05 audi vs. 07 infiniti...who wins

[wiplayer86]

hey everyone, i got a question... and its based basically upon technology, becuase i am aware the two cars i am going to ask about are in completely different classes.

A 06-07 M35 vs. an 05 audi A8.... I know the cars are two different classes, but which do you guys give the advantage to in terms of technology?

any comments on a comparison would be greatly appreciated.

thanks Josh

[MattB]

The Audi will be a constant maintenance headache. You don't want to own one out of warranty.

[Bocatrip]

The Audi will be a constant maintenance headache. You don't want to own one out of warranty.

The Audi A8 is a super road car and probably one of the best handling cars in it's class. If you had the money to buy or lease new, I could see taking a chance..... it would have a warranty. Buying used........ you better have deep deep pockets as it could be a nightmare to own with all kind of electrical gremlins. I would stay away from this car unless you happen to own a Audi dealership!

[auditech10]

Wow that is a completely insane comparison, I think. I say the Audi if you want to be noticed and have a flagship model Audi. You will have at least a year left of warranty(depending on mileage of course) on the Audi but make sure to buy the extended warranty as well.Enjoy

[paulc]

I owned a 2002 Audi A6 4.2 before buying my 06 m35 sport.

So while this may not be an apples to apples comparison, my opinion on how they line up against each other is as follows:

1) In terms of technology in the cockpit, specifically lots of cool gadgets, the M35 wins hand down

2) I'd consider both cars even from comfort point of view

3) With respect to styling, I'd give a slight advantage to the M

4) The Audi easily wins on the handling and performance front. The M35 sport is almost not in the same league. The M45 may do better here.

[paulc]

BTW, I have had the M for about 2.5 years and had the Audi for 4 years and so far there is no difference that I have noticed in the reliability of the two cars.

Service was really bad at Audi and very good at Infiniti...although that may be a local thing.

[MattB]

4) The Audi easily wins on the handling and performance front. The M35 sport is almost not in the same league. The M45 may do better here.

I have to disagree. The A6 is a front-drive platform and really doesn't handle very well IMO.

[auditech10]

WHOA!!! how is the audi a frontdrive platform??? It is the same quattro system that they have used for over 25 years and they have only made it better every generation!

[Mark Linkous]

Hello,Auditech, with that generation, would you call it a FWD based platform? The reason I am asking is I thought with the R8, it was 70/30 RWD biased under normal conditions. While AWD, I figured the A6 given it was offered FWD as well would make it FWD biased. The 05 A6 was certainly nose heavy. With the new gen, I think they moved the engine towards the rear to better the weight distribution. Also opens up the design language given less prominent front overhang. I thought seriously about a 04 A6 4.2 when I purchased my M. I quite liked it. The interior especially. When I got a vin report from the customer service tech, it kinda spooked me. When I went to Audi forums, I realized that running costs were going to be steep as well. I know in modern cars things go wrong. But still.Cheers,Mark

[paulc]

The 4.2L A6 comes bundled with things like performance suspension, VSC, quattro and other performance features. It was definitely not a front wheel drive only platform.

I don't recall what the distribution of power was between rear and front wheels but I can tell you for you sure that it was rock solid and was not prone to the oversteer that you see when pushing an M in the corners.

[MattB]

WHOA!!! how is the audi a frontdrive platform??? It is the same quattro system that they have used for over 25 years and they have only made it better every generation!

While it is available with Quattro, the A6 does still suffer from being based on a front-drive architecture. Quattro makes up for a lot of it but a rear-drive based platform would be better.

[M45-Zero260]

Although this is an Infiniti site, please don't dis da Audi A6. My AWD Quattro 2004 2.7 litre Bi-Turbo is a pleasure to drive in Northern Illinois Winters as opposed to my 2003 M45, which, is not a pleasure to drive in the snow. I love my M45, but there is so much more confidence for me to stomp on the accelerator in my A6 in 8 inches of snow and drive a controlled drift to work, while my M sits in my heated garage waiting for a dry day to tackle the "other" American RWD 8-Cylinder sedans out there. These pics are from last Spring. I refuse to take pics in the snow, as that is a 4-letter word in my book. Someday, I will move back to FL and get my sanity back. Until then, my career keeps me here, and my M45 definitely keeps a big smile on my face every time I stomp on the accelerator (when there is no S*** on the roads)