Bad Andy

First of all, I love my 2010 Q5. It is starting to get up there in miles (209,000), and I am starting to look around. While mine was in for service, they gave me a brand new A6 as a loaner, and I really enjoyed driving it. I put a little over 1,000 miles on it for the weekend.

Got my car back on Monday. Anyway..... today I went to the LA Auto Show to look at what options are out there. The new SQ5 didn’t really impress me that much. The interior seemed like a step backward from my car. I really liked the A/S6, but I think I need the practicality of a SUV/CUV. Q7 is too big, Q3 is too small.

I looked at Mercedes, nothing really jumped out at me. The GLC is the closest size wise to the Q5, but it just wasn’t that much better than what I have. I wanted to like the Alfa Stelio, but it was really small and felt cheap. Jeep Grand Cherokee was nice, but he seats felt hard and not very comfortable. Plus I haven’t heard much great about Jeep reliability. The Macan is nice, but they didn’t have any available to sit in, so I have no idea how comfortable it is. They had a GTS trim, and it was almost 98,000 the way it was. I don’t want to spend that much on a car.

I was was impressed with the Tesla X. With the small battery pack, I think it is around 65,000. I am just not sure about the electric range. 98% of the time, it would never be a problem, but he other 2% I just don’t know.

Not an SUV, but was also impressed with the Cadillac CT6. It is a big car, and has lots of technology. Just not sure if I am old enough to buy a Cadillac.

The car that impressed me the most was the 2018 Volvo XC60. Very comfortable and lots of features and tech. I am interested in the hybrid model, which I see can get you solo car pool lane access here in California, and it is very quick with a combined horsepower of 400. I just question Volvo’s dependability. Especially for a brand new model. My sister went through two Volvo’s back in the late 90’s when they were owned by Ford. Both were bought back under the lemon law. Another friend had nothing but trouble with his Volvo in the early 2000’s. But in fairness, Audi wasn’t known for great dependability back then either.

Anybody have ave recent experience with Volvo since they were bought by the Chinese company?

Leaving the show, got into my Q5 and was happy. Don’t see a reason yet to spend more money on something that is just a bit better. (I do like the modern technology in all of the cars). Why can’t German car makers figure out how to put the navigation screen in the dash, instead of making it look like an after thought by “clipping” it to the dash. At least the A6 can tuck away and hide when not needed.

aclass

I too liked the XC60 and it was a vehicle in consideration when I was looking. After a lot of research and test driving, the SQ5 had a lot more to offer in terms of the driving experience than the Volvo. But that's just my 2 cents, it is definitely an individual decision.

jasonhurst21

Range Rover Sport? We weren't impressed with the RR Velar after having the Q5.