Audi / Q5 Presitgious or 2nd tier luxury????
06-23-2016, 04:08 PM
#1
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
Audi / Q5 Presitgious or 2nd tier luxury????
Where does the Audi brand fall in the line of luxury cars. Is Audi on par with the likes of Mercedes, Lexus and BMW or considered a tier below or "fringe," luxury.
Where does the Q5 fall not only within the Audi line but as a "luxury," vehicle on its own? More along the lines of the Acura MDX or more like the BMW 3.
I love my Q5 but the reason for my question is I read two articles about luxury vechile trends and Audi was always listed as 2nd tier after Mercedes BMW and Lexus. Was curious why that is the case?
Where does the Q5 fall not only within the Audi line but as a "luxury," vehicle on its own? More along the lines of the Acura MDX or more like the BMW 3.
I love my Q5 but the reason for my question is I read two articles about luxury vechile trends and Audi was always listed as 2nd tier after Mercedes BMW and Lexus. Was curious why that is the case?
06-23-2016, 06:35 PM
#4
AudiWorld Super User
The guys in Clublexus won't like this, but here goes... I've owned quite a few Lexuses and they are great cars. However, I don't think they are on a higher tier than Audi. In fact, I traded a '13 Lexus GS F Sport for my Audi S5, and I've always felt like I'm in a more "exclusive" category driving the Audi. If you look strictly at the price points, I saw an RS7 sitting on an Audi lot for $104k. Lexus doesn't have anything in that price category. Also, how does an A8 (Audi's flagship) compare in price with an LS460 (Lexus' flagship)? Lastly, I could have gotten a Lexus RC350 a lot cheaper than my S5, but I wasn't willing to compromise. I can't see how anyone can classify Lexus as Tier 1 and Audi as Tier 2. Price point alone proves that.
And since we're in the Q5 forum, can anyone really compare the Q5 to the ghastly RX350 with overwrought styling? Even the guys in Clublexus don't like it. The Q5 is so much more about understated elegance, it doesn't even compare. And the SQ5 has no competition in the Lexus lineup.
One might say that Audi is the lesser of the 3 German brands, following Mercedes and BMW, but for me it is the brand of "individualists" who really don't care about following the crowd. Audi makes great, unique cars that you don't see at every stoplight. I think they are purchased more by owners who love what they deliver rather than those who follow a brand for the sake of prestige. That's how I compare Audi to the other luxury brands.
And since we're in the Q5 forum, can anyone really compare the Q5 to the ghastly RX350 with overwrought styling? Even the guys in Clublexus don't like it. The Q5 is so much more about understated elegance, it doesn't even compare. And the SQ5 has no competition in the Lexus lineup.
One might say that Audi is the lesser of the 3 German brands, following Mercedes and BMW, but for me it is the brand of "individualists" who really don't care about following the crowd. Audi makes great, unique cars that you don't see at every stoplight. I think they are purchased more by owners who love what they deliver rather than those who follow a brand for the sake of prestige. That's how I compare Audi to the other luxury brands.
Last edited by dseag2; 06-23-2016 at 06:47 PM.
06-23-2016, 06:47 PM
#5
AudiWorld Super User
One might say that Audi is the lesser of the 3 German brands, following Mercedes and BMW, but for me it is the brand of "individualists" who really don't care about following the crowd. Audi makes great, unique cars that you don't see at every stoplight. I think they are purchased more by owners who love what they deliver rather than by owners who follow a brand for the sake of prestige. That's how I compare Audi to the other luxury brands.
06-25-2016, 06:32 AM
#6
AudiWorld Senior Member
I've always said:
BMW = Sport
MB = Luxury
Audi = Combination of the two.
With that said though, there are only 2 brands in the entire world that sell volume cars in all markets but do not need a secondary manufacturer to sell cars, those two are BMW and Mercedes Benz. Buying an Audi is similar to buying a VW, hell Audi uses VW parts, look at your signal stalks. Even Porsche does it.
BMW = Sport
MB = Luxury
Audi = Combination of the two.
With that said though, there are only 2 brands in the entire world that sell volume cars in all markets but do not need a secondary manufacturer to sell cars, those two are BMW and Mercedes Benz. Buying an Audi is similar to buying a VW, hell Audi uses VW parts, look at your signal stalks. Even Porsche does it.
06-25-2016, 11:56 AM
#7
... there are only 2 brands in the entire world that sell volume cars in all markets but do not need a secondary manufacturer to sell cars, those two are BMW and Mercedes Benz. Buying an Audi is similar to buying a VW, hell Audi uses VW parts, look at your signal stalks. Even Porsche does it.
Last edited by HotRodW; 06-25-2016 at 12:25 PM.
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06-25-2016, 12:22 PM
#8
From an image standpoint Audi is a bit below Benz and BMW. Ignore the badges, however, and I think Audi is at minimum BMW's equal in terms of technology and refinement.
I think the lines between luxury and mainstream are becoming more-and-more blurred. There are plenty of examples of mainstream brands moving upmarket. Hyundai and Kia both offer luxury models at price points that would have been considered absurd just a few years ago. The Touareg is every bit as refined as the GLE or X5, even if it doesn't offer as much kit in the upper trim levels. The Accord offers some features you can't even get on the pricier TLX. Ford has the upscale Vignale trim in Europe where Lincoln doesn't play. Etc, etc, etc. Meanwhile, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes and Audi all offer models that, in my opinion, are not worthy of the badges.
I think the lines between luxury and mainstream are becoming more-and-more blurred. There are plenty of examples of mainstream brands moving upmarket. Hyundai and Kia both offer luxury models at price points that would have been considered absurd just a few years ago. The Touareg is every bit as refined as the GLE or X5, even if it doesn't offer as much kit in the upper trim levels. The Accord offers some features you can't even get on the pricier TLX. Ford has the upscale Vignale trim in Europe where Lincoln doesn't play. Etc, etc, etc. Meanwhile, Lexus, BMW, Mercedes and Audi all offer models that, in my opinion, are not worthy of the badges.
06-25-2016, 12:23 PM
#9
AudiWorld Senior Member
In many ways - the tiers are collapsing...
… As always, they are mostly marketing strategies who's tactics are designed to play on the insecurities of consumers. We see this in so many products; liquor, fragrances, clothing, etc. Don't get me started on watches - horology and hoax both begin with "H". The Hyundai Equus should cause the "luxury" brand manufacturers to wear diapers… by the third generation, they will have that beast down pat. They help to "separate" those customers from the "plebeian" Sonata crowd by alleviating the need for an Equus owner to EVER have to visit a Hyundai dealer. No kidding… I pondered one a while back and the dealer offered to bring the car to my office for a test drive and part of the sales pitch was that they would pick up the car, leave a loaner and return it, so that I didn't have to sully myself with a visit to the dealership - ever. I found that level of pretentiousness insulting, but I get the tactic.
Historically, when brands sought out their niche, they could easily be discerned by the consumer because the price spread of each marque was narrow. But currently, most manufacturers are rushing to merge and spread out their product offerings in order to capture the most consumers. Once "in the family", loyalty programs keep you moving up the food chain. Historically, only GM had this down by the early 1950's. Although, they have had epic fails (Caddy Cimarron) and overpriced duds (Allante, anyone?). Most others have followed. Remember Ford and the Merkur XR4ti? Or Ford's Mondeo based "Jaguar" - they are worthless in the used car market now.
Note, the many cars being built off of shared platforms, such as the VW A-Series Q3/S3/Golf/TT… a total of nine internationally. Sharing a modular plan that can launch new iterations as needed. In the 1980's the big three Japanese automakers launched premium brands in order to diversify their offerings upscale - but they were all built with existing technology and manufacturing. Occasionally, some truly innovative collaboration occurs, such as Yamaha and Ford partnering to bring us the 1980's Taurus SHO - which shook up the Germans something fierce. As a result, we got better cars from MB/BMW/Audi :-)
Oh well, Audi's are a delight, as I have owned nine. Nice balance - however, I never really think of them as luxury… especially in Southern California where cars costing north of $150,000 pull up next to you at stoplights about 10 times a day ;-)
Happy Motoring
Eric
Historically, when brands sought out their niche, they could easily be discerned by the consumer because the price spread of each marque was narrow. But currently, most manufacturers are rushing to merge and spread out their product offerings in order to capture the most consumers. Once "in the family", loyalty programs keep you moving up the food chain. Historically, only GM had this down by the early 1950's. Although, they have had epic fails (Caddy Cimarron) and overpriced duds (Allante, anyone?). Most others have followed. Remember Ford and the Merkur XR4ti? Or Ford's Mondeo based "Jaguar" - they are worthless in the used car market now.
Note, the many cars being built off of shared platforms, such as the VW A-Series Q3/S3/Golf/TT… a total of nine internationally. Sharing a modular plan that can launch new iterations as needed. In the 1980's the big three Japanese automakers launched premium brands in order to diversify their offerings upscale - but they were all built with existing technology and manufacturing. Occasionally, some truly innovative collaboration occurs, such as Yamaha and Ford partnering to bring us the 1980's Taurus SHO - which shook up the Germans something fierce. As a result, we got better cars from MB/BMW/Audi :-)
Oh well, Audi's are a delight, as I have owned nine. Nice balance - however, I never really think of them as luxury… especially in Southern California where cars costing north of $150,000 pull up next to you at stoplights about 10 times a day ;-)
Happy Motoring
Eric