lexusrus

Check out this video... This was very soon after Volvo was sold to a Chinese car company.... One good thing is that Volvo NEVER stops trying. Gotta give Volvo credit for inventing the 3 point safety seat belts that is is common use today. Volvo released its patent way back so ALL car manufacturers can use it.



Also the following:

hahanice

lol those volvo videos are hilarious.

I looked at a few volvos, as well as the Audi q5 and q3. MPG was a concern for me so i got a lexus. reliability was my biggest concern too. i really like the q3 though. gets great gas mileage. one thing that concerned me though was how low the resale value of the audi's was. another reason i stayed away.

Subaru and toyota. cars like the rav 4 and the crosstrek might be great for you

11bravo

Actually, I respect the Volvo company for continuing to try to make cars safer. Unfortunately, in that successful quest, they have barely given nods to process improvement, and dependability. If they put the same energy and time into the latter two issues, there brand would be near the top.

If I were buying NEW, and knew that I would not keep the new car more the three years or 36K miles, I would probably get a BMW or Audi. But, since I no longer buy new cars because of the instant depreciation, I will never buy a used BMW or Audi due to the very high cost of parts/repairs, and the relatively low ranking of these cars beyond their warranty periods.

Ergo, it is wise to consider cars which have a high ranking after the warranty period. BTW, have any of you noticed the almost meteoric surge of Kia and Hyundai in the initial quality and dependability ratings? Man, those folks have really done a great job with their brands.

budwom

Flagship vehicle for us is a 2013 RX 350, chosen primarily for reliability and luxury, and we're happy on both fronts. It replaced a Volvo XC70 which we use as a second car....nice car to drive, but
every couple years we get some annoying and expensive repair(s) which convinces us we made the right choice with the Lexus. Currently the heater is acting up (not good as it is often well below zero here) and I've
got an intermittent ABS light coming on which I'm steadfastly ignoring.
p.s. I agree with 11Bravo that Audis and BMWs are nice, no question, but just about every single person I know who has one bemoans the cost of repairs after the warranty runs out. Repairs are numerous and painfully expensive.

FatherTo1

Thanks, budwom, are the issues with the RX or Volvo? I realize now that I've taken Toyota/Lexus reliability for granted. Things have always worked on all our cars. Our used LS had a bad ambient light part and I found that even mildly annoying to return to the dealership twice to diagnose. I just expect eveything to always run perfectly (other than wear-and-tear parts and routine maintenance). We would quicky hate any "fun to drive" car if it started to rack up repair visits and bills.

Kansas

Exactly this. After reading all the posts in this thread, I still have do not understand what your priorities are. What are the non-negotiable features you must have? What features would you like to have but could live without? Could you rank them in importance?

For example, the first five non-negotiable must-have features on my list when I bought my last new vehicle in 2014 were: 1) automatic emergency braking, 2) adaptive cruise control, 3) HID or LED headlights, 4) comfortable seating for at least six adults, 5) towing capacity of at least 3,500 pounds. There were really far more than five must-have features on my list. It's not just a mental list - it's documented in an MS Word doc as a checklist. Just knowing my must-have features allowed me to zero in on and buy a new vehicle that had them.

FatherTo1

Hi Kansas, admittedly, I wasn't too sure either. I mean, I had my "must haves" and then there are my wife's "must haves". After researching the other suggested options and discussing it more with the Missus, the following are the top priorities. Being that this will be my wife's car, the following are what's important to her. She doesn't care for dynamic cruise, auto braking, or even backup sensors (too distracting to her). I will say that she at least should have a backup camera (soon required by law in new cars). The criteria below leaves it very open for vehicle suggestions. Believe me, I know the frustration this presents. My wife seemingly says this is all that matters to her but she will find one reason or another to discount potential vehicles. Honestly, I think she only has eyes for a Lexus, and specifically an RX. I am trying to expand her horizons and have her consider other comparable contenders. Some brand recognition matters to her and she doesn't want to go from a Lexus back to a Toyota. Her 2006 ES 330 has been extremely trouble-free over the past 12+ years and that has really cemented her trust/loyalty in Lexus.

1. Reliability
2. Reliability
3. Reliability
4. Higher sitting position
5. Comfort (driving position)

lexusrus

I think ANY late model Lexus SUV should fit the bill with all five criteria checked. The highest sitting position and most comfortable is the LX570!!!!😀😀😀😀 . They are ALL reliable!!

Freds430

I posted this on the Acura forum below. Lexus really needs to step up their game especially with the NX. This new RDX hybrid will be coming out a few months later than the gas version which is expected in May or June. Both the NX hybrid fully loaded and RDX hybrid will be about the same price. I am big on reliability. Consumer Reports ranks the 2018 RDX tops in reliability and J D Power ranks it second in its class.

Between my wife and I we have owned 12 Acura's over 25 years. We went over to Lexus five years ago. Can not beat their reliability and cost of maintenance. We were considering trading in her 2015 Lexus RX450h for a 2018 newly design Lexus NXh. So glad we did not pull the trigger since seeing this RDX. No comparison. Lexus has no Android Auto or Apple Play. Has no HUD or panoramic roof. Never liked the front grill on the Lexus SUVs with that large mouth grill. Do not like Lexus's two tone seats or only black dash that shows every piece of lint. The NX has no wood accents which I think adds a touch of class. RDX has a much better looking modern shifter, medium gray dash, much better mouse pad. The SH AWD is all wheel drive on steroids. If this comes in with the hybrid option around $48,000 it will be a huge success. The MDX hybrid with every option list at $58,000.

salimshah

SUV market is mostly branding. Branding issue has more to do with perception.

Lets see if the new MDX will be able to propel Acura into the venerated market of Luxury autos. The popularity of Korean vehicles has been at the heels of Acura. The already established position of Lexus has been in the forefront. I think lot of design queues (external appearance) have been taken from Lexus and then things thrown in to entice customers (sound, smart phone interface). These features are most likely in the pipeline for Lexus. All credit to MDX for leap frogging ahead as they built a new platform. Performance edge offered by Acura/Nissan has been a differential but as I stated the brand name association with Luxury status has alway alluded Acura/Nisan.

IMHO folks who have owned Acura will not seriously consider Korean and with the new offering may not walk over the Lexus. Lexus owners (unless they had bad experience) would not cross over to Acura. Undecided will go for the relative name branding and chose Lexus. Enthusiasts, who ignore the brand, will zero in to the vehicle that offers what they are looking for and make a personal choice.

Tough times for Lexus as they have to compete with established Luxury Brands entering the SUV market (mostly competition from above) and even more tougher times for Acura as they are being squeezed from both ends.

Salim

FatherTo1

The wife did not specify size but the mind-reader in me knows she doesn't want to drive something as big as a GX or LX. It really only leaves the RX, possibly NX. She has repeated on a few occasions that she loves my Mom's 2007 RX, whereas if we go that route I hope to convince her to get into at least a 2010 or 2013.

FatherTo1

Thank you, Freds430. We are not in a hurry so there is time to wait and check out the new RDX. It may be a slim shot though because last year we test drove a 2014 MDX Tech w/SHAWD and were sorely disappointed by the entire package. The MDX looked nice outside and garners rave reviews but we felt it was cramped inside and had low-gtade materials and a poor sound system. The RDX will really have to blow us away and that is if I can convince the wife to test drive another Acura.

She did consider Acura when buying her first car in 2005. Actually she went to the Acura dealership first and test drove a vehicle (possibly a TL). She then test drove a Lexus and that made up her mind. That was many years ago and her impression of both brands back then has not changed much after we test drove the MDX last year. Of course, both MDX and RDX are newer and redesigned now. It will be a tall order to overcome perception.

In my youth I was all Honda and Acura but now I prefer Lexus. I still feel the Accord/Civic are better than Camry/Corolla. In the premium/luxury space though, I prefer Lexus quality and choices over Acura offerings. I do like MB and Audi a lot too but historical reliability has kept me from trying those brands and models.It will be fun to shop around and test drive though. Thank you for encouraging us to give Acura another look.

Luap

I rented a Q5 from silvercar.com for 7 days , just returned it 2 days ago . It was like driving a piece of 2x4 , in a good way , stable and sturdy , fun in the mountains .
The seat was like a park bench , awful , hard , hurt my and my wife's butt and back all the way home from sky harbor in Phx to Sedona
Loved the controls . The 2.0T had all the power I needed , it was quick
No , I would not own one , was not comfortable .
I'll keep my smooth and comfortable GX470

budwom

Ah, sorry if I wasn't clear..issues are ALL with the Volvo...nice safe driving car, very utilitarian, but over the years I have had over $4000 in repairs of stuff that should not go wrong, the list goes on and on.
Thus far zero repairs for the five year old RX, nothing other than routine maintenance and brakes (my wife is a bit tough on them).

Sandi_k

Um, if *she* prefers Lexus, and *you* prefer Lexus, why don't you just buy the Lexus? If it's her daily driver, why in the world do you feel that you need to drag out the decision? Frankly, my car is my decision. If my DH tried to influence me away from the car I'd already indicated I wanted to buy, I would not be very pleased...