coolsaber

Towing how much?

Space wise if your hauling 5+7 people and their luggage at all times, honestly pick up a suburban or extended long wheelbase. (towing as well)

If you not, and dont tow over 3k pick up any oversized unibody crossover that you like, there all quite good. Highlanders MY20 would be my pick or any of the kia twins (while not my cup of tea) look and feel uber premium

Moisture

I think i'd have to settle with an audi a4/a6 all road.

I like the Volvo XC60, but reliability concerns.

Smokeyyank

Considering 28 of the 30 mile commute is highway yes 20 mpg.....never said it was driving in stop and go city traffic

coolsaber

Thankfully tho, if your interested in the XC60 and can live with a lease, the numbers are amazing. Id hard pass on a wagon, suvs/crossovers just make life just a tiny bit easier with access height

Moisture

I'm not okay with leasing, buy only. Maybe if I really wanted an unreliable car.

You're sacrificing quite a lot for that ride height.

ASE

"Average" = "Mixed" when it comes to MPG

ASE

In 3-weeks, Toyota makes as many vehicles as Volvo does in a full year of production. Who cares ? ... economy of scale on replacement parts. Beyond that, Volvo was left for dead multiple times in the past 20-years and is now owned by a Chineese holding company. And then there's reliability.

Jz39

iTrader: (2)

The GX is extremely dated. In fact, in our 2019 there is not even power/USB in the back seats (remedied in 2020 I believe) - how can this be???

V8 is very thirsty and very underpowered. Brakes have way too much travel, are very soft and then they bite late and hard. Steering is numb and way Overboosted and the truck sways like a pig.

Infotainment is maddening- have to go through a touch menu to change the fan speed or turn on/off the AC compressor. Then, it constantly wants to switch from the screen you just put it on to the navigation screen. Why??

i have no problem with fit/finish, but driving dynamics are a mess.

Anyways, I’m glad we leased ours because there is no way I could justify keeping this pig. Hopefully when they redesign they come up with something much improved.

Hrocks

Going back to the OP's questions regarding the GX option...
I had previously been a pretty diehard GM Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade, leasee and owner for many years. In 2016, I was pretty much set on buying one of the new generation GMT2KXX vehicles. Started hearing not good things about all of them. Turns out that GM was buying back Escalades without question that had vin#'s before a certain number, because of transmission issues. Was considering an Acura MDX. or Honda Pilot, but got info from longtime MDX fans that have had nothing but gremlins with the later generations. I wanted to have a 4WD/AWD vehicle and preferred to have a full frame with a V8...there are very few left. I ended buying two GX 460's. (Black on black and Starfire White Metallic with tan interior--beautiful!) By FAR, the two best and highest quality vehicles I've ever owned. The 32 valve V* has 301 HP and pulls hard to redline. Nice to have when you're passing and want to get away from being boxed in by 18 wheelers. Do they have all of the bells and whistles of some lesser priced vehicles? No. The rear hatch is quirky, but then again, this platform was originally designed as a RH drive Toyota Landcruiser Prado for the Australasian markets and has been sold worldwide for close to 20 years.

I drive mine pretty much like I stole it and avg. 17 mpg. My wife drives her white GX like she's an octogenarian and gets over 20 mpg. I'm actually talking to a couple of dealers about a third GX. BTW, I still own a bulletproof 2010 Tahoe LTZ that I keep around for when my son visits from college.

I would agree that you can't simply do a 15 minute "A-B" comparison of the vehicles under consideration and that real world first person reviews are of value. If you're open to a new 2019, there are some dealers that are offering a 12% discount off the MSRP, less $3,500 Lexus cash, and $750 loyalty on top of it all. Which means you can get one for the price of a much lesser quality vehicle. Plus, they will give you two years maintenance. You will get hooked on regular Lexus service. Have had only one non routine service item that they took care of. Let us know what you decide is best for you.

coolsaber

yup and that why you lease em never buy em

ASE

Agree ... but still would not go there.

coolsaber

fair enough. I am stickler for the interior on the volvo lineup. Its feels fresh, pioneer esque. Lexus while amazingly reliable, does not give you the same feeling upon entering the cabin. (i know its a decade old, but come on, work on the interior, not slap on the alien head outside). So far the only vehicles to really bring up the same feeling inside have the been the new LS/LC, and ironically the MY20 highlander. I assume before MY23 the interior is what it is.....and the company line "at least its reliable" is all I got.

ASE

Agree with the (Luxury) AVS option ... driver is completely disconnected to the road. IMHO absolutely not worth the upgrade cost. OEM Bridgestones also contribute to "the mess". The standard (Premium) setup is much better if your priority is driving dynamics vs numbing comfort.

Bilstein shocks are a huge improvement for anti-dive, body roll, steering response and road feedback ... transforms driving dynamics from marshmallow to firm (but comfortable) and controlled.

carche69

My husband and I own a repair business, so we see cars and trucks of all makes and models on a regular basis. I’ve owned my GX for almost 5 years now, and it is hands down the best all-around vehicle I’ve ever owned or driven. It has never let me down in any way, stranded me, gotten me stuck, or given me one problem. We are a family of 4 with two big labs and there is always plenty of room for all of us and all our stuff, and I never have to worry when I buy something big at Home Depot or Walmart whether I will be able to get it home or not.

I completely do NOT understand the poster above who said the GX is underpowered. I also have an IS-F for my little run around car when I’m by myself, so I know what powerful is, and the GX is by no means underpowered. Our backyard is a mud pit—can’t grow grass due to driving on it so often with heavy equipment and such—and my husband uses the GX to move things (boats, jet skis, a bobcat, a 24’ rollback that gets stuck all the time) around because it never gets stuck and can pull pretty much anything we need it to.

That being said, you may not need that much power, but it sure is nice to have when you do. Gas mileage isn’t the best, but it isn’t the worst either. My IS-F averages about 12 mpg, so to me, the 18-20 mpg I get with the GX is great lol. I recently purchased a used XC60 for my daughter when she started driving, and with a small 3.2L V6, it’s not getting any better gas mileage than the GX. (And the poster above who mentioned the XC60 as a potential candidate, I would say no way—it’s a completely different class of vehicle, way too small for a family of 5, and, despite being AWD, slid halfway down my soggy front yard just yesterday while moving vehicles around, while the GX climbed the same slope without so much as a wheel slip)

It really comes down to what YOUR family needs though. I had a Honda Odyssey for the first decade or so after my first kid was born, and it was fabulous for us for that time. It was easy to get the kids in and out of, got excellent gas mileage, had all the room in the world, and was extremely reliable. But we also had a full size crew cab truck and had to use that anytime we needed to tow, so just keep that in mind if you do decide on something like a minivan.

Anyway, there came a point and time when I realized that my kids were old enough to trust with something nicer, meaning they wouldn’t be spilling red Kool Aid on the floors or scratching the seats and doors up like clumsy little kids do, and I started looking around at SUVs. My GX was an unexpected find when I was at a Toyota dealership looking at 4Runners. Once I drove it, there was really no question in my mind that it was the one. But if your kids are still little ones, I would definitely look at something a little less luxury and a little more utility like a minivan.

As far as brands go, I would stay far away from anything GM or Chrysler—they are all crap. Ford builds some pretty quality SUVs that can rival the Asian brands in reliability for the first 100k miles or so. You can’t go wrong with Toyota or Honda, but Nissans aren’t made like they used to be and some models are plagued with major issues. Hyundai and Kia, surprisingly, are pretty reliable these days—we see customers with them all the time that have close to 200k miles on them and have maybe changed the oil twice—but the fit and finish quality that you would expect with a Toyota or Honda is just not the same.

I’ve been a Toyota fan since I started driving, so I may be a bit biased, but if I am it is only because they have proven themselves to me time and again. If you do end up going with a GX, I don’t think you will regret it one bit and you may even end up loving it as much as I do. I plan on driving mine until the wheels are ready to fall off and then trading it in on another one!

Zivman

I have had my GX for two months and almost 3k miles now. I came from a 2009 honda odyssey.

The GX drives like a truck. it sways and nose dives. I am not a fan of this, but my wife always loved our Xterra we had, and likes driving the GX. I prefer how the odyssey drives to the GX. much more car like, feels faster. neither are setting the world on fire, but the van behaves much more like a car. That said, the GX is easy to maneuver and park, don't have to worry about curbs and inspires a tank like confidence that you have very little that could potentially stop you.

MPG. I am averaging about 17 with the GX. On full highway I can get 20. My van would maybe get 18.5 in mixed, and I think I got just over 21 on full highway. so realistically not much of a hit on MPG especially when you consider 4wd and V8. I am sure there are better MPG vehicles, but I am not complaining.

I looked at a lot of the vehicles mentioned here. Subie Accent, acura MDX, honda Pilot, had an odyssey... you aren't buying the lexus because it has or doesn't have USB ports. You buy it knowing that it very well might be the most reliable vehicle money can buy. there is high level of quality and capability which translates into value. Coming from my Van, over 10 yrs and 180k miles. always finicky issues with the slider doors, but overall it was a good vehicle. It was hard on tires and batteries. I replaced one o2 sensor, an alternator, a Powersteering hose, and it ate up a set of plugs with their stupid cylinder deactivation. You buy a honda you best expect oil consumption and save a grand for a timing belt every 80-100k.... a grand goes a long way for paying for the extra gas. I don't trust a new model subie, nor do I trust a CVT... the mdx is so dated, has reliability issues and running possibly the worst infotainment/center stack controls on the market.

You have to drive them all and make a decision for yourself. I don't need or want the most up to date tech or features. I want a vehicle that starts and stops and does what it should for years and years. Vehicles are stupid money now days and I want the best value for my money.... and USB ports don't factor into that equation at all.