sophie999

Hi,

I am new to the forum. I am on the market for a new (and first ever) SUV. Need some advice here.

I am looking for a SAFE and RELIABLE car. Those are the keys. Would like nice and luxury ride and feel. Kids on the back need to be safe.

Looked at the Consumer report ratings and after eliminating some (Audi and BMW) based on the reliability ratings, the primary players are Lexus RX, Mercedes GLK 350, Infinity EX journey, Cadillac SRX, possibly Acura RDX.

I have never owned any of the luxury brands. My main concern is reliability. Spending 40-50K on a car, prefer not to spend too much extra for repair. I usually keep cars for a long time, 10+ years, so leasing is not for me.

Lexus is nice because of the hybrid option, and I like to waste less gas.

Any comments/ideas/opinions are welcome. Also, any suggestions about 2WD/AWD option. I live in the midwest and do drive thru the winter. Is AWD worth it, or 2WD SUV is fine?

Thanks

Sincerely,

Sophie

MX5NES350

Hi and welcome. Hopefuly this will help you some:

Lexus has bullet proof reliability and the RX is still the benchmark others try to meet. Of course I am a bit biased on this, however, did consider the others listed above. Big downside to the Mercedes is the eventual maintenance and repair costs associated with them. They seem to fair OK until the warranty runs out then they become a money pit so owning one for 10+ years will get expensive. Also, MPG's on the GLK 350 are rated pretty poorly. The Infiniti is a funner driving experience but major complaints about it are the cargo room compared to it's rivals - or lack thereof. Also I wasn't very happy with the Infiniti's throttle by wire design. Felt a bit of hesitation in it. The Cadillac will begin to rattle after 40K miles. I know 2 folks regretting their decision to purchase their SRX's. Acura RSX is, IMO, the one which would offer the closest competition in my book. With the Japanese brands you can take them to their lower on the totem pole dealers to get maintenance and repairs done as well as pretty much any Joe's repair shop. Not so with the Mercedes in some cases.

In short, go out and have some fun test driving. Great time of year to do so and good to great deals can be had.

I believe the Lexus also scores top marks in the class for safety of occupants as well. Might want to consider that too.

FWD or AWD? No contest in your climate. AWD is the way to go.

sophie999

Thanks.

No THANKS botton here?

GQD_GS4

We owned an RX400h and traded it in for a GLK350. Our RX400h averaged 25mpg, while the GLK averages 20mpg.

Since you plan on keeping the car for 10 years, get the Lexus RX450h. You will be very happy with the MPG. Buy new or certified pre-owned and pay a little extra to extend the warranty. That way, you won't have to pay anything for repairs.

InRBigness

I looked at most of the players you talked about. I liked the Mercedes, but in deisel it was not that great for gas milage. I am a previous MB owner so I thought that is where I would end up. I also looked at the BMW but it felt to rough and I was not in love with the styling. I never considered the Infinity as I keep waiting for the company to fold up. They keep trying, but somehow miss the boat. Audi was probably the closest for me and never looked at the Cadillac as I wanted to get away from GM reliability. I did spec out an MDX but by the time you loaded it up, it was as much as the RX and was not a Hybrid.

I chose, but did not settle on the 2012 RX450h. I have had it for almost a week now and am very happy with it so far. I plan on keeping it for 10 or so years as well. As MX stated, go and test them, do your research and read here and other forums to see what real people think about thier choices.

Cruiter

Welcome to our forum, there are lots of good people here to tell you all about their cars after owning them for a while. I have the RX 450h and love it. But if you real carefully through the posts you'll find the best mileage (averaging around 30) comes with learning a new driving style. You don't have to 'hyper mile', you can still enjoy it but proper driving for best economy is an art. I still get the chance to goose mine now and then to feel the extra power (plenty of pull and acceleration) but I've also learned to maintain steady speeds and start slowing before the stops.

The car is tough as a tank and easy to drive. It's about as safe as you can get and loaded with all of the new high tech gadgets that actually have a good function.

Good luck in your choice.

TampaOwner

without questin, the Lexus is #1 based on your criteria and the Acura is #2... its been that way for years. Infinity, BMW, Mercedes are over priced. Lexus and Acura are the luxury brands of Toyota and Honda, and are the most reliable cars on the market. every report will tell you that. ive own a 2001 Lexus and a 2004 Lexus and have never had a single problem... i just bought a 2012 RX450 Hybrid with navigation, comfort package, luxury package, remote start, for $51,500. or about $3,500 UNDER MSRP which is good for a hybrid. dont let the dealer tell you there are no deals for a hybrid because of demand... thats BS. the BEST week to buy the car is the week after Xmas and before New Years.. youll save a lot of money if you pull the trigger then, instead of first of the year. good luck. youmcant go wrongmwith lexus

Evitzee

If you keep your vehicles for 10 years or so i would not buy a German made car which are not known for their cohesiveness in their electronic controls over time. Likewise the Cadillac probably won't go the distance either, being a GM product. Although you are looking at the RX450 no one knows what the batteries will be like 10 years down the road, will you be looking at a replacement battery pack before then? Who knows. If it were me I'd look at the RX350 for overall reliability and low cost per mile driven.

Stormforge

sophie999:

my wife drives our 2010 RX450h, and she enjoys every minute of it. if you can afford to spring for a RX450h, do it. safe and reliable is a given for a lexus, so i wouldn't worry about these 2 issues.

and welcome to CL!

RXSF

Have you been inside the GLK? Honestly, its like night and day getting into that vehicle and the RX. the GLK has a much more utilitarian interior, everything is boxy and nothing is soft to the touch. Of course, it is a bit cheaper as well. I will say that mercedes reliability has greatly improved.

So you are looking for reliability? that is like the Lexus motto. Safe is without a question with class leading 10 standard airbags. Go test drive all of them and see what you like. please report back on your findings

TampaOwner

BMW and Mercedes are the worst economical cars out there... must have premium fuel (RX450/350 doesnt anymore), plus cost of repair on BMW and Mercedes are even more outrageous than Lexus... i agree with the other comment... go inside one of the Mercedes suvs and youll find it very stiff and uncomfortable... the sales guy said they do that to protect the driver from falling asleep.. what a croc. anyway, Lexus beats those other cars in every category except speed and acceleration.. if you must have something that feels more sporty, then youll have to over pay... but the most reasonable choice is the Lexus in that category of vehicle... Acura is second, but i find they look and feel more like a drug dealers car much like the Cadillac. theres a reason why you NEVER see Infinity, BMW and Mercedes at the top of the Consumer areports and reviews.. they are always Lexus and Acura

TampaOwner

as for the hybrid, it will take you about 7-8 years to get your money back in fuel savings to pay for the hybrid premium ... however, i enjoy the piece of mind the hybrid brings when i drive it and i really enjoy the quietness in city traffic... plus, theres the benefit of not having to stop for gas as often so my time is worth the price too... when you add it all up, it was worth it for me...and maybe in five years, gas prices will be $5-$6 a gallon, which increases your sAvings..

InRBigness

The 450H has better vehicle stability, better traction and the same acceleration with better gas milage. The premium that you pay for a Hybrid has clearly been shown to come back to you in the resale.

As for the battery packs, they are warrented for 10years from the factory and getting less and less all the time.

Those factors plus the added features I got with my 450H convinced me to by one.

Fiddledd

Those were also my primary criteria. Plus, I HATE stopping to fill up with gasoline. I spend a lot of time in my car for work, so comfort was important. But safety was my biggest concern. And I keep my cars for a very long time, too. Made a huge error and bought a different vehicle earlier this year. Was very fortunate, and the manufacturer bought it back under my state's lemon law. So did not want to make another costly mistake. I had a Toyota 4Runner in the past, and loved it. So I went back to a Toyota product. All the concerns you list are questions that I also had, including AWD vs FWD. I finally selected the FWD for the one or two added mpg. If I were in your area, though, I most likely would have opted for the AWD. . Looked at all you mentioned, and the fuel economy added to the safety ratings won me over. I'm thrilled with my decision, and have become very good buddies with my new friend Lexie.

UCSB

I like my 450h. If I understand your requirements (good ride, luxury feel, good gas mileage, very safe and able to haul kids around), I could suggest that you also take a quick look at the Subaru Outback Limited 2.5i CVT. I am retired and needed a car to handle ski trips, hiking and many other adventures that are just plain to demanding for my 450h. The Outback can easily return better fuel economy than the EPA ratings. I routinely get 30 to 33 MPG on the freeway and can average 24 to 26 MPG overall. This is with its full time AWD system. My Outback has almost every option available and had a sticker of about $32k, but I paid $28,400. This was about half the cost of the 450h. I just mention it because it is a very cost effective way to hit many of your requirements and nicer than one or more of vehicles on your current shopping list.