To start off I currently drive a mainstream brand but am looking at a luxury brand for my next vehicle.

I had to bring my vehicle in for service because of a broken spring. The manufacturer is doing a recall on this part but it has just been announced and the dealers are not prepared for it yet. While my dealer is fixing my part for free I am noticing the mainstream experience vs. luxury experience. 1st off all they don't do loaners. I have a rental car but I have to pay for it myself since it was my choice to rent for 3 days instead of bringing my vehicle back when the part arrived. The service area supports 4 major mean stream brands for the Auto Mall and had candy machines and free coffee. It was not luxurious by any means. They support everything from a 12k car to vehicles in the 50-60k range. So far the service rep has been very good and I expect my vehicle to be fixed in a good fashion but I think the service experience is probably worth a 1-2k difference in price on my next car. I have been eyeing the RDX and Lexus NX. I compare them to the Jeep Cherokee and Hyundai Santa Fe Sport. All are nice vehicles but I think if the vehicles are similar all around for my needs and options then 1-2k more for the Acura or Lexus may be worth it. The Hyundai is very appealing because of its powerful engine and better warranty but it is still.... a Hyundai.

While NX pricing is not available yet here is top of the line pricing for the Cherokee, Santa Fe Sport, and RDX:
RDX tech AWD- $38577 invoice
Cherokee Limited AWD with stronger engine with options - $33905 invoice
Santa Fe Sport AWD with options - $35856 invoice

 

I have a 14 Cherokee limited...V6 with comfort and luxury packages. I only needed 4x2 as its for my wife and we live in So Cal...but its was about 32,6...I got it via true car/usaa for 26g as a lease.

Its a luxury car...and I didn't even get the tech package (blind spot, laser cruise)

It has perforated leather seats (good quality leather) that cooled and heated (heated steering wheel, too), 2 memory seat settings, that can also be slaved to individual key fobs. Has the comfy access where the seat backs out away from the wheel when the vehicle is off. Dash is made out of nice soft materials, with nice textures elsewhere.

keyless remote start, keyless entry (fob stays in pocket) dual zone climate, most of the car is controlled via the 8.4" Uconnect that is very intuitive and responsive. HD radio, Sirius XM, home link, auto dimming mirror, HID head lights, LED driving lights, LED door/flood lights for night time. Very fun to drive. The exhaust note on the 3.2 is quite nice. And the vehicle has some power with 270hp. Pretty decent on gas...avging 19-20 per tank with majority of city driving. SD card slot, Aux input, USB port, etc

etc etc etc....everything about this vehicle is a luxury car. And I would pick it over the RDX, the Santa Fe (which I looked at and did not like) and the NX...which I think will be underpowered...but it definitely does stand out in a crowd. The NX might be the only vehicle I would have interest in on your list.

I would also look at the SRX.

But dollar for deal...you can't beat the Cherokee.

 

Other than a loaner, don't expect much more from an Acura dealer than a Honda dealer. Well, you can probably snag some water bottles with "Acura" logos and cookies, but...

If you are looking for a service experience, look for a Lexus. It certainly isn't where I would put weight in a car search, but to each their own.

 

Here's what I notice it since I work for a dealership that has Infiniti, Ford, and Kia. Our building is brand new (Infiniti) but just the atmosphere/decor feels much more upscale than the other building, from the lighting, to floors, to just the layout. Infiniti has a central wood-floor walkway with tile floors and four vehicles on each side and offices for the salesmen and managers are off to the side. In the other building, the cars are pretty much scattered in the showroom, as are the desks for salesmen to use. For service, the other building has a door you drive through, and there are offices in a 'fishbowl' style in the middle of the area. The shop area is off to the side, which customers can see and hear, with the customer waiting area as another windowed room. In Infiniti, there is a drive-through area where you drive in, meet with a service advisor whose offices are right there, then you can either go to the lounge or take a loaner, which is something Ford and Kia do not have. The shop is in another part of the building that customers are never exposed to. As opposed to the lounge for Ford and Kia, Infiniti has an area off the showroom, with stuff like couches as opposed to chairs, flat screen TV, Starbucks coffee, and a built-in fridge with water and soda instead of vending machines. Also, Infiniti has guys who hand wash cars when they are there for service, which the other building has an automatic system that the cars are driven through. When people buy a car, Infiniti has a dedicated indoor room to have the car ready for when finance is completed, then I'm the dedicated person to go over the features in the car so people know what everything does. For the other building, the salesmen do it outside with the customer, day or night, summer or winter. Not sure if its considered a big or small deal, but Ford and Kia does not have a receptionist/waiting area, while Infiniti does and she does bake cookies for customers every day.

 

i can now see what Sarlacc was saying.

This is getting redundant.

 

I was actually going to call this another dead horse thread...except he has a specific question regrading 4 specific cars he is looking at getting. So, there is actually a point to this thread. I think.

 

you know where this is heading though right?

And you are only interested because Cherokee is one of the choices

 

duh

 

My expectations from any dealer is

1. Honest
2. Quality work
3. Competitive pricing

My Acura/Subaru dealer (one in the same) delivers on the above and they even give me a loaner when they do any work that will take longer than a day. I have been using them for nearly 9 years now and I am extremely satisfied with them.

The Cherokee may have a stronger engine but it NEEDS it to pull that SIGNIFICANT amount of extra heft around. The RDX is very quick but IMHO the Jeep is nicer on the inside...