My first posting here. I couldn't resist the temptation to reply to this as I chuckled when I read some of these postings.
I actually owned both. Here is the story:
At the end of the summer my wife and I considered both RX and Touareg. I liked the Touareg much much better but the missus didn't bestow her stamp of approval. To make long story short, I thought of what I think was a compromise: an AWD RX350. By the time I was done configuring the car I wanted (AWD, nav,HID) I figured I would be better off just getting an F-Sport.
Okay. So, we picked up an F-Sport. I had a doubt so I decided to lease it. I had a really really good deal (1000 below invoice PLUS $1500 customer loyalty bonus, $2500 below). However, for the first time in my life, I wasn't actually excited to get a new car as I felt it was more a necessity.
So, I drove the car around and I really disliked it. I disliked it so much that I decided to picked up a Touareg V6 Sport with nav in just one month.
So, we had both cars for about a month or so, with 1500 miles. Then Lexus came with a very aggressive offer on their GS350. I had another super deal such that I could sell the F Sport to the dealer and got a GS350 with MSRP $2000 more than the F Sport with only $15 more/ month ...... with a ZERO drive off (first month free). Life is too short ...
So now we are both happy with a Touareg and a GS350. Let me give you my take:
2013 Lexus RX350 F-Sport:
Pro:
-nice looking front end, chic yet aggressive. gorgerous in starfire pearl white.
-chic modern interior. this what makes the WAR (wife approval rate off the chart). nice touch on the black liner. really nice perforated leather.
-runs on regular
-nice wheels
-Lexus dealerships are usually better run than VW.
-Nav's architecture is easier to use than Touareg.
Contra:
-not faster than regular RX though the drive feel is MUCH better than fwd RX. yet I still don't like it enough.
-feeling of high center of gravity. you feel like you drive ON the vehicle as opposed to Touareg's feeling of driving IN the vehicle.
-jittery harsh ride with no superior handling.
-pseudo AWD, very fwd bias. it didnt make me more confident at all driving in bad weather.
-off road capability, what off road capability?
-you need to pay for service, pay extra to get the royal treatment of Lexus dealership.
-Nav is only by voice command when vehicle is in motion.
2013 VW Touareg V6 Sport w/Nav
Pro:
-a very composed ride and also a nice handling. for me it is an excellent balance. the only other SUV I like better is the Cayenne but let's not go there.
-all hardware that I want are standard: 8 speed, AWD, adapted HID headlight, nav with traffic, (somewhat) off road mode.
- (for me) I prefer synthetic leather than real leather as this is my utility car. very easy to clean and maintain.
- I have the option to stay at this trim and get the hardware that I want without having to get the features that I don't really care about: blind spot monitoring, moonroof, park distance control, etc.
-Nav display, especially in night mode, is beautiful.
Contra:
-although interior is very nice in all honesty it is not as nice as Lexus. FYI, I am not a big fan of the woods available in the higher trims Touareg. I actually like the Sport's alum look better.
-all the tech goodies are only available in the upper trims (if you care). example: my sportwagen had keyless entry and this doesn't.
-nav's architecture has too many layers.
-fuel economy with premium only gas. I like the diesel much better but the real world sales price difference didn't make sense to me (I got the V6 at 40.9 before tax and fees while the diesel was about 5k more with different interest rate).
My wife concludes that Touareg is geared more for guys and RX is geared more for gals (obviously). The way VW structures the trims: all hardware (awd, hid, 8 sp) come standard and the nice goodies come at the higher trims. The way Lexus structure the trims: all goodies first and the hardware for the F Sport trim.
If you care about driving, Touareg is for you. If WAR is important for you (especially if your wife is a designer and is picky about aesthetic like mine), RX F-Sport is the way to go.
Disclaimer:
Both of my wife and I like the aesthetics of VW, Audi, and Lexus (2 VWs and 4 Lexii in recent years. Audi's pricing just never makes sense to me so far). So, I might be biased. But I care about the way my cars drive (was a BMW customer before they shot themselves in the foot with their Bangle and post-Bangle cars). I am not a typical Lexus customer as for me there are Lexus and LeSux. Lexus: GS, IS, LX, and strectching it to CT and GX. LeSux: HS, prev gen ES. The new ES is so so but I'd take CC over it.
I hope this helps, or at least entertaining enough :smile:
. Pardon the cellphone quality pic.
