They’re only the same in the sense that they’re owned by the same company :)
The cars are somewhat different, though they’re starting to share a bit more of the same stylings (big ass front grills for instance) and of engines are generally shared across the board, except in a few areas.
Also, Audis are built nearly exclusively in Europe, while the lower half of the VW line (Jettas, Eos I think, some of the Golfs and a lot of Beetles) are made in Mexico.
At the same time, I wouldn’t call a Skoda an Audi or a VW a Lamborghini, though they are all owned by the same company.
I see a Phaeton on the road every once in awhile. Big for a VW, and positively expensive.
Unfortunately for the VAG, fewer people are seeing it this way. I’m not sure if this is still the case, sales of Skoda Octavias were on the rise at the expense of the VW Golf. Seems that people were willing to switch to the “lesser” brand if it meant they were paying less for a near-identical vehicle with better build quality to boot.
The Phaeton is a wonderful luxury barge, but I could never figure out why a potential buyer wouldn’t just spring for an Audi A8. I once asked a German VW engineer about how the Phaeton was selling, and he just wanted to change the topic.
My wife has had 2 BMWs, a 525 and a 330. Neither had anything to repair that was not covered. We both like sportscar like driving, so they were both manuals with the sport-suspension option. Both cars handled very well without beating you up with a rock-hard suspension, and were very stable far beyond legal speeds. They also retained value.
If you want to emphasize the SPORT in your sedan, at least test a BMW. The 330 is very nice, but if you don’t mind a coupe the 335 adds twin-turbo to produce 300+ HP.
I’d go with a BMW, too. My wife wants an Infiniti, but as has been mentioned here already, it’s just a glorified Nissan; I don’t see it being worth the extra cost.
Fact is, if you’re not looking to drive this car for twenty years, who gives a damn how much it costs to fix? Do they not have warranties in States?
You’re kidding, right? If I own a Honda and a BMW and drive 100,000 miles on each over 10 years, the BMW will more than likely have a much higher maintenance/repair bill than my freakin’ Honda. TWENTY YEARS? Most people don’t even hold on to their car for ten.
True but VW’s tainted their own Golf lineup with an assload of car-types that are almost identical - GTIs, R32’s, and the new Rabbits. Overall Golf sales have dropped a lot but those above have jumped dramatically. I think the overall system is still doing well but I can see your point about the Skoda.
Eventually if you own that many companies you’re going to be competing against yourself; at some point it seemed that VW was trying to come up with a brand vehicle/price-range across every type of consumer, from the very low end to the very high, but these days there’s a lot of overlap. The markets vary wildly as well, of course.
The Phaeton is a wonderful luxury barge, but I could never figure out why a potential buyer wouldn’t just spring for an Audi A8. I once asked a German VW engineer about how the Phaeton was selling, and he just wanted to change the topic.
Yeah I know - I’d rather get an A8 or S8 myself for that kind of money. As a little statistical thing, VW sold 46 Phaetons in January 06 and just two in January of this year. Audi sold 308 A8/S8’s in Jan 07, compared to 516 for last year (the Audi and VW figures are for their US divisions only).
And they sold 1636 Q7’s. Holy crap, they’re flying off the lots.
It’s not a glorified Nissan, it’s a Nissan SKYLINE. I once looked into getting one of those imported from Japan (because of all my Gran Turismo playing), and it was going to cost over $50,000 to do it. The Infiniti badge is a cost savings.
I almost bought a G35, but I went with the Hyundai XG350 instead. I’m not kidding.
I kinda wish I’d bought the G35, but the XG350 has been a pretty good car, after 2 engine replacements, 3 alternators, and 2 batteries, all within the first 50,000 miles.
If you want performance with the luxury, the G35 Sport is still (a little) behind the BMW 330/335 at the same price point. The Lexus doesn’t play in the same league in performance…its tuned more towards luxury.
Are you not interested in the IS350? Why the 250 instead? AWD, or the manual option?
Anyway, I once had a friend with a G35 coupe with the track package (since discontinued IIRC), and it was an amazing car. Much more than a glorified 350Z. If I were to make a decision now, it would probably be a G35 over an IS, but I would probably test drive the IS as well just to compare.
Other suggestions would be a BMW 330/335 (I know you said no German cars, but BMW is less prone to the ills of Audi and Mercedes in my experience) or if I can humbly suggest, the car I drive, a Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT. Its not quite in the same league, but its still a great car. The engine is the same engine as the STi (but with a smaller turbo for slightly less power). Rated 250hp and 250 lb/ft of torque. If you get the Spec B variant, it comes with sport suspension and a six-speed manual and a few other goodies.
I must be confused about the Lexus model #. I thought there was only one IS model when I was looking on Edmunds. I’ve just heard too many good things about Lexus cars (including independent mechanics) to write them off.
Funny you should mention Subaru, I think the Tribeca looks very interesting if I’m going the crossover route. Which I might if I don’t go the sedan route.
There is a Lexus IS350 and an IS250 currently available. You can get AWD with the 250 or a 6 speed manual transmission. With the 350, you get the bigger engine, but you lose choice on drive train and transmission (stuck with RWD and automatic-sportshift).
Oh, and one last thing… if you do get serious about the Tribeca, there is a pretty consistent rumor of an engine option bump for the 08 model year. If that sort of thing is important to you, I’d wait until this summer when the 08’s will come out.
Essentially I was trying to point out that if you’re buying a luxurious sedan, chances are you’re not going to keep it much longer than the warranty. At least that’s what I’d do. I’ll be looking at buying a 330 next year… or leasing it… either way, I’ll have it for about 4 years and then I’ll move on/upgrade/get a new one.
I think purchasing patterns vary by person. Take my old man, for example. He’s the original owner of a 1998 Lexus LS400. It’s immaculate inside and out despite over 200k miles on it.
At this point, he can’t justify spending another $60k for a car, because this one stiill moves him smoothly from 0-60 in 6-1/2 seconds, and will probably continue to do so for several more years.
As for me, I’m gonna drive my 1998 Toyota RAV-4 into the dirt, and when it finally gives up the ghost by costing me more than $2k in actual repairs (not incl. wear parts such as brakes, rotors, tires, and clutch pads) , I’ll grab myself a used Lexus. Those things are built to last. :-)
Roger, if you’re still pining for the Skyline drean, why not hold on for one more year, save lots of money, and get on the 2009 GT-R waiting list?
RickH, I can’t comment on the Tribeca, but I’ll add another vote for the Legacy (or an Impreza, if you want something cheaper/sportier). Great driver’s car, and even if it isn’t too fancy on the inside, at least everything is in the right place. It will also be a real blessing if you do any driving in low-grip conditions. Of course, the G35 sedan does have a 4WD option, too.
