Hot take...no, fiery depths of hell take.

"DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!" (daft-ryosuke) 08/09/2017 at 23:38 • Filed to: None

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I’m donning like 15 flamesuits for this because I’m sure someone will take up an argument with me over it but here goes.

Audi is not a luxury brand like Mercedes or BMW in my eyes. They’re a premium brand like Acura, Buick, or Lincoln. This is not counting the A8, Q7, and R8.

I’m sorry, I cannot look at designs like these and think of them being a, “luxury,” car. They look like nicely designed, well-built cars, but not along the lines of a well-equipped alternative from Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, or even Cadillac.

Here’s some examples of what I’m trying to say.

I’m sorry. Flame away.

gmctavish needs more space > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:41

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Audi is my favourite luxury brand currently, at least design-wise. All the others looks too busy and tacky to me, except Cadillac. Audis are clean looking, they aren’t jumping on the “more creases and angles just because” bandwagon

slipperysallylikespenguins > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:41

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Agreed, they are just premium Volkswagens.

Dusty Ventures > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:42

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But Mercs and BMWs also only look like “nicely designed, well-built cars.”

AestheticsInMotion > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:42

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Huh. I think of modern Audi as more of a luxury brand than BMW

pip bip - choose Corrour > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:44

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They’re still trying but will never be truly a “luxury” brand due to all the platform sharing

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Dusty Ventures 08/09/2017 at 23:46

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Well yes, but in my eyes they add this extra sense of flair and opulence that the Audis just don’t share. It’s there, it’s just not to the level of which the others do it.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:46

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BMW has been, is, and will always be the best luxury brand to me.

Chariotoflove > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:46

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Well I think Audis are all boring-looking. I think the comparison with Acura is apt. I don’t know if the inclusion of Audi with MB and BMW is more a matter of good marketing. I do, however, hear of all the mechanical problems they have on this site all the time.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:47

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I mean yeah. They’re just VWs anyway.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:47

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I mean yeah. They’re just VWs anyway.

For Sweden > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:48

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You’re obviously right. They are Auto-Union, not Auto-Executive

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:49

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Hot stack of hot takes on top of your hot take - BMW isn’t a luxury brand either. Mercedes has models that reach that echelon regularly but both BMW and Audi have the majority of their models below that threshold.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Chariotoflove 08/09/2017 at 23:49

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I see people rope them in with MB and BMW all the time and they always just feel miniscule and out of place in comparison. Even the A8 to an extent. It’s definitely luxurious but you get so much more in a 7 Series or S-Class.

WilliamsSW > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:51

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You’re only looking at the outside of the car there, though - Audi interiors (for the most part) have been more luxurious than BMW or Mercedes for quite some time - - particularly below the flagship car level. BMW is the one with less luxurious interiors (and is working to catch up).

The driver spends most of their time inside, not outside- and this is where Acura, Buick, Lincoln (and Cadillac) fall short.

bob and john > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:51

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Soo....you take away the flagships...no shit its not a prem brand anymore

Take away BMWS i3 i8 and the 7 and 6. You are left with more or less the same thing.

Bmw is even worse at this point. Have you seen what passes for a base model roundel these days? The plastics and fit are something id expect on a hyundai...not a bmw.

  > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:54

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Have you sat in a new A/C-class level Mercedes? Hard fake leather seats, cheap rattly plastic and blank buttons everywhere, anaemic performance. Sorry but I’ll take any Audi any day.

And if platform sharing as an issue, have we forgotten that Mercedes is releasing a Nissan Navara based truck? Or that the Bentley Bentayga is built on the same platform as the Touareg?

LongbowMkII > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:55

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BMW’s aren’t luxury cars.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > WilliamsSW 08/09/2017 at 23:56

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I disagree for the most part. They’ve only been really catching up at the most part recently but before I’ve always felt Audi’s interiors to be a tad subpar. Like the best materials weren’t used, plain trim everywhere.

Then again, it feels like most “luxury brands” are doing that now.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > bob and john 08/09/2017 at 23:57

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Yes, but a 5 Series and a 3 Series still carries the weight of a luxurious option. I saw a base model 5er on the street today and it had nearly the same presence as the 7er that was parked nearby. That’s what Audi lacks imo.

DipodomysDeserti > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/09/2017 at 23:58

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I don’t know. I’m more of a BMW guy, and have owned several (still have one), but I think Audis current design looks much mire premium than BMW. Also, you have BMW building fwd crossovers on Mini platforms, so...

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! >   08/10/2017 at 00:03

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I have no issue with platform sharing as two of my favorite brands in this segment have cars that share platforms/will be sharing platforms with other brands from their company. If it works, it works imo.

Svend > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/10/2017 at 00:04

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I’d also class BMW and Mercedes Benz cars as not luxury cars.

‘Prestige’ maybe but not luxury. Audi cars including the A5 and Q5 and above I’d class as prestige anything below I’d class as a regular car.

WilliamsSW > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/10/2017 at 00:04

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It’s admittedly a dangerous generalization on my part- the A3 isn’t luxurious, for sure. But neither is the BMW 2 series or CLA. You have to use comparable cars— all 3 of those get a big fat ‘no’ vote from me, luxury-wise.

When you get to the 3 series/A4/C class, the differences get a bit more stark - and it’s the BMW that falls way short (MB>Audi). Just the other day, I sat in a 320i at the dealer, and it was awful. Same goes for the X3/Q5/GLC - my wife has an X3, and it’s a better car than the Q5, but it’s not more luxurious. And the GLC tops both.

When you step up a class, the E and the 5 series are definitely nicer than the A6 - partly a function of being newer, I suspect.

Audi exteriors are pretty bland, but I still think they’re a luxury brand - -what bugs me is that they’re all dumbing down the brand at the bottom end.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > Svend 08/10/2017 at 00:05

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So you reserve the luxury term for top dogs like Bentley, Rolls, and Maybach.

Interesting. I like your take.

Nibbles > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/10/2017 at 00:07

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Audis are VWs for badge snobs

DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/10/2017 at 00:19

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I mean, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but have you seen the virtual cockpit? Nothing comes close, with maybe the exception if tesla.

As for the exterior, just because something isn’t flashy, doesn’t mean it isn’t luxurious. Some people prefer a more understated look. Take expensive watches for example, unless you know what you are looking at, most people don’t know a 100 dollar watch from a 10k watch

Svend > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/10/2017 at 00:52

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It’s the car class system many in the U.K. use.

There are many different classes in the system starting with

Economy,

Mini,

Compact,

Hatchback,

Hot Hatch,

Saloon,

Estate,

Premium,

Prestige and

Luxury.

Dusty Ventures > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/10/2017 at 01:53

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...nope. Not seeing flair and opulence.

mattc993 > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/10/2017 at 03:27

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Counterpoint: you’re drunk.

boxrocket > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/10/2017 at 06:31

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I’d keep Audi in the same tier as BMW & M-B for their RWD cars, but their FWD/AWD ones (except S/RS models) I see as entry-level luxury a.k.a. Prestige as someone else said, which is the same realm that Acura and Cadillac live, and that Lincoln is trying to get out of, and that Volvo has largely been able to rise out of thanks to build quality and their gorgeous interiors. The CLA/GLA and C-class feel no more special than a well-equipped Fusion or Camry (the CLA/GLA especially, which feel cramped and built to a price-point; they clearly belong in the same “Mercedes” bin as the Sprinter, Metris, and other commercial vehicles). The A3/4/5 feel like VWs with better headlights. I’ll give BMW credit though, as the recent 1 and 2-series feel more like distilled BMW than the rest of the brand.

Thar said, Germans still don’t quite grasp “luxury” for their own home brands: A top-spec 7-series, S-class, and A8 all feel solid and can happily cruise the Autobahn at triple-digit speeds in quiet comfort, but they don’t FEEL luxurious. Get in a Jaguar XF or XJ, a Range Rover (not the Evoque as much, but almost), or the aforementioned new Volvos and the new Lincoln Continental, and those feel like luxury, like you’re being pampered beyond what the norm is. Granted the last two may not quite be the most luxurious to drive, but getting in the cabin feels like being in first class, or a nice hotel room. Sure, you’re sharing the overall experience (be it driving, flying, or staying in a rented room) with everyone else, but you’re experiencing a tangible benefit the others aren’t.

In the paragraph above I opined that the Germans don’t do luxury well for their home brands, which I hold to be accurate. However, VAG owns Bentley and Bugatti, Mercedes had Maybach (but mishandled it quite badly), and BMW owns Rolls-Royce, and while there’s a fair amount of parts and platform sharing, those cars do feel a cut above all the rest, even if some of the things they do (a.k.a. “quirks”) are done just because others aren’t.

Party-vi > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! 08/10/2017 at 07:46

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So except for the luxury cars Audi makes, they aren’t a luxury brand. Got it.