huddleston

iTrader: (3)

Hey guys, my wife and I moved into a new home and while this is great for her commute (< 1 mile) its made my commute nearly 35 miles each way. Most of the miles are highway, but that doesn't help me in the Tundra much. I have been driving the prius and its been great on mpg but a little lacking in the excitement arena. My plan is to trade in both the prius and tundra on something to commute in that is a bit more fun to spend 2 hours in each day. Below is a list of desired characteristics I'd like in the car and some of the things I am considering.

1. Reliability - I'm talking 300,000 miles. I plan on driving whatever I buy for 10-15 yrs so the it needs to be as bulletproof as possible and not astronomical to repair. This is why I am leaving the germans out of my consideration.
2. AWD/4WD - During the winter we get some snow and ice and having AWD/4WD is a must.
3. Fun Quotient - I want whatever I get to be fun to drive. I'd like to look forward to my commute and allow the drive to be a bit of a stress reliever. If I end up with a car I only want something with a manual transmission.
4. Reasonable Fuel Economy - I don't want to get 40 mpg but I also want to do slightly better than the 15 I'd get in my Tundra. This is the least important of the criteria.

Considerations:
2013 Acura TL SH-AWD w/ 6mt
2013 Subaru WRX STI
2011 Toyota Land Cruiser

I have only looked at the two cars above in detail, my budget is 50k and under. I know the Land Cruiser will get similar mileage to my Tundra but I have always loved these and I have no doubt it could go 300k +. I have this dream of driving the same Land Cruiser for 20 years and being the laughing stock of my group of friends. Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated.

NewSpace

Since you're on a Lexus forum, you'll be expecting this:

1) 2013 GS 350 F Sport AWD - Meets all of your criteria above except for MT, and you can get a good deal now that '14s are coming (probably with few changes)

2) 2014 Cadillac CTS AWD MT - Reliability may not be as good as the Lexus. If I were you, I would go for the V Sport version with 420hp twin turbo V6 (dunno if it comes in AWD MT)

3) 2014 Infiniti Q50 3.7 AWD - Just skip the DAS (Direct Adaptive Steering). It's getting terrible reviews! Good value for the money, but more of a winner by the numbers than the feel.

Good luck! I spend almost 3 hours on RT daily commute, so something comfortable and fun to drive is a necessity.

huddleston

iTrader: (3)

Thanks. I suspected I would get plenty of IS and GS responses. I do like what Cadillac has been doing and the CTS-V would be on the list if not for questionable long term reliability. That would be the only issue I could see with the ATS as well.

bagwell

GM extended warranties are ridiculously cheap.

I love the CTS-V

huddleston

iTrader: (3)

No more CTS-V pics. It is entirely too tempting.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

if your commute's highway, not sure the point of a manual or a 'fun' car. i'd want something quiet and comfy. doesn't have to be boring though.

mmarshall

I agree that most Prius models drive like an appliance, but it's not exciting to be getting upwards of 50 MPG? Most drivers would certainly appreciate that.


Even with something built as well as a typical Lexus or Acura, 300K would be pushing it....especially in today's gridlock and stop/go driving, which is very hard on cars. 200K, with good care, would be more realistic.....150K in some cases.




From what I've seen, for car-based AWD systems, it's hard to beat Subaru.


An extremely well-built car, I'll admit, but can you (or your wife) put up with the awkward front and rear-end styling?

You say you want something to relieve stress when you're driving, but, on the road, especially over coarse surfaces, most WRXs and STIs make enough noise to wake up the dead.

A superb vehicle for comfort, off-road prowess, and durability, but probably overkill for your needs.

huddleston

iTrader: (3)

I've never driven a stock STI so that's good info to have. The grill styling on the 13' Acura is much better than previous models but I will agree that it is not my favorite thing to look at. The Land Cruiser's abilities off road and for towing a trailer would serve me well and would keep me from needing to find an older pickup in addition to the new car. In addition to mountain biking trips each summer I also haul dirt bikes periodically. I probably should have mentioned that in the first post.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

you're all over the map.

- want 'excitement' but are considering a land cruiser?
- like the prius mpg but (considering a land cruiser and) want off road ability and ability to haul dirt bikes?

just keep the tundra!

huddleston

iTrader: (3)

The only reason a land cruiser is in the mix is because I have always wanted one and it fits perfectly with the first two items on my list. Everyone likes the mpg of the prius - I specifically said mpg was not the sole driver of the decision or even one of the most important items. For this vehicle I did not list that it needed the ability to haul or tow because I had planned on purchasing an older pickup for said reasons. one of the benefits of the land cruiser would be the ability to not have to purchase a new car and a truck.

I thought about keeping the tundra but after owning it for a year I can honestly say its not what I want.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

RDX (non turbo), MDX, CX-5, Escape, RX, TL-SH, IS350 AWD, Q50 all get my vote

NewSpace

i was referring to the redesigned 2014 CTS. looks worlds better to my eye...



must replace those rims tho