While it might not have as long or storied a history as its German competitors, Lexus has become a major force in the world of luxury cars. But how does it actually stack up against a more established brand like Audi? We've put together the following guide in order to help show what the big differences between the two brands are.

Safety

Everyone wants their vehicle to be as safe as possible, and safety technology has been a major area of development in recent years. This is especially true of Audi, which received Top Safety Pick+ awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for 15 different 2023 models. This is more than any other manufacturer, with Lexus getting a pretty average 6 awards (1 Top Safety Pick, 5 Top Safety Pick+) for 2023 models. These are the Audi models that received this award:

Motorsports Heritage

While a lot of carmakers use motorsports for the development of new technology, this is more true for Audi than almost any other manufacturer. Audi's history in motorsports stretches back nearly a hundred years, but it was in 1980 that Audi introduced all-wheel drive to the world of rally racing and forever changed the sport, following a series of dominating wins. Audi's famous quattro AWD system was developed for racing, but has now changed the world of luxury cars off the track in the same way it changed rallying. Audi's solid reliability comes from years of endurance racing, with a total of 13 wins at the 24 Hour of Le Mans, the most grueling and punishing race in the world for road cars. The Lexus brand didn't even exist when Audi was changing rallying, and to date has zero wins at Le Mans or any major endurance race.

Audi Q4 e-tron VS Lexus RZ

Electric vehicle technology is becoming increasingly important to the automotive industry, with new electric models rolling out all the time. Lexus only has one all-electric model, the RZ, to Audi's three, but it is in the same segment as the Audi Q4 e-tron, so we can still do a model comparison. The base price on the Q4 e-tron is actually quite a lot lower than the RZ, so to make this a bit more fiar, we're using the Prestige trim of the Q4 e-tron for our comparison. Both vehicles have all-wheel drive, but the Audi comes with a little more torque. Looking at the battery capacity, it might seem odd that the Q4 e-tron doesn't have a bigger range advantage. But these range figures only apply to these specific trims. The base-trim Q4 e-tron has a range of 265 miles, while the RZ Luxury, with its bigger wheels, can only manage 196 miles. A top-trim comparison between the two models would give the Audi a range advantage of 40 miles.

Inside, you can see some real equipment advantages for the Audi. The 40-20-40 split-folding rear seat means more versatility when loading cargo, and the natural light from a panoramic sunroof is something you'll have to pay extra for in the Lexus. The Q4 e-tron is the frist vehicle ever to feature a Sonos stereo system. This makes for a much more immersive audio experience than you'll get from the generic Lexus stereo. A name-brand stereo is available for the RZ, but only on the Luxury trim, which adds $5,500 to the price. Continuing with the theme, the Q4 e-tron Prestige also comes with headlamp washers, and an augmented-reality head up display, more features that cost extra on the Lexus. The Audi simply gives you more for your money.

Winner - Audi

It's clear that Lexus doesn't offer the kind of product variety that you can get from Audi, and neither do Lexus vehicles embrace transformative technology in the way Audi has been doing for decades. Audi vehicles are so advanced that giving you more for your money has just become a natural byproduct of this advancement, and rivals like Lexus simply can't keep up. Come and let Audi Ann Arbor show you all of the advantages of the four rings.