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SUVs Volvo XC90 / XC60 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
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Everyone's mileage is going to vary. I have friends who have been treated very condescendingly at MB and Lexus dealerships. I have heard some amazing stories about great treatment from Infiniti dealerships. I don't think anyone can be sure about how they'll be treated at a particular brand's dealership until they show up there; you may be missing out on something good if you bypass it. Nevertheless, I would agree that there is probably a greater probability of less-than-ideal sales treatment at a random Acura dealership than, say, a BMW dealership. Too much of that Honda-the-car-that-sells-itself attitude, and too many salespeople who are making most of their commissions pushing relatively low-end Integras. |
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I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with your Infiniti dealer. My experience with Infiniti of Nashville was excellent. In a couple of weeks you will receive a customer satisfaction survey card directly from Infiniti. You should give the dealer "poor" ratings on the appropriate categories and attach a written description of what happened. I understand that Infiniti of America takes these comments VERY seriously. I would expect them to contact you after receiving your evaluation. |
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| From my experiences, Lexus dealerships tend to be the better ones..not that there aren't good mb,bmw or maybe even acura ones. It's just that when i was getting my new car..i was in a rental corolla..and when I went into BMW all the staff saw me comming in..didn't even say hi and con't to talk to each other and i had to go ask for some info and even then they just handed me a brochere and left... Mercedes was somewhat better but the sales didn't think i was serious about buying the car..but Lexus was different... I was greeted promptly.. asked if there was anything I needed and tried to assess my needs. I was impressed and and I went on to purchase my next 3 cars from them . | |
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Emunds recently posted a excellent article "confessions of the car salesman" by Chandler Phillips. It really given me much insights of car dealers. swiftm http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/editorial/confessions/index.html?id=nl |
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Liked the look of the Mazda Tribute but after sitting in it for just a minute it became PAINfully clear that there was no support for back or head unless you happened to be the person the seat was designed around. There was no way to adjust the head support & no lumbar adjustment. If felt permanently stuck in a fetal position. Just put a deposit on an Acura MPX which has good support for both me (short) & my husband (tall) and the seats evidently has some of that NASA developed Swedish support material that conforms to your body shape. I've had sciatic problems in the past, also, and comfort was an important factor in the decision. |
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Dont forget the Montero 01 Australian review ..."Mitsubishi’s new Pajero GLS (Montero 01 in the US) has raised the standard for four-wheel drives in several areas, and beat the Mercedes-Benz ML320 and Toyota 100 Series LandCruiser GLX to the best 4WD title. On the road, the Pajero delivers class-leading ride, handling and steering, and braking, attracting consistently good scores. The change to a unitary construction (with no separate chassis) has helped Mitsubishi to deliver best in class dynamics. The new chassis combines with fully independent suspension to provide an outstanding ride/handling compromise. In this respect, it makes the LandCruiser feel like a truck. Although the Toyota LandCruiser’s 4.5 litre engine delivers more pulling power in the low to mid rev range, the Mitsubishi Pajero’s 3.5 litre V6 also performs strongly. New to the Pajero is a five-speed, adaptive auto transmission with a tiptronic-style manual shift mode. Off the bitumen, the LandCruiser still has the edge but the Pajero is now very close. With a good approach angle, a smooth and willing engine, solid engine braking and reasonable wheel articulation, the Pajero copes with terrain that would have defeated the previous model. For the money, the Pajero GLS also offers a long standard equipment list. The ML320 uses the same great engine as the E320 sedan, but has limited off road ability, and the Pajero is at least equally capable on the road. |
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I've narrowed my choices to the RX300, ML320 and MDX. My choice MUST have the nav. system...Does anyone have any input? There are +/- to each I think. The ML320 has no auto climate control. The MDX looks way too much like a minivan. The RX300 has this awkward stick shift that looks like an afterthought... Any suggestions on these 3 suv's? |
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There's no perfect SUV since everyone's needs are different. As far as the nav system goes, do you need it for larger cities or for remote areas? If your questions go beyond just comparing the vehicle' nav systems, I suggest you list your priorities in a vehicle to yourself; what are the most important factors to you -- what can't you live without, what is important to you, what isn't? Which of the items can be "traded off" and which ones are absolutes? The RX300, ML320, and MDX are all excellent vehicles, but each is better at fulfilling some needs than the others. Questions include, but are not limited to: How important is cargo room? How much do you need? How important is passenger room (and for how many adults and children)? How important is reliability (e.g. really great reliability vs. above-average reliability, or vs. average or below-average reliability). Is "projected" reliability adequate in determining reliability, or does that give you the willies? Do you consider minor differences in crash-test results important, when the vehicles themselves all have the highest rating category? Do you want as much safety measures as is possibly available in your range of choices? E.g. what if one vehicle has 12 measures, the other 14; does that make you automatically go for 14? Do you really need 4WD (since the Lexus is available in a cheaper 2WD version)? Is off-road capability important? What type of weather conditions do you have to handle? Will you frequently drive in snow and ice? How important is acceleration? How important is car-like handling and/or car-like ride comfort? Do you want the maximum softness of ride, or do you want the rough stuff? Would you prefer a truck-like SUV or a car-like SUV? How important is towing? How much would you tow? How important is it to have a prestige brand? Do you prefer Japanese or German brands? Do you have any special requirements (e.g. you want to be able to exclude a moonroof, you're especially tall or short). Are there critical budget constraints? Is one vehicle being a couple of thousand cheaper than another going to weigh heavily? If you like your Audi and its characteristics, the ML320 might be right up your alley (personally, I think it looks even more like a minivan than the MDX, but that's just an opinion). And while the ML320 doesn't have automatic climate control, you can think of it as "semi-automatic." |
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Ah which SUV, every manufacture under the sun wants our SUV dollar. The one you choose will be the one that has the features you value the most per poster #29. Drive and sit in all of them on the same day is my recommendation. We drove the MDX and the next day the ML and you get a very different impression vs trying them side by side. All of them are good for different things and depending on your budget you'll find your winner. We ordered the MDX but after the side by side comparison bought the Mercedes and love it for what we bought it for. If the NAV is important than the MDX will win you over. We choose safety ( truck construction, 6 air bags ) and ability to seat 7 to be the most important features. The Mercedes won by a long shot. If the navigation unit is important as is most bang for buck the MDX will probably pull ahead. Also if you like the really neat folding seats than MDX wins over the Mercedes. I don't know how you value "reliability" ML has a bad reputation from the first several years and the jury is out on the 2000 and 2001. The MDX is a first year, generally Honda has been good but their minivan had all sorts of little problems and the MDX is being built in the same factory. The RX is a Lexus, you either love it or feel its a pretender as a SUV. It has all the things that people who love Lexus love, but it doesn't seat 7 and is probably the most car like of the three. I think you'll be happy with any of the three just as long as you figure out what is most important to you and score the three correctly. |
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"If the NAV is important than the MDX will win you over" I disagree. The ML320 has an optional navigation system which is made by the same company (Alpine - same displays and all) as the MDX's system. This system is available for about US$1500, which is comparable, if not slightly cheaper than the MDX's system. As for reliability, the early to mid-year MY2K MLs have about average reliability according to JD Power's Initial Quality Survey. Like William, I think that we need to know more criteria for basing the decision before we can offer more insight into the +/- of each vehicle. Good luck! Drew/aling Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference |
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