Used Luxury SUVs to Avoid and What to Buy Instead
You can get upscale accommodations and space while avoiding the headaches from an unreliable model
A used luxury SUV can give you the comfort, technology, and safety features in an upscale package for less than the cost of a new model, and even less than some new mainstream SUVs.
But be careful not to buy the wrong model or you’re likely to deal with a very unluxurylike experience: an uncomfortable ride, maddening controls, a cramped interior, and expensive out-of-warranty repairs. There’s no need to give up on your desire to own a luxury SUV; you just need to pick the one that won’t leave you fuming.
That’s where Consumer Reports’ auto experts come in. We put all of these models through our road-test evaluations when they were new, so we know how they perform. Plus, we collect data from CR members in our Annual Auto Surveys, so we can tell you how many problems a model has had compared with the average problem rate for all vehicles of the same model year.
This allows us to present models that are popular in their category but aren’t good choices to buy. Then we present two alternatives:
- A better choice: Another vehicle that’s widely available and has better reliability and owner satisfaction ratings.
- An “under-the-radar” alternative: A model that didn’t sell as well—in case you aren’t concerned with following the crowd—but is still reliable and satisfying.
Consumer Reports members can also search our Used Car Marketplace for vehicles for sale in their area, sorting by the factors that matter most.
