Author Topic: Comparison Test: 2015 BMW 740Ld vs Audi A8 TDI (Read 13214 times)

Autos_Editor · « **on:** June 18, 2015, 06:30:35 am »

redman · « **Reply #1 on:** June 18, 2015, 08:17:25 am »

A great choice for a long drive considering both refined luxury and fuel economy benefits.

That being said if I was looking to spend 100K+ and considering my mostly local drives, I would be looking at a Tesla Model S 70D, an all-wheel drive electric car with a 0-60 time of 5.2 seconds and a 240 mile range at 65 mph. Well below my daily drive.

JohnM · « **Reply #2 on:** June 18, 2015, 07:06:01 pm »

Agreed. In anything close to this price bracket, I simply can't picture any competition for the Tesla.

The Audi and Bimmer are as good as big conventional cars get but the Tesla is so far ahead in several areas that nothing else comes close.

Cheers,
John M.

jyarkony · « **Reply #3 on:** June 18, 2015, 09:14:05 pm »

I think there's a lot of people for whom the Tesla doesn't even enter the conversation. Those that are attached to tradition and the things they've always wanted and simply because something is new and better doesn't make them change. but yeah, i can't see myself choosing one of these over a Tesla myself, either.

CanuckS2K · « **Reply #4 on:** June 18, 2015, 09:23:50 pm »

I'd take that A8 all day long over the 740. That interior in the A8 is pretty freakin' nice and just oozes luxury and sophistication. Just never been a big fan of bimmer interiors.

mmret · « **Reply #5 on:** June 18, 2015, 09:24:51 pm »

The Tesla is very cool but I can't see people seriously cross shopping he two.

The statement "I'd rather have a Tesla over an S/A8/7er" is like cross shopping those three with a carrera 4.l just because they are in the same price ballpark. It just doesn't compute.

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OliverD · « **Reply #6 on:** June 18, 2015, 09:44:10 pm »

Quote from: mmret on June 18, 2015, 09:24:51 pm

The Tesla is very cool but I can't see people seriously cross shopping he two.

The statement "I'd rather have a Tesla over an S/A8/7er" is like cross shopping those three with a carrera 4.l just because they are in the same price ballpark. It just doesn't compute.

Agreed for the most part. Supposedly the Tesla's interior fit and finish isn't that great either.

johngenx · « **Reply #7 on:** June 18, 2015, 09:49:47 pm »

Can you drive the Tesla across the country 1000km at a leap? Nope. But I doubt most owners use these cars for epic journeys. I would. If I had an S65 in the garage (the big car weapon of my choice) I'd wake up and, well, "Vegas baby!" Or "Key West!" "Nova Scotia!"

jyarkony · « **Reply #8 on:** June 18, 2015, 09:51:09 pm »

Quote from: OliverD on June 18, 2015, 09:44:10 pm

Quote from: mmret on June 18, 2015, 09:24:51 pm
The Tesla is very cool but I can't see people seriously cross shopping he two.

The statement "I'd rather have a Tesla over an S/A8/7er" is like cross shopping those three with a carrera 4.l just because they are in the same price ballpark. It just doesn't compute.

Agreed for the most part. Supposedly the Tesla's interior fit and finish isn't that great either.

the fit and finish is quite good - not quite Audi A8 or S-Class good (though it has the Mercedes wand shifter and some other switchgear - the wrst part of the Mercedes experience), but equal to Lexus or Jaguar, but the design is very simple and modern, not convoluted and as busy as many in this class.

And you're very wrong about the cross-shopping - where do you think Tesla's customers are coming from? Priuses and Nissan Leafs?

we milled around the Tesla dealership and spoke to some and this 5 Series/7 Series price range of luxury cars is where many come from.I know one owner that is moving into one from an X5.... when you have this much money for a car, you can really cross-shop anything, including a 911 if that's what floats your boat.

mmret · « **Reply #9 on:** June 18, 2015, 09:54:06 pm »

Sure they can. But they're probably making up their minds about it based on whether they want an electric car or not, and not a direct comparison of the S550 vs a Tesla.

Its apples and oranges. You decide you want one or the other; you're not choosing between a Red Delicious and a Fiji.

EDIT: think of it this way. If Mercedes lost an S550 sale to Tesla...what exactly could they have done to rectify that? Make an all electric S550e? Will Dr Z do his best Elon Musk impression? All of this is not exactly realistic. At least not yet. The customer decided they wanted a Tesla and there's essentially nothing Mercedes could have done about it.

Same thing with the S550 vs 911. What, you're going to make a true sports car S-Class coupe with a flat 6?

wing · « **Reply #10 on:** June 18, 2015, 10:22:24 pm »

I know 3 tesla owners. None of them would have bought an A8 or S class. They just wanted a tesla.

I know we make this generalization and I'm sure some are coming from those cars, but from the people I know they all bought a tesla because it was electric not because it was a q ship

johngenx · « **Reply #11 on:** June 18, 2015, 10:28:04 pm »

I get that. A friend of mine is strongly considering a Tesla. He'd never buy an Audi or BMW, etc. His daily driver is a 2003 Legacy. BUT, he's got lots of money and can easily afford any of those cars, it's just that the Tesla is the only one that appeals to him in any way.

hemusbull · « **Reply #12 on:** June 20, 2015, 09:15:01 pm »

127 grand before taxes to have economical diesel luxury? Gimmi a break ...

EV Dan · « **Reply #13 on:** June 20, 2015, 10:53:55 pm »

I'd shop A8 vs 7 series vs S-Class and others if I had a driver and cared about getting from A to B in maximum comfort , quietness and isolation from the outside world. However I'd get the P85D because it's a supercar in a family sedan disguise and is a solution to almost everything I dislike about an ICE car ownership, e.g. buying at a dealership, servicing at a dealership, having to visit gas stations with dirty nozzles, noise, fumes, gear shifts, warm ups, feeling guilty about "smoking" someone on the road, and so on and so forth. Disclaimer: I've driven a Tesla (but never an A8 or 7 series, I suppose they are close to Lexus LS in nature). If I had the cash I wouldn't look at anything else at this point of my life, because frankly there is nothing comparable. Oh, and had I had so much money I could always rent a full size sedan for cross country journeys.

TheHire · « **Reply #14 on:** June 21, 2015, 02:09:00 am »

Quote from: hemusbull on June 20, 2015, 09:15:01 pm

127 grand before taxes to have economical diesel luxury? Gimmi a break ...

Think about it - how many buyers in the full-size luxury sedan segment make use of 350-400+ horsepower? The V8s are nice (A8 4.0T, 750i, S550) but in reality, do you need your luxurious land barge to dance?

redman · « **Reply #15 on:** June 21, 2015, 10:29:34 am »

Quote from: EV Dan on June 20, 2015, 10:53:55 pm

I'd shop A8 vs 7 series vs S-Class and others if I had a driver and cared about getting from A to B in maximum comfort , quietness and isolation from the outside world. However I'd get the P85D because it's a supercar in a family sedan disguise and is a solution to almost everything I dislike about an ICE car ownership, e.g. buying at a dealership, servicing at a dealership, having to visit gas stations with dirty nozzles, noise, fumes, gear shifts, warm ups, feeling guilty about "smoking" someone on the road, and so on and so forth. Disclaimer: I've driven a Tesla (but never an A8 or 7 series, I suppose they are close to Lexus LS in nature). If I had the cash I wouldn't look at anything else at this point of my life, because frankly there is nothing comparable. Oh, and had I had so much money I could always rent a full size sedan for cross country journeys.

Hellcat performance and no ICE to contend with.

mixmanmash · « **Reply #16 on:** June 21, 2015, 11:10:16 am »

Quote from: redman on June 21, 2015, 10:29:34 am

Quote from: EV Dan on June 20, 2015, 10:53:55 pm
I'd shop A8 vs 7 series vs S-Class and others if I had a driver and cared about getting from A to B in maximum comfort , quietness and isolation from the outside world. However I'd get the P85D because it's a supercar in a family sedan disguise and is a solution to almost everything I dislike about an ICE car ownership, e.g. buying at a dealership, servicing at a dealership, having to visit gas stations with dirty nozzles, noise, fumes, gear shifts, warm ups, feeling guilty about "smoking" someone on the road, and so on and so forth. Disclaimer: I've driven a Tesla (but never an A8 or 7 series, I suppose they are close to Lexus LS in nature). If I had the cash I wouldn't look at anything else at this point of my life, because frankly there is nothing comparable. Oh, and had I had so much money I could always rent a full size sedan for cross country journeys.

Hellcat performance and no ICE to contend with.

Yep. I agree. Maintenance costs would be way down.

EV Dan · « **Reply #17 on:** June 21, 2015, 12:32:49 pm »

Quote from: vantage007 on June 21, 2015, 02:09:00 am

Quote from: hemusbull on June 20, 2015, 09:15:01 pm
127 grand before taxes to have economical diesel luxury? Gimmi a break ...

Think about it - how many buyers in the full-size luxury sedan segment make use of 350-400+ horsepower? The V8s are nice (A8 4.0T, 750i, S550) but in reality, do you need your luxurious land barge to dance?

It's the old need vs want. You won't use it every day but you want it to be there just in case. Very few in this class of buyers need a palace with a gated driveway and they will likely never use every bedroom in it but they want it and choose to pay for it. And once the cheque book is out, saving a couple of hundred a month at the pump may not be at the top of their list.

Snowman · « **Reply #18 on:** June 21, 2015, 02:50:41 pm »

Fack diesel, fack electric. There is only one luxury car that has it all.

Mercedes E63 AMG

johngenx · « **Reply #19 on:** June 21, 2015, 03:12:23 pm »

Quote from: Snowman on June 21, 2015, 02:50:41 pm

Fack diesel, fack electric. There is only one luxury car that has it all.

Mercedes E63 AMG

I'm with you on the E-Class. Those S/A/7 boats are too big. The E can carry people in comfort but rewards the driver with a much better experience. And that AMG model is SO ROWDY. It's the "Executive" sedan for people that don't want to act like they're 120 years old.