Probably not as good as BMW or Mercedes. Like I said before, they just don't subsidize their leases as much. It makes more sense to just buy an Audi (or Porsche).
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Probably not as good as BMW or Mercedes. Like I said before, they just don't subsidize their leases as much. It makes more sense to just buy an Audi (or Porsche).
I'd think most would be interested in 825 with $15-20K down. But as I said, not interested in Audi, even it's becoming the next Lexus in terms of reliability. Just want the Dad Wagon TM. If I can ever get rid of this GL. It'd be nice if it was simple to smuggle in new airbags. I actually quite like the A7 and A8 bodies a lot, more-so the 7. It's very sleek. In other words, it'd make me feel young again.
What do you plan on getting for your next car once you get your BMW sorted? I read this morning that the next 2017 Golf R will have DCC and Navi standard. And that the MK8 may be incorporating Audi's current digital dash, but that's a fat rumor. The power ratings rumors are interesting. Unfortunately, I don't know how to accurately convert BHP to HP, if it's even at all possible. I believe I saw something such as 362 BHP for the MK8 R. I suspect the next gen Golfs will rise in price accordingly.
It's still ~12-18months out, but I've been contemplating a few options. Top of the list has a Macan S/GTS and Jaguar F-Pace on it. I would also consider a CPO MY15+ Cayenne GTS (with the V6TT).
I'm leaning towards the Germans... because Brits have mediocre interiors. (I'm looking at you RR/RRS)
There are a few EU market VWs with that dash setup already, such as the Euro Passat. Such a better car over the POS we get here
US one
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Here's the MY17 order guide. I love the blue color on the R with the new wheels
Yeah, Porsche (and Audi) leases are pretty awful. This is usually because they aren't subsidized like BMW or Mercedes-Benz leases. More often than not, you end up with positive equity at the end of your lease. That being said, I don't understand why anyone would lease a Porsche.
For example, a lightly equipped Cayenne V6 ($70-75k MSRP) is usually around $1200 or so. An X5 can be leased for $600-700 for a decently equipped 35i. A loaded 50i (N63) can be had for $800-900. Significantly less than the Porsche.
I've seen people lease BMW 550xis for less than a decently equipped Audi A6 3.0T.
I'd agree with you on this. You have to really want the Porsche to pay double.
I guess the upside to all of this is that Porsche (and Audi) resale stays strong since VAG is not artificially boosting residuals. Same with Range Rovers. RR/RRS leases are absurd.
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Oh my! I hope she is ok!
If she's looking to upgrade, might I suggest a Lexus ES350? Quiet, reliable, deceptively fast (that powerful V6!), classy design, and sporty looks (especially with the rear lip spoiler)
Maybe you can hook me up with a date with your sister and we can go buy an ES together. Smart and beautiful. I think an ES is most fitting for her!
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Not really ignorant. I'm just stating facts. The last-gen QP was a mediocre car... at best.
I wouldn't say it really drives better than most of today's cars. It doesn't. Even when that QP came out, there were plenty of better cars from Audi/BMW/Mercedes-Benz. (Specifically AMG/RS/M cars)
I'm beginning to think that you haven't had much exposure to different cars, especially when you speak so highly of a lackluster car.
Um... have you ever priced out a modern Porsche? There is nothing "mainstream" about their price tag.
I agree with your assessment that BMWs aren't very special anymore, but Porsche? That just shows you really have no idea what you're talking about.
"A 2005 QP was a very exclusive car" - I think that had to do with their lack of a dealer network at the time. Even in 2005, Maserati dealers were struggling to sell their cars. A 2005 QP is worth pennies these days. Hardly exclusive as you state.
Tbh, the Ghlibi is a damn good looking car, but preferring a 2013 QP over more modern cars? That's crazy, especially when you could get a 2013 F10 M5 or W212 E63 AMG. Both are better cars in every possible way.
@A.Goldberg - I hope that you sister is okay. I'm sure that she's happy about completing her Dental schooling!
@AutoUnion39, I nice touch with the Texas flag over the license plate. I really like that. Great job!
I agree that the ES350 is great suggestion for a new car. Yes it does look very sporty with the rear spoiler. If she does decided to get the ES, she should also get the 17-in split-10-spoke alloy wheels with machined finish (which on the rims that I have on my ES350 in the photo below), too. I just love this car. This car rides great and it's powerful for enough for those moments when you need to pass someone up.
She may also want the heated sterling wheel, the cooling and the heating seating ( for those cold winters in Seattle ). The sound deaden of ES350 is great. The 2016 ES is IIHS Top Safety Pick, also. Here's the link - http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/lexus/es-350-4-door-sedan
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Never had one, but there have been plenty of times when it got down to 10ºF or lower here that I certainly thought they sounded like a nice option.
At least until the car warms up, you want ANYTHING your body touches to be warm. Admittedly, I usually wear gloves-either real driving gloves or a tight fitting pair of winter gloves-when driving in the winter.
At the same time, a cooled steering wheel would be nice also in the summer. The lighter colored leather on my Lincoln doesn't get that bad, but the black vinyl wheel on my old Maxima would get hot enough that I couldn't touch it until the car had cooled down a bit on a hot day. I can remember leaving work a few days when I was in a bit of a hurry and having to drive with fingertips tap dancing on the wheel until it cooled down. Fortunately, the black vinyl covered wheel on the MG doesn't get that hot-I think it's angled such that it's mostly out of the direct sun. That's a good thing, as it needs a fairly firm grip.
It used to be colder in the past. I think it was. Seat warmers were a nice touch in those days. Especially with cold seats and generally cold interiors where you had to place your arms in your lap until the heater warmed up the ambient air inside the interior. I brought it up because I've watched car reviews where they praised it as an option but I'm left wondering just how cold can a steering wheel get to make it uncomfortable for the driver.
It's one of the best features to have in a cold climate. It takes 5 min+ or whatever for the hot air to start blowing, and probably another 15 or so for the plastic of the steering wheel to warm up normally. In a matter of a minute or so you can have the steering wheel heated and you can take your gloves off. Nothing worse than a warm car with a cold steering wheel.
BMW's residual heat function is also amazing. Say you need to run into the store for s couple minutes, you can use the residual heat of the engine to continue heating the car without having to leave your car running.
Of course, these functions and heated seats have little-no purpose in a warm climate.
Plastic? Do you mean the core material of the steering wheel transfers coldness into the leather? I'm trying very hard to remember what it was like driving a rental I took up to Mammoth years ago or the one I drove in Aspen, but it's been well over a decade. I'm guessing it's an uncomfortable numbing cold but not a sharp cold? I do remember craving ice cream after a long skiing run. Tangent aside, tell me more about this BMW residual heat. I've never heard of it. Is it a new feature?
But as you said, they don't really serve a purpose here in warmer climates. Now cooled steering wheels would interest me, but I don't believe those exist. Cooled seats are tricky. In the past, some cars ran refrigerant in flexible steel tubes in seats with fans, now it's just fans in most cars. Obviously, the former was much better. But I suppose it poses a safety risk.
Anyway, I was just thinking how better a deal the RS7 is over the M5, presuming the A7 platform is reliable at the moment and keeps its value down the line. I'm not in the market for the A7 platform, but I think I may take a test drive to see what it's like. The rate of depreciation on them seem to be roughly the same as BMW or MBZ, unless certain Audi models are immune. I'll wait to read Audi's unofficial spokesman's words.
I don't think the steering wheels are actual leather, synthetic leather/plastic whatever you wish to call it on most BMWs. Leather might be an option. You also have wood. I'm not sure what the core material is. Regardless, obviously the air of the car heats up substantially faster than the solid materials, and I imagine a lot of heat is lost to the cold glass. Your body heat will warm up the seat fairly quickly given the centralized heat/bloodflow, but your hands won't heat a steering wheel that quickly.
The residual heat basically keeps the fans blowing using heat from the heater core. (I'm not sure but there might be an electric pump to continuing pumping the hot coolant from engine). You program in how long you want it to run up to 20min or something. I believe diesel models allow you to preheat the car- I'm not sure how that works. They've had the residual heat since at least 2003 as the MKIII Range Rover (designed by BMW had it). My 2009 535 has it.
I have a black interior, I wouldn't mind a heated steering wheel myself. That might be a bit tricky. My first experience with AC seats involved wearing mesh lacrosse shorts. It created a very uncomfortable sensation until I figured out the seat cooler was on.
Interesting. Thanks for the info. LOL... May I ask what car it was? Lexus has dilly dallied in the past using just fans and using a liquid coolant system. Though I believe they gave up on the latter many years ago. I'm not sure how the current system works exactly, but it performs better than MBZ's offering which merely sucks the heat out from your bottom and lower back area.
When heated seats became an option on many a car in the early 90s, I had great fun messing with friends by turning on their seat heat in the middle of summer during long trips to Mexico for a fishing expedition or traveling up to Canada or whatever. They didn't figure out why they kept sweating despite the AC being on full blast until we were hours into the trip. Good times.
Unless synthetic leather has gotten really good our wheel absorbs sweat like leather does but I did miss a lot of years of development.
I never makes sense to buy german, lease. You will get hosed at resale, even some bmw leases will hose you at end of lease. Rule 1, buy japanese, lease german. Rule 2, be careful of bimmer leases.
Of course, it does. It's definitely brand by brand. For BMW and Audi, since they subsidize their residuals, they end up eating a ton of negative equity, so it's never worth it to buy out your lease.
Lexus has been falling into this trap recently. They've basically been giving away the 4GS on lease. If you look at their resale values, they are awful. Significantly less than what they used to be.
For example, if you try to lease a Porsche or most Audis, it's not worth it. A Cayenne leases for almost twice as much as the X5 or GLE. You could finance that Cayenne through your local bank and then sell it within 3-4 years, while having positive equity.
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YES, they do. Godsend in the winter. They heat up much quicker than the seats.
Definitely one of those options that you cannot live without, once you've had it.
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Yup, I hate those wheels. That design looks awful on most wheels. For example, these RR wheels look like they're always "moving." So ugly
My car(2004 Lincoln LS) uses peltier elements in the seats for both heating and cooling. The cooled seats cool to sub-ambient and can actually reach the point of being uncomfortable. The seats are perforated leather, and each front seat has a fan under it to move air.
My dad's car(2010 MKZ) works the same as far as I know and I think at one point all the FoMoCo products that offered this option used the same set-up. When my grandfather still owned the car, I can remember driving him around in it and he somehow turned the seat cooler on. We were going down the road and he said "I think you're going to have to pull off and let me change my pants. I think I just peed in them." I've heard other folks describe the sensation of peltier-cooled seats on high as feeling the same way.
Unfortunately, I find that the Peltier seats don't get as hot or heat up as quickly as traditional resistive element heaters. Still, though, they get the job done.
My dad's car(2010 MKZ) works the same as far as I know and I think at one point all the FoMoCo products that offered this option used the same set-up. When my grandfather still owned the car, I can remember driving him around in it and he somehow turned the seat cooler on. We were going down the road and he said "I think you're going to have to pull off and let me change my pants. I think I just peed in them." I've heard other folks describe the sensation of peltier-cooled seats on high as feeling the same way.
Unfortunately, I find that the Peltier seats don't get as hot or heat up as quickly as traditional resistive element heaters. Still, though, they get the job done.
Remote start
We were up in PA years ago for Christmas, in our X5, had to park outside, had to run to the store for supplies (i.e., beer ...), remote start, wait for 5-6 minutes, enter nice warm car with the windows already defrosted
It would be. The ES never had a coolant pipe system. Not TMI, just quite funny. I myself enjoy cars equipped with foot well AC. Very nice on a very hot summer day to have cold air blow on your legs. I think New England summers are far more mild than ours albeit somewhat humid?
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To be fair to Lexus, the GS isn't the most popular model they offer and it never had the resale value of other Lexus cars, even in the past.
I'll take your word for it.
Yup, I hate those wheels. That design looks awful on most wheels. For example, these RR wheels look like they're always "moving." So ugly
Yes, that looks ridiculous.
The LS were nice cars. Though IIRC their transmissions were spotty at best, no?
Hope I'm not shooting myself in the foot by saying this-but 150,000 miles-close to 100,000 of those under my ownership-and not a problem other than regular fluid changes.
We just had like 2 weeks+ of 95+ weather with super high humidity. Absolutely miserable- drout mode, plants/lawns dying. You cannot predict the weather here it can go from 2ft of snow one day to 65 degrees the next.
Ouch. We experienced that last July through September. Disgusting weather all around. Last year we had frequent raining during the night and in early morning, with the thermometer hitting the high 90s by 11 AM. The best way to compare it is it felt like walking into a cooler sauna. I had a very difficult time breathing after doing some light yard work at 9 AM, when it was in the low 80s. And unfortunately, night temperatures sometimes hover around 66-75 and thus it doesn't cool down very well. Which leaves your body in a state of limbo, even if you're inside your dry house with the central air on.
We had two weeks of high humidity nights here, and the temperatures were in the low to mid sixties. You could stand outside and have a glass of scotch or whatever, walk back inside after ten minutes, touch your clothing and it would feel very damp. It's been dry the last few nights but colder. Which is pleasant. We're hoping this weather sticks around until the end of August and into September.
Yeah, it's been dry, hot, super high humidity here in the FL, more than I remember in past summers, or maybe that I've been in SF regularly the whole summer, so _that_ weather has totally thrown me off from the sauna we have here ...
