Buick v. Audi

JST · 09-13-2009, 10:35 AM

Yesterday I dropped by the Audi dealer to kill some time and to see if they had any new S4s (they did not). Somewhat coincidentally, I happened across a new Buick Lacrosse display at the local art fair later in the day.

So I didn't get a chance to drive either, but I at least got to sit in an A6 and a Lacrosse roughly back-to-back, and I had two conclusions. First, the legendary Audi interior quality/appearance/fit seems to be slipping. There was a fair amount of shiny, cheap-feeling black plastic on a lot of the controls, in contrast to the previous generation of cars where seemingly everything felt coated in a nice, heavy almost rubberized material. Even worse, there was also a profusion of shiny faux "chrome" ringing many of the controls--I think that this is intended to help with visibility at night, but it inevitably looks cheap.

Second, the Buick's interior is extremely well done. The dash materials are first rate, the design is fresh and innovative, the steering wheel feels good--it's just a nice place to sit, and while it looks expensive it also manages to avoid looking like every other car out there. It has its own aesthetic, and it does it well. Perfect? No--the Buick, too, suffers from a plague of faux chrome trim rings that stand out as cheap-feeling elements in an otherwise well-done environment, the sweeping center console has lots of buttons that will probably baffle 80 percent of Buick customers, and the screen resolution on the (non-nav) car I was in was laughably bad; simply unacceptable in an era where customers are used to the crisp graphics of, e.g., the iPhone.

Like I said, I have no idea what the dynamics of the cars are. But Audi's decline and Buick's rise means that the Lacrosse is easily as nice inside as an A6--and I think it might be nicer. We'll see if it can change people's perceptions of Buick...and, in addition to the giant Buick badge on its nose, one big problem the Buick faces is the newly invigorated Taurus, which on paper at least looks like a much better buy.

rumatt · 09-13-2009, 01:01 PM

How were the seats?

ff · 09-14-2009, 08:13 AM

They road tested the new LaCrosse on MotorWeek last Saturday morning. The interior looks really, really nice, from what I could tell. I continue to be impressed with the job GM is doing with their current cars.

*Plaz* · 09-14-2009, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ff

They road tested the new LaCrosse on MotorWeek last Saturday morning. The interior looks really, really nice, from what I could tell. I continue to be impressed with the job GM is doing with their current cars.

I loved that show as a kid... now I can't stand it. Do they ever not do a puff piece?

JST · 09-14-2009, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rumatt

How were the seats?

Seemed fine from the five minutes I spent sitting in them; unremarkable. But, then again, that's how I would describe the non-sport seats in an Audi, too.

ff · 09-14-2009, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plaz

I loved that show as a kid... now I can't stand it. Do they ever not do a puff piece?

I don't believe that I've ever heard them say something bad about a car. Which is a bit annoying, because you know they aren't being honest about the road tests.

And John Davis... needs to stop being so head-bobbingly cheery. Take a downer, or something.

Still, it's about cars, and that's good enough for me.

Sharp11 · 09-14-2009, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JST

Seemed fine from the five minutes I spent sitting in them; unremarkable. But, then again, that's how I would describe the non-sport seats in an Audi, too.

I've noticed this about the A6 as well - the interior is nothing to write home about, yet every reviewer praises it as the gold standard of the class.

A6's don't drive as well as the competition either - when shopping the M35x, I drove a fair amount of cars in this class - the 528xi was the best (IMO), but my wife preferred the M35x.

The Audi A6 sedan we drove was noisy, and the seats hard (though inexplicably, we liked a wagon we drove later).

Sharp11 · 09-14-2009, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Plaz

I loved that show as a kid... now I can't stand it. Do they ever not do a puff piece?

No, John Davis is the Fred Rogers of the automotive world - unfortunately, with no equivalent to Lady Aberlin

FC · 09-14-2009, 01:07 PM

I never quite understood the love for the Audi interiors. I mean, they are nice. But they were praised even against E46 interiors and some nice MB interiors.

TD · 09-14-2009, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FC

I never quite understood the love for the Audi interiors. I mean, they are nice. But they were praised even against E46 interiors and some nice MB interiors.

Funny, but I always though the E46 interior looked very cheap - even when I had one. My former B5 A4 ('97 1.8T) had a much nicer interior than the E46.

09-13-2009, 10:35 AM	#1
JST 195 Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 24,611	Buick v. Audi Yesterday I dropped by the Audi dealer to kill some time and to see if they had any new S4s (they did not). Somewhat coincidentally, I happened across a new Buick Lacrosse display at the local art fair later in the day. So I didn't get a chance to drive either, but I at least got to sit in an A6 and a Lacrosse roughly back-to-back, and I had two conclusions. First, the legendary Audi interior quality/appearance/fit seems to be slipping. There was a fair amount of shiny, cheap-feeling black plastic on a lot of the controls, in contrast to the previous generation of cars where seemingly everything felt coated in a nice, heavy almost rubberized material. Even worse, there was also a profusion of shiny faux "chrome" ringing many of the controls--I think that this is intended to help with visibility at night, but it inevitably looks cheap. Second, the Buick's interior is extremely well done. The dash materials are first rate, the design is fresh and innovative, the steering wheel feels good--it's just a nice place to sit, and while it looks expensive it also manages to avoid looking like every other car out there. It has its own aesthetic, and it does it well. Perfect? No--the Buick, too, suffers from a plague of faux chrome trim rings that stand out as cheap-feeling elements in an otherwise well-done environment, the sweeping center console has lots of buttons that will probably baffle 80 percent of Buick customers, and the screen resolution on the (non-nav) car I was in was laughably bad; simply unacceptable in an era where customers are used to the crisp graphics of, e.g., the iPhone. Like I said, I have no idea what the dynamics of the cars are. But Audi's decline and Buick's rise means that the Lacrosse is easily as nice inside as an A6--and I think it might be nicer. We'll see if it can change people's perceptions of Buick...and, in addition to the giant Buick badge on its nose, one big problem the Buick faces is the newly invigorated Taurus, which on paper at least looks like a much better buy.

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