When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Those “reliability” reports are worthless from the best that I can tell. They all seem to only collect data from cars that are only a few years old. So an Audi can survive the warranty period without exploding....congrats??
While i agree the Germans have a better dealership experience, I have had a couple of crap ones as well, but its nice to see a low pressure experience.
I think not to sound like a broken record and totally off the mark, but when someone says outside of warranty ownership, and expect low cost of upkeep...i really cant say anything but a Lexus N/A motors only. Its hard to recommend anything even Acura (although its a breath of fresh air with the new RDX) due to historical powertrain issues and lack of QC in the later model MDX and RDXs.
The Q5 while being stout, and better then before, I just would not have faith in that thing past warranty to keep up well like a comparable RX (the RX 5 row is a weird one whose size I liken to the RDX and Q5 while being positioned to match the bigger competitors)
It's not a disaster as proclaimed; however, it will cost significantly more for upkeep, especially if you plan to keep it past 100k miles. If it weren't for that I would have had a new X3 for the SO instead of the RX350. We were also looking at 10 years ownership. This is Lexus single most important attribute, resale value and long term ownership costs. Which means more to some of us than the tech and driving engagement of the Europeans. Lexus, I realize can't be everything in the same way the Germans fall short in the areas where Lexus excels. Thus, there's always a compromise. Leasing is different though, there's hardly any benefit to getting the Lexus except for value proposition.
My E46 cost me tens of thousands of dollars in upkeep in the 12 years I had the car although I put on almost 200k on that car. Maintenance outside of warranty was extremely expensive so your experience is certainly not the norm. I owned 2 e46's and 1 E36, last E46 was manual too as well as the E36 and again, maintenance for me and those I know was not in the same ball park as owning a corolla. It was astronomical no matter where the car was taken for repairs. I should have let the car go long before that but I had modded it with expensive parts and stuff and really loved my car. It even had authentic BBS LM's but never again would I buy a BMW to own pass warranty.
There's no way that a Q5 built in Mexico of all places is expected to be great to hang onto for 10 years. I would not buy a Mexican built car. Just like I wouldn't buy one made in China either.
PS. I agree with poster who said CR rankings are bogus, they're not realistic so if that's your deciding factor you're need to conduct better research.
PS. I agree with poster who said CR rankings are bogus, they're not realistic so if that's your deciding factor you're need to conduct better research.
A CR report will not be a deciding factor for me. It was just a point of reference. It matches other recent reliability reports, so my take is they're improving. The other thing is, my wife doesn't drive much. In our 10 year plan, it would probably see less than 60k miles. Things can always change, though. My 5 1/2 year old 2013 ES has just turned 20k miles. I had 15k after the first year.
In that case, if she likes the Audi, get her the Q5, just get her what she likes, otherwise you may regret it lol. Too often we try to impose our choices on them, mine wanted an RX and me being the enthusiast suggested different offerings but in the end I decided to just get the car she always wanted. RX is now 3 weeks old and it has won me over, never thought i would like an RX. Of course I would not buy an RX for myself lol.
Challenge accepted. And completed by simply looking in the mirror. The total out-of-warranty repair cost for my E46 over 12 years and 155k miles was $109: $49 for a Final Stage Resistor, and $60 for VANOS seals. My E90 has been a little more expensive so far after 8 years and 90k miles, as I paid $373 to have the glow plug control module replaced. Could have done it myself for about $140, but my hands aren't small enough to do so easily.
$500 over 20 years I can certainly live with. And is a lot less than we spent on repairs to my wife's Lexus over the 12 years we owned it.
yep, that's not the norm, it's the exception.
Originally Posted by sivikvtec
Those “reliability” reports are worthless from the best that I can tell. They all seem to only collect data from cars that are only a few years old. So an Audi can survive the warranty period without exploding....congrats??
uh, its very useful as a point of reference how many times a repair was needed whether it was under warranty or not.
It's not a disaster as proclaimed; however, it will cost significantly more for upkeep, especially if you plan to keep it past 100k miles. If it weren't for that I would have had a new X3 for the SO instead of the RX350. We were also looking at 10 years ownership. This is Lexus single most important attribute, resale value and long term ownership costs. Which means more to some of us than the tech and driving engagement of the Europeans. Lexus, I realize can't be everything in the same way the Germans fall short in the areas where Lexus excels. Thus, there's always a compromise. Leasing is different though, there's hardly any benefit to getting the Lexus except for value proposition.
My E46 cost me tens of thousands of dollars in upkeep in the 12 years I had the car although I put on almost 200k on that car. Maintenance outside of warranty was extremely expensive so your experience is certainly not the norm. I owned 2 e46's and 1 E36, last E46 was manual too as well as the E36 and again, maintenance for me and those I know was not in the same ball park as owning a corolla. It was astronomical no matter where the car was taken for repairs. I should have let the car go long before that but I had modded it with expensive parts and stuff and really loved my car. It even had authentic BBS LM's but never again would I buy a BMW to own pass warranty.
There's no way that a Q5 built in Mexico of all places is expected to be great to hang onto for 10 years. I would not buy a Mexican built car. Just like I wouldn't buy one made in China either.
PS. I agree with poster who said CR rankings are bogus, they're not realistic so if that's your deciding factor you're need to conduct better research.
Good post. I agree with what you said here.
Majority of the time, Japanese car owners are looking at 10+ years of car ownership. The long term value and reliability is the selling point for the average consumer looking for a Japanese car. These consumers aim for just enough tech that will suit them but are looking for a value stretched through many years.
The cost of owning a Japanese car is significantly lower than a BMW and MB. I would argue, however, the newer Audi are starting to be more reliable. Not as reliable as say a Lexus, but the more reliable German brand.
I agree with you 10 fold on the location of being built.
I try to buy cars that are either made in Japan, Germany or America. Anywhere else in the world just seems to not hold up as well, regardless, of what the company says about it being the "same thing". Its just not.
One of the biggest turn off of the new G20 3 Series is that its made in Mexico. Then again I understand BMW builds it there: its cheaper to make it there and its still relatively close to the USA for import.
isn't the Q5 a dog with the 2.0T? (Edit: not bad 252hp vs 272hp in the RDX)
I really like the RDX ASpec....have you seen or driven one?
The Q5, RDX and X3 are all pretty equal in the 0 - 60 department. None of them feel like dogs. I like the look of the A-Spec, but it's missing some options that we really want, like HUD and surround view camera. The one thing that may take the RDX out of the running all together, is towing capacity. Not that it's something we're planning to do on a regular basis, but the RDX is only 1,500 lbs. The Q5 and X3 are 4,400 lbs.
I checked out the X3 again yesterday and I'm starting to hate the touch screen "enhanced" IDrive a little less. I also verified that it plays 192/24 flac files on the Harman Kardon system! The seats are still less comfortable than the Q5, though.
I agree with the post about "get her what she likes" or else you'll be hearing about it every time something isn't perfect with the car.
Aside from that, I would also research/compare the maintenance costs for the Q5 because I'm not sure if warranty/extended warranty covers normal maintenance, such as oil changes, spark plugs, water pump, maybe timing belt (if not a timing chain). My friend said the regular oil change service for his A6 was almost $400. Factor that in addition to the $6K premium. That said, I would still get the Q5 and try to find a reputable indy mechanic for things you can't do yourself.
Actually, my heart would get a Q5, but for the 10-year long haul, I would probably agree with my wife and get an RX, lol. If your wife only drives 6K miles a year, and a $51K Q5 is really $56K after TTL, then you may be better off leasing for 10 years. Buying the car would amount to almost ~$470/month over 10 years, and that is not counting financing, tires, extended warranties, maintenance, etc. I think current leases for a new Q5 are around $459/month plus $4300 down, which is like adding ~$100/month. But let's say you negotiate the price then make it a lease, you may end up paying less this way, and even if you perpetually lease every three years the car will always be under warranty and you won't need to replace many wear-and-tear items before the lease ends. My wife used to drive a lot but now only averages 5K-6K per year too so leasing may actually be the smarter bet.
I know this is a Lexus forum, but Car Chat has always been less biased than the specific model forums. I did not consider the NX, because I've seen several at my dealer and do not find them comfortable for me, nor very technically advanced compared to the others.
Although we had a RX-330 and I can only compare to it, I just purchased a brand new Audi Q5 and we never looked backed. The quality, performance and workmanship of the Q5 put the RX-330 to shame. We had the Q5 a month now and we still can't get over it. The satellite radio sounds like HD radio with no difference. When you make a phone call, it sounds like you're using a real phone. The phone system in the Q5 is crystal clear. We get 26 MPG in the city and HWY combine. The 2.0 turbo puts the RX-330 to shame (no comparison); the turbo is very quick. The bass and the balance of frequencies from the Bang & Olufsen puts the Mark Levinson to shame and I have the Mark Levinson in my GS-350; the Q5 has an amplifier located in the back. The head lights are much better at night and additional lighting occurs when making left and right turns. All leather are real. Ambient lighting is everywhere and you can adjust it to your liking. The ride is stiff and smooth at the same time; very responsive. Most of all, the cabin is very quiet. The navigation system is google map and you don't need apple's car play. You can use android or apple's car play if you like. The entire car is a hotspot for your mobile devices and you can play DVD's, videos and music from SD cards, usb flash drives and compact disks. All formats can be ripped into the Audi Q5 hard drive. I can go on and on...
I know the RX-330 is not a NX, but as far a Audi is concern, ...buy it!!!
The Q5, RDX and X3 are all pretty equal in the 0 - 60 department. None of them feel like dogs. I like the look of the A-Spec, but it's missing some options that we really want, like HUD and surround view camera. The one thing that may take the RDX out of the running all together, is towing capacity. Not that it's something we're planning to do on a regular basis, but the RDX is only 1,500 lbs. The Q5 and X3 are 4,400 lbs.
I checked out the X3 again yesterday and I'm starting to hate the touch screen "enhanced" IDrive a little less. I also verified that it plays 192/24 flac files on the Harman Kardon system! The seats are still less comfortable than the Q5, though.
We really liked the seats In our Q5. They fit both my wife and I very well. I think our X3 has the non-sport seats. The sport seats were a question mark for us but we found the seats in the one we bought to be more comfortable for us. They don't seem to have as much side and seat bolstering. You have some good choices on you list. Good luck.
Then I'm quite happy to have had two "exceptional" cars in a row. I only know two other people in real life with BMWs (a 2008 328i and an X5d, not sure the year), but theirs are/were "exceptional" as well. Haven't yet personally run into a "norm", but I'll keep my eye out.
Looking forward to 10-12 years of exceptional service from our Q7
10-21-18, 11:38 AM
