Legal Bill

Well, Barbara is ready for a new car. Her 2009 Lexus RX 350 isn't really all that old, but I have to say this car is not holding up as well as the RX 300 she bought in 2000. Some of you may recall the thread I started about the two significant problems the dealer reported to her a few months ago. While the severity was over-inflated, it got her concerned. The car has electrical gremlins galore. The radio stops working, then comes back. Windows stop working and then start again. The tranny shifts very awkwardly at times. Lights come on dash board and then go away. There is an odd click or clunk that sounds like it is coming from one of the seats when you hit the brakes or speed up. I always hated the GPS system and we never seemed to be able to get it to work properly.

I don't think we will get another RX. This car was really a bit too big for Barbara and the newest version is even bigger. She has a bad hip and it is getting more difficult for her to get in and out of the taller SUVs. She likes sitting higher up, so a standard height sedan is not on the table. I have suggested that she look at the smaller SUVs like the Lexus NX, Acura RDX and BMW X3. Audi makes a car in this segment called the Q5. There are also smaller SUVs available in the luxury segment such as the Audi Q3 and the BMW X1. I don't know much about these cars other than what I have read on line. I thought I'd start a thread and share our education in this segment with the rest of you and ask your opinions. Is there a car in this segment I should look at that is not on the list? Do any of you own one of these things?

For those who don't know me that well, I hate SUVs.

zdave87

Honda Pilot/CRV/HRV?

Emil St-Hilaire

Mercedes GLA.
Headchef,(David)has one,and seems to like it very much.

S1997

The Porsche Macan might be worth a look. It's a hot seller right now.

Legal Bill

Maybe. Aren't they three different kinds of Civic wagons? I don't really understand what any of them are supposed to be as compared to the other two. And I find them all too boring to bother to figure it out. I'll take Barbara to the dealer and see if a salesman can explain it.

Legal Bill

Thanks Emil. That's worth a look

Legal Bill

About $20K too high, I think.

boltonblue

GL(A,small,C,medium, E,large, S,x-large) is the MB current lineup,
and of course, there are also AMG variants of all of them as well.
The A is built on the smaller A class chassis where as the C is based on the C-class chassis.
While both are a 4-matic drive system I've read the the diff biasing is more FWD on the A-class whereas the C-class is more rear biased.
it would be a fun A-B comparison. Or should I say A-C comparison.

S2KRAY

We have had a BMW X3 for almost 5 years and love it. I have driven the X1 which is slightly smaller but very capable. We owned 4 Lexus sedans and when we looked at the X3 it won us over. It got very good reviews. A great driver and pricing was comparable to Lexus SUV's.

S1997

I drove a VW Tiguan when I was looking for a car for my daughter. She didn't like it ver well; she wanted more capacity. I thought it was just the right size for her.

A Friend just bought a new Ford Explorer with all wheel drive. I went for a ride with him. The car is very solid. It has a nice feel and plenty of power.