Thanks! And, no I am not just interested in the badge. I want all the goodies. I did sit in a Q5 at Carmax today, it was an older one, 2014 Q5 "Premium Plus" 40,000 miles $25,998. I wasn't overly impressed, but wouldn't but a 2014 anyway. Was getting a quote on my trade so when I get down to negotiating, I at least have a valid figure that I KNOW I can get for it.

 

Planning on a 3 year lease? I guess OP is getting an Audi then...

 

Audi's are fun to drive but not fun to maintain. Lease only.

 

Times are changing.

 

 

For better or worse? The 2018 Q5 is a new model and now assembled in Mexico. I personally wouldn't buy a 2018 as a long term vehicle.

 

They are very nice. We looked at the 2018 It didn't have adaptive cruise: a deal breaker for me. Audi charges $250 to $300 for an oil change on a Q5.

 

You're looking at north of $50K well equipped. Options add up really quickly.

 

I think I read that Lexus charges $300-500 for an oil change.


There's going to be a lot of cars that never had oil changes for sale later on...


Meanwhile, $40 gets my oil changed, at the dealer.

 

Adaptive cruise is awesome in traffic. Really??? In 2018???

 

Not necessarily true at all. I just have a problem with their corporate ethics. Or rather, lack of corporate ethics.

 

An Audi would not make a good daily long-term if you weren't into the dealer's waiting room, or your money, among other things. They may not be horrible, but will require tons of maintenance and regular repairs quite frequenty, if cared for, can still last though. Drove a 2010 VW with 180K miles and it drove like new, so it's possible. Just takes some extra commitment!

 

We put nearly 90k miles on a 2012 Q5 without a single mechanical issue. I negotiated Audi Care into the deal, so I didn't even pay for an oil change until the 55k mile service. Free loaners meant I only saw the service waiting room if I wanted to. That car didn't have a single rattle when we traded it. As I've said numerous times, it was the best car we've ever owned, and we've owned a lot. If it weren't for Dieselgate spoiling the relationship, there'd be an A7 in the garage right now. Audi's move toward all touchscreen controls is making the breakup a little easier to take. I still miss my [pre-fix] Touareg TDI at times though. Probably always will.

 

Glad to see an Audi success story!

 

Rumor has it there's one or two similar stories out there, too.

 

Nothings wrong with that.

 

If you read back a couple pages, you'll see that Audi is ahead of Acura in reliability ratings lately. The Q5 is their most reliable vehicle.

 

That's incorrect. I believe you are referring to their service schedule maintenance costs. Ex: a 2018 LS500 20k service costs $240 at a dealer near me. That includes synthetic oil and filter replacement, plus tire rotation and cabin filter. It does not include what they find in their "free" vehicle inspection, though. The cost goes up at different maintenance schedules. 60k is $565. That said, the only people that actually follow their schedules are people that don't know much about cars.

 

I know at least two Q5s requiring major mechanical repairs around 60k miles and another who owns both MDX and Q7. Raves about his MDX reliability but shuts up about his Audi. Who knows, maybe Audi has improved over last couple of years but new Q5 design, new plant, no thanks

 

 

Today's the day! Taking my wife with me to dealers. Wish me luck!

I really appreciate all the great discussion here!
What a wonder full group of people! Imagine a dedicated brand forum, where there are insightful and thoughtful recommendations/discussions of several other brands, and no fighting! AMAZING! If the experience I have had so far on this forum is any indication of the satisfaction I would have if I buy the RDX, my decision would be a no-brainer!

Thank you all!

I will report back when make the final decision.

 

Actual owners seem to pretty happy with the build quality: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-...ality-2963449/

Oh, and I found an oil change coupon for full synthetic for $50: https://www.audinorthmiami.com/oil-change-special.htm

As I posted earlier, the biggest issue I see with comparing the Q5 and the RDX is value. At the 5 year mark, the value of the RDX surpasses that of a comparably equipped Q5. There is a $10k price difference when new. I really love the new RDX and think it compares well against the Q5 and X3.

I've never owned a German vehicle, but they appear to have greatly improved quality over the past few years and I would not be afraid to own one. I think a lot of you have not followed them recently and are just going off past history. Kind of like the disdain many here have for the Korean brands. Competition is a good thing for us, the consumer.

 

FYI, the latest Consumer Reports article indicates that Acura's (ranked 13th) least reliable car is the MDX.

 

Good luck with whatever you end up with! You're definitely welcome to stick around even if you don't end up with an RDX. Many members here don't even own Acuras anymore lol.

I wish we'd stop holding on to stuff from a decade ago when Audi's were shit and Acuras were reliable. Times have dramatically changed.

 

To be fair you can ask most MDX owners and they will tell you about their transmission failing or burning excessive amounts of oil. It's pretty common and we kind of overlook it because it's an otherwise solid vehicle.

 

 

 

 

Update:

Spent the day with wife, son and daughter in law, car shopping Saturday.

Drove Cadillac XT4, it's out.
3 main reasons:
1) While we all were impressed with the car, my son is 6'3", and didn't fit in the rear...his head hit the roof , he actually had to slouch down to fit. (moon roof equipped vehicle).
2) The electronic shifter is VERY UN intuitive. One could learn it,, but in a sudden need to change from D to R, or similar, it is very awkward.
(EDIT: copy/paste from an XT4 Forum: 1) (Credit Felton10)After a month of driving my XT4-still trying to get used to the shifter patterns on the car. Old habits of 50+ years are hard to break, but don't see why the new way the shifter works is an advantage. The old pattern that every other car I have owned worked fine-why change it. My wife drove my car for the first time yesterday. Now granted this is someone who doesn't like to drive on high speed highways, in the rain or in the dark, so I have to take what she says with a grain of salt. But if I wasn't in the car, I doubt she could have figured out how to put the car in reverse to get it out of the garage. 2) (credit jbernieth) "It is pretty screwy for sure.. my wife was pointed slightly nose downhill the other day and about 2 feet away from a wall.. because of the different pattern she put it into neutral instead of reverse.. foot off the brake, give it some gas and roll forward into the wall... by the time she realized something was wrong and hit the brake she'd already hit the wall.. good news was she wasn't far from the wall so there was just a little scuff"..
3) The rear wiper is mounted at the top of rear glass, and is housed in a black box that is very visible in the rear view mirror, and blocks the top of the view to the rear through the mirror. VERY poos=r engineering.
4) Its a GM vehicle, and a first year one at that!

Stopped at Audi, we didn't drive the Q5,. While some of us thought it was nice, it seemed to be priced a bit more then my target range. And I'm concerned about maintenance costs etc. I've never really been a fan of the German brands for several reasons. We didn't get a warm welcome from the dealer, and left without really getting to speak with anyone.

MB was never on my list.

Lincoln Nautilus: while a very nice luxurious ride, I took it off my list last week. Very nice vehicle, but basically an upgraded Ford Edge... poor resale value, and low Residual Value makes it expensive to lease. Perhaps better purchased as a one year old vehicle, but, not new. Previous year was named MKX, and wasn't offered with the 2.0 L Turbo engine, which I would want. So not looking for a 1 year old Lincoln now.

Stopped by Lexus, just to look...wanted wife's and son's opinions, but I had already basically taken the NX off my list. The RX, while a really nice Lux vehicle, was over $60,000 MSRP for less features than the RDX offers at ~$46K MSRP. Lexus does have excellent reliability and resale values. RX doesn't offer kick to open and close tailgate which is almost a requirement for me. NX does, but NX feels a generation old, which it is. NX is "similarly" priced to RDX, NO possibility of Android Auto, and just feels way out of date. Possible next gen in 2020???

RDX, (purposely the last dealer we stopped at) All liked it very much, All agreed it was the best choice out of all we had seen and discussed. Didn't buy yet, but will do some negotiating this week for one, when I am not with the group.

Getting VERY close to becoming an RDX owner, as it is now my top choice! I want the Advance package, with parchment interior, which limits me to white or red exterior i believe. Several white ones around, but no red, which would be my first choice, ...I am not against white, just prefer the red.

 

Interesting observations. I felt like the RX was the one that needed a change as it's current form has been around since 2016. I didn't feel like the NX was outdated as I just leased an F-Sport. It came out in 2015 but was refreshed in 2018. I don't think there will be a new one in 2020 as Toyota tends to stretch out their model redesigns. My main reasons for the Lexus were a considerably better price due to discounts, lease incentives/rates, reliability and quiet ride . Along with the look of the F-Sport. The one I leased has all the options of the RDX Advance.

I really liked the RDX. If only the Advance had the A-Spec package. I liked the look of the A-Spec but not the Advance and the A-Spec interior noise level was just too loud. That and I'd be paying nearly MSRP in my area coupled with terrible lease rates it just put the price too high for my liking.

But like you've done, when you find the one you like you'll know it. No matter what people tell you.

 

Thanks for the recap, JB. Interesting to read about your experiences and impressions.

DWG

 

Very true.....you know when its the right car. Back in the end of Oct I was offered 44500 for the Advance from Pohanka Acura in VA.....And I think someone else got it around 44 or maybe a bit less.....Sometimes a long drive can save you some $$$$$$

 

Like you said, when you find the one you like, you'll know.

The current NX (revealed in April 2014, as a 2015 model, with "mid cycle updates" since) is based on the last generation Toyota RAV4 (2012-2018) Although, it is almost impossible to tell, as it bares very little resemblance to the Toyota. Lexus did a very good job of making it a true Lexus. My comment on the likely redesign in 2020 is purely speculation, and is based on the fact that the RAV4 was redesigned for 2019, on a new platform and I suspect the NX will follow . My crystal ball isn't working today, however!

I didn't care for the touch pad Lexus uses, I found the Acura one much easier to use. Also, never any ability to get Android Auto in the Lexus, where we have a "promise" that it will come to the RDX. No panoramic moon roof.

Positives for me on the NX:
-Availability of the Hybrid engine
-Kick to open/close tailgate
-Lexus reliability and resale value (but resale value, and residual value, is less on NX than RX)


BTW, NX stands for "Nimble Crossover")

 

I know, I actually considered buying out of state and contacted some dealers but I've got a full time job and two little kids. Just too much of a hassle. In the end it's just a vehicle. I ended up getting a fantastic deal on the NX anyway. Lexus finance and lease rates/incentives are really good right now.

 

I spent quite a long time test driving and agonizing over what to buy. Plusses and minuses to all the brands. I agree on the Lexus touch pad but after a month and tweaking the settings I have no issues with it.
Not sure on the resale or residual vs RX but the 3 year residual on the lease is very favorable. So I could buy it after 3 years at under market or turn it in for an RDX.

Yes, the pano roof is the one thing I wish it had.

 

 

Excellent write up JB, I'm really looking forward to your reports when you get your new car. It's good to know your son had adequate headroom in the rear seat as some reviewers have mentioned that it was a little tighter there than some of the competitors.

 

You read wrong may friend...oil changes on a Lexus are no different than that on an Infiniti or an Acura. If someone stated that and actually paid that than shame on them!

 

I really like the bronze with the parchment too. I've all but decided on an RDX Advanced but my wife insists on looking at the MDX too, so we'll be back at an Acura dealer this week or next.

 

If you're interested in leasing, an MDX will end up being cheaper than an RDX.