My point about residual value was this. Lease payments are based on the residual value at the end of the lease. Vehicles with higher residual value can have lower payments. The residual value is based on past experience and expected value at end of the lease. ALG is the most often cited guide and they are experts. Do they miss a little from time to time....sure but they are about as good as it gets.

So my point is that if a vehicle has very poor resale or residual at the 3 yr mark, the dealer is going to want higher lease payments. So resale value does matter to the consumer. Now if the automaker is throwing all kind of money on the car to get those lease payments down it may be another story. Nothing to do with whether one wants to buy the car at lease end or not.

 

That depends on whether the lease is heavily subsidized by the manufacturer. Many of the makers (except Audi) subsidize leases to help move cars. A quick look up shows Kia Sorrento EX at 35 months with 51% residual value, which is honestly not bad, RDX Tech at 54%. If Kia subsidizes heavily their lease may be extremely attractive.

 

"That depends on whether the lease is heavily subsidized by the manufacturer. "

That's why I said if the manufacturer is throwing money on the car it changes the story. But resale value or residual value is one the things that prompt manufacturers to subsidize. If their vehicle's residual value isn't as good as others than they have to subsidize to get lease payments competitive. They don't do it cause they're nice guys.

 

Acura has lost their way imho and until they get back to doing what they used to do best, they are going to suffer

when Acura introduced their first car in the late 80's there was only 1 option, stick or manual, the car came completely loaded

Now there are no less than 4 options for their cars

RDX base FWD
RDX tech FWD
RDX base AWD
RDX tech AWD

and HID are no longer standard...whoa...

their FLAGSHIP now has a FWD option... THE RL should come at 2 price points AWD base or AWD TECH... that's it

the TLX now has an I4... that leave the I4 for the ILX

 

Can you guys stop posting on this thread please. This isn't posted in the right section to begin with. There must be another forum available anyway for all those KIA fanatics.

 

A former RDX owner posted a goodbye. She didn't express any hate or disrespect, just explained her decision. Disagree with her all you want, but it's not your place to stop the debate. Moderators will intervene if they need to. Like all topics, it will play itself out and we'll move on.

 

there is a recall for airbags on many of the car brands-Hyundai and kia are not on the list-Honda, acura are.

 

Better to have a recall than be lied to .

 

Toyota and GM had lots of coverups.

 

Might not wanna go there. It's starting to look like Honda some covering up with the airbag problems. When the dust settles on this recall, Honda's reputation (and financial position) are going to take a pretty big hit.

 

It drives me nuts that so many people buy cars only to trade out of them a year later because they did zero research. "I don't like the ride, there's no tech" Hello? did you fall asleep during the test drive? Did you know Acura has a Tech package? Korean cars are made with cheap components, over time you will spend more money and fixing that Kia than you will care to admit. Good luck getting Kia to service all that warranty too, you will be amazed what is not covered and you will grow tired or carrying that POS back and fourth to the dealer.

 

That's that prejudice coming out again. Modern Korean cars to the export market have come a long way and are exceptionally reliable. I have found that fit and finish (panel gaps and interior materials) aren't up to Audi/Acura/Infiniti/Lexus/MB/BMW standards but then neither is the price.

Where most companies are lacking are in the dealership experience. Many Kia and Hyundai dealerships in my area are run down and the personnel have the mentality that they are selling cheap junk. The same holds true for most GM and Ford dealerships. BMW dealers are snobbish asses who act like they are doing you a big favor by selling you a car.

The dealership experience is what would keep me from buying those cars - not the inherent quality of the cars.

 

have owned numerous hyundais-all of them had very few problems and went over 100K miles. now own a kia with almost 12K miles. very quiet well made vehicle. still happy with my tsx.

 

<--- Scootin' around in a Kia and its pretty well made.


P.s. Also this is a public forum where other people with makes and models are allowed to post opinions.

 

She's rock solid at 35k Miles.
Nothing but oil changes and brakes so far!

 

Brakes already at 35k? Seems very quick to me and somewhat reinforces the "cheap parts" perception. Most brakes on my Acuras/Hondas have gone twice that or more in mileage.

 

is this a dick swinging contest?

 

You have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, do you?

Great point

 

and nj2pa2nc won...

 

Though Honda has the most vehicles affected, I think Takata is the one who will take the big hit on this one. Looks like the media is focusing more and more on them now, since they actually made the faulty airbags.

 

I LOL'd.

We ended up with a Jeep Cherokee, but I like coming over here for the s***s and giggles.

 

Oh, Takata will take a HUGE hit. But it's been reported that Honda was aware of the problem in 2004, yet failed to act until 2008. If preventable deaths resulted from inaction, you can bet this saga will continue for a while, both in the media and the courts -- especially so shortly after the GM ignition switch fiasco. It doesn't help that Honda has a small ownership stake in Takata, either.

The recent Fit recall and quality problems are separate matters, but those issues are getting a lot of attention, too. Multiple topics making headlines at the same time is never a good thing for a company like Honda that historically has done things right. Toyota/Lexus recovered quickly from their issues, so maybe it won't mean much in the long term. Regardless of the financial and/or sales impact, my views of the company will certainly change if there is evidence that safety issues were covered up to save a buck.

 

For me it's all about the brand . Kia and Hyundai I just don't like how they name their vehicle . I still rather lease RDX than sorento is because It's a lease plus rdx is more classier than sorento ...

 

That Kia is a beautiful looking vehicle. Is that a Sportage? I love the looks.

 

I inspected and drove a similar equipped 2015 KIA Sorento, before I purchased my 2015 AWD Tech RDX.


The dealer wanted 2K more for the KIA. It rode harder and had more road noise than a RDX. The KIA did have cooled seats and a few lane departure type toys that dispersed signals that would interfere with my LINDAR laser jammer system and the in grill mounted radar detector.


The lack of similar Acura quality was noticeable in The KIA. No KIA dealer loaner cars were available for service convenience. The KIA Manager was firmly asking 2K more for lower quality and the thought of driving a vehicle with a KIA emblem versus a Acura. Made it a very easy decision for me.


The other night I pulled into a upscale restaurant at the same time that a nice new shiny KIA Sorento did. The KIA was closer to the parking attendant. He walked right past the KIA and opened my door for me and parked my RDX close to the door under the entrance roof. Another car (Lexus) pulled in, the car jockey parked it and left the KIA owner setting. PRICELESS........

 

For what it's worth I have a little to chime on this.


The OP has every right to change, and it's probably gonna be cheaper in interim...


I've driven a 2007 hyundai santé fe, it was purchased at about 87k miles used, and was in pretty darn good shape, the only thing really wrong with it was the cd player wouldn't eject cd's (a problem they've had for YEARS and still have to this day I believe) and that the rear doors would NOt lock or unlock (the power mechanism was shot or locked up)...


After we got it to about 105k miles, things started going..


First the turn signal regulator thingy was shot, it would do fast turn signals, then slow.. quoted about 250 ish to replace..


then the gas guage went.. couldn't tell how much was in a tank (this was about 2 months after the turn signal fiasco). quoted a few hundred or more to fix (up to 600).


It also started having a power steering fluid leak as well which needed to be topped off every few weeks.


then the transmission started slightly hestitating during some shiftings...


Case in point, I believe the that these are good vehicles in the beginning, and probably GREAT to lease, but I also believe after a few years (just outside of warranty) they just start to go part by part.. and this was a 2007 that was approx. 6-7 years old.. not THAT old imo..

 

Id agree and say that Kia (and hyundai) have come a long way, but also have a long way to go. As others have mentioned, fit and finish are still lacking and that's gotta be how they manage costs.

They pushed quantity vs quality on tech IMO. I was in a 2013 (i'm pretty sure) genesis recently and the GPS looks so dated. The rear camera was terrible, though it had the proxim beeping.

And then it's the little things - remote trunk release is terrible. It unlocks but the trunk itself doesn't move so you still need to grab a hold of it. My 05 tsx trunk pops up several inches so u can grab underneath......

At the end of the day, everyone is entitled to like what they like for their own reasons. Congratulations! I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it and that it treats you well.

 

Apparently they have other problems also: U.S. Fines Hyundai, Kia for Overstating Fuel Economy - WSJ - WSJ

"South Korean auto makers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. agreed to pay a combined penalty of $300 million for overstating fuel-economy claims, the largest such punishment ever, in a settlement that could create a pricey precedent for other car companies."