GatorGreg

He's debating between a Toureg and a GX470, not an RX

19psi

he actually is talkinga bout a GX.

husk

Thanks for the advice, I think I will stick to the GX for now and wait to see what the next generation GX brings to the table. I am pretty sure it will get the 5.7 liter motor, and hopefully it keeps its solid rear axle. I hope they dont stretch it as that would really hurt its nimbleness off road. This is my first Japanese vehicle in a LONG time and I am impressed by its quality and reliability. I just wish it had some of the gee whiz features that the land cruiser has (i.e. infrared sensors). The touareg V10 TDI seems to have ridiculous resale value even with all the problems, but once california gets legalized prices will probably drop significantly. Its kind of dissapointing to see models like the ES getting cooled seats and nifty options, where as the GX still has pretty low end options for its market segment. What really irks me is the lack of interior color options for the GX, my gray interior shows all sorts of scuff marks and I would love to have a charcoal interior. I wonder why Lexus cuts out many of the options on the GX's?

hilljack

good choice. If the new GX has the bigger motor and more power options on passenger seat then I will probably up for that. Otherwise I'll keep my '07 GX.
I've been around the block too many times with other SUV's . The GX is the best for me.

Rollin'ES3

Don't do it.

I have heard the Touaregs are pretty unreliable. I can find out more from the guys I work with if you wanna know what was wrong with them.

89vette

I bought a new GX in 05 and really never liked it (do a search on my username). I have to say I did get used to it somewhat and appreciated the quality of the vehicle but honestly I was anxious to get rid of it. My wife and I test drove an Audi Q7 and it was extremely impressive. I traded the GX in August and got a good number for it. The Q7 has the 353 HP 4.2 V8 that is absolutely the sweetest sounding motor I have ever heard. It is coupled to a ZF 6 speed that has a standard mode, sport mode and manual mode. It is the most well thought out vehicle I have ever owned. If you think.."this car would be nicer if it did......." you will find that it DOES do that. It is very intuitive and I keep discovering more and more things that it does. The handling is incredible also. You can toss it around on a curvy road and it has a very light and spirited feel. It really hugs the road and inspires confidence while driving at high speeds on the hiway. The GX always felt like it was going to roll over. Being that it is a very complex vehicle (like the VW) I expect there will be problems (7500 miles so far and no issues) but so far I have nothing but great things to say about it. As far as wheeling goes, I'd say forget all these vehicles and buy a Hummer!

jditom

I agree the Q7 is a sweet ride. I have owned 4-5? Audi's so I drove the Q7 before getting a GX. Only thing I did not like which is true of all the German rigs is there Nav systems seem well kind of inferior. But the Q7 is a great rig. Enjoy it!

89vette

I told the guy when I test drove it that I thought the NAV was a joke because it was not touch screen. Once I got used to the MMI (the central computer ****) it's not all that bad but it is still not as good as the Lexus or my Hummer. The new NAV in the Cadillac CTS is supposed to be really impressive. The other funny thing about the Audi NAV is the woman's voice has a touch of a German accent. She speaks very authoritative and is right to the point like she's in the SS or something! She makes you feel like "Turn right or suffer the consequences!"

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

I drove a bunch of Touregs when i worked at volkswagen. Definitely sporty for being an suv but VW reliability in general sucks compared to Lexus.

lexmenow

lol hilarious!!!!

V8_Fan

If reliability is important to you, going from the GX to any VW, especially the Toureg, is going from one of the most reliable cars to one of the least.

tigmd99

89vette...what Hummer do you have?

89vette

I have an 05 H2 I bought new in December 04. I had an 03 before this one that I wheeled in a little. I never really wheeled in the 05. I do use it pull trees that fall sometimes on my property. I NEVER saw a truck pull like the H2 does in low range with the back axles locked. I have almost 50000 miles on it and never even changed the brakes. I did have to replace the ignition for about $200. Wierdest thing. Sometimes it would not shift out of 3rd gear. It turned out to be a faulty ignition switch.

This is the longest I have owned a daily driver. I was going to trade it for a Yukon Denali but it has been such a good vehicle I figured why trade it.

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

If you can live with the obvious reliability issues then certainly go and drive one and judge for yourself if it will work for you.
Doubt you will notice a difference between the two off road as most people do not take their SUV to that extreme to be able to ascertain differences between the two.

The GX has a nice agressive if overly tall stance. The VW just looks like a big Jetta. Just me of course. BTW I have owned well over 10 VWs in the past.

The VW is just too much money for what you get IMO, but that is me, get what you like and enjoy.

stiles_s

I guess we can all be happy there are so many great choices out there. We've had 5 audis, and looked at the Q7 before buying the GX. Also shopped really broadly across all other brands.

I think the Q7 is great looking for how bloody big the thing is (10" longer than the gx?), but a few things bugged us:
- interior is long, narrows towards the rear, and actually felt cramped to us. I think the actual usable volume of the Q7 is very near the GX due to the tapering they did at the rear of the vehicle. I bought the GX primarily for Utility, and like my SUVs boxy.
- heavy as heck -- the thing is a tank. IIRC it's 5-600lbs heavier than the gx

I preferred the Looks, Quality/Reliability, ruggedness and simplicity of the GX.

I drove one, and liked it. However, the issues above pushed us toward the GX. I think anyone who is put off by how the "base" GX handles should track down a Sport package w/KDSS. The handling of the KDSS GX really impressed me. No, it doesn't handle as well as the Q7, but it handles well enough -- and impressively for a solid-axle truck.

We've had lots of Audis, BMWs, Porsches, VWs, etc. ( I think I'm on my 26th car), and I'm deeply impressed by the GX. I love the truck. I haven't kept a car >2yrs since my 2nd car, and I'm convinced the GX is going to be with us for a very long time (3 years, 4 years? crazy talk).