Compare the2023 Audi A7VS 2023 Lexus ES

The A7’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The ES doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the A7 and ES have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A7 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The ES’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the A7. But it costs extra on the ES.

Both the A7 and the ES have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Audi A7 weighs 552 to 1083 pounds more than the Lexus ES. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi A7 is safer than the Lexus ES:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The A7’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the ES’ (12 vs. 6 years).

There are over 25 percent more Audi dealers than there are Lexus dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the A7’s warranty.

The A7’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 132 more horsepower (335 vs. 203) and 185 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 184) than the ES 250 AWD’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The A7’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 120 more horsepower (335 vs. 215) than the ES 300h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The A7’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 33 more horsepower (335 vs. 302) and 102 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 267) than the ES 350’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi A7 is faster than the ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

Both the A7 and the ES Hybrid have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All A7s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The A7 has 6.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (19.3 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The A7 has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES’ standard fuel tank (19.3 vs. 15.9 gallons).

The A7 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The ES doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The A7 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The ES doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The A7’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The ES doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the A7’s brake rotors are larger than those on the ES:

The A7’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the ES are solid, not vented.

The A7 stops much shorter than the ES:

For better traction, the A7 has larger tires than the ES (255/40R20 vs. 215/55R17). The A7’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ES (255/40R20 vs. 235/45R18).

The A7’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the ES’ standard 55 series tires. The A7 55 TFSI Prestige’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the ES F Sport’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A7 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the ES. The A7 55 TFSI Prestige’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the ES F Sport.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A7’s wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the ES (115.2 inches vs. 113 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A7 is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the ES.

The A7’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (53.9% to 46.1%) than the ES’ (57.4% to 42.6%). This gives the A7 more stable handling and braking.

The A7 55 TFSI Prestige handles at .86 G’s, while the ES 300h pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The A7 55 TFSI Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.4 seconds quicker than the ES 300h (26 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The A7 has 1.3 inches more front shoulder room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the ES.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the A7’s rear seats recline. The ES’ rear seats don’t recline.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the A7’s hatch uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the ES’ useful trunk space.

The A7’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The ES doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

The A7 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The ES has no towing capacity.

The engine in the A7 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the ES. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the ES, the A7 Prestige offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle and climate settings and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The A7’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the ES.

The A7’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The ES’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A7 Premium Plus/Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The ES doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The A7 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the ES. The A7 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the ES.

The A7 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the ES.

The A7 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The ES doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2019 issue and they ranked the Audi A7 55 TFSI Prestige higher than the Lexus ES 300h.