we are on the same boat, currently shopping smaller SUV for my wife.. high on our priority list is
size - smaller because my wife is only 5' tall and
fuel economy - because our other vehicle is a gas guzzling 2009 Cayenne GTS and we have to think about mother nature somehow
and
reliability - because we tend to keep our vehicles for a while.
High on my list is the BMW X3 but she hate it for some reason, same with the look of the Lexus.
We are now cross shopping Acura RDX, Mercedes Benz GLK 250 Bluetec, Cadillac SRX and the Audi Q5, with the high performance SQ5 in mind.
We have good ownership experience with the Acura (car for our daughter), very reliable. We were at the Acura dealership last night and was able to take a close look at the 2014 RDX and the 2014 MDX. The new MDX looks nicer but less agressive - but a little bit too big for my wife and maybe a little harder to park/maneuver downtown even with the parking gizmos. The RDX is just the right size... the hated chrome Acura beak is still there and there is no exciting color, so if we pursue it - we will just buy black, either buy an after market grille or paint the beak
Interior finish looks superb, roomy for a compact SUV. Hard not to like. The V6 engine puts out 254 hp on premium gas, and maybe a little less if you cheap out on regular fuel - yes, you can use both. MPG is very competitive too. We will take it for a spirited test drive tomorrow and will report.
Second on our list is the Mercedes GLK Bluetec - I was already told that the dealership is sold out, the Oct incoming stock is almost sold out and some of the December allocation sold as well - the sales associate told me not to even try negotiate on the price. I spent a good half hour in the showroom, comparing it to the ML 350 parked beside it. If it is mine - I will pursue the ML. The interior of the two are nice, but quality, fit and finish is obviously below that of the Cayenne. We will take both (GLK & ML) for a test drive tomorrow. While I was at the dealership, I also saw the 2014 B 250 - I like this thing. I think I will convince my wife to buy this entry level model to tide us over until the Porsche Macan rolls out of production by June next year (I heard local allocation for the Macan is running tight already). I always liked liked hot hatches and was really fired up after watching the video of Hennessey's 350 hp Ford Focus ST - but no - it was too cramped for me and my wife will probably not like it.
We also looked at the Cadillac SRX, while it has nice interior the ergonomics is not good for my wife. A little too big. It has lot's of cool features though.
WE will look at the Audi too - although I am a little concerned about it's reliability. I have a couple of relatives who have owned Audis and swore never to go back - too many electrical problems that usually show up in colder temp. The Q5 is rated the top in it's segment and wish it is reliable as I really like it. I think the SQ5 looks awesome, although I've read a bad review of it already
and the new Grand Cherokee SRT - this thing is a real looker. But it does not fall under the environmental friendly category. The diesel models are nice too, but at 60k Canadian - I will be looking at a CPO Cayenne Diesel.
If money is not an issue - I will suggest a Cayenne Turbo. A few mods like secondary cat bypass, cold air intake upgrade, diverter valve upgrade, exhaust upgrade and an ECU tune will bring this beast close to (almost fear no one) 700 hp territory. The Cayenne is well built and fairly reliable and a blast to drive. I drove mine for almost 12 hours straight covering 1200 kms and I was not tired at all. Keith - you can also enjoy your favorite tunes in the Burmester sound system available.
