Mark Lue

In that case, +1 for the Lexus it's the way to go. The MDX would be good too, if she can get past the "Transformers" styling.

Hot Oil

The 2011 Lincoln MKX, if you can find one. You will probably have to order one.

Bob

Bergamasco

It seems that the Lexus RX350 leads in the "bang for the buck" department with Acura in a very close second place. BMW seems to be as close as one can get to a sports car while wearing all the clothing of a SUV although Porsche and VW are challengers in that arena. I haven't had a close enough look at the Range Rover and Mercedes products yet.

p987yow

After looking for a replacement for our '01 Disco II, we purchased an '10 X5d - it's awesome and gets great mileage - 9.2 hwy. We did look at the RX350, Q7 - found the first one un-engaging and the second too big. We like the HSE Sport, but the Land Rover service in Ottawa is not great and far from our house. Couldn't get my spouse to look at the Tourag. I think this is a great value vehicle when compared to the P-SUV.

Bergamasco

p987yow - What engine did you get? I am assuming the 6 rather than 8 cyl.

pongobaz

I've driven all of the SUVs mentioned on both road and a test track (part of my job) so at the risk of offending many, here is my take on them.
The new Cayenne is terrific and with 400 lbs of weight reduction vs the last generation, it is a lot more nimble and goes like stink. Fit and finish is exemplary as is the interior styling. A word of caution with it, everything is a la carte. Many of the standard features of some of the other mentioned SUVs are options and you can easily add $40K to the base price getting it equipped similarly to some of it's competition. But if price is no object, go for it. The Cayenne S Hybrid is really, really good and you'll forget that it's a hybrid within 10 mins of driving it. But the battery and emotor components add most of the lost weight back.
The X5 is nice too, but it doesn't feel as nimble or as luxurious as a loaded Porsche. Same goes for the ML. Benz has some very aggressive pricing and leasing options available right now, so I would take a look at them for sure.
Audi Q7 is a beast and if you need lots of room, it's probably the way to go; it feels very big and I felt like I was piloting a small school bus in it.
I wouldn't even consider a Lexus RX350...BORING! It's based on the Toyota Camry platform and provides all the thrill and excitement of that gem. It's designed for senior citizens and soccer moms who care not one whit about performance. Maybe when I'm in my 80s I'll find some appeal with that brand.
Acura: generally speaking, I don't consider that brand as "luxury" anymore. Premium yes, but not luxury. It's rarely if ever included in competitive comparisons with the other manufacturers.

Range Rover Sport: on the track after 2 laps I was getting motion sickness while driving! It's big, it's boxy, and it rolls from side to side like the good ship lollypop and it's probably terrific in the off-road department, but it's not for me.
The new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is certainly leaps and bounds better than the generation it replaces and handles way better, but I found the materials used inside still felt cheap compared to the imports. Fiat needs to exorcise the Chrysler cost cuttings habits in the consumer touch point areas. I think like Acura, the Jeep is more of a premium vehicle rather than a luxury SUV. I would apply that reasoning to all the domestic offerings as well.

So what did I go for for the family truckster? Infiniti FX. If you want a hot rod the FX50 S is great with a 390 hp V8, 7 sp auto and every conceivable luxury and convenience feature you can imagine and some you didn't know even existed. Built on the sports car FM architecture (GTR, G37) it's a hoot to drive. We went for the more modest 2010 FX35 with "only" 302 hp (same 7 sp as the 50) with both option pkgs ticked off (Navi and Technology) so it has every conceivable option available. As I said, I really love the new Cayenne, but once I spec'd out a V6 and equipped it like a loaded FX35, the lease payments was going to be $450 more a month. Sorry, but that's like another car payment just to cover the options! This is our second FX (had a 2007) and it was the most reliable vehicle we've ever owned and anytime we had it in for scheduled service, a new Infiniti was our loaner, not a domestic rental POS.

spender

Lexus made its name and its early fortune on the RX series. Also, these are made in Canada (designed in California and engineered in Japan, though). My wife wants one.

porsche0nut

In addition to Phil's comments about the FX, the exhaust note of the infiniti is fantastic!

It's been mentioned that the Q7 is nice but very large... what about a Q5?

petee_c

Bergamasco,

Does your neighbor have young kids? Cause in my experience with our 2 kids, - once the interior gets covered with snotty kleenexes, ground in Cheerios, Teddy Grahams, Smarties, Granola bars, misc sticky liquids, it really doesn't matter what luxury brand you get.

Each spring, I shopvac out enough cereal out of the back seat of our CRV to feed a 3rd world nation for a week.

P

boman993

The "D" has one power plant; 3.0L TT i6 diesel.

Bergamasco

Phil: Thanks a heap that is a really detailed account of your experiences with these vehicles and much appreciated. I will do some serious checking up on the Infiniti and pass this on to my friend.
Petee_C - My friend has no kids.
PorscheOnut - Yes I wondered about the Q5. No one has said anything about it yet? Is that significant?

pongobaz

The Q5 is very nice too, but quite a bit smaller inside than most on the list. I like it, but it would be too tight for 4 of us on a driving holiday.
Glen,
Also with Infiniti, the standard warranty is 4 years 100,000 km vs 80,000 with others.

Psycho Sid

+1 on the FX!

Great write up!
That said, I'd still go for the Cayenne (if I was a woman ), it's more feminine and a loaded V6 goes for the same as an FX50 (most women don't care that much about the power).
The Porsche tag is just more prestigious (even if it is a V6)

BTW the renderings for the new Cajun look pretty good too...

pongobaz

Thanks!

Yup the P-car crest has more brand value, but it's still a significant price spread between a fully loaded, every option possible FX50 S ($74,770 incl Freight PDI) and a similarly equipped Cayenne V6 ($93,580 incl Freight PDI). I really did a lot of soul searching on that one in the summer, but $20K is $20K (actually more like $35K with the FX35). If the delta hadn't been that significant, I would have gone for the Cayenne V6. But I'd rather have the extra cash for the next Porsche track car.

1 PGH 1

We've had one of the Lexus RXs. It has great fit and finish, very comfortable supple leather seats, is whisper quiet and can be optioned with a fantastic sound system. It does a remarkable job of isolating passengers from the world around them, so as Phil says anything but a driver's car. Some women I know however see that as a big plus in a car.

Happily, my wife does enjoy driving so she was open to looking at the FX50, which she has since had for two years. (ok, ok I may have had some influence on the 50 vs the 35). Would agree with all Phil said. Plus, when you get on that 390 hp it will run with a Cayenne S. My wife normally wouldn't care about that. But she is in her vehicle a lot - 90k in two years - and takes great comfort knowing that when she wants to get around a truck, get past some jerk or get into a spot in the traffic ahead ... she just does. So the FX (35 or 50) should at least be on her list to check out.

My wife has also had an XC90 - solid and safe, but bland and uninspiring as well.