IAS5

Just saw this on the B8 S4 thread....

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/26/2...bility-scores/


Wonder what "you-know-who" will say about "Audi quality, reliability, rant, rant, rant...delusional or stupid... etc. " on this one.

Chrysler saves Audi's butt from scraping their a$$ on the pavement....

Personally, I don't think it's that bad. The conundrum here now is, is Consumer Reports really accurate, and Audi's predicted reliability (based on last year's data) is that bad, despite our cheerleader saying is it so much better than others?,

or,

is Consumer Reports wrong, and Audi is better, despite our cheerleader claiming that the automotive gods at CR should be listened to (because they know better), and not just a "minority of forum members...."

And yes, this is about 2011 cars, but look at the 2010 car report as well. And anytime a forum member complained about possibly jumping ship, it typically is to buy a new car of another model-- not a 2007 or 2008 model. Food for thought.


hmmmm....

hwks1

CR is accurate reflection. Audi doesn't build bad cars - they do build cars with more problems than anyone else

perdido34

...except Chrysler and Jaguar, apparently.

Audi S5 TC

Don't forget Land Rover. They, too are worse than Audi. Apparently, Audi's steering and suspension issues (vibrations and so on) for B8 platform vehicles have caught up with them. Ditto the water pump issues with the supercharged gasoline 3L V6.

td80

Comparing an average Audi to an average Chrysler product is like comparing the modern wrist watch to a sundial. The sundial (you would think) would have the advantage in terms of reliability.

Forgive the over the top comparison, I couldn't help it. I do, however, think with any German luxury brand you get quite a lot more in terms of features, functionality and electronics. This comes at a cost in my eyes. I believe my previous car (BMW 6 series) was the most problematic car I've ever owned, and the last A6 I had was a close second -- but they also had more gadgets and bells and whistles than any cars that I've owned so I believe those problems come with the territory.

I do see that american auto makers are catching up finally in terms of features and small item functionality (esp. Ford -- of all companies) but its been a long time coming. I do believe that they will most likely see some of the same issues as they expand their vehicles with new convenience and performance oriented additions. I will say that its been a few years since I've owned a Jeep product (the last one I had fell apart in a very impressive whirlwind of electrical failures) but I've been driving "luxury" american vehicles for the past 5 years and they feel like dinosaurs in terms of creature comforts and minute electronic and mechanical details when compared to the German luxury brands.

iinviktus

^My thoughts exactly.

hwks1

Really not seeing this? There is only one feature (side assist) on my Audi that isn't also on my Durango? Frankly the Durango in many cases works better for things like, Nav, Climate etc. Every Suzuki, Nissan and Chevy has most if not all the 'bells n whistles' claimed by Audi. The only gap between a 'premium' car and a rental sedan is in the handling characteristics - not creature features.

Audi along with the other Germans are way behind in quality. If other manufacturers would produce the same handling dynamics the Germans would put out of business

jdong

Whoa, wrong comparison there! Maybe Audi to Honda would be more like it, but Chrysler definitely tries pretty hard to aggressively load their cars up with fancy features. It's just their attempt to hit a lower price point combined with their arguably-less-competent engineering leads to more problems.


-- Owner of two Chrysler cars that just placed orders for two Audi cars

td80

The biggest differences I'd say when comparing my new Escalade to the S5 features would be in the interface... The Escalade has no car computer for the most part. You get the simple display on the dash with mileage and speed but no integration with the rest of the cars systems. Also, the Navigation (being hard drive based in the Audi and DVD on the GM) is tremendously better on the Audi in my opinion. The number of integrated functions in the MMI system in general just blows me away. The only competing system in my experience has been my previous BMW with the iDrive. The ability to copy music to the Jukebox was also a nice surprise that I found after I bought the car, which has not been an option for me in my previous vehicles.

I can't say the S5 should demand a premium based on it's handling though as I really don't consider it a really great handling platform. It's pretty soft in general and underpowered when compared to other luxury sedans in its price range -- but those points are not ones I really looked at when I traded for the S5. I came from a better handling and quicker (quicker feeling anyway) car to the S5 for the AWD, the interior comforts and conveniences, and the looks that that the S5 offered.

Funny you mention it though, because I have a rental sedan (dodge charger) right now as I sit here in my hotel in Dallas, and I will say it's build quality, interior features, and fit and finish are all very impressive -- impressively bad. A co-worker was riding with me and had accidentally popped the trim rings off around the shifter, and noticed the panels in the center console would simply pop off as well if they are pushed on. The electronics are also non-existant but -- These are all things I would expect in a rental car so its really not a fair comparison. As you stated above though the handling in the rental is lightyears behind my audi, but its far from the only drawback.

Ryan1524

And also don't forget that in an Audi or BMW, there are many many sensors and microcontrollers for all sorts of things that keeps the car behaving in the wonderful way that it does. These things are mostly transparent to the user, until it breaks.