Thats absurd. An X5 or X7 is rock solid at speeds well over 90 MPH. What isn't solid at those speeds is a big BOF SUV...the latest Suburban I drove was a good bit all over the road at 70 MPH.

The key is to have a vehicle that meets the preponderance of your needs, and unibody crossovers/SUVs really do that for a lot of people which is why they are so popular. Sure they may not ride or handle quite as well as a sedan, but they are surprisingly close and have a lot more capability on top of that. A big BOF SUV rides and drives nothing like a sedan.

 

If someone says they like Lexus, you attack them. It's your MO. You are holding a deep grudge that the new LS wasn't what you wanted. Keeping saying you own that Mercedes LOL. I've tried to steer this back on topic, but you won't let it go.

 

Thats absolutely not true. I drove Lexus vehicles exclusively for 22 years, I am a big Lexus fan. BUT, the reality is that those two vehicles are not peers, and Lexus has all but abandoned the top end of the market. Sure, as a Lexus fan the fact that the brand no longer sells anything I want is really sad. I'd love to buy a big comfortable Lexus sedan with a V8, or a high end Lexus crossover like an X5 or X7 but no such car exists.

And now you're PMing me trying to compare finances? Dude....get a grip.

 

Stop trying to teach me about finances then and accuse me of waste. Stop! Stop calling me names. I tried to steer this back to Lexus vs. BMW but you won't have it. How can this be an intelligent discussion when you attack anyone that likes Lexus? I said you don't technically own your S class...deal with it. You don't.

 

Leasing saves me money, thats why I do it. All I'm an expert in is what works for me in my own situation, I'm not trying to teach you anything. You do you.

Leave. Me. Alone.

 

OK guys.
Please take the back and forth off topic discussions to PM if you still want to engage in the conversations.

Stay on topic regarding Lexus vs BMW SUVS.
There's a Sticky up on top of Car Chat regarding leasing vs. buying.

 

A 992 is $300K, nobody who can afford one is complaining about a $2500 battery. Cayenne's start at 70K and Porsche Nickle and dimes you to death so you'll end up averaging close to 90K for one unless you're going GTS which is alot more. Most people can't afford either, the BMW M3 Battery will cost you $1800 also a car pushing 100K now.

 

Check Rennlist. They complain.

 

I think you either want a car like that, and you pay to pay both upfront and when it comes time to service it, or you don’t.

Porsche owners may complain, but at the end of the day are they trading their Porsches en masse for more pedestrian mainstream cars that are dramatically cheaper to maintain? No.

 

Poor word choice, there.

I actually am voluntarily changing the oil every 5,000 lol. It's my wife's car - if she wants it to be a dealership queen, that's fine by me. Maybe once it's out of warranty I'll look for a different shop, but actually, I do like our dealership, BMW of Gwinnett Place, a lot.

Sorry for off-topic, felt it was somewhat necessary to respond to this in the moment.

Right, I wasn't sure but I assume it's me most of the time. I think maybe the "refinement" I spoke about has to do with the suspension architecture. Another example - driving an X1/2-series Gran Coupe versus an X3/3-series. The former ones are also lacking a bit of that balance.

 

Off Topic Arentz Sorry...but do you like your IS 350 F Sport? I was kinda throwing that around as an idea...or IS 500. But curious how the weight difference would be between the IS 350 and 500. I might kinda like the lighter weight. I know the gas range and mileage of the 500 would probably be less. Sporty handling and braking matter to me more now than pure acceleration.. You are lucky to have a BMW dealer you like!

 

As a mod I feel compelled to recommend asking in the 3IS forums instead of here, but the short version is yes, the IS 350 has been so nice to live with.

To be honest I seriously contemplated trading it for either a newer IS 350, an X3 M40i (speaking of BMW SUVs) for hypothetical rug-rat-mobile duties, or even an IS 500, but have not been able to sell myself on the upgrades yet. My wife even wanted me to look at an RX, thinking that, because I am a Lexus guy, I'd go for it, but nope... If I have to drive the baby buggy, it had better at least be somewhat fun to drive. No shade to the RX; I think it is great for what it is but not for me you know.

 

Because the RX is a joke compared o the Cayenne? That's why I'm not comparing them

 

Thanks for the answer! There was some things I like about the current IS. Normal shifter, cd player, normal door handles, naturally aspirated V6 compared to the newer Lexus designs. The new RX and NX have many new changes I'm not sure of yet.

 

Not vs the cars they don't, I can't do the same things in an X5M vs just a plain 550i on the same roads same day. It may very well be enough for most but I don't like compromising when I don't gain anything with the SUV personally since I have other cars.