[Fundguy1]

Specifically your chart shows Lexus is 99.11% reliable and jeep 98.03% reliable. Who cares.
Is that worth sucky performance or paying thousands more? Toyota is even closer.

[FriskyDingo]

While I'm a pretty big advocate of the current Grand Cherokee, it most certainly does not hold a reliability advantage over any comparable Toyota or Lexus. And in fact, it won't even perform as well off road. The Lexus GX is sold as the Land Cruiser Prado overseas, and is essentially a nice 4Runner with a V8. They are very capable off road, especially with a swap in rolling stock. A 4Runner will go places off road a Grand Cherokee couldn't dream of.

That said, the Grand Cherokee definitely has much better road manners than the Toyota, and costs a lot less than the Lexus. If I were in the market for an SUV/CUV and only needed two rows of seats, it's quite possible the Grand Cherokee would be my pick. If a 3rd row seat is a priority, or if a better blend of packaging and value is what you're after, I stand behind the Highlander pick.

Jeep, as a whole, is still a rather unreliable brand, and that shows in their resale value and warranty costs.

[RDG80M3X]

Here's my 2 cents, as I was assisting my father in this situation as well...cross-shopping mid-size SUV's albeit for new vehicles. We took a look at many of the competitors within this segment. One thing to mention is that we are long-time Lexus lovers, him having owned a 2001 RX300 with 150k trouble free miles, and myself owning a 2007 IS350 with 125k trouble free miles. You definitely cannot beat the Japanese automakers in terms of overall quality and reliability if you're going to own the car for more than 6-7 years.

Acura MDX: Overall a very nice vehicle, however the exterior design is questionable, not to mention many current owners are having issues with the 9-speed auto and infotainment systems. 2014 models may be clear of transmission issues as it is using the old 6-speed. Other than that, still fairly reliable.

Audi Q5: Nice car, but starting to get a little old in the tooth. Still a solid buy on the used market. As others have said, avoid the 3.2.

Audi Q7: 2016 models and below are extremely outdated, poor MPG, questionable reliability. The 2017 model on the other hand is an excellent vehicle; very nice interior, amazing digital cluster. Price is not too bad as well. Reliability may be a bit better with newer audis.

BMW X5: Extremely handsome vehicle, dare I say the best looking of the bunch (subjective of course), interior is well made, technology is top notch, driving dynamics are second to none in this class (except the Cayenne). Can't beat the stance with the optional 20 inch wheels. Only qualm I have is the price. My father's is $68k, yet doesn't have a blind spot monitor and other safety features??? wtf

Infiniti JX90/QX60????: Don't recall the name but it's a nice car with decent room in the 3rd row. As long as you can get past the awkward styling and CVT transmission, by all means.

Range Rover Sport: I think the RRS is the most elegant, beautifully designed car in this class. Interior quality is sub-par on the Sport (Big Boy Range is amazing on the other hand), technology lags behind other automakers. Not to mention the fact that Range Rovers have unproven reliability, and dealers are not willing to discount more than $1-2k. Definitely avoid any older ones unless you got deep pockets for out of warranty repairs.

Jeep Grand Cherokee: Solid bang for buck, handsome vehicle, interior is top notch if you go for the higher trim models. Shares platform with the Mercedes ML/GLE. However many owners are experience issues. Not something I'd own once the warranty period is over. Plus Jeep/Chrysler service departments are a joke.

Lexus RX350: For the 2016 model looks are subjective, I think it looks great in addition to all the recent Lexus redesigns, however my father hates the new design language. Interior is a huge upgrade compared to the 2015 model, as are driving dynamics. Tops out around $60k. Well equipped for the price. Solid buy if you dig the looks. At your price range, a 2013-2014 most likely. Still an extremely solid/reliable vehicle, however I'm not a fan of the design, interior is a bit outdated, complete absence of driving dynamics. This is a point A to B car. Will definitely last you 10+ years as long as you follow the maintenance schedule; relatively cheap to maintain.

Lexus GX460: A tank. Based on the Land Cruiser Prado. IMO, exterior of the vehicle is very handsome. Has a road presence like no other since it sits very high. Exterior is not bad. Interior is a bit dated, albeit very high quality. One of the last V8, 4WD, body-on-frame SUVs. You can literally take it (almost) anywhere; rain, snow, mud is not a problem. At all. Is a solid buy for the money if you plan on keeping it 10+ years. redesign or facelift due in 2017. Very good resale value. I personally love this vehicle and it was my father's second choice. Dealers are not willing to discount much since they are selling like hotcakes. Try to look for a 2014 as it was when the spindle facelift was introduced.

Mercedes GLK: Recently replaced by the GLC, so they have been dropping in value. Facelifted model is not bad, however the interior quality is low-rent in some areas.

Mercedes ML/GLE: Overall, a decent vehicle but may be a bit boring/bland. Priced very similarly to the X5. I have no real qualms with it except that if you're in the market, the X5 is a much better choice IMO.

Toyota Highlander: Very nice vehicle, HUGE improvement over the previous gen in every single way imaginable; biggest difference is build quality and interior. Spacious, solid ergonomics, and very good value for the money.

Honda Pilot: You should totally check this out. Redesigned for 2016, think of it as a better looking MDX Lite for $10k less if you opt for the fully loaded Touring Elite model. I think its a very nice vehicle; big and roomy. 9 speed auto issues once again, but they may resolve that in the future... Lower trims have the bulletproof 6-speed.

Volvo XC90: Beautiful car in person, especially the Inscription model with 21 inch wheels. Very safe, very high tech... so many gadgets and gizmos to play with. Love the digital cluster. However after reading owner reviews, many are experiencing issues with drivetrain, electronic modules, etc. Definitely avoid first and second years of production.

If dependability is your biggest concern, I would go with one of the Lexus/Toyota products. You really can't beat the peace of mind that comes with the ownership of a Lexus/Toyota product. 4-runner is very nice as well. In the end, you should drive them all and buy what you like the best. That being said, I am now in a F32 428 which I picked up in October, and he just took delivery of his 2016 X5 Xdrive35i M-sport this past Christmas Eve. Happy shopping

[Alfisti]

Nice write up but quite a few of those are 4/5 in terms of size rather than 3/5 so to speak.

If Q5 is on the table i'd look at an XC60 too.

[Sedoy]

It's funny how you mentioned power steering on Lexus, but Fiat-Chrysler just announced a recall of 412,938 Jeep and Dodge SUV for potential electrical fires and power steering failures. Your Grand Cherokee is affected. But I know, according to your math it's only "1%" less reliable...

http://blog.caranddriver.com/fiat-ch...g-fluid-leaks/

Originally Posted by Fundguy1

Power steering pump ducks on Lexus and toys. Did you ever try doing more than 2 or 3 consecutive right left turns? It dies and you get manual steering. Don't forget also they just completed the biggest recall to date almost tanking the company. Vw now may be bigger with the emissions software but toys was huge. Love my GC and never had an issue. 85k miles so far.