Seems like everyone and their non-conforming relatives love the 2018 QX60, which is a midsized SUV in the luxury category and priced accordingly.
Not that there is a car that has everything for everyone, but if there was, this car comes pretty close. With this year’s QX60, there is luxury inside and out. Leather upholstery, beautiful appointments all around, top-notch materials and an overall sense of high-class status fills the air, all without being too pretentious (unless you are into that sort of thing, like I am). At the same time, you get a strong sense of performance, all from a 3.4-liter V6 engine, giving up 295 horses and 270 pound-feet of torque. You really aren’t going to want to do much more with the QX60 other than drive it, so for those who like to get in and go and not worry about anything else, this is a car for you. At a base price of $43,300, it ain’t cheap, but it really does all the work for you and it doesn’t call you ‘lazy’ in the process.
The midsized luxury/non-luxury SUV market is a very competitive market here in the US, and this year’s QX60 holds up well all the way around. The handling is great no matter where you take it. It’s not too big so you can take it most everywhere but it’s not so small that you can’t get your Saturday morning bulk purchases in it. You can get your family inside provided your family isn’t too large in every sense of the word. I don’t feel you can go wrong with the QX60 if it is within your price range.
The downside, and possibly the only major downside, is mileage. You’ll get a combined 22 mpg, which isn’t bad but there is better mileage out there.
A luxury car like a QX60 may be truly out of your reach, and I understand that. Honestly, it’s out of my reach. A monthly car payment of over $500 is a real possibility for a car like this, and how many people can afford that? Thusly, check out a used QX60. This model holds up its value very well. The luxury is always there and if it’s a certified used car, you should be in good shape. Just because there is a little engine wear, that doesn’t mean the pistons aren’t firing properly.
Given all the choices out there in the SUV market, and then when you slice and dice it down to subcompacts and compacts and larges and barges, it can get confusing. I always advise people to think about what you want in general terms, look around, ask friends, read articles and reviews (like gaywheels.com) and try to get a sense of, honestly, what is going to make you happy. Then think about what you can afford. Often you cannot reconcile what you want with what you can afford, but if you are at least aware of the gap, you can go forward with the knowledge that you are perhaps a bit closer to becoming happier in your life.
That’s sage advice for all facets of life, including dating.
Photos courtesy of Dave Bear
