Pick a Small>Medium SUV for boomers

[68style]

Hey RS, I’m not gonna lie my knowledge of the current SUV market is not where it could be, mostly because I don’t give a shit about them.

My (future) in-laws want to get rid of their 2013 Lexus RX350 and get something new solely because they’re feeling less confident about some aspects of driving mostly surrounding parking and vision.

They cannot do electric or PHEV as they live in an older condo and there’s nowhere to charge it and they’re not about to go to parking areas to sit for half an hour to do so with.

What’s the best small or medium size SUV out right now in your opinion with those features? They don’t care about power or engine sound… they immediately went to look at a new RX of course but I’m actually hoping to talk them into something a wee bit smaller and n personally despite being a Toyota/Lexus fanboy I’m not the biggest fan of their current products. That said, if their tech is okay I’m okay too, it’s not for me after all.

So self parking and good 360 / backup cameras are a priority. Reliability is up there too. And I think they went it to be a luxury brand so not Kia or whatever.

Discuss

[trollface]

Rolls Royce Cullinan

[bcrdukes]

I have no valueable advice, but let me get this out of the way for you before others chime in.

1. Why can't they install a charger or just move to a newer condo with charging?
2. The Lexus is so boring. Get them a BMW X5M.
3. Get them a Fiat 500e, but they already suffer from vision
4. The Lyrig is awesome
5. Hyundai has best in market warranty. dark0821 is your best friend
6. Why not a Ferrari Perosengue?

/revscene

[JDMDreams]

Yes if they can't see I wouldn't recommend a new SUV for them to crash into things. Self park is pretty slow even with Tesla.

[Badhobz]

They might not even be familiar with the new Lexus UI. It’s probably best to put them in a Toyota rav4 or something similar that comes with a 360 camera. Though that’s usually reserved for top trim packages and it ain’t that cheap. You’ll be touching Lexus money on a fully loaded rav.

But it’ll serve them reliably for the next 10 years I think.

[RabidRat]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

serve them reliably for the next 10 years I think.

Are you nuts? 10 years?! Are you missing a zero there?

My MIL's 2001 Camry is still going strong. My dad's 2016 RAV4 Hybrid still looks, drives, and smells new.

But what's a car without excitement. If it's not stranding you on the side of the road every once in a while, then what's even the meaning of your life?

Say hello to 2026 AMG C63 S E PHEV.


https://www.theautopian.com/the-merc...-mile-yes-one/

Tell them to install the charger.

[AstulzerRZD]

The new RX feels a lot smaller than the other one.

Most autopark suck and are terribly slow, BMW is the exception.

I think they get an X1/3 or a new Countryman.

[Badhobz]

New Toyota ain’t like old Toyota. My faith is severely tested nowadays.

p.s. how about a grey nissan kicks? its RS's go to car for angry wives, in laws, and people you care about but still wanna troll the shit out of them.

[roastpuff]

Self parking? Sounds like you should see dark0821 for a Hyundai so they can park with the remote

[yray]

lolvo

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by RabidRat

Tell them to install the charger.

Yes, sounds like a feasible solution for an old condo.

[bcrdukes]

Two of you guys already checked off the boxes from my post. Keep up the great work!

[EvoFire]

We are going through a similar motion with my dad.

I think a few questions need to be asked.

1) How long do they plan on driving for?
2) How much space do they ACTUALLY need?
3) How much power do they need?
4) How much luxury do they need?
5) How comfortable are they with new tech?
6) How much do they actually drive per year
7) How much do they want to spend?

1 is important because it would dictate ultimately what and how they would buy. If they are in their 70's and foresee driving maybe another 3-5 years, and this is just a safer way for them to do it, lease is the way to go.

2, this is a problem I have with my mom. MOAR BIGGER. She went to look at the Outback yesterday and she's like it's huge it's great! I'm looking at her and I was like wtf is your problem? Why do you need 18ft of car for my dad to drive himself to dimsum 3 times a week? Ideally a SMALL SUV would be great, something compact size like X1/X3/Rav4 ish. They she went on about looking at a GLE and I just shut her down.

3 might be a my parents problem only because my mom drives a GLC43, my dad a Genesis Coupe. Both are used to power ON DEMAND and I WANT IT NOW. Sure they can adapt but I'm slightly uncomfortable putting them in say a Rav4 with the way they drive. I don't know how much of the V6 your parents use on the RX, but if they regular use the torque it may limit your choices

4. Zero problem for us, but may be for some

5. My dad is fine with new tech, he gets used to things pretty quickly. My mom on the other hand........

6 is a question of whether you want to spend on a hybrid drivetrain or not. My dad puts MAYBE 5000 on his car a year so hybrid really makes no difference for him. 12 tanks of gas vs maybe 5 or 6 a year doesn't pay back the premium of going to a hybrid vehicle unless you are taking it over after.

7 is pretty self explanatory. This together with years of service together would decide if you want to buy new used or lease.


Answering those questions should give you a pretty good sense of what is needed and what fits the best, granted your parents are reasonable and sane unlike mine. This whole car buying thing has been a headache for me with BOTH of my parents, despite this being a car for my dad.

[Badhobz]

^thats a pretty long-winded way of saying NISSAN KICKS!

[radeonboy]

My gut feeling says previous gen RX - it has everything they want and is nice inside. Plus I'm sure you can find a lightly-used one given the demo that buys them new, but I also understand Asian parents are less open to used cars.

I'm not the biggest fan of the latest Toyota / Lexus products - the NX is barely an upgrade over the RAV4 and the new RX feels like a step back from the previous generation. Would a new UX be too small?

Otherwise, for new SUVs, I think HR-V or CR-V should serve them well if they're ok with stepping down from Lexus. RAV4 Hybrid too if they can get away with a fair trade and MSRP or less.

[JDMDreams]

^ beige Corolla is always the answer for old people

[EvoFire]

Originally Posted by Badhobz

^thats a pretty long-winded way of saying NISSAN KICKS!

If only my parents are as easy to deal with as your dad with his RX450h.

I literally cannot even. But I have to because they live with me.

[twitchyzero]

c'mon, car people know a vehicle choice is often not rational lol
i can see being 70's wanting something nicer and comfortable
unless you know it's way beyond their ability (multiple bumps at all 4 corners even with 360 cam/sensors)

[Badhobz]

Originally Posted by EvoFire

If only my parents are as easy to deal with as your dad with his RX450h.

I literally cannot even. But I have to because they live with me.

Thats because youre a very good boy.

i dont ask my parents, i just give it to them and they can take it or leave it. Democracy with asian parents is pointless. They are used to authoritarian domination.

[RabidRat]

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

Two of you guys already checked off the boxes from my post. Keep up the great work!

I literally read your post, laughed, and went back to edit that shit into my post .

We are but pharmacists to your prescription.

Originally Posted by EvoFire

We are going through a similar motion with my dad.

I think a few questions need to be asked.

1) How long do they plan on driving for?
2) How much space do they ACTUALLY need?
3) How much power do they need?
4) How much luxury do they need?
5) How comfortable are they with new tech?
6) How much do they actually drive per year
7) How much do they want to spend?

[...]

My dad's great and so it was actually a little opposite for us. Back in 2015, his previous car was choking down a broken transmission and he was like "I probably won't be driving for much longer anyway", and said he was just going to go lease something, whatever's cheapest. And I said fuck that shit, how about we go 50-50 on a RAV4 and you drive it until you're done with it. And then I'll take it over! I actually really pushed for an NX but he said it was too sporty :/.

It's been 10 years and he's still driving it. Joke's on him, I'm going to get another 38 years out of it when it's my turn with that thing.

[dark0821]

X3M

Decent self parking - yes
Premium brand - yes
Reliable - depends...
Power on demand - yes

But on the other hand... we just got in this pre-owned Macan S LOL

I mean you can just check off the list, it's not going to be that long

Acura = meh
Lexus = ye?
Infiniti = dead
Genesis = out cuz they dont know what it is
Audi = sure?
BMW = seems thats the best out of Germany these days
Merc = sure?
Porsche = Me + Hobz will have a contact for you if serious
Volvo = I love myself some Volvo, but I dont have a rational reason

Am I missing any other brand?

[Traum]

My question for 68 is -- do you really want to do this? (as in, make a serious effort in helping them decide on a good vehicle that will suit their needs)

From the all times that I have helped my family, extended family, and friends on picking out a good car bcos "they know I'm a car guy", I'd say the effort was really only worth it when I was helping my dad because:

1) he isn't too picky
2) I have a good grasp of what his automotive likes and dislikes are
3) he trusts my judgement on cars 1000%

So in the end, he agrees with my recommendations, and is happy with the car we ended up picking.

But for all the other times when I was making recommendations for other people, the requirements they tell me about would hardly make up for 1/3 of their actual requirements. In essense, they may say they only want/need A, B, and C in the car, when their actual deciding factors also include D, E, F, G, H. Quite often, A, B, and C aren't even the most important criteria, although they make it sound like it is their only selection criteria.

So I help them look for cars with A, B, and C qualities. They would agree and nod, nod, nod on the recommendations and reasonings. But then a month later, they'd show up with a car that had G, H, I, J, K.

So now I don't even bother. Or I should say, I don't make the effort to do any serious research even if they ask me to, since I know it'll all just go to waste. It'd still make for good conversation topics, but I just don't make the effort in most cases (unless I know my recommendations will be taken seriously).

[GLOW]

subaru crosstrek or forester
but based on RS, they'll need to change their hairstyle

[bcrdukes]

Appropriate smiley for the theme of the month. A+

[teggy604]

Subaru forester, Honda HR-V, Honda CR-V.

You can get them in gas or hybrid.