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Volvo XC90 vs MB M Class vs Acura MDX vs Lexus RX 350 vs BMW X5 vs Cadillac SRX

1068 messages,  Last post on May 08, 2009 at 5:44 PM

You are in the Volvo XC90 / XC60 Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester

What is this discussion about? Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Acura MDX, Lexus RX 330, BMW X5, Cadillac SRX, Toyota Highlander, Volvo XC90, SUV

#1016 of 1068 04 Explorer Warranty by avery1 Jan 03, 2006 (9:38 pm)
Please explain how with 15,000 miles and two years you are out of warranty.
#1017 of 1068 Re: the 3 choices [autoboy16] by tidester HOST Jan 03, 2006 (9:52 pm)
Replying to: autoboy16 (Jan 03, 2006 5:09 pm) its a 45mile drive to work   Even if that is round trip and, say, 2/3 of your total miles then that would amount to over 16,000 miles per year so I take it your 15,000 mile figure is a typo.   tidester, host
#1018 of 1068 Re: the 3 choices [autoboy16] by autoboy16 Jan 08, 2006 (10:09 am)
Replying to: autoboy16 (Jan 03, 2006 5:09 pm) sorry, the 15,000 miles was a biggggggggggg mistake. I have 45,000 miles on a 36,000 mile warranty. Btw, miles are high because of a new job, 2 road trips to orlando, fl from south miami, and frequent long distance runs to wal*mart in fla. city
#1019 of 1068 Re: the 3 choices [autoboy16] by jccai1 Jan 11, 2006 (11:09 am)
Replying to: autoboy16 (Jan 03, 2006 5:09 pm) If reliability and gas mileage are your major concerns, get the Acura. The engine has good power and the car comes loaded with pretty much every feature you need.   I have the XC90 2.5T, which I find underpowered. And it drinks quite a bit of gas, too. I've seen quite a few problem reports in these forums about the T6 and the V8 models, but very few on the 2.5T. Also, once out of warranty, a Volvo will certainly cost more to fix than a Honda/Acura.   Don't get me wrong. I like my Volvo! I chose it over the MDX for its safety features, better brakes and handling, and better looks (personal taste).
#1020 of 1068 Mid Size SUV that seats 7 by yogamom1 Jan 14, 2006 (4:38 am)
Hi All, I hope this post is OK, I am looking at some of the models listed, but not all due to my desire for more seating. And I therefore included a couple luxury things not on the list that do seat 7.   I am new to the board and shopping for a larger vehicle. Current vehicle is 98 Maxima SE Manual Transmission with toys. Need a vehicle that can handle 2 car seats, a Basset hound and stuff easily, 3 car seats occasionally, possibly regularly(future car pools), and handle ski trips. I like toys like the nav systems, blue tooth phone link, back up camera, etc.   I do not like to deal with car repairs and if I buy a nice new luxury SUV, I don't want to bring it in all the time.   I like to drive. The way the vehicle drives is very important to me, that is why I am mostly considering SUVS and not minivans, I can't stand the way the nicest van (Odyssey IMO) drives.   Here are my thoughts so far: Acura MDX - like the exterior styling, nice enough ride, great nav system/toys, kinda small interior, hard to access 3rd row, but seems OK. From the little reading I have done, it seems Acura maintenance is not as carefree as I would have expected. They are at or near the bottom of JD Power list for 2005. I also don't like the dealer location where I visited, need to visit the other local dealer. Fold down 3rd row nice and flat.   Infiniti QX56 - larger than Acura, but more useful 3rd row when needed, a bit more truck like ride, but really not bad, good toys. OK exterior, not as nice interior as some. Have also heard they have had all kinds of problems with this car, the electronics that I like so much being part of the problems. Haven't heard a lot of other specific problems, hard to ascertain what to make of it. Nice infiniti dealer in the area.   Volvo XC90 - nice inside and out, nicer than I expected, cool middle part of second row seat, hard to explain, but it slides up. Don't remember if it folded down separately for better rear seat access, but want to say it did. Good crash/safety. Good fold down seats. Dealer told me to get an after market nav system, back up assist therefore not camera, but a buzzer. No blue tooth. Drove surprisingly nicely. Liked the local dealership.   Lexus GX470 - Was surprised salesman tried to put me toward this so much above the LX470. I asked for him because a friend has bought cars from him and liked him. GX he showed me had 3 third row seats that faced each other, didn't look like any latch option for either. HUH? This was very odd. LX looked like it at least had a real 3rd row, but access didn't look any better/worse than the Acura. Love the Lexus interior luxury feel, hate the disconnected way they drive. I like the idea of all the safety features, but it compromises the drive feel I think. Wonder if I would hate the bigger LX even more. The GX seats didn't really totally fold away and he said most people leave them in their garage for occasional use. This doesn't really do it for me. Very nice local dealership though.   Not driven - Mercedes ML500 with 7 seats, looks really really tight back there with 3rd row up. Kind of afraid of Mercedes maintenance record. Don't find their kind of luxury to suit my tastes as much. Drove a Merc sedan around LA for a week comparable to ones my hubby was test driving and was not impressed (BMW 3 series and whatever the comparable Merc was).   Land Rover - also large, but 3rd row very close to back and not great on the one vehicle that had it. Heard these are really best when you do a lot of off roading.   Anything American. On my list to go try them, just haven't done it yet.   The biggest thing I am unsure of how to judge is the maintenance/repairs/resale on these vehicles. I probably liked the MDX and XC90 best, but Lexus seems to have the best reliability. The Infiniti might be the most useful of the bunch, but is also a little larger, which may be more difficult getting around shopping and such.   Any thoughts about what else to look at and experiences with these vehicles would be helpful.   Thanks. Replies to this message: phastphil1 (Jan 17, 2006 1:28 pm)
#1021 of 1068 FWD: XC 90 vs RX 330--HEEEELP!!!!! by 10scoachrick Jan 15, 2006 (8:16 am)
Well, if our favorite Volvo dealer had, in stock, a white FWD w/Premium only--we would be driving it. Didn't know how difficult it would be to find a 5 pass vs 7(about a $2k bump). Closest one was in So Fla. NOW, DW and I are more interested in the RX 330 and are having trouble sticking to our Volvo guns(three Volvos in a row and a total of five over the years). For almost the same money, the RX feels more refined, appears to get better mileage on reg gas, 7-800 lbs lighter and feels it, just the tiniest reduction in cargo capacity but with easier access to rear area, XM readily available...what to do? Local Lex dealer (Nalley--same family as our Volvo dealer) has just what we want--FWD, white, Premium pkg--on the lot. We are trading our '02 V70 loaded, 44K miles and last week(w/free Premium from Volvo) dealer offered $35.5 but with only $15k for our trade. If Lexus comes close, we may pull the trigger unless SOMEONE can shed some light on our puzzlement. What to do--what to do??? Replies to this message: lorryfan (Jan 15, 2006 3:42 pm)
#1022 of 1068 Re: FWD: XC 90 vs RX 330--HEEEELP!!!!! [10scoachrick] by lorryfan Jan 15, 2006 (3:42 pm)
Replying to: 10scoachrick (Jan 15, 2006 8:16 am) 10scoachrick -   Just to put in my $0.02; I have never owned either a Lex or Volvo - I drive a 2002 ML 320 so technically I won't be of much help to you (my wife prefer the personality of MB vehicles and whatever class society has attached to Mercedes-Benz....you know how that goes).   If you are just purely looking for opinions/validations on whether to choose a Lex or Volvo, then I probably would be leaning more towards the Lex. I test drove one when I was in the market looking to purchase a vehicle and I really liked the handling, styling and the gas mileage numbers; on the other hand, the XC90 is a great SUV and if you are going to shed quite a small fortune on an automobile you should get what you really want so you won't be second-quessing yourself if you saw the other vehicle you almost bought on the road.....    Good luck.....
#1023 of 1068 Re: Mid Size SUV that seats 7 [yogamom1] by phastphil1 Jan 17, 2006 (1:28 pm)
Replying to: yogamom1 (Jan 14, 2006 4:38 am) Of the vehicles you mentioned, I would go with the MDX. I am a little surprised about the reliability comment on the Acura. Another source (Consumer Reports) has the owner's index for reliability as excellent. Safety, The MDX and the Volvo have the best crash test scores. The MDX's 3rd seat roomier than the Volvo. As you noted , the Lexus and the Infiniti are truck based, and the Infiniti has not had great reliability ratings plus the dealers are limited. The Lexus and the Volvo will also run more than the MDX when the equipment is the same.
#1024 of 1068 Well, we did it! by 10scoachrick Jan 21, 2006 (6:34 am)
Will pick up our new RX330 today--white, premium, 6 CD, 18" wheels,towing prep pkg, rain-sensing wipers, cargo mat, wheel locks for $36,700 plus taxes at Nalley Lexus in Atlanta(Smyrna)--beautiful dealership! I've posted on another thread but I'll ask again--Is dealer install of XM the way to go??? $695 includes a tuner gizmo installed in the sunglass holder or low on console--unit is controlled by remote--haven't seen antenna placement. DW would prefer not to plug in the Roadie from the other vehicle but seven hundred bucks is seven hundred bucks! Any thoughts?   It was tough leaving the Volvo on the floor but the extra 700+ lbs and slightly lower HP of the XC90(not to mention the difficulty of finding a white 5 seater) pushed us to the RX. A FWD XC 90 with V8 and no third row would have been the ultimate--alas, no such animal! Still have a C70 convertible to maintain the Volvo karma in the household! Replies to this message: habitat1 (Jan 22, 2006 5:39 am) 10scoachrick (Jan 22, 2006 7:47 am)
#1025 of 1068 Re: Well, we did it! [10scoachrick] by habitat1 Jan 22, 2006 (5:39 am)
Replying to: 10scoachrick (Jan 21, 2006 6:34 am) I had a XM "Commander" receiver installed in our 911. Total cost was under $300 parts and labor by an independent installer that my Porsche Dealer recommended. The tuner was installed in an opening in the lower portion of the center console and can be controlled by remote from the rear seat or directly by me. The antenna was run from the rear through the dash and up the A piller. Completely invisible and a real professional job by the installer. The commander is an FM based XM (goes through 88.7 on my dial) so the sound is not quite as good as the factory installed XM on our TL or MDX.   On the decision regarding the RX330 vs. XC90 V8. Not sure why you wouldn't have taken an AWD, standard 7-seat XC90 V8 given that it is substantially more powerful than the RX330 and more than makes up for the added weight? Friends of ours (no kids) bought an RX400h and they are already complaining that it is too small to take another couple and weekend luggage to their lake house. Replies to this message: 10scoachrick (Jan 22, 2006 7:47 am)

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