Compare the2024 Audi A6VS 2023 Lexus IS

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the A6 and IS have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The A6 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 IS’ 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 A6. But it costs extra on the IS.

Both the A6 and the IS 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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Audi A6 is safer than the Lexus IS:

	A6	IS
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	197	220
Neck Injury Risk	30%	35%
Neck Stress	322 lbs.	429 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	292/435 lbs.	599/675 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	41%	41%
Leg Forces (l/r)	263/331 lbs.	399/459 lbs.

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

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 A6 is safer than the Lexus IS:

	A6	IS
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	135	142
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	174 lbs.	203 lbs.
Hip Force	262 lbs.	406 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	135	162
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	15 inches
Hip Force	514 lbs.	650 lbs.

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

Warranty

The A6’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the IS’ (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 A6’s warranty.

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the A6’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the IS’ camshafts. If the IS’ belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

Engine

The A6 has more powerful engines than the IS:

	Horsepower	Torque
A6 45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	261 HP	273 lbs.-ft.
A6 55 TFSI 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid	335 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
IS 300 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	241 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
IS 300 AWD 3.5 DOHC V6	260 HP	236 lbs.-ft.
IS 350 F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	311 HP	280 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the A6 55 TFSI 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid is faster than the Lexus IS:

	A6	IS 300 AWD	IS 350 F Sport
Zero to 60 MPH	5 sec	5.7 sec	5.7 sec
Quarter Mile	13.5 sec	14.3 sec	14.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102.7 MPH	97.6 MPH	100.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the A6 gets better mileage than the IS:

			MPG
A6
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/33 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Hybrid	22 city/30 hwy
IS
	RWD	5.0 V8	17 city/25 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/31 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	350 F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		300 AWD 3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the A6’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The IS doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the A6’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The IS doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The A6 has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the IS (19.3 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The A6 offers an available 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 IS doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the A6’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the IS:

	A6	IS
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	13.1 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	11.7 inches

The A6 stops much shorter than the IS:

	A6	IS
60 to 0 MPH	107 feet	117 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the A6 has larger standard tires than the IS (245/45R19 vs. 235/45R18). The A6’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the IS (255/40R20 vs. 235/40R19).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the A6 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the IS 300. The A6’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the IS Performance.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the A6’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the IS (115.1 inches vs. 110.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the A6 is 2 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the IS.

The A6 Prestige handles at .93 G’s, while the IS 300 AWD pulls only .88 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The A6 Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the IS 300 AWD (24.9 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 25.9 seconds @ .7 average G’s).

Chassis

The design of the Audi A6 amounts to more than styling. The A6 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is lower than the IS (.29 to .3) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the A6 get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the A6 a Mid-size car, while the IS is rated a Compact.

The A6 has 8.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the IS (99 vs. 90.2).

The A6 has 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 5.2 inches more rear legroom and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the IS.

Cargo Capacity

The A6 has a much larger trunk than the IS (13.7 vs. 10.8 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the A6’s trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The A6 (except Premium) also offers an optional power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button or just by kicking your foot under the back bumper. The IS doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

Towing

The A6 has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The IS has no towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The A6 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The IS doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the A6 and the IS have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the A6 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The IS prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The A6’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The IS’ cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The A6’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 IS’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the A6 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The IS doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The A6 Premium Plus/Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The IS doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the A6 has standard extendable sun visors. The IS doesn’t offer extendable visors.

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are standard in the A6 Prestige to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The IS doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The A6 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the IS. The A6 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the IS.

The A6 Prestige offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the IS.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Audi A6 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The IS doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The A6 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 IS doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the A6 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the A6 with a number “3” insurance rate while the IS is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the A6 is less expensive to operate than the IS because typical repairs cost much less on the A6 than the IS, including $85 less for a starter, $692 less for a timing belt/chain and $901 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi A6 and the Lexus IS, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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