Test driving some SUV’s – Lexus NX200T, Acura RDX, Audi Q5, Toyota Rav4, Range Rover Evoque

Introduction

So the lease on the Nissan Leaf is expiring in about 4 months here.  I figured it’s time to look for a replacement vehicle NOW vs waiting until after I turn it in and get desperate.  By looking at it early, I can wait for a good deal and save me some money.

The requirements my wife and I wanted in a new car were 1) has to be 4WD [for those 1-2 days a year it ices over in Seattle] and 2) has to be an SUV [for the trunk space.]  We later learned that we also wanted these features in the new car – backup camera (must these days), blind spot assist (this is a light that blinks in the mirror when a car is in your blind spot) and front parking sensor (since my wife is moving up to a bigger car, I don’t want her running into a parked car.)  These last 2 options apparently come only in the premium models of the cars we test drove.  Some of the nice features were also push button start, automatic headlights, and automatic wipers.  Since the former 2 features were in the premium versions of the cars, we most likely would get these ‘nice to have’ features as well.

Our price range was also in the $30K-$35K range.  This meant that I preferred to buy a used 1-3 year old car that used to be say $45-$50K for now $35K rather than buying a new $35K car.  That was my own preference; yours may be different.  Also, you’ll notice the depreciation on the premium packages decrease a lot over time – this means that if you upgrade to the super premium plus package for $10K when the car is new, in 3 years, the resale market may only give you $3-$5K extra for that super premium package.  Thus, the sweet spot in buying used cars is finding the super premium plus cars that are priced only slightly higher than the base models.

 

Cars we did NOT want

• Any American cars.  The stereotype still exists that American cars aren’t as nice and/or reliable.  That may be true or not true, and if you own a Chevy or Ford, please don’t be offended.  I won’t be offended if you didn’t want to buy clothes made in Vietnam either.
• No BMW. My wife doesn’t need the ultimate driving experience; she wants comfort and technology.  Plus, I already have the Audi S5, so I think I’ve turned our house into an ‘Audi’ house.  It’s synonymous with being an Android or iOS house.  A Mac or a Windows house.  A Coke or a Pepsi house.   You get the picture.
• No big SUV’s like an Acura MDX or a Lexus RX 350.  We drew the line at an RDX.
• We did NOT consider a Mercedes Benz although the new GLA made turn my head on the highway once.  I may need to consider this car!
• No hybrid cars.  Gas is so cheap and with Saudia Arabia not giving a F*** on oil supply, I don’t see oil prices climbing back up to $100 for a long time.  Thus, the premium for a hybrid isn’t worth it anymore.  Sorry environmentalists.
• We also wanted to BUY the car outright since we plan on keeping this car for a while
• We also considered a Hyundai or a Kia for their reliability, but after the Rav4, we decided to not even bother.

First car we drove – the 2015 Lexus NX200T ($39K)

The actual links are of the actual cars we test drove.  If you’re reading this too late, the car may be already sold.

Lexus came out with the NX200T in 2015 to capture the market that wanted a smaller car than the RX 350.  Be forewarned – I didn’t run all the history from all these cars so my facts may be wrong.  The one we test drove (the one in link) seemed to be a bit upgraded. It was driven by the owner/manager of the dealership for a year and now it’s for sale.

My wife actually really enjoyed the car for her first test drive.  Before she got into the car, she thought leather was overrated because “it squeaked.”  I told her it’s because she’s been sitting in cheap leather.  Anyway, she loved the soft leather in the NX200T.  The best part came when she tried to park between 2 cars and the front parking assist sensor came on.  It also had the blind spot sensor as well.  Once she saw those 2 features, every car from that point on HAD to have those 2 options.

The only downside is the fact the car is $39K.  This isn’t that great of a deal since I think a new 2016 would be around $45K.  Plus, this was out of our price range, but hey, you have to have a starting point.

 

 

2016 Toyota 4Runner Limited w/o Adv Tech Pkg ($36K MSRP)

This was the 2nd car we test drove.  A Highlander was too big for us, and the Rav4 seems to have grown in size lately.  Toyota released a new version in 2016 that has all the nice technology features.  There’s 4 models, and because we wanted leather and the fancy tech, we had to pick the Limited model with the advanced tech package.

As soon as we sat in the car, we both knew it wasn’t going to work for us.  After the Lexus test drive and having to use the bar beneath the seat to move the seat forward, we knew it wasn’t for us. The car had the blind spot indicator, but the best feature was the bird’s eye view camera.  When the wife parked the car crookedly (not intentionally), the LCD screen showed her car from a bird’s eye point of view.  She could then back up the car and straighten out the parking job.

Once we put the price into perspective ($3K more gets us the nicer Lexus), then we nixed the Rav4.

 

2015 Acura RDX w/ Tech pkg ($39K)

This was our #1 choice before our test drives.  Once we sat inside, although not as luxurious as the Lexus, it was way better than the Rav4.  We took the car for a spin for about 5 minutes and once we realized it had no blind spot monitor or even front parking assist or even rear reversing beeping, it was a NO GO.  By the way, if you are in the market for an RDX, remember you want to at least get a 2013 model since that was the last refresh before 2016.

Don’t get me wrong; the car was nice, but we just wanted more tech that only the 2016 started to carry.

 

 

2016 Acura RDX w/ Adv Teck Pkg ($45K MSRP)

While there was NO way we were going to buy this car due to the price, but the new features in the 2016 (body refresh) were pretty nice.  It had those tech features we wanted – blindspot, front and rear parking sensors, lane assist, etc.  The only thing the super premium package was missing was the bird’s eye view like the Rav4.  It had other features like adaptive cruise control (cruise control slows down if car in front of you slows down) and lane assist (beeps if you move into another lane without signaling.)

If this was 2019 and I could buy this 2016 super package for $35K, then I think I would have done it, but the time and price wasn’t right for us.

 

 

2011 Audi Q5 ($26K)

Since this Audi was in the Acura dealership, we took it for a spin.  My wife thought the feel and drive was nicer than the RDX and NX200.  However, once we realized this was a base model and no backup camera, it was a dead end.  Maybe if we moved up to the Plus, Premium, or Prestige models, then the Q5 would be a serious consideration.  I didn’t look much further than that.

 

2013 Land Rover Evoque Dynamic ($39K)

We then went to Land Rover, which was a block away.  I had actually test driven an Evoque in about 2012 when they first came out.  I remember the salesman was a British prick who thought the Evoque was God’s answer to the car.  Regardless, I drove it and loved it at the time.  The reason I didn’t buy it (too expensive) or lease it (horrendous residual value) at the time was due to cost and reliability concerns.  I don’t think anyone I’ve met who has a friend who did NOT have a problem with their Land Rover.  Thus, I passed on the car then.

This time around, I wanted my wife to drive it.  First of all, this was a coupe, but we really wanted a 4 door.  Apparently it’s the exact size interior and we had no intention of buying this EXACT one.  I just wanted her to drive it to see what she thought of it.  Let me just tell you now – once you step inside this thing, you can just tell it’s a huge step up from the Lexus.  And when you look at the panoramic moonroof, I mean, it’s jaw-dropping.  Why anyone would get the base model w/o the moonroof is beyond me.  It would be like buying a car with a handle to roll down the window today.

Anyway, this model is the highest tier model – there is the Pure (base), Pure Plus, Prestige, and Dynamic.  All the bells and whistles come in the Prestige model; the Dynamic mostly has exterior cosmetic updates (see picture above.)  This had the blind spot assist, backup camera, etc.  It actually did not have the front parking assist or the rear parking assist.  That apparently comes in the new 2016 model, which would be priced at nearly $60K.  My wife’s thought on the car – I didn’t like how fast the car was. 

 

Decisions, decisions

I think it’s clear that I loved the Evoque.  However, to get all the bells and whistles in my price range, I’ll have to wait 2-3 years.  So if I didn’t want the parking assist, I could look for a 2012-2015 Evoque Premium.  The funny thing is that if you look on cars.com for Evoques, there are over 1,300 of them for sale!  To put that into perspective, there are only 2,000 2012+ Acura RDX’s for sale (and Acura made a crap ton more RDX’s than LR made Evoques.)  That means this glut of inventory is due to all the people who leased a new one instead of purchasing (possibly afraid of reliability concerns.)

The prices of Evoques are all across the board.  Most 2012 and 2013 Pure and Pure Plus models go for $30-$31K nationwide.  Then you have this Seattle guy wanting $40K here (which is actually the KBB book value) for this ultra Dynamic model, but then you have this similar one for $31K, which the only difference is color.   Makes no sense!  Clearly I need to move to Florida.  I’m actually trying to ask some readers to go check out the silver one.  If it seems legit, I may just have them ship it up to WA.  This is a clear example of buying fully loaded cars depreciating way faster than base models.  I’ll keep you guys posted.