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2010 Audi Q7 vs. Mercedes ML350 vs. ?


Niandra Lades
03-15-2010, 10:36 PM
Our lease for our '07 Chevy Tahoe LTZ is up April 4th and we've been going back and forth constantly trying to decide on our next car. One thing we know for sure is that we don't want to go GM again.

The Q7 is a car that has appealed to me since I first laid eyes on it some years back. We're talking about the 3.6 v6. Would be purchased with the premium package, navigation and sunroof. S-trim would be nice, too. :D

Next car we've been looking at is the Mercedes ML350 Bluetec diesel. I know you can't really compare diesel to gas, but what the heck... price-wise, they're pretty much in the same ballpark and it's mainly about price at this point. The Merc would also have a premium package.

Earlier on we also looked at the Volvo XC90, but don't wanna' wait 'till 2012 when the new, fully re-designed one is out. Why get a (now) 7 year old design? Also looked at the Lexus RX350. Nice car, but nothing special about it. Kinda' ordinary in looks. Then there was the VW Touareg, a new redesigned model of which will be released in September. Again, we need to make a decision ASAP since our lease is up in a matter of a couple of weeks. Lastly we looked at the BMW X5, which to me, was also rather ordinary looking, both inside and out.

I know I'll probably get flamed on a lot on here since I seem to be talking more aesthetics, but hey... gotta' like the way your car looks, too, and I'd hardly call any of these "incapable" in terms of technical specs and performance.

We're a family of three. We don't do any hardcore driving. I mean to say we won't be taking it off road (though it'll certainly get to 'play' in the winter time- we're in Canada), won't be racing it (so top speeds and 0-60's don't really matter so much), won't be towing jumbo jets and won't be doing anything else extreme with it. Basically, it'll be mostly used for city driving and the occasional long haul/road trip.

Comfort, user-intuitive controls, styling, cargo room, reliability and overall value are what we're looking for.

Ultimately I'd like a car that looks great (both inside and out), handles great (under standard conditions), has a fair amount of trunk space, has a fairly easy to use navigation and overall dash, and of course, is reliable.

Taking all that into consideration, what would be your pick and why?

We've looked at all of them in person and have pretty much narrowed it down to the Audi Q7 3.6 Premium and the Mercedes ML350 Bluetec, though, again, we're open to opening up our options again.

I'm a big fan of the Q7 so would like to hear more about the negatives of it to see if it's worth looking elsewhere.

Thanks in advance, I look forward to hearing from you all.

akboss
03-16-2010, 08:13 AM
Have you driven the Q7? I'm told the 3.6 isn't really strong enough to pull something with this weight, which kind of makes sense, considering lots of new family sedans that are 2,000 lbs shy of the Q7 use a similar powered engine. I know you said you aren't really concerned about 0-60, but at this price, I'd expect a lot from an engine. That being said, it looks gorgeous, and the interior is top-notch. My vote would be the Merc, not only because the brand name has clout when you go to sell it again, but the BlueTec diesel has tons of torque, will have more than enough power to move you around quickly and comfortably. You'll also save some serious coin at the pumps, which is nice. Just make sure you ask the dealer about the costs involved with the AdBlue solution that is required regularly to keep your diesel motor running clean and efficient. Have you looked at an X5? I see a lot of those around.

One question though, and I'm not a tree-hugger, but why an SUV if you don't need to tow or go off-road? You could likely save yourself some serious coin, and get more for your money, by looking at luxury sedans like the new E-Class Mercedes or BMW 5-series.

akboss
03-23-2010, 07:38 AM
Any progress on the Q7/ML decision? Saw a 2010 Q7 the other day driving home at dusk, those pearl string lights look awesome! But, the drive is more important than the headlights...

butikmoii
04-07-2010, 12:18 AM
2010 Audi Q7

Bloogmanogs
06-27-2010, 06:43 AM
this is becoming more interesting. mercedes has already announced pricing on their c63 amg. base is 53,800.

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