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I think many luxury car buyers like the idea of having a "luxury" vehicle more than any one particular model. As far as I'm concerned, the best sports sedan on the market has been the BMW 3 series for YEARS...however, to a person who's not nearly as concerned with ultimate driving performance, or would rather have cheaper all wheel drive options than either the 3 series or Mercedes C class can offer, an Audi Quattro may be a great introduction vehicle.
As to the styling, for the most part, I think Audi is pretty conservative on "new" ideas...the beat most to the punch on LED running lights, and i'm sure that perked sales some for a model year or two, but honestly they're offering great German engineering at often slightly lower prices than the competition...Not quite as affordable as their Volkswagen brethren, but VW doesn't have the prestige to attract the premium customers the Audi label can.
Many auto blogs have high praise for Audi's styling & interior design, not just posters on this forum. If you like clean svelte Euro lines, you can't do much better than Audi. If you get a chance, step into the new A6 and you'll see what modernist luxury means today. It's really worlds apart from say Lexus or Cadillac, and obviously resonates with a large swath of high-end buyers.
But Audi's powertrain & driving dynamics themselves aren't anything special. Certainly not worth the premium they're asking, compared to Infiniti.
Can't tell why other people like Audi, but I personally love these cars! Beautiful design, good engines, superior interior quality, never had any issues with reliability.
Down to the facts, Audi cars are not that different compared to BMW or other luxury brands. I drove several A4 and A6 (limousine and wagon) and always liked the way, they drive - regardless if with 140 mph on German Autobahns or a relaxed coast ride in the California evening sun...
If I could afford one, I would buy it in a heartbeat.
I used to like them back in the 60s when they were called DKW, very good winter cars in Canada, a lot like Saab with front wheel drive and a 2-stroke engine.
Many auto blogs have high praise for Audi's styling & interior design, not just posters on this forum. If you like clean svelte Euro lines, you can't do much better than Audi. If you get a chance, step into the new A6 and you'll see what modernist luxury means today. It's really worlds apart from say Lexus or Cadillac, and obviously resonates with a large swath of high-end buyers.
But Audi's powertrain & driving dynamics themselves aren't anything special. Certainly not worth the premium they're asking, compared to Infiniti.
I own an Infiniti M35 - and I like it very much. But I don't see why you think Infiniti powertrains and driving is superior to Audi. Their engines are every bit as good as Infiniti - whose V6 needs a dose of "new" to keep up with the best 6 cylinder engines available today. And the Infiniti V8 is no more special than any other premium V8. Infiniti really has nothing to compare to Audi's "S" models.
Have you priced a new "M?" It is just as expensive as an equivalent German car.
I've liked Audi's for a long time and have owned two of them, a 2000 A4 and a 2004 A6. The first thing that drew me and most others to Audi was the styling. Audi's interiors have long been considered an industry benchmark and it is a reputation they very much deserve. Audi has also had very well done exteriors that epitomize German design restraint without being boring. Even my old A6, which on first look was pretty bland, was actually a very interesting car to look at when you took the time to appreciate it.
For a long time Audi was also the also-ran of the German luxury marques. At a time when all anyone talked about was BMW and Mercedes, there was Audi quietly plodding along. Overtime this began to shift and a lot of people who didn't want to appear "yuppie" started switching to Audi. This has had the unfortunate effect of making Audi a more yuppie brand these days, but I still like them anyway, lol.
In terms of engineering Audi also strikes a nice balance between the luxury of Mercedes and the sport of BMW. Audi's aren't as "hard" as BMW's, but they aren't as "soft" as a Mercedes either. I think that balance appeals to a lot of people as does the near ubiquitous use of AWD which many people perceive as a positive. Their reliability is no better, maybe even slightly worse, than the other brands, but with the parts sharing with VW, it is possible to do repairs and get parts cheaper than the other brands.
Which brings up price. Audi's tend to cost less than the comparable cars from Mercedes and BMW, even if just slightly. That price advantage makes them pretty attractive.
Overall these days, to me, Audi is still building some exciting cars and continues to expand the brand and refine their styling whereas I feel that BMW and Mercedes have stagnated a bit.
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jk.
