Due to planned travel logistics I set a soft deadline of today to find a replacement for my e-tron GT, due to be returned on 6/26.
I put this together on Friday with a single phone call, and picked it up the same day.
Dealer will replicate this (with the $1,500 certificate code from the Jeep web site) and has dozens more in stock.
This was a 100% positive dealer experience. PM me for contact info.
The timing to pick up another e-tron GT at a compelling price wasn’t on my side.
In the end, my choices for this lease were all Cars I Don’t Really Want.
The discard pile:
Lucid Air Touring. Aside from another GT, this was closest to what I wanted, but the lease programs have gotten steadily worse in 2025. The May program changes pushed the cost past what I was willing to spend on this vehicle. I liked the power, but even in the most aggressive drive mode it corners like a bucket of snot. I’ve accepted this trade-off on my 750i (which I still love), so this could have still been fun… but the value just isn’t there at current lease prices.
BMW i7. I drove an eDrive 50 and was shocked by how much I liked it. Yes, the front end design is inexcusable, but I decided that I could overlook this on a heavily-discounted loaner. But due to the negatives (power was just adequate, bizarre interior aesthetic elements, sheer vehicle size, seemingly a fresher duplicate to the 7 Series I already have) I really didn’t put in the work.
BMW i5 M60. I didn’t consider a lower-performing trim, as the design on this one is so boring – so the car begs some other redeeming virtue. The power was great, and it handled quite nicely, but it didn’t stir any passion. I also feared the buyer’s remorse that hit me hard and fast on my M550, and I couldn’t talk myself into further consideration on another bland-looking 5 Series.
Porsche Macan EV. I really expected (and wanted) to like this, for an SUV. I drove a 4S and couldn’t have been more wrong. There is a price point where I’d consider one of these (or more likely a Turbo), but it’s unlikely the market will ever get there. Once you look past the badge, this is a shockingly dull and unremarkable vehicle.
BMW iX. When you start with the overall design appeal of a two-slice toaster, you have no business slapping a big, buck-toothed grille on the front. I figured if I could find a cheap loaner and rolled everything in, I could transfer out cleanly and easily when something better comes along. But I also hated the interior, not to mention how it drives, so I just couldn’t hold my nose and do this. I was candid but polite while we were on the test drive, yet at the end the sales guy still robotically observed, “I’m so glad you loved the car!”
EQE Sedan. Figuratively speaking this car had a huge uphill climb, as the list of cars I’ve driven and hated more than its EQS Sedan sibling is very, very short. This time around I drove an EQE 500 and an AMG, and…. Nope, I don’t want one of these either.
So after all that I decided to go down market.
Acura ZDX. On the outside I think this is a better-looking Ultium option than the Blazer EV. The upholstery on the Acura’s seats is also superior, but the rest of the ZDX’ interior looks cheaper / more spartan to me. But since this was my entry into the extreme value end of vehicle evaluations I started with the RWD model. This was predictably and grossly underpowered. The sales guy was awful, and nearly sh-t his pants when I barely pressed the accelerator on a wide-open freeway onramp. At the end, when I noted the desire for more power, he audibly gasped at me. I was expecting him to suggest looking at an AWD version (which I would have declined) but instead he briefly mentioned the existence of the Type S, before adding “but they’re too expensive, so we don’t stock them anyway.”
Dodge Charger Daytona (either version). I honestly knew I didn’t want one before I drove it, but the price was alluring. While my low expectations were exceeded, as it turns out price isn’t everything. Sales guy assured me they were really aggressive on these, and asked for the opportunity to present numbers. I had the time so I indulged him, but $985/month + $5k DAS wasn’t very motivating. I didn’t try to deconstruct the offer, even for my own amusement. Maybe they removed the $10k ADM and ~$2k volcano insurance that were on the sticker next to the Monroney label; maybe they didn’t.
Blazer EV SS. My spouse has a cheap Blazer EV (2LT AWD) lease. For what it is, I like it more than I expected, but it doesn’t have enough power. In the end I couldn’t bring myself to become a two-Blazer family, even with the additional oomph on the SS. I had an appointment to drive one, but I acknowledged my self-awareness on this and canceled beforehand.
Cadillac xxxxQ. Exterior design of the LYRIQ is more than I can chew, but I did make an appointment to drive an OPTIQ. It’s quite small and the interior looked – I can’t pick a single word – gaudy? Tacky? Before I sat in the car, the sales guy sized me up (literally) and thought I might be too tall for his clown car. I didn’t waste his time or mine with a test drive, as I couldn’t see past the Lilliputian size and the flimsy, rhinestone-festooned interior features.
Dealer state?
Southern California. I tagged the thread accordingly. 
That would be enough to just get up and walk away.
