Trying to Decide Between 2013 Q5 and 2013 Lexus RX 350
10-16-2012, 10:19 AM
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Trying to Decide Between 2013 Q5 and 2013 Lexus RX 350
Hello, all!
I'm in a situation where I'm going to have to buy a new car within the next few weeks, and I'm thinking I'm going to treat myself and go luxury with this purchase. I've test driven some luxury SUV's (Lexus RX350, Audi Q5, Infiniti EX35 and BMW X3) and have to say, I really liked the RX 350 and the Q5 the best. I'm trying to decide between these two.
No doubt, the Q5 is alot more fun to drive, and I like the look of its interior dash interface quite a bit better than the RX350. With that said, however, the RX350 has a very smooth, nice ride, has alot of luxurious features that are not extra. low longterm maintenance costs and has excellent ratings for safety and reliability too (thinking long term).
Some of my friends have tried to discourage me from the RX350 by saying "everybody has one of those RX's" or that it's a "soccer mom" car (I'm in my early 30's, single with no kids) and suggest that I look at something else. For me, having a luxury car is not about status, or showing off (could care less what other people think), it's more about the features, the smooth ride, the technology and the great customer service of the company. I also intend to keep the car for a long time, so reliability, long-term maintenance costs,insurance payments, etc. in addition to the car note are things I'm looking at as well.
What are your thoughts? Obviously most of you on this forum are Q5 owners, so what made you decide on the Q5 vs the compeition? It seems like the main thing I keep hearing from dealerships that sets the Q5 apart is that it is more exclusive (everybody and their mother doesn't have one). I'm not really concerned with that...I need more than that.
What has your overall experience been like while owning the car? Just trying to gain some perspective from you all.
I love the ride of the Q5, love the interior, interface, etc., but the RX350 seems like it may be an overall better spend in the long run.
Thanks for your feedback!
I'm in a situation where I'm going to have to buy a new car within the next few weeks, and I'm thinking I'm going to treat myself and go luxury with this purchase. I've test driven some luxury SUV's (Lexus RX350, Audi Q5, Infiniti EX35 and BMW X3) and have to say, I really liked the RX 350 and the Q5 the best. I'm trying to decide between these two.
No doubt, the Q5 is alot more fun to drive, and I like the look of its interior dash interface quite a bit better than the RX350. With that said, however, the RX350 has a very smooth, nice ride, has alot of luxurious features that are not extra. low longterm maintenance costs and has excellent ratings for safety and reliability too (thinking long term).
Some of my friends have tried to discourage me from the RX350 by saying "everybody has one of those RX's" or that it's a "soccer mom" car (I'm in my early 30's, single with no kids) and suggest that I look at something else. For me, having a luxury car is not about status, or showing off (could care less what other people think), it's more about the features, the smooth ride, the technology and the great customer service of the company. I also intend to keep the car for a long time, so reliability, long-term maintenance costs,insurance payments, etc. in addition to the car note are things I'm looking at as well.
What are your thoughts? Obviously most of you on this forum are Q5 owners, so what made you decide on the Q5 vs the compeition? It seems like the main thing I keep hearing from dealerships that sets the Q5 apart is that it is more exclusive (everybody and their mother doesn't have one). I'm not really concerned with that...I need more than that.
What has your overall experience been like while owning the car? Just trying to gain some perspective from you all.I love the ride of the Q5, love the interior, interface, etc., but the RX350 seems like it may be an overall better spend in the long run.
Thanks for your feedback!
10-16-2012, 11:02 AM
#2
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Get the Q5.
IMHO, those Lexus' are for people without an imagination. That said, the Q5 is a pretty flashy car, especially in white (like mine). What it really comes down to is you're comparing Volkswagen tech to Toyota tech, and you'll really appreciate how well the Germans make cars when you own one. I've driven American, Japanese, but Germans are by far the obvious choice for someone who can really appreciate a well made car.
As for the concerns with maintenance, between myself and family we have had 4 Audis, none of which have had any major issues. Only issues have been cracking leather on an A4, and a bit of shuddering with the transmission in the Q5, both of which were fixed under warranty. AudiCare plans cover the cost of scheduled maintenance fees, and I think guarantee you a loaner car when your car is in the shop (IIRC).
Just my $.02
-Alex
IMHO, those Lexus' are for people without an imagination. That said, the Q5 is a pretty flashy car, especially in white (like mine). What it really comes down to is you're comparing Volkswagen tech to Toyota tech, and you'll really appreciate how well the Germans make cars when you own one. I've driven American, Japanese, but Germans are by far the obvious choice for someone who can really appreciate a well made car.
As for the concerns with maintenance, between myself and family we have had 4 Audis, none of which have had any major issues. Only issues have been cracking leather on an A4, and a bit of shuddering with the transmission in the Q5, both of which were fixed under warranty. AudiCare plans cover the cost of scheduled maintenance fees, and I think guarantee you a loaner car when your car is in the shop (IIRC).
Just my $.02
-Alex
10-16-2012, 11:20 AM
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Get whichever feels more "you". 
If you want more "cushy" then the RX might be better, while the Q5 will definitely win in the "sporty" department.
Of the German marques (slight tangent here), I tend to think of BMW as "sport" (function over form), Mercedes as "luxury" (form over function), and Audi as "luxury sport" (a good compromise between the two). Japanese luxury marques I think tend more towards the "luxury" side, and tend to be less "driver's cars" (but I don't have enough first-hand experience to make a true claim). Lexus seems to many times be a good benchmark for the "luxury" comparison for people (personally I'm not a fan at all but honestly right now only Audi seems interesting to me so I'm not a good judge of other makes ).
German cars can tend to be a little more high-maintenance than their Japanese counterparts, but usually work well if you keep them kept up to date on their scheduled maintenance and the tradeoff is that you typically get a lot more involvement in the driving process and more "fun" out of it. Whether there's value in that for you, only you can say. And as always, just because a particular brand is typically more/less reliable (for whatever value of "reliable" is being used), individual vehicles will vary so you could have a problem of a Lexus with bad luck.
"Everyone" does indeed seem to have RXes, but that just means that there's a lot of people for whom the RX met their needs. Not necessarily a bad thing. And while Q5s aren't quite so ubiquitous, there can be a number of them around depending on where you are, and as it's a newer car I would expect there to currently be fewer overall. But it's not like they don't seem to be popular, too.
Maybe you just need to do a few more test drives of the RX and Q5 and see which really speaks to you more. Depending on how much you drive, the feel of the car and cockpit can be really important unless you only wanted a transportation appliance (in which case you'd probably have just gotten something lower-tier). I expect if you're to the point where you're not quite sure which way to go then you probably won't go too far wrong either way.
If you want more "cushy" then the RX might be better, while the Q5 will definitely win in the "sporty" department.Of the German marques (slight tangent here), I tend to think of BMW as "sport" (function over form), Mercedes as "luxury" (form over function), and Audi as "luxury sport" (a good compromise between the two). Japanese luxury marques I think tend more towards the "luxury" side, and tend to be less "driver's cars" (but I don't have enough first-hand experience to make a true claim). Lexus seems to many times be a good benchmark for the "luxury" comparison for people (personally I'm not a fan at all but honestly right now only Audi seems interesting to me so I'm not a good judge of other makes
).German cars can tend to be a little more high-maintenance than their Japanese counterparts, but usually work well if you keep them kept up to date on their scheduled maintenance and the tradeoff is that you typically get a lot more involvement in the driving process and more "fun" out of it. Whether there's value in that for you, only you can say.
And as always, just because a particular brand is typically more/less reliable (for whatever value of "reliable" is being used), individual vehicles will vary so you could have a problem of a Lexus with bad luck."Everyone" does indeed seem to have RXes, but that just means that there's a lot of people for whom the RX met their needs. Not necessarily a bad thing.
And while Q5s aren't quite so ubiquitous, there can be a number of them around depending on where you are, and as it's a newer car I would expect there to currently be fewer overall. But it's not like they don't seem to be popular, too. Maybe you just need to do a few more test drives of the RX and Q5 and see which really speaks to you more. Depending on how much you drive, the feel of the car and cockpit can be really important unless you only wanted a transportation appliance (in which case you'd probably have just gotten something lower-tier). I expect if you're to the point where you're not quite sure which way to go then you probably won't go too far wrong either way.
10-16-2012, 11:28 AM
#4
I vote Lexus!
The RX350 is popular for a reason. It is a luxurious SUV that drives nice, has a reputation for reliability and outstanding dealership customer service.
The Q5 (we've owned for 3+ years) is also a luxurious CUV that drives outstanding, more exclusive than RX, has a decent reputation for reliability (ours has been great) but generally mediocre dealership customer service.
However, we are mostly biased to the Q here. You may also want to post in the Lexus RX350 forum.
BTW, we were impressed with the Q's overall solid build quality and performance that we also got an Audi S5 coupe. These are DRIVERS suv/cars very similar to bimmers.
The Q5 (we've owned for 3+ years) is also a luxurious CUV that drives outstanding, more exclusive than RX, has a decent reputation for reliability (ours has been great) but generally mediocre dealership customer service.
However, we are mostly biased to the Q here. You may also want to post in the Lexus RX350 forum.
BTW, we were impressed with the Q's overall solid build quality and performance that we also got an Audi S5 coupe. These are DRIVERS suv/cars very similar to bimmers.
10-16-2012, 11:30 AM
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Get the Q5.
IMHO, those Lexus' are for people without an imagination. That said, the Q5 is a pretty flashy car, especially in white (like mine). What it really comes down to is you're comparing Volkswagen tech to Toyota tech, and you'll really appreciate how well the Germans make cars when you own one. I've driven American, Japanese, but Germans are by far the obvious choice for someone who can really appreciate a well made car.
As for the concerns with maintenance, between myself and family we have had 4 Audis, none of which have had any major issues. Only issues have been cracking leather on an A4, and a bit of shuddering with the transmission in the Q5, both of which were fixed under warranty. AudiCare plans cover the cost of scheduled maintenance fees, and I think guarantee you a loaner car when your car is in the shop (IIRC).
Just my $.02
-Alex
IMHO, those Lexus' are for people without an imagination. That said, the Q5 is a pretty flashy car, especially in white (like mine). What it really comes down to is you're comparing Volkswagen tech to Toyota tech, and you'll really appreciate how well the Germans make cars when you own one. I've driven American, Japanese, but Germans are by far the obvious choice for someone who can really appreciate a well made car.
As for the concerns with maintenance, between myself and family we have had 4 Audis, none of which have had any major issues. Only issues have been cracking leather on an A4, and a bit of shuddering with the transmission in the Q5, both of which were fixed under warranty. AudiCare plans cover the cost of scheduled maintenance fees, and I think guarantee you a loaner car when your car is in the shop (IIRC).
Just my $.02
-Alex
Also, right now there doesn't appear to be much dealing going on right now with the Q5's and it seems like the options that I would want (nav, premium plus package, audi advance key) make it pricier. With the Lexus deals going on right now, I could get all of that for less.
How much is the AudiCare? Are there places where you can save money on extended Audi warranties? I know there are some for Lexus that are posted about on the forums, which was another selling point for Lexus.
Also, I'm a huge customer service person, and the experience that I have received at Lexus dealerships has been quite unmatched.
10-16-2012, 11:50 AM
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I have been driving a 2001 Lexus RX300 for the past 12 years and have ordered a 2013 Q5. I had an opportunity to test drive a 2013 Q for a day over the weekend and this is what I noticed:
The Lexus has more backseat room and is a bit more plush for the passenger. However, the Q drives like a sportscar while the Lexus drives a bit more like a boat. Not as tight or sporty.
Before getting married and having kids I always drove a sports coupe. The Q is more that way.
As for customer service, I have actually been more impressed with my Audi dealer so far than I ever was at Lexus. I went to a couple of different Lexus dealerships and was underwhelmed by them frankly.
Buy which one suits your purposes best. I am excited to have a car again that I will enjoy driving though.
The Lexus has more backseat room and is a bit more plush for the passenger. However, the Q drives like a sportscar while the Lexus drives a bit more like a boat. Not as tight or sporty.
Before getting married and having kids I always drove a sports coupe. The Q is more that way.
As for customer service, I have actually been more impressed with my Audi dealer so far than I ever was at Lexus. I went to a couple of different Lexus dealerships and was underwhelmed by them frankly.
Buy which one suits your purposes best. I am excited to have a car again that I will enjoy driving though.
10-16-2012, 12:27 PM
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I keep getting the feeling that you're really leaning toward the RX and that maybe it's just that the Q5 is nagging at you for consideration. Of course, sometimes the nagging might be because of something the Q5 has that the RX doesn't (and is a consideration you hadn't really thought of before). It might be a "head vs. heart" type of conflict. Or it might be nothing. Just need to let it percolate and see what calls out more. And get your butt back in those seats another time.
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10-16-2012, 12:40 PM
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The Audi dealerships here have been fine, don't get me wrong. If I get the Q5 I'm sure it would be fine. The Sewell dealers just go a bit above the grade.
10-16-2012, 12:45 PM
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I keep getting the feeling that you're really leaning toward the RX and that maybe it's just that the Q5 is nagging at you for consideration. Of course, sometimes the nagging might be because of something the Q5 has that the RX doesn't (and is a consideration you hadn't really thought of before). It might be a "head vs. heart" type of conflict. Or it might be nothing. Just need to let it percolate and see what calls out more. And get your butt back in those seats another time.
10-16-2012, 02:17 PM
#10