rcawood
08-10-04, 05:08 PM
As I have posted in another thread (05 SRX 4 Days Old 1,500 Miles – Observations) we recently purchased a 2005 V6 AWD SRX with all options other than tow package and Ultraview Plus (over the third row). See that earlier thread for my Pros and Cons of the SRX. The SRX is my wife’s vehicle and the purchase process/evaluations stretched over 6 months (off and on).
We considered several vehicles and I believe we could have purchased any one of those vehicles and been very happy. It is definitely a matter of small degrees in the current automotive market which I believe to be uniformly excellent. However, the SRX was the clear winner for us and is definitely the best fit for what we need.
One rule I learned when buying my Miata (vs. a Mini Cooper) is that it is imperative to test drive vehicles back to back. Back to back drives have almost always made it very clear which is the right vehicle for me. Sherry was ready to sign up both the Touareg and RX330 before doing back to back drives with the SRX (even though she had previously driven an SRX).
Touareg (V6)
Very close contender for us. We drove several Touaregs and had one for a 24-hour period.
Pros
Fantastic interior. By far the nicest compared to any competitor and I believe one of the best at any price.
Very nice exterior (possibly my favorite although certainly somewhat ordinary/traditional compared to the SRX)
I really like VW’s and own an 03 GTI VR6. VW’s have a great “feel”.
Great offroad ability and towing capacity (7,700 pounds) – these were not primary factors for us.
Not possible to transport 5 people for any real distance (SRX’s third row is not great but is does make this kind of trip possible for us).
Some very good incentive dollars
Cons
V6 while very smooth is very slow compared to the SRX V6. However, we could have lived with the performance level.
Reliability – based on my research I think this is one of the more problematic vehicles that has been introduced in recent years. It did not help that our 24-hour VW exhibited many of the well documented problems.
Quirks – the VW has some annoying “features” such as a seat belt chime that goes off with the vehicle in park if you are not belted and a hatch that is not unlocked when the rest of the vehicle is unlocked.
Air suspension while nice, is no match for the SRX’s magnetic ride control on the road.
Antiquated CD based Nav system at the bargain basement price of $2,600 (includes rear mounted 6 disc CD changer). Nav only shows street name you are on – no surrounding street names. If we had purchased the Touareg we would not have bought the NAV. Rear mounted CD changer is inconvenient.
Definitely a much lower toy count vs. the SRX’s DVD Nav, Rear DVD and Ultraview sunroof.
However, all the pros and cons aside what it really came down to was the driving experience. The Touareg feels like a truck (at least compared to the SRX) from both a driving position and handling standpoint. The SRX is significantly more fun to drive, has better handling and rides better (particularly with the magnetic ride control). The SRX V6 significantly out muscles the VW V6 (the SRX V6 is even quicker than the Touareg V8 per Car & Driver). And as a bonus the Ulraview actually gives you a quasi-convertible experience.
RX330
One of Sherry’s favorites and she could have easily purchased this one. I never really warmed up to it. We both think it is by far the ugliest of the bunch outside. It is the only one with exterior styling that we actually disliked. Sherry really liked the interior but I was not overly fond of its look.
Pros:
Sherry loved the power liftgate
Great feeling leather
Best middle seat comfort (2nd row) with flat floor (the VW and SRX middle seat is only usable for very short trips)
Good driving position/forward visibility for Sherry (vs. the SRX’s high window sills – something I really dislike)
Cons:
Not much wrong with the Lexus, it just wasn’t better than the SRX at much of anything including quietness. With better styling Sherry may have bought this one (particularly if we had ordered it with the extra large sunroof – none on the lots). I preferred the SRX by a good bit. I also preferred the Touareg to the RX330 although it again gets outclassed for convenience/luxury touches.
Acura MDX
Definitely the nosiest and most truck feeling (driving position) of the bunch. It was the only one that gave me a little bit of the high “tippy” feeling. Sherry likes the sitting very high feel so she liked the driving feel much better than I. It felt like a clear step down compared to the SRX, Touareg and RX330 (probably primarily because of the higher noise level). Very nice middle console with good storage. Pretty good middle seat in the 2nd row (like the RX330). Decent 3rd row comfort. Many people find the styling bland but I like it (I like the exterior looks of the Pilot better). Honda has a way of making things that just feel very functional – I really like that aspect but again I think the Pilot probably pulls it off better (the Pilot was not considered due to a lack of safety features). If the Pilot had the requisite safety features it would have on our list and may have won over the SRX strictly from a value perspective (it is significantly less expensive). All in all the MDX is a very nice vehicle but definitely not the right one for me (closer for Sherry).
Chevy Suburban & Tahoe
These were the value picks. Could have gotten either of these for a very attractive price. I doubt most people are cross shopping these but for us it really came down to the SRX or Tahoe (spend the bucks or not). Completely different experience from the others here. Very nice driving (a to b) vehicles and I love the 5.3 liter engine. Not a sporting bone to be found. At the end of the day if you want space, good comfort and are looking to cruise the interstate I think these vehicles pull it off very well. We just did not need the jumbo size and I wanted something with some cool features that was also fun to drive.
We considered other vehicles but none to the extent of the above:
ML350 – to old, frame/truck based, don’t like the exterior, price, reliability, I can’t believe the instrument cluster (look at it in isolation and tell me my 97 Cavalier’s isn’t nicer). Fairly negative reviews regarding the driving experience so we ultimately didn’t bother even driving one. I’m sure the new one will be very nice.
X5 – to pricey, reliability, small, I think the interior looks cheap. We did not drive one, although I am pretty sure I would like the driving experience.
Pacifica – I liked a lot about this vehicle but the engine really lets it down. It just does not feel or sound premium.
XC90 – We really should have looked at this one harder as Sherry has always liked it. The SRX was firmly in first place when we stopped by the Volvo dealer. We were in a hurry, they did an horrible job of attending to us (kept us waiting while a salesman closed a deal while the normal “pack” hung around outside and smoked). We left and never bothered to go back. I doubt seriously it could have swayed us from the SRX given its powertrain choices and reputation as a non-sporty driver.
Anyway those are my views. The SRX was a pretty clear choice for me (probably not as much of a decisive winner for Sherry). We are very pleased after the first 1,800 miles.
We considered several vehicles and I believe we could have purchased any one of those vehicles and been very happy. It is definitely a matter of small degrees in the current automotive market which I believe to be uniformly excellent. However, the SRX was the clear winner for us and is definitely the best fit for what we need.
One rule I learned when buying my Miata (vs. a Mini Cooper) is that it is imperative to test drive vehicles back to back. Back to back drives have almost always made it very clear which is the right vehicle for me. Sherry was ready to sign up both the Touareg and RX330 before doing back to back drives with the SRX (even though she had previously driven an SRX).
Touareg (V6)
Very close contender for us. We drove several Touaregs and had one for a 24-hour period.
Pros
Fantastic interior. By far the nicest compared to any competitor and I believe one of the best at any price.
Very nice exterior (possibly my favorite although certainly somewhat ordinary/traditional compared to the SRX)
I really like VW’s and own an 03 GTI VR6. VW’s have a great “feel”.
Great offroad ability and towing capacity (7,700 pounds) – these were not primary factors for us.
Not possible to transport 5 people for any real distance (SRX’s third row is not great but is does make this kind of trip possible for us).
Some very good incentive dollars
Cons
V6 while very smooth is very slow compared to the SRX V6. However, we could have lived with the performance level.
Reliability – based on my research I think this is one of the more problematic vehicles that has been introduced in recent years. It did not help that our 24-hour VW exhibited many of the well documented problems.
Quirks – the VW has some annoying “features” such as a seat belt chime that goes off with the vehicle in park if you are not belted and a hatch that is not unlocked when the rest of the vehicle is unlocked.
Air suspension while nice, is no match for the SRX’s magnetic ride control on the road.
Antiquated CD based Nav system at the bargain basement price of $2,600 (includes rear mounted 6 disc CD changer). Nav only shows street name you are on – no surrounding street names. If we had purchased the Touareg we would not have bought the NAV. Rear mounted CD changer is inconvenient.
Definitely a much lower toy count vs. the SRX’s DVD Nav, Rear DVD and Ultraview sunroof.
However, all the pros and cons aside what it really came down to was the driving experience. The Touareg feels like a truck (at least compared to the SRX) from both a driving position and handling standpoint. The SRX is significantly more fun to drive, has better handling and rides better (particularly with the magnetic ride control). The SRX V6 significantly out muscles the VW V6 (the SRX V6 is even quicker than the Touareg V8 per Car & Driver). And as a bonus the Ulraview actually gives you a quasi-convertible experience.
RX330
One of Sherry’s favorites and she could have easily purchased this one. I never really warmed up to it. We both think it is by far the ugliest of the bunch outside. It is the only one with exterior styling that we actually disliked. Sherry really liked the interior but I was not overly fond of its look.
Pros:
Sherry loved the power liftgate
Great feeling leather
Best middle seat comfort (2nd row) with flat floor (the VW and SRX middle seat is only usable for very short trips)
Good driving position/forward visibility for Sherry (vs. the SRX’s high window sills – something I really dislike)
Cons:
Not much wrong with the Lexus, it just wasn’t better than the SRX at much of anything including quietness. With better styling Sherry may have bought this one (particularly if we had ordered it with the extra large sunroof – none on the lots). I preferred the SRX by a good bit. I also preferred the Touareg to the RX330 although it again gets outclassed for convenience/luxury touches.
Acura MDX
Definitely the nosiest and most truck feeling (driving position) of the bunch. It was the only one that gave me a little bit of the high “tippy” feeling. Sherry likes the sitting very high feel so she liked the driving feel much better than I. It felt like a clear step down compared to the SRX, Touareg and RX330 (probably primarily because of the higher noise level). Very nice middle console with good storage. Pretty good middle seat in the 2nd row (like the RX330). Decent 3rd row comfort. Many people find the styling bland but I like it (I like the exterior looks of the Pilot better). Honda has a way of making things that just feel very functional – I really like that aspect but again I think the Pilot probably pulls it off better (the Pilot was not considered due to a lack of safety features). If the Pilot had the requisite safety features it would have on our list and may have won over the SRX strictly from a value perspective (it is significantly less expensive). All in all the MDX is a very nice vehicle but definitely not the right one for me (closer for Sherry).
Chevy Suburban & Tahoe
These were the value picks. Could have gotten either of these for a very attractive price. I doubt most people are cross shopping these but for us it really came down to the SRX or Tahoe (spend the bucks or not). Completely different experience from the others here. Very nice driving (a to b) vehicles and I love the 5.3 liter engine. Not a sporting bone to be found. At the end of the day if you want space, good comfort and are looking to cruise the interstate I think these vehicles pull it off very well. We just did not need the jumbo size and I wanted something with some cool features that was also fun to drive.
We considered other vehicles but none to the extent of the above:
ML350 – to old, frame/truck based, don’t like the exterior, price, reliability, I can’t believe the instrument cluster (look at it in isolation and tell me my 97 Cavalier’s isn’t nicer). Fairly negative reviews regarding the driving experience so we ultimately didn’t bother even driving one. I’m sure the new one will be very nice.
X5 – to pricey, reliability, small, I think the interior looks cheap. We did not drive one, although I am pretty sure I would like the driving experience.
Pacifica – I liked a lot about this vehicle but the engine really lets it down. It just does not feel or sound premium.
XC90 – We really should have looked at this one harder as Sherry has always liked it. The SRX was firmly in first place when we stopped by the Volvo dealer. We were in a hurry, they did an horrible job of attending to us (kept us waiting while a salesman closed a deal while the normal “pack” hung around outside and smoked). We left and never bothered to go back. I doubt seriously it could have swayed us from the SRX given its powertrain choices and reputation as a non-sporty driver.
Anyway those are my views. The SRX was a pretty clear choice for me (probably not as much of a decisive winner for Sherry). We are very pleased after the first 1,800 miles.