Topic: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat) (Read 158892 times)

DubiousMike · « **Reply #1530 on:** September 16, 2015, 10:52:16 PM »

Can't speak to the newer RX's, but we have an '06 RX330, AWD with the tow package/suspension, and we've been very happy with it. Bought it a couple of years back on the advice of our indy Lexus/Toyota mechanic who said the 05/06's will basically run forever, and the reliability has been just as promised. The nice thing about RX's, in general, is that they feel/handle more like driving a large sedan than many alternatives, like the Highlander, which feel more like a truck. (I'd say the same of Acura suv's, but I crossed them off my list due to low MPG.) For those with little ones, it is a near perfect height for getting the kids in and out of their car seats. Storage space in the back isn't enormous though and fills up pretty quickly when packing for car trips.

On an unrelated topic, my father-in-law left his old 06 650i with us to serve as a spare vehicle for a while, and I am beginning to understand why bmw has such a strong following. Good god can this thing corner and slash lanes. (I think it has the optional active roll stabilzation.) Never felt anything stay so flat flying around the curve on stadium way on the backside of Elysian Park (paralleling I-5). It is going to be rough going back to vehicles with ordinary suspension after enjoying this sort of handling. How does lexus sport suspension compare?

Maxvla · « **Reply #1531 on:** September 17, 2015, 03:40:58 AM »

Really impressed with the new Civic sedan that debuted tonight.
I also have a family friend who is a top certified Honda tech, so I could get cheaper, confident service.
I'd sort of wanted to lean Honda throughout this process due to that, but their cars had been so uninspiring that it didn't even matter.

Lower and wider than 9th gen. More hp on 2.0 NA and an available 1.5T. 2 inches more rear leg room.
Over 40mpg highway. All exterior lights LED on upper trims (EX/Touring). Android Auto and Apple Carplay.

Interior looks great for it's class and I like the gauge cluster. Easy to read and doesn't look dated. Entertainment screen is a little small, but looks fine.

DaveBSC · « **Reply #1532 on:** September 17, 2015, 05:25:17 AM »

Quote from: DubiousMike on September 16, 2015, 10:52:16 PM

How does lexus sport suspension compare?

Depends which one. The IS and GS F-Sport are reasonably competitive with the F30 and F10 3 and 5 series, but that's mainly because the BMWs have gotten so soft. The RC-F continues to be a step back from the M4 knife edge though. Its suspension is at least properly sorted unlike the first gen IS-F, and some people may actually prefer it purely as a road car. At least Lexus doesn't have to pump in fake engine noises through the speakers.

I'd still take the C-class over everything else though, I don't like the IS/RC interior design at all.

knerian · « **Reply #1533 on:** September 17, 2015, 04:48:10 PM »

Thanks for recco's guys, I should have clarified - as far as I can tell mid-size SUV is what most people would consider a big SUV like the XC90, X5, Toureg, etc, which is the size I am after. The Tahoe/Escalade/SUBURBAN is full-sized/large. Things like rav4, tiguan, honda cr-v are all compact suvs. And of course if you look at the rankings there is some blurring with some models straddling two categories.

DubiousMike · « **Reply #1534 on:** September 17, 2015, 07:53:40 PM »

Quote from: DaveBSC on September 17, 2015, 05:25:17 AM

Depends which one. The IS and GS F-Sport are reasonably competitive with the F30 and F10 3 and 5 series, but that's mainly because the BMWs have gotten so soft. The RC-F continues to be a step back from the M4 knife edge though. Its suspension is at least properly sorted unlike the first gen IS-F, and some people may actually prefer it purely as a road car. At least Lexus doesn't have to pump in fake engine noises through the speakers.

I'd still take the C-class over everything else though, I don't like the IS/RC interior design at all.

Thanks Dave. Good to know that the lexus f-sport models are at least on a similar level to the current crop of bmw's, but it is a real shame to hear that the resistive/high feedback steering and handling I am enjoying so much in this older 6 series has been tamed/loosened in newer models. I was actually at the lexus dealer this morning, replacing a key, and I mostly like the looks of the new GS, but the oversized black honeycomb style front grill on the IS is a real eyesore (IMO). So much so that I didn't even really bother to look at the interior.

ohhgourami · « **Reply #1535 on:** September 17, 2015, 10:10:50 PM »

DaveBSC, the XC90 is also the most important car (compared to RX for Lexus) in Volvo's lineup as the rest of the cars for the next coming years will be based on it. They need to make it great.

Anaxilus · « **Reply #1536 on:** September 17, 2015, 11:07:38 PM »

Quote from: ohhgourami on September 17, 2015, 10:10:50 PM

DaveBSC, the XC90 is also the most important car (compared to RX for Lexus) in Volvo's lineup as the rest of the cars for the next coming years will be based on it. They need to make it great.

That doesn't guarantee it will be in its first year however. We don't get to wish reliable mechanical engineering into existence. We need data that only time can provide.

Ram truck was Dodges most important car and had years of problems like failed knuckles and ball joints. Ford Mustangs and Porsche 911s caught on fire. Ford Explorers practically exploded (their tires anyway). Cadillac was GM's flagship. Mercedes hand crafted AMG engines were eating themselves alive.

We'll see...

DaveBSC · « **Reply #1537 on:** September 18, 2015, 03:19:27 AM »

Quote from: ohhgourami on September 17, 2015, 10:10:50 PM

DaveBSC, the XC90 is also the most important car (compared to RX for Lexus) in Volvo's lineup as the rest of the cars for the next coming years will be based on it. They need to make it great.

That's true. But Lexus has earned its "bulletproof" reputation pretty much throughout its entire existence. Matt Farah's million mile LS400 is living proof of that. There were certainly missteps here and there (my own SC300 was one such misstep) but 10 year old Lexus RX330s are more reliable than 5 year old Volvo XC90s.

Lexus' reputation combined with the fact that that the RX is based on a huge volume platform, and the electronics are basically just a re-skin of the existing design, leads me to believe that the brand new 2016 RX is likely a safe bet as a long term purchase.

How durable is Volvo's turbo-supercharged 4 cylinder? Nobody knows. What about the brand new platform, or the completely new electronics? Nobody knows. Just because a car is important doesn't mean it will be in any way reliable. Audi in the USA basically lived or died on the success of the 1996 A4. That was a great car. It was not a reliable car.

sfoclt · « **Reply #1538 on:** September 19, 2015, 01:17:20 AM »

I thought this was an interesting recall I haven't seen before:

Volkswagen Group must recall 500,000 diesel cars for cheating on smog tests

Some models had “defeat devices,” which selectively turned on emissions controls.

http://arstechnica.com/cars/2015/09/volkswagen-group-must-recall-500000-diesel-cars-for-cheating-on-smog-tests/

sfoclt · « **Reply #1539 on:** September 19, 2015, 01:20:36 AM »

I assume California would still require a front tag on the upcoming Alfa Romeo Gulia?

"Rumors of the Alfa Romeo Giulia’s barn-burning Nurbürgring lap time have been circulating for weeks, but Alfa went ahead and confirmed it at the Frankfurt auto show, relating that its new sports sedan lapped the Green Hell in a scorrching 7 minutes and 39 seconds.

While Alfa didn’t confirm the exact specifications of the Giulia responsible for posting the record time, it’s unlikely that it was anything but the high-performance Giulia Quadrifoglio, which we’ve heard and seen testing before. Alfa’s number doesn’t yet seem to have been corroborated by any independent parties, but the car’s 510-hp twin-turbo V-6 would seem to be up to the task of powering a quick lap—the rear-wheel drive sedan has about 85 more horsepower than the current M3 and M4, the latter of which allegedly looped the ’Ring in 7:52."

http://www.caranddriver.com/photo-gallery/sweet-julia-gulia-alfa-romeo-giulia-laps-the-ring-with-a-quickness

Author Topic: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat) (Read 158892 times)

DubiousMike

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

Maxvla

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

DaveBSC

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

knerian

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

DubiousMike

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

ohhgourami

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

Anaxilus

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

DaveBSC

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

sfoclt

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

sfoclt

Re: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat)

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Author Topic: The New Car Saga (and general auto chat) (Read 158892 times)