Small/Mid Premium SUV

[For The Love of Music]

If possible to open OPs mind, consider Cadillac...

[Humbuster]

Thanks for all of the advice.

I plan to drive all on the list (already have tried the Volvo and Audi).

[clpetersen]

Originally Posted by Humbuster

...
AWD is a must and we have no interest in Japanese or US vehicles (at least I have zero interest).


Have not driven the Mercedes or BMWs yet, however previous owner ship of a 328xi and it's poor winter performance (likely due to the run flat tires and low center of gravity) concerns me with the BMWs (although, I understand you can now specify "run flat delete " upon ordering.) Other than winter driving, the 328xi was a stellar car.

Would like to hear from owners of any of the cars on my list regarding ownership experience and real world driving impressions.

Couple of comments:

Comment 1: We have BMW 335's. We always use snow tires in the winter. Ditched run-flats when we realized the cars were more comfortable with snows than all-season run-flats.
Good snow tires on anything outperform x-drive with regular tires. Of course, 4 snows on an xdrive is excellent.

Comment 2: Used to drive an X3. Very nice, very non-fatiguing drive for long hauls (compared to a 335 say). Really no more room than a 3 series (trunk included).

Comment 3: Regarding US vehicles - the BMW X series and the Mercedes G-series are made here in the US (not a bad thing).

All that said, Volvos are pretty nice. Good luck!

[Humbuster]

I believe the new Volvo V60 Cross Country may be made in the US as well.

Initially was very intrigued by this new vehicle, however not sure if the ground clearance will be high enough for Colorado winters. Probably be better off with the XC60 if I stay with Volvo.

[tratliff]

My wife is on her second XC60. Newest one is a 2019 T5 AWD. I really like this one better than the 2015 we had. I would not say it is powerful but has enough for what it is. I have been very happy with the Volvo service and reliability.

Only problem I have had was when we were purchasing the latest one I settled on a 2018 XC60 T5 AWD with 4k miles. Details of the deal appeared to work out in my favor. After we had it for a month we encountered a software issue that said it was placing the system into "reduced power mode". We took it in for service and after 2 weeks they could not determine what the problem was. The only explanation I got was that it was a software problem and the bug fix would take up to 6 months to fix. I told them that was unacceptable for a car that I only had for a month.

They asked what I wanted to do and I told them I would accept a 2019 model with the same equipment or a refund. After talking with Volvo corp they pulled up in a 2019 with 2 miles and I was out no money. Only change was the color. The 2018 was black, which I do not like, but wife does. The 2019 is denim blue. A very nice color for that car.

The 2019, from a sticker price, was about $6K more but I was out no additional money. Since getting the 2019 we have not had any issues.

[robfine]

I had a Cayenne a number of years ago and loved it. When my daughters got cars and gas prices jumped I decided to downsize. I needed to stick with a SUV type vehicle because I had/have 2 large dogs and a monthly Costco run. The Macan was in the works but not yet in production so I got a Q5. It was a truly nice vehicle but something about the ride didn’t excite me. Kinda like speakers that are really good but a bit too polite. A year after the Macan came out in the US was time for car change. I got a Macan S. I really like the Macan. I don’t think it’s for everyone (it also has a touch less storage space in the back than the Q5 due to the rear hatch slope) but if it’s for you, it’s really for you. It’s really working out for me.

[Humbuster]

Drove the X4 yesterday and loved it.

However, I am amazed how good all of these vehicles have been so far.

As the Bimmer dealer is next door to the Benz dealer, plan to take the better half back soon to compare both makes.

[DonBattles]

Originally Posted by crwilli

my experiences testing medium and large suvs was very different. The volvo was the last one i would have purchased. If i was buying a medium size suv, i would have purchased the x3 m model. It has a real v6 with style and handling. The volvo’s were all sanitary. I especially disliked the turbo 4 cylinder powered volvo and and the 6 cylinder power was not much better. I should add that i also didn’t like any of the turbo 4 motors in the x3 or mercedes.

bmw v6?

[PHC1]

Check out the 2019 Macan for sure. https://youtu.be/rtzGRHTdaZ8

https://www.porsche.com/usa/models/macan/macan-models/

[PHC1]

2019 Porsche Macan 2.0 245 hp - Sensible Porsche? https://youtu.be/x_utZMQCP7U