GX4704ME

Did anyone seriously cross shop the Q7 with the GX? I worked out a deal on a 14 Q7 and was one day away from pulling the trigger until I realized how lame and boring the MMI system is. Specifically the deal breaker for me was no app integration such as Pandora, Yelp, etc.

Before anyone accuses me of NOT buying a vehicle solely because of apps, I equally liked the exterior, interior, drive, and technology of both vehicles. The tie breaker came down to the "entertainment" factor. Although sometimes glitchy, Lexus enform is leaps and bounds above BMW iDrive, Mercedes mbrace2, Audi MMI and many others.

tecman

I seriously considered buying a used Q7 due to the awesome features and the one available had 350hp. I want and need reliability so I went with the GX.

GX4704ME

What were some of the awesome features that caught your attention?

JDSTL

I considered a Q7 as well but chose the 2014 GX for the reliability and low cost of maintenance when compared with what I had read about the Q7. Specifically tires and brakes lasting 15-20,000 miles on the Q7. We have had an FJ Cruiser as well as a LS 460L and didn't have any problems with either.

I think the Q7 with the 20+ inch wheels is a sharper looking vehicle but this is my wife's car and she puts a lot of miles on it. The GX was the better choice for us.

tecman

I was looking to spend 40k or so and I started considering the Q7 because I think it is a sweet looking ride an I especially like the front end. The model I was considering was the 2010 Quattro 4.2L Prestige with 13/18 MPG I found it to have many features on it but it was a top of the line model. I was concerned when I found this 350hp was only available for that year, could be wrong. Compared to what I bought for the same 40k.. I do not have a power lift gate with remote, adjustable air suspension ride (yes an option for GX but talking 40K for 2010-2011) power folding mirrors and stopping there with the minor details, final is a tight powerful drive with the Q7.I have somewhat paid attention to new models and seems the 3.0, 3.6 and a diesel are the norm? I may have a different experience in a new model with less power but maybe more cool features...

GX4704ME

Tecman I couldn't agree with you more about the nice front end. I was looking at the Premium Plus for about $57,500. That didn't even include the premium stereo - I hear the base stereo blows!

MTLDean

I loved the MMI in my last car (2011 S4), thought the interface and the voice recognition were 1000x better than in my GX, but after experiencing the unfathomably astounding unreliability of an Audi I don't care if it comes with an actual concierge who sits in the front seat and acts out your commands, I'll never look at an Audi again.

GX4704ME

Wow such strong feelings that confirms my decision to go with Lexus. The fact that there's no app integration is unacceptable for a car at that price point. The GX will never measure up to the Q7 in agility and that German engineering "feel". However, the Q7 will never measure up to the GX in everything else.

lexushoya

For the same $50K price, my choices are

"Used" 2014 GX460 with premium package and driver assist. ( just 600 miles, $56K msrp")
or
CPO 2013 Q7 TDI ( diesel) Premium and cold package ( 11k miles), 5 years warranty remain.

I drive 6-7K miles per year, and live in a city. 70% highway driving

Lexus gets the electronics edge: nav with live traffic, cooled and heated front seats, side mirror warning system, and the position of the command center controls on the dash rather than between seats . Otherwise seem comparably equipped

But the Q7 Diesel is so much quicker, handles better, and gets 30-40% better fuel efficiency!

I assume the Lexus is better in snowstorms or snowy declines.

The Q7 could be a beast to parallel park , but the Lexus back door is useless when parallel parked.

Which would you buy given the above?

Thanks

T4Fun

ive seen about 4-5 broken down q7's on the road, and frankly theyre damn ugly. Too bubbly and rounded.
I am sure it drives better than a gx, but its also not BOF

texas008

I considered both.

Q7 has a major design defect, its roof is too low. Q7 has a bigger footprint than GX460, but its roof height and interior space is too small.
sit in both and you can feel that the 2nd row seats of Q7 has much less head room than the GX. and the 3rd row seats of Q7 can only accommodate teenagers or short people.

people who consider this level of large SUV need usable space.

i agree Q7 handles and accelerates much better.

Jacket

I'll strongly concur with these two points. We just traded in our Q7 for a GX, and the two points above were the main reasons why. The maintenance issues are troubling, cost a fortune, and Audi offers very little in the way of DIY.

But the interior space is what really got us. Two adults, two kids, and a 95 lb dog trying to go skiiing/boarding up in the mountains, and we could barely squeeze ourselves into the Q7 with a roof top box included. It's a long car, but the Q7 lacks a lot in the vertical space category. Sure, the styling is nice and it's more aerodynamic, but the useable space is for ****.

texas008

Thanks for sharing the same feelings.
it is great to have lots of room in a SUV.

i actually started looking at Toyota Sequioa, Mercedes Sprinter, Nissan NV van, in case need an even bigger SUV/Van.
an other option would be to tow a small trailer behind GX460...

lexushoya

I Did. Made a decision 6 months ago.

I wanted the MPG of the TDI, found a good CPI deal, and felt it had better handling than the GX. I drove about 6 used , CPI , and new ones across recent model years.

However, it's a full foot longer with no apparent difference in interior space, hence more difficult to park on city streets and in our garage. That was a major drawback for my wife. Reputation for expensive maintenance / repairs didn't help.

Got the GX 460 and haven't looked back ( it's only been 6 months...Have been lucky that gas prices have fallen!)

Believe it or not, one thing I'm really happy about is that it is more understated than the Q7, which I like in our city full of flashy folks driving Audis.

We found a middle option package used one w / <1K miles, which was the same price as the Audi with 12K miles. Also love the blind spot monitoring feature which we use all the time.

We also shopped it hard vs the great deals on the Infinity, but i didn't like the continuous transmission. I wanted more control to downshift on snow when in 4WD, as we are in the sierras 7 or 8 weekends during ski season, where 5% downhill grades are common and hairy for me.