Here is the post from my first day. After my first day of Luxury SUV shopping, I changed my mind about what I wanted. I was really all set on having a 5 seater and then realized, that with 5 of us in the family, there was no room for an extra friend! I was all set on the Porsche Cayenne, but sadly…it only seats 5!
BMW X5 : I wrote about this on the first day of shopping, but went back to drive it. It was a blast to drive! What I really liked about it was that it was sporty, not huge feeling, drove like a dream, had storage where a tire in the tire well would usually go (you don’t need spare tires with their tire). Though the third row would not be comfortable for anyone for a long journey, it still gives me extra seating if I need it. A finalist!
Acura MDX : Again, I wrote about this on the first day of shopping, but went back to drive it. I wish I could say I loved it, as economically it makes the most sense. It was plenty roomy, drove like my former Odyssey, had many bells and whistles… but I still could not get past the Mommy van similarity on the exterior.
Infiniti JX35: This is a 2013 and Infiniti’s first smaller SUV with 7 seats. Fun to drive, lots of bells and whistles, great towing capability. The only thing I did not like is that it was not exactly easy to manipulate the 3rd row. Plenty roomy, sporty…a finalist!
Volvo XC90 : Plenty roomy, cool exterior lights. They only had a base model in (did not get a full feel of the bells and whistles). Not real fun to drive or much pep.
Range Rover Sport: I thought this was a great ride. Though overly expensive, I had a blast with it. Huge interior, big engine, bells and whistles a plenty. They only offer a 5 seater so they are not in the running. It lowered and I really liked that feature, so I did not have to jump in it.
Audi Q7: My neighbor loves hers, so hubby prompted me to go give it a try. I headed to the dealership on 2 occasions and they did not have one to drive. I finally got to look at one and the center “bump” on the floor of the second seat (I am sure there is some technical name) was so big, the middle passenger would have to straddle. It has 7 seats but I could not get past the hump. Nope – will not work for me.
Lexus GX: This vehicle did not miss a beat in the luxury department. I called this, “A luxury couch on wheels.” It has a V8, so plenty of power, quiet, huge 2nd row and 3rd row. Press a button to lower and raise 3rd row seats and to get into 3rd row was a HUGE love. The few things that keep me from wanting it are: I am a little sportier and though this would be nice for long rides, not great for hopping around on errands or to meet clients while kids are at school. It was higher than I liked to jump into and shorty me in a dress and heels had to make quite an effort to get in (would be nice if it really lowered). The third row could be a bit of a problem as the read seats when raised, went right up to the back of the tailgate. This left zero for storage room if holding 7 passengers, though they would be very comfy.
Cadillac SRX: I had no idea how much I would love this vehicle. Roomy, fun to drive, every bell and whistle, but sadly…only 5 seats.
I have left all this to hubby to make the final buying decision. I really wanted a used car, but the Infiniti is the 2013. A used BMW X5 will cost about the same and it is hard to find a used 7 seater. If you are reading this for shopping purposes, good luck and I hope it helped!
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