I can’t comment on Lexus, but Nissan and Honda vehicles are not built with the same robustness as our new Hyundai (Santa Fe). The Hyundai’s doors close with a more solid Whump, plastic parts are thicker, and the undercarriage appears sturdier and better sealed. Overall structure is very tight and quiet.

Where Hyundai still lags is in the finer points. Suspension technology is good but not great, transmission is smooth but a bit sluggish, and the “luxury” veneer seems a bit thin in places. That – plus the snob factor – is what Hyundai has to overcome in future models.

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BEAT : Newtonian Physics? You mean SUV can flip over when doing high speed on turns?

If that brings you comfort when a teenager in his hand-me-down 1999 Tahoe runs a red light while horsing around with his high school buddies after class, go with it.

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crackers : During your testing, did you look at real gas mileage? I believe the Veracruz is a bit of a pig.

I averaged 19-20 mpg in mixed driving (Houston traffic too) over the course of 50-70 miles. This was going by the computer on the dash, so take it FWIW. But from the EPA ratings, the Hyundai V6 seems awful thirsty in every vehicle that it finds a home in. I remember the XG350 was especially bad for its class.

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jgholt: the hotness that’s the RX 350’s Hilda Suarez sheetmetal ???

Now, now! The RX is beautiful compared to the Hyundai. In the world of crossovers, I’d wager its one of the most universally admired bodies on the planet. Yes, I am damning with it faint praise, and now everyone knows how difficult it was writing this Comparo test!!!

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klossfam : same silky 3.5 V6, excellent Lexus-like fit & finish – and a list of $38K with a “take me home price” of $32K-$33K (if you are a bad negotiator).

You lost me at the fit and finish part. The Veracruz may smell funny, but that’s temporary. The rest of its soft touch polymers are far superior. Don’t believe me? Talk to Berkowitz.

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Michael Ayoub : You’re joking, right?

I can’t believe the number of people I know who go bonkers at the sight of this crossover with its “L” badge. This ride has suburban upper-middle class snob appeal in any city…that isn’t dominated by domestic nameplates.

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jybt : “Stinky interior” (plastic)? Where did you get that comment? All the major magazines disagree with that, and it shouldn’t be difficult for people to find plastic on a car.

I got that from 15+ years of sitting in new Hyundais at the Auto Show. In fairness, I had a Sonata rental with 12k on the clock, it smelled okay. Ditto my beat-up Elantra (70k) loaner car, which I rather liked…the new only Hyundai that doesn’t smell funny is the Genesis 4.6, with its upgraded leather interior over the V6 model.

Its funny you mention the “major magazines” because I swore that I recently read a C/D review mentioning the Hyundai’s funk in their highs/lows comment box. Granted C/D has gone down the crapper in recent years, but I’d still consider ‘em a major car rag.

thetopdog-absolutely right, you should see all the new complaints about “uncomfortable headrests” from people on places like Consumer Reports. Apparently, smaller people, (say a 5′2″ woman) when they drive cars with new style “better” head restraints their head gets pushed down into their chest when sitting in the seat. These complaints are coming from people who already own the cars they are talking about! They obviously bought the cars without sitting in it much less test driving one.

Where did you get that comment?

All the major magazines disagree with that, and it shouldn’t be difficult for people to find plastic on a car.

You’re joking, right?

Yea, but the seat fabric is rough to the touch and the seats are hard as rock. My ass was numb even when we just went for 15 minutes. That’s a deal breaker for many.

I’d get the Veracruz for family use… well-appointed, real third row… but the chassis just isn’t world class… not yet… there’s some chassis flex over rough bumps, the suspension doesn’t have enough control, and the steering is dead as a door-nail.

The CX9, on the other hand, has a chassis that feels as solid as anything I’ve driven… has good dynamics for such a big car, and, IMHO, aside from the FX (the old FX, that is), is the best-looking car in the whole darn segment.

Sure, the rear seats aren’t all that, but who cares? It’s bigger than everything but the Veracruz, and it has a great engine, to boot.

Yes, the CX-9 is a seven-passenger vehicle, but the advantage of the seven-seaters is that you can pretend they’re five-seaters with a bit more cargo room if you fold down that third row.

Too late to warn my aunt and her new Avalon purchase. The thing has 24,000 miles on it and has been in the shop 5 times for bullshiat trans and steering problems. She bought into the whole “all Detroit cars or shiatty” mantra and it bit her in the ass.

She never took it for a test drive either.

People in the Lexus/Toyota world buy cars without test-driving them because they have no interest in how a car actually drives, only that it will get them from point A to point B reliably and in comfort (not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s not really something to brag about either)

This eliminated the RX350 early on because it’s really a 5 passenger vehicle. Ditto the FX-35.

The lambdas were a bit larger than we wanted, and the Enclave we drove hunted for gears.

A ~ 2006 CPO Volvo XC90 and an ‘08 CX-9 were other top contenders. The Hyundai won over both on value and handling. We paid just under $31k, new, fully equipped. This was a full $5k less than a similar Mazda. We also liked the softer ride the Veracruz offers since the express point of this car is to get our family comfortably down the highway.

13 months later, we’re still very happy with the choice and would make it again.

I’d agree the Lexus is a healthy notch above the Hyundai in styling, handling and price.

If we wanted to spend an extra $10-15k and get a 5 passenger CUV, the RX would be a great pick.

Thank you!!!

Why does every Infiniti/Nissan V-6 have that awful “Pep-Boys-Fart-Can” exhaust note?

I’d pass on any of them because I’d hate to listen to that noise for 5-10 years.

I agree, because the RX is so ubiquitous, especially since it’s their 5th year of selling this car.

But also, RX might not stand out because literally 95% of them are either white or silver. If you want to stand out there’s tons of different colors they come in that are really unique like purple, red, light bright blue, etc. :) Also, they should be more like BMW and offer more colors for the interior. :/ The beige gets dirty really quick and black is just dreary.

While I would agree that the RX is a higher end car, the ones I looked at – fully loaded – were MUCH more than a $5000 premium over the Veracruz when fully equipped. More like a $15 grand difference, which starts to make more sense. Especially since Hyundai is offering incentives too! I also drove the “real” leather version (I never saw a pleather one, actually) and it wasn’t “stinky” at all.

I ended up getting a Murano. I liked the Nissan style and the techno stuff – and it too was way cheaper than an FX35 AND the RX fully loaded (and bigger inside too). Neither of these are 7 passenger vehicles either though (which is a Good Thing).

No reliability information on either just yet–possibly in February. The Toyota Highlander has had low repair rates. The Hyundai Santa Fe had a rough launch, but has improved to average.

We need more participants for the RX and Veracruz. If you know an owner of either who might be interested, send them here:

http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php

???

It may just be my humble opinion, but the RX stands out like a sheep in a flock. But then again, maybe that’s the allure for some ranch-hands to lie about in Texas.

Or maybe I’m just jaded because I’m sick to death of seeing the stilted Camry in every affluent suburban driveway such that they’ve become ubiquitous.

The RX is a poseur car: as the H2 was to machismo types, the RX is to yuppies.

Rant over.

The ‘Cruz is a 7 passenger vehicle, and the RX is strictly 5-up.

I know MT and others like to compare them ,but they are really not in the same league. Cruz vs. Acadia vs. Pilot vs. CX-9 vs. Flex, maybe.

The Cruz is an OK vehicle, but suffers from the usual Hyundai cheapness factor. From my unscientific observations, the Cruz is not selling well. I rarely see them in ATL, while RX’s are a dime a dozen.

During your testing, did you look at real gas mileage? I believe the Veracruz is a bit of a pig.

Um, my guess is CARMAX unknowingly provided the cars.

I later learned that in the Lexus/Toyota world, it’s very common for folks to buy a car without taking a test drive. They have that much faith in the cars.

Anyway, the cross shopping for us was the RX, an ML Benz, Grand Cherokee, or a strippo V6 Cayenne. Definitely not a Hyundai or Buick.