HELP! Baby movers - Cadillac XT5 vs. Lexus RX 350 zero down 36/10 lease

Ask the Hackrs
1

Hey guys -

TLDR

RX350 base with wheel upgrade - RV 61, MF .0008 @ $46,xxx for ~$400ish? vs.
XT5 Luxury - RV 55, MF .00001 @ $48,xxx for ~$450ish?

RX - comfort, no power, fewer options
XT5 - power, less comfort, lots of toys, free trial!

Please help me out with your numbers on leases for these models!

DESCRIPTION

I’m in the market for a baby mover, so I’ve been at almost every dealer imaginable to find the right combination of price/value/luxury. I haven’t found the perfect fit yet, but the two that I’m considering at this point are the RX and the XT5. I’m in the SoCal area.

COMPETITOR COMPARISONS

Mercedes/Audi/BMW/Jaguar/Land Rover didn’t have lease numbers that fit my needs, except for stripped base models. Porsche? I wish. Even Mazda had some horrible numbers on a fully loaded CX-9, which was a HUGE surprise, btw (in a great way). Hondas/Toyotas/Nissans are better for purchase, not lease. Volvo interior was ugly. And Acura? Not a fan. The Lexus NX was nice, but it was too small to get a baby in/out comfortably and isn’t as good a value as the RX.

PROS / CONS

Mama loves the RX, but I’m terribly disappointed in the lack of power in that thing (0-60 in 7.7). I also REALLY hate the mouse interface, which they’re replacing with the slightly better touchpad in the upcoming 2018 model. The comfort is amazing, and the cabin is what you’d expect from Lexus. Primo. Base model has the Scout GPS system, which seemed reasonably capable, and an automatic lift gate. That’s about it :frowning:

I dedicded to check out Cadillac as a last resort and priced out an XT5. The performance is significantly better (0-60 in 6.5) but you definitely lose out on comfort/luxury, and the infotainment system is too complicated to use while driving. The selection of rims on that car is abysmal, and the seats are on the hard side. The cabin lacks “stuff”. They were going for sleek/minimal but kinda overdid it, I think. And the most common steering wheel controls (volume, track up/down, etc.) are on the RIGHT side. How do they expect me to eat a burger while texting and cranking up my favorite Daniel Tiger jams while doing 100 on my way to Toys R Us? Oh, I guess that’s the point. But still.

Mama is going to be the primary driver and likes the way both of them look externally. Internally, we both like the Lexus hands down, but WHY do they have to only offer wood trim as soon as you put ONE option on the car? We don’t need bamboo wood trim to remind us that we’re old and boring - we already know that. So the only options would be a base model with a wheel upgrade ($46,xxx), or a fully loaded F-Sport ($62,000).

The XT5 luxury comes with enough toys like a pano roof, navigation, auto lift gate, memory seats, seat warmers, android auto, backup sensors with vibrating butt pad, and some ugly rims at $48,xxx.

PRICES

This will be my 3rd concurrent lease, so I need to be budget minded. The other two are ~$600 combined, so this would bring my monthly car payment to $1000ish. So I’m comfortable with anything under $500, but would prefer to keep it closer to $400 for a 36/10K with 0 down. Max MSDs are fine.

XT5 -
I was just given an offer for $0 down $0 driveoff for a $47,xxx MSRP + $895 acquisition, bringing the total to 48 and change, for $474/mo including tax. While this adheres to the 1% rule, I could tell that they were having a hard time moving XT5s. 3 reasons - there were TONS on the lot, the salesperson told me so, and they let me bring it home for a day FOR FREE. Is that a thing?? Do all dealers do that? Anyway, my suspicions tell me that we could probably do better. Like $430/mo all in, maybe?

I didn’t get this in writing, but the manager told me the RV is 55% and the MF is .00001 (i told him that number makes no sense, but he said that’s what it is!). I can’t remember the exact sale price, but it was $42k and change.

RX350 -
There was a previous post about a FWD F Sport $59K package for $480/mo utilizing max MSDs, lease cash, and loyalty incentives. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of those around. Had the opportunity to grab one, but missed it because I’m an idiot. Anyway, it’s gone now. I haven’t priced out a base model $45,xxx but the dealer told me he does those all day for $380/mo. Can anyone confirm? If that’s the case, I’d add a wheel upgrade to that and take it for $400 any day. The only other non-wood option is the AWD F sport at $61,xxx, which kicks it over my $500 limit.

RV is 61, MF is .00080. Sale price on the $59K F sport was $52,xxx, requiring 9 MSDs and $500 down to bring the MSDs to the next level down. But as mentioned before, I can’t get that car anymore. Can anyone help by sharing your awesome deals on a base model RX?

Sorry if this was long-winded, but I’m a super price-conscious/picky buyer and tend to overthink things. So I need the LH community’s help! Please let me know if you can offer some advice, or point me in the direction of a better car with a comparable price. Thanks in advance! In the meantime, gonna take my free XT5 out for a spin :slight_smile:

2 Likes
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Have you looked into Lincoln MKX? I have 3 kids and had car as loaner (regular car is mkz)for a week and loved it. You get the options of the XT5 for same price plus their wheels are way nicer. I would take that over either of those options. With that said, I would go with the Lexus. I am just not a fan of XT5.

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I got the F-Sport for $499/month, but RV and incentives now are different than back in Dec. Were you able to get the $1k US Open cert last month? Honestly, I wouldn’t get a base RX. The 8" screen looks terrible, but the main reason would be the missing BSM and RCTA. Those are must haves IMO.

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So many requirements & wants and not a word about safety (maybe I have just missed it in that novel) for a baby mover driven by “mama”. Granted, most cars have good safety nowdays. Now, my 2 cents. Even though you think Volvo interior is ugly - as I think the same about Lexus or any other Asian luxury - 2017 XC60 maybe your best bet to get a good lease deal on a safe and very comfortable baby mover. And Volvos have most comfortable seats, BTW. Good luck.

Here is your 302 hp example on the east coast: 2017 VOLVO XC60 T6 AWD DYNAMIC SUV
36/10, 51%, .00001 MSRP $49,795 Sale: $41,677, $6,000 lease cash
$286/mo + tax

http://www.dullesdonbeyervolvo.com/new/Volvo/2017-Volvo-XC60-for-sale-washington-dc-8e18df6b0a0e0a6b1c382ff8f91dcc57.htm

Even better discount - $10K/20% off:

http://www.dullesdonbeyervolvo.com/new/Volvo/2017-Volvo-XC60-for-sale-washington-dc-290d74d10a0e0ae77a95055064b30daf.htm

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Anyone able to get this deal? Links show 7500 miles a year plus 4000 due at signing with higher payments.

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How are you getting to that payment?

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The sample payment was based on the best case scenario. Of course, they will say that $10K off includes $4,500 Volvo Allowance, but there is still $1,500 lease cash. So for the second link:
36/10
MSRP: $50,015
Advertised sale price: $40,000
Lease cash: $1,500
Cap cost: $38,500
$361/mo + tax and everything else

And you can probably get extra $1-1.5K off on top of their advertised price, so extra $30/mo less

@NY13 - If you read it again, you’ll see that they also say “cash due at signing includes $0 cap cost reduction”, so this add is screwed up :slight_smile:

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I did you right. Makes no sense as an ad but i totally see your logic. I am gonna stop by and have a chat this week with a dealer near here.

1 Like
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Looks like a great payment for car. Horrible button look. (older model?) Over cluttered look but all buttons is the pro if you want that vs digital.

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XC60 is dated, yes. But it’s a good time to get one and it’s a good value. Redesigned 2018 is coming and it is like mini S90.

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YThe Volvo is a good shout for all your requirements - and is way quicker than either of the two cars you are checking out. Stepping off in 1st is surprisingly quick but trust me when I say the in gear 2nd through 4th is blisteringly quick for an SAV.

I’ve surprised RR Sports and previous generation V8 X5s and embarrassed plenty of other cars with how bloody quick it is. I think part of it is that they underestimate it because it’s a Volvo…that said I had a play with my friend in his 2014 X5 5.0 and he couldn’t get away til we were well past 110 so it’s plenty quick enough.

But it’s a kiddy hauling wagon for the wife so that’s not important.

It’s safe as houses - all the safety gizmos can be had and still be cheaper than what you’re looking at in Lexus and Cadillac

The handling is not great (but with the lighter 2.0ltre engine that has improved quite markedly over the previous il6 3.0 engine) - at least from 2 day loaner experience it seemed a lot better

I’d say ride quality has improved with the lighter engine too- but think the Lexus has better ride quality and better cabin

Volvo has better load lugging capability than either caddy or Lexus IIRC it’s the only one with load flat when the seats down and has and bigger trunk when the seats are up. The trunk opening is bigger too

Infotainment is at least generation behind and it shows. It’s really quite crap but it does have a color digital dash which I guess is something(??)

It’s classier looking but the caddy is handsome if loaded with all the nice kit and LED lights etc. but from some angles it really looks bleh. I like the Lexus in Fsport trim best but that’s an acquired taste that many disagree with.

Test driving them is most important and taking all your kids paraphernalia like buggies toys etc for a typical weekend trip and see if it fits. Buy accordingly.

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Hey Kbill07 -

I hadn’t considered the MKX, but just took a quick look at it. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of style I’m looking for. But thank you for the suggestion.

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Jon -

How did you get the F-Sport for $499? What was the MSRP on it? AWD or FWD? $0 down + 9 MSDs? I called another dealer today and they told me that the $480 deal posted here previously was simply “impossible”. I don’t understand how it’s “impossible” if multiple people here were able to replicate the deal. Could you share with me the details on your lease, please? Thanks!

As for the BSM - i thought that was standard? They quoted me the base model today for $469/mo. What a joke.

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Ursus -

I had visited a Volvo months ago and recall that I didn’t react well to the interior at first sight. I actually laughed out loud when I saw it. :sweat: Per your suggestion, I took a look at the 2017 again (online), but unfortunately my reaction wasn’t much better this time. At the $286/mo price, however, I did have to think it over a couple of times. That’s one heck of a deal you got there, especially for a T6.

But the 2018’s interior looks 100000x better. I’m sure the numbers won’t be nice, but it’s definitely worth checking out! So thank you for the suggestion. T8 0-60 in 4.9s??? :astonished:

As for the safety aspect, you said it- most cars have the safety nailed down these days. They’re all 5-star overall crash rated, and have the most common safety toys as standard equipment. BTW, you’d be surprised how few salespeople know the crash test ratings of the vehicles they sell. One lexus salesperson didn’t even know what a crash test rating was, to begin with.

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BSM and RCTA are not part of Lexus Safety System+. They are an optional package, but I think these features are way more useful than the other standard safety stuff.

Below is my deal. It was FWD with MSRP of $59274. My total drive-off was $4731 ($4500 was MSDs), so I actually rolled almost all fees/TTL/etc into the monthly, except for $231 to keep the monthly under $500. I also got 12k, so 10k would be alittle less.

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AMM -

Thanks for your feedback, as well. And I had forgotten to say it in my previous replies, but THANK YOU ALL for replying, and what a great community!

The 2017 XC60 simply won’t do for me. I can’t stomach the idea of buying a car in 2017 that has an interior from 1992, despite the good exterior and power packed under the hood. Safety used to be synonymous with Volvo, but I think the other manufacturers have since caught up in that regard. Though as I type this, my mind keeps going back to the <$300/mo price tag…

I’m not concerned with load hauling, but power is certainly important to me. One of my cars is a Q50, and before that was a G37S, if that gives you any idea of what I like :slight_smile: There are a hundred reasons why you would want to have power available to you, even in a baby mover. You don’t have to use it, but it’s nice to know it’s there if you need the extra juice. I would NEVER have guessed your Volvo would outpace a RR sport lol. Would be awesome to see the look on that guy’s face.

Certainly a classier look than the caddy. The whole Caddy lineup has a very imposing kind of look, which is polarizing. I’m not particularly sold on it, which is why it was one of my last dealer stops. But after a day with the car, I think it grew on me, design-wise. Solid ride, but I have a few nitpicks about it that would prevent me from buying it. Mostly, faulty GPS system, overly complicated infotainment, and a very stupid shift knob (yeah, it’s that bad). Super tight turning radius though!

In the end, despite enjoying the XT5, the GF keeps going back to the RX, so I guess that’s what it’s going to be. Unless the Caddy dealer somehow drops their price to <$400. Then I’d probably take it.

Thanks for your feedback!

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Jon -

Your deal is exactly what I’m looking for! Where in CA are you? The dealers in my area (Santa Monica, Beverly Hills) don’t want to play ball. Keyes (Van Nuys) seemed more willing to deal. Where did you get yours from? Thanks!

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I pity the sales guy for once :slight_smile:

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No shit :slight_smile: [20 chars…]

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Google “Suburban Cadillac of Ann Arbor”. They are located in Ann Arbor Michigan. They have XT5 leases for $299 a month with only $999 down.