming to a total points of:
Merc: 507
Audi: 492
Lexus:467

You see, they judge the whole cars, not just the fuel economy. The Fuel economy bit is just an addition to see whats what.

Pretty much like American magazines.

Also, I think what brought down the Lexus was the hard suspension and poor brakes. They also stated that the hybrid system was most effective in the urban environment.

It basicly comes down to:

If you get a comferteble sporty cruiser with good milage , get the Merc

If you want a pretty comfortible car which is fun to drive, has great performance and is the cheapest but has bad milage, get the Audi.

And if you want superb milage and up to par quality, but has a really unforgiving ride, is uncomfertable ,isn't much fun to drive, not very good in the corners and is expensive, Get the Lexus.

Now all stop being childish please.

"isn't much fun to drive, not very good in the corners"

Should be more: is the least fun and the least good in the corners.

Sorry about that.

Well said, MDalle. That's the impression I got from reading the posts on that German car site.

Hah, look what happens when Lexus gets all the attention it thinks it "deserves." It comes in last.

If you type

your comments

like this

you take up

more room

to say the same

nothing you always

say.

Well said. There aren't enough idiots even in America to support such a waste of 4 tires.

MB, rules here and the lexus is an interesting take. why buy the regular audi?/ low grade vw engineering etc. Get the 550i and rock em all..

Please do shut up.

Some of you guys are way too sensitive on both sides of the lane. This test was originally set out to quote: "The objective of this comparison was to see which engine would be most fuel efficient: a gasoline V8, a diesel V8, or a gasoline V6 coupled to an electric motor that produces the power of a V8."

Yet as expected, the article turned into a all-out brawl of which one they personally thought was better. Guess which cars from which country won? There is really no surprise here in the results, regardless of the actual data.

In a straight comparison, this article does absolutely nothing to to prove which out of diesel or hybrid is better or worse, even considering that as expected, the GS got best fuel economy in the city, and yet the E-Class got best fuel economy in fast and unrealistic Autobahn speeding. In simple highway cruising, what's amazing is that the difference in mpgs between the E-Class and GS is 0.3!

which, factoring the HIGHER COST of diesel, and the proportion of time actually spent driving at 81 mph vs at city/urban speeds, puts the lexus WAY ahead on overall fuel efficiency.

If you can't win, cry foul. I guess that's the newest tact for Lexus drivers, since the myth is being exposed that their "brand" is nothing but a marketing machine.

Lexus was created with the philosophy that driving is a necessary evil, and so they shield the driver from the road with every model they sell.

MB and BMW created cars that are a celebration of driving.

With these opposing philosophies, it's impossible for a Lexus to win a true test of anything except strict materials quality. Once they put those materials into a car, they've already shown their agenda: we hate driving, and we bet you do too.

Ill buy a GS then i ll put my stuff on any1 that is in the car with me. wow gd plan :p

When a BMW comes in 2nd in any comparo, it's a shock to most of us, and happens only when a rival car does absolutely everything right.

When you see a Lexus come in 3rd, or 4th, or 5th, or 6th out of 6, you expect it.

Lexus can't say, we're the obvious choice for people who want quality, and then repeatedly tank their auditions with superior vehicles. That's the Lexus myth exposed. Lexus is for people who hate driving.

"Lexus is for people who enjoy the finer luxuries of driving. Admit it, your BMW and Audi cannot match a Lexus in terms of refinement."

Yes, my Audi does, in fact. "Refinement" is a vague word. My Audi maintains its smooth ride (S4), but it handles with aplomb, has fantastic straight-line speed, torque whenever I want it, and the most well-appointed interior that I've ever owned. Although the white seats are hard to keep clean, the interior, like all of my other Audis, is timeless and holds up beautifully.

Lexus interiors seem to have a more "trendy" flair about them. They look great now, but they won't in ten years. And, to say it simply, the plastics in a bare-bones A4 FWD 2.0T manual (with cloth seats) are better than the plastics in my wife's Lexus. She liked it when we first bought it, but has gotten to hate it because of its consistent boring-ness, and says that "I've never been so excited for a new car before", talking about the Jaguar XJ8 she wants in January.

Here's the video on YouTube. In German though. :(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2nCjNrIZzc

Why would a Lexus driver (i.e., robot-person) understand the human emotion of driving?

"And as the Germans are at making a car worth keeping past its warranty period."

I could counter that all day. Not one problem with any European car I've ever owned.

Driving is an emotion. Look it up robot-boy.

Toyota has hacked Autospies and is generating these Lexus fan messages from a computer database. The same bland ideas, the rote responses. We have been barraged by a machine spouting Lexus advertising propaganda.

Are they going to suspend these "Lexus" accounts?

Ok, I hate to take sides on this site since I like all kinds of cars, but that comment was hilarious.

As for the review, very interesting. The video was also entertaining. My German is a little rough, but they seemed to like Lexus. Also, the Mercedes offered impressive fuel economy when it was driven fast on the Autobahn.

^ Toyota technician in charge of the above account...

"This is so typical" is a very clever line to use, since you are obviously cribbing from another famous robot-- C-3PO in The Empire Strikes Back, who says that line to camera when he is locked out of a doorway at the Hoth base.

We admire your handiwork. The comments are sounding more life-like every day.

Very nicely said.


Heil Lexus