scottyb971.8t

Hi all, I'm considering a return to the Audi kingdom in my quest for a luxury/sport sedan and am looking for a slightly used, ideally CPO 2014-2015. Did any of you cross-shop the BMW 650i Gran Coupe? I'm curious to hear any opinions on the car. I realize it's more of a direct competitor to the S7, but I just can't get into its looks. These are both turbo'd V-8 sport sedans and seem to be close competitors. I think I've narrowed it down to these two. Here are my thoughts:

Advantage S6:

Much better CPO warranty (full extension of original bumper to bumper coverage)
Slightly quicker in a straight line (negligible)
Better fuel economy
AWD standard (not needed for me, but fun for launches)
Perhaps better long-term reliability (haven't found oil consumption or other issues associated with the BMW N65 engine)

Advantage 650i:

Sexier, more aggressive appearance
Easier to find heavily optioned examples (B&O, LED headlights, ventilated seats, Driver Assistance, 20" wheels etc.)
Worse value retention/less expensive used market

Guys, any thoughts here? Anything I'm not considering? I thought I was set on the BMW, but the Audi's CPO warranty has me reconsidering. The S6 is somewhat tame in appearance and I have yet to drive one, but it seems like a viable competitor.

Tinbad

FWIW I had set my eyes on the F10 550 msport, I know, not the same as the 650GC but it's probably comparable to the S6 like the 650GC is to the S7. I had high expectations of the F10 handling abilities but left very disappointed after test driving. Some car review really worded it well, it was something along the lines of the Beamer has become a luxury car with sporty features while the Audi is now more a sports car with luxury features.

The BMW just felt too heavy, where the Audi is very nimble for its size. One thing that I liked better in the Beamer is steering feel but that is about it. Handling, performance, sense of speed, comfort, interior quality are all better in the Audi IMO. Notable point since you're buying used: most BMWs I've driven in with over 10k miles all had interior rattles and squeaks. Might have something to do with the harsher suspension but overall Audis interior quality just feels less plasticky (even though I had plenty of interior noise complaints on my A6 - but that story is for another time..)

But forget all I just said and go test drive both and decide for yourself

scottyb971.8t

The 650i definitely is large and heavy, but it drove smaller than it is. I didn't get a chance to toss it around too much during the test drive though. Getting behind the wheel of an S6 is certainly on the to-do list!

Ze_Nardo6

Any reason you're not considering a CPO 16' S6? The facelift version adds a lot to the exterior, aesthetic-wise, if optioned properly

scottyb971.8t

Only because I'm poor and trying to keep it under $50k. I'm not sure the facelift adds much to a pre-facelift with black optics bits but maybe I'm wrong. Good suggestion though.

Ze_Nardo6

Ha! Poor would certainly be subjective in this case...

And that is a common misconception with the facelift S6 cars, there are major differences. Front bumper is different, rear bumper different, headlights different, taillights different, exhaust different (if sport package - comes with sport exhaust and a black diffuser).

Put a C7 and a properly optioned C7.5 (black optics and sport package) and they look very different

scottyb971.8t

Good to know! I'll have to look at some more pics of the .5 cars. Maybe I can stretch the budget. Sport exhaust sure would be nice.

Ze_Nardo6

Sport exhaust is a must!

patrickb

Absolutely! Sport exhaust makes a huge difference on this car - it's reason enough to go the C7.5 route!