Buying new car Hybrid vs Gas

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by AR_Six

Subaru is an inherently practical vehicle. It is the quintessence of utilitarian in my view. If that's what you want you can't do better.

That is for sure and at the same time a problem with Subaru's because for the money you get a car that is low on features compared to the competition in the same price range. Their interiors are feel cheap and sparce, sound system audio quality is horrible, and just a lack of bells and whistles. That said maybe some people prefer that but everytime I've cross shopped Subaru's they always come up too short on technology and features for the price.

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

If you're buying new for the love of god stay away from Germans (unless you're leasing). The reliability issues are nothing short of terrible these days. Mercedes is the best of the bunch, but rather pricey. I love Audi's and VW's myself, but would never consider buying a brand new one.

Get the Subaru.

From what I read Audi has improved their reliability so that they are nearly top ten of all companies. VW I think is still near the bottom. I am not sure why the same company has two opposite reliability records.

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by AR_Six

Edge isn't a bad suggestion. Crossovers make a lot of sense in Calgary - I drive an RX350 and find the balance between size and economy to be pretty ideal, but I don't have kids. The Highlander is also pretty solid on fuel economy for its size, even the non-hybrid version.

I think that is why I keep leaning back towards the Subaru - each model pretty much is multiuse.

Originally Posted by AR_Six

Subaru is an inherently practical vehicle. It is the quintessence of utilitarian in my view. If that's what you want you can't do better. Of the cars on your list (that I've driven recently), that RDX is for me the most fun. Make sure you compare the current year model (if you're looking at buying new) to a SHAWD version from 2009 or so because it has changed and the comparison may be instructive to you in terms of what you want your car to feel like. Was for me.

I was nearly ready to go in and get the latest RDX, then I was in California and watched the gas prices jump nearly 20% almost overnight. What did you like so much about the RDX?

Originally Posted by AR_Six

As I say I can vouch for Lexus, it works for me, but it's very different from the Acura experience in my view - purely comfort oriented, far in excess of any "sport" or "performance" feel. That said I haven't driven an IS in a while, and it's possible that it's a totally different beast.

Did you find the Lexus too 'grandpa' like?

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

Also...may I suggest the CX-5?

If you are patient they may also have a diesel version in the works...

Any idea when it might come out?

An all wheel drive diesel would be ideal.

[Dynamic]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

That is for sure and at the same time a problem with Subaru's because for the money you get a car that is low on features compared to the competition in the same price range. Their interiors are feel cheap and sparce, sound system audio quality is horrible, and just a lack of bells and whistles. That said maybe some people prefer that but everytime I've cross shopped Subaru's they always come up too short on technology and features for the price.

I shopped searching for the most features at the best price and was let down big time. Just keep in mind that the more features and gadgets the more stuff can go wrong.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

From what I read Audi has improved their reliability so that they are nearly top ten of all companies.

I call shenanigans unless you got proof!

And I really want proof cause an Audi A5 is still my top choice of the car I want but after having a horrible VW for a long time that cost a ton to repair, I'm leery. If I can justify it by saying their reliability has increased that'd be great.

EDIT: This is what I was going by:

[AR_Six]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

I think that is why I keep leaning back towards the Subaru - each model pretty much is multiuse.

I've logged plenty of snow miles in an outback when I was in Uni - it definitely holds its own in weather. I don't think I've been in a car as surefooted. If you like the way it feels, and the way it feels driving is the first thing on your list in terms of priorities, you'll buy it. It is multi-use, it's a car that makes sense. It is not a car that is necessarily super fun, nor a particularly nice driving atmosphere, nor a particularly advanced experience technologically. All of this stuff is subjective, obviously.

I was nearly ready to go in and get the latest RDX, then I was in California and watched the gas prices jump nearly 20% almost overnight. What did you like so much about the RDX?

I don't think the RDX is that bad on gas, actually. The earlier configuration (2009 was the one I was in) was super fun. Get on the highway, floor it and it does this delightful "whoosh" thing as the turbo kicks in. It's like engaging warp drive. Driving the new one (they replaced the turbo 4 with a v6) doesn't have quite that same feeling so I didn't think it as fun. The reason I didn't get it is it's a bit stiff for long distances and a bit on the small side of what I was looking for cargo-wise (same reason I didn't get the FX35, which is also a really damn nice car).

Did you find the Lexus too 'grandpa' like?

I didn't find it "too" anything, I bought one. I'm just saying it's a particular kind of driving experience. It's not going to get your adrenaline pumping. It's quiet, peaceful, very smooth, and soft - it's a luxury car. Now, it's not a lincoln town car, mine does not feel anything like a boat at all, it's pretty nimble actually. But to compare it to say, the RDX, which has that awesome acceleration feeling, or the FX35, which takes corners more like a sports car, driving the Lexus you get on the highway and accelerate from 60 to 110 and it feels like nothing happened. Seems to me that's the experience they're going for. That said, I didn't test drive every model by any stretch, I was mostly looking for a crossover, wagon (tried a couple audis and volvos) or an SUV.

Really what you should be doing is figuring out the kind of car you want (an IS, Prius and Outback are totally different animals), test driving about a dozen different options, picking your favourites and test driving them AGAIN, and then going from there.

If you're looking at the crossover class like the RDX, I would try the FX35, RX350, Edge, Highlander (for comparison to something a bit bigger), Murano (loaded version is surprisingly nice inside), Sorento, CRV (I was unimpressed but some people are Honda people), CX-5 (hated the way this felt personally, don't get the love, but ymmv) and last but not least the Volvo XC60 - whatever you do make sure you get a chance to try the XC60. It is quite a car. If not for the price / all the extras I got on my ride I might have been swayed to get one myself.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

RE : Diesel Cx-5...I'm hoping next model year...and hopefully they will offer a manual transmission (but likely not).

Reviews from NZ and Australia have been very positive about the Mazda diesel engine. And since it has about 2X the torque of the gas model it should have good driving dynamics.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

+1 for Volvo love. A solid brand.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by photon

I call shenanigans unless you got proof!

And I really want proof cause an Audi A5 is still my top choice of the car I want but after having a horrible VW for a long time that cost a ton to repair, I'm leery. If I can justify it by saying their reliability has increased that'd be great.

EDIT: This is what I was going by:

Audi is ranked higher than all Japanese carmakers except Honda and Toyota. When you consider the higher technology and more features that's a fairly decent accomplishment.

[AR_Six]

I feel like it would be more representative to take a 3-5 year average. I'm surprised to see certain companies on that list as high as they are, and a couple lower than expected. In some cases, the release of a new model can push the number up somewhat artificially in a given year, for example.