Looking for a compact SUV crossover. With covid going soon, this seems like a good time to buy /lease a car. Deals are pretty good. Here are the cars I've test driven, but would be driving more in the coming weekends. BMW x3 : Pro : Interior looks good. iDrive seems good, in my limited experience. Exterior doesn't look bad. It's a bit common, but that's not cars fault. Driving was nice. Didn't really have any big complaints. Really well handling and driving dynamics. Cons : Reliability? (Might lease this) Really nothing much wrong with it. No wonder I see them on roads so often. Audi q5 : Pros : - Great interiors. Probably slightly better than BMW I tired. - Easy to drive and active suspension definitely makes it a smoother ride than BMW. - Rear visibility was better than any cars I tried. Cons : - Reliability? (Might lease this) - Looks meh to me. - Very boring to drive. 0 excitement. Alfa Romeo Stelvio Pros : - Shits on the competition when it comes to driving experience. Easily outclassed the cars I drove. Superb handling, excellent to drive. Doesn't even feel like driving a SUV. Only car I had "fun" when driving. - Exterior looks sexy AF. Again shits on the competition. Got me hard. Cons : - Reliability? (Might lease this) -Interiors are meh! Nothing stands out, especially compared to the competion. -Infotainment is a generation behind the competion. The 2021 model still has lag when you swipe it. Doesn't matter to me too much, since I use Android Auto but still. - Rear visibility is really poor and the backup camera is also low resolution. I've had rental cars from 2015 with better camera. Mercedes GLC 300 : Pros : - Best interiors hands down! My favorite off the four. - Smooth ride and great handling. - The exterior I like. Cons : - Reliability? (Might lease this) - Nothing really. It's a great package. Still need to test drive Volvo, Jaguar and VW competitors. AutoHeads of Blind. Any suggestions about the cars in the same range? P. S. : Tesla are out due to my apartment shitty charging situation.
Make a poll OP. I vote the alfa romeo.
Done. Great idea.
I looked into all these cars last year, Jaguar F-Pace & BMW X3 were my top contenders, but BMW won because I got a good lease deal and itâs a great overall package. BMW & Mercedes lease well in this segment. Alfa, Jaguar, Range Rover etc. lease poorly because of low residual/resale value, but I wouldnât want to own them due to reliability. Mercedes GLCâs exterior is meh, it doesnât have any presence and looks smaller than it is. Consider Porsche Macan, it leases poorly as well but can be a good car to own because of higher resale value but Maintainence can cost you more. Tesla Model Y would beat all these cars hands down, you can use super chargers even if you donât have charging at your apartment.
Reliability is a huge issue in RR and in BMW Audi Q5 is great value for money,easy to maintain Try Porsche Macan as well
Lease the BMW! It's the ultimate driving experience!
do you rent or own any real estate? Recommend doing that first
No. I know that would've reduced the price and insurance cost a bit. I'm on visa and prices of houses in WA is crazy. Probably gonna hold off a while
Totally understand. Recommend going as cheap as you can for a car. Money better spent investing or real estate. Car is money down the drain :(
One thing to keep in mind is that options you listed would depreciate ~50% in 3 years or so. For example, 2018 stelvio Ti sport is being sold at $29k (under 30k miles) where as the original sticker price is $52k. Did you consider getting 2-3 year old model?
With the reliability issues of the Alfa Romeo mostly occurring before the refresh between 2017-2019, Iâd say look for a 2020 or higher if youâre thinking about buying or leasing
I wouldn't reccomend any of the models for buying. If you're leasing checkout out Range Rover Sports as well. The European cars are fun to drive but PITA to own long term. And they depriciate hard. Out of the four, lease what checks the most boxes for you. If you're only looking for driving experience and want to smile whenever you're driving then Alfa Romeo is the only answer. I drove the smaller version Julia back in 2019. Boy oh boy! It truly drives like a dream. I really wanna test drive their V6 model. If you're looking for a complete package without major compromises, I recommend BMW or Mercedes. I, too, found the Audi extremely boring to drive. đ Also, if you're not in a hurry, wait for Genesis GV 70 to arrive. A true value for money with unmatched warrenty. Feature packed. I personally haven't driven Genesis but the reviews are good.