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Like many OP said, if you plan on keeping vehicle for a long time (4+ years IMO), BMW will NOT be my choice of vehicle - engine / leaks / suspension etc.... things just starts to automatically fall apart. Toyota / Lexus have high reliability and they just keep going w/out needing much 'upkeep'. If you take long trips, you want to drive a vehicle that you know will get you to your destination safely. Imagine if you get stranded in the middle of nowhere with your family during a road trip, that'd suck. If you tend to keep your vehicle for 3yrs or so, anything will do. Yes Toyota / Lexus are not known for having the newest gadgets / tech, while other manufacturers like Audi / BMW / even Mercedes (not talking about Tesla though) will have the newest tech, but there lies many issues in their electronics that cannot be resolved and can result in frustration. I personally love those virtual cockpit and large LED screen / ipad like console and I do hope Lexus / toyota will implement these into their vehicles soon. With that said, Electrifying / Electrification will happen across all manufacturers, and ICE will go away in 20-30yrs, hence we'll probably see electric LX-E (a name that just popped up in my head LOL). I am still hesitate to buy electric cars due to charging times, would be nice if you can charge 100% in 5 minutes at any gas station, but that's not gonna happen soon, hence my next vehicle (besides my LX which I'm gonna keep for 10+ years) likely will still be an ICE / w/ minor hybrid vehicle. Turbo Charged V6 will a nicer MPG and possibly more HP and torque compare to current V8, but V8 will be smoother when cruising, plus NA V8 will become a 'classic' IMO. It's a struggle for decision in this area but it's going to be a trend (even the MB AMG C class will be using a 4-cyn engine instead of V8).
I am 70 years old and have had almost every make of luxury car you can think of. Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Cadillac, Lincoln,in about 1989 my Nextdoor neighbor managed the local Lexus deal ship and brought an LS home for us to use one weekend. I sent the BMW 7 series back with him and have never looked back.
Between my wife and I we have driven LS (her) and SC, GX and LX me and probably have had over 15 vehicles. The only problem we have ever had was the battery in my wife’s LS would run down until we figured out her leaving the smart key in the car was the cause.
i will not consider anything else.
I have had two LX-570s. A 2010 that I sold with 160,000 miles and zero problems and a 2017 LX. The LX is probably the most reliable SUV out there if not the most reliable car out there. Its very comfortable too. But this is where the advantages of the LX pretty much end. Its old technology and design (it came out in 2008). It drives like a truck, while the BMW X7 drives like a car. And everything else about the BMW is better. If you are going to lease it, BMW all the way. If you don't mind the truck-like drive, the old technology, etc, Lexus is always an excellent choice. Two other things working in the favor of the LX. Its extremely capable off road if you need that and you can get HUGE discounts on them at this time since they are about to be phased out. I was a little hesitant to get my LX in 2017, since even back then, it was older technology, but $18,000 off MSRP was enough of an incentive to get another LX. On a side note, a newly designed LX is long overdue. I just hope that when it comes out, it won't be disappointing as the new LS was when it came out.
As many have already said the LX is king in terms of legendary reliability and off road capability. Also, the 5.8L V8 NA engine is to die for.
Other factors that also influenced my decision - weight of the vehicle.
It's one of the heaviest SUVs you can find. This has a direct relationship with safety for the passengers. I'm old school - the heavier the vehicle the safer it will be for my family. I wanted the heaviest and largest my money could buy. Without having to get a Suburban or Lincoln Navigator (for obvious reasons). Also when you have a ton of kids (like 4 of them), you'll wish you had a bigger SUV that could fit all of them.
You made the right choice. I bought a BMW and will never do it again. Hands down the most unreliable POS I've ever owned. It left me stranded 3 times in the 2 years I owned it. Huge mistake.
If after the test drive you couldn’t decide, I would have bought the Lexus. They are totally different vehicles with sets of pros and cons. However, this picture will tell you everything you need to know:
You made the right choice. I bought a BMW and will never do it again. Hands down the most unreliable POS I've ever owned. It left me stranded 3 times in the 2 years I owned it. Huge mistake.
Steve
Hit it right on the nail. It's just inexcusable how poorly german cars are made. It's frustrating when you turn on the car and your worried that the dashboard will look like a christmas tree (Check engine light etc).
The last issue my GL 450 had - the oxygen sensor in the exhaust system needed to be replaced. Costed me close to a thousand. After that was done on the way out the service representative told me that the there is another sensor in the system that may also need to be replaced in the future if it also goes out. I've never had so many issues with a car prior to this.
The other day I took my family out to dinner and I saw a X7 in the parking lot. In my mind I was like: "so this is an X7?" the car didn't even look that appealing to me. It's certainly smaller than the LX 570. I then researched it and found out that it had an inline 3.0 L turbo on its base model. And the MX7 has a 4.4L V8 twin turbo. Again that's way smaller than a 5.7 L V8 NA engine.
I'll admit BMW has a great marketing website and cool pictures, but the quality of the car just isn't there. It will be unreliable. And don't even talk about its off road capability. It'll probably break after driving over a couple pot holes.
The only thing the BMW is good for is it's website, flashy pictures, and posting numbers from 0-60.
If 0-60 was what I cared about, I wouldn't be purchasing a SUV. I'd get a designated sports car that was a 2 seater.