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The number of players able to offer smaller, but more expensive SUVs is increasing rapidly, and is quickly becoming the hottest segment around. But how to more easily afford the $40,000-ish price tags these vehicles command? Spreading out the pain over several years is one option.
We’ve had a couple tries at the financing option before, but this time will be focusing on leasing instead. Why lease? Generally smaller monthly payments, shorter terms and the ability to walk away at the end rank highly. As does the money-saving tactic of not needing to include an extended warranty since the standard bumper-to-bumper should cover most leases both for time and mileage limits.
We’ve tried to collect all available information, including extra fees and taxes where possible. These deals were all done using Toronto and its 13 percent HST as a baseline, so the actual totals in other provinces may vary. And because we started with the MSRP, there’s always room for negotiation to make those payments smaller. Only one vehicle needed pushing out to 48 months, while the rest are either 36 or 39 months. All calculations are done with no down-payment or trade.
We’ll tackle the list of 10 compact-ish luxury-ish SUVs alphabetically.
2015 Acura RDX
Acura hasn’t made many changes to its 2015 RDX, although it remains the company’s best-selling product for a reason. For now, anyway, the standard 3.5L V6 remains one of the few non-turbocharged engines available and packs a competitive 273 hp and 251 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed automatic transmission and standard SH-AWD system give it plenty of agility. In top-end Tech trim, it includes an eight-inch touchscreen with navigation, power tailgate and a 10-speaker ELS sound system with 410 watts.
The Tech package MSRP of $46,864 plus $2,451 in PDI, freight and levies for an all-in price of $52,951. With an annual interest rate of 1.9 percent, spread over 39 months, and limited to 20,000 km a year, the final figure works out to $708 a month with a $24,579 residual.
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2015 Audi Q3
Audi’s Q3 became the latest in the trio of sub-compact German SUVs, at least to arrive on Canadian shores as a 2015, spearheaded by the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA, both of which are included here later. The smallest Audi ‘ute uses the same platform and engines as its lower-to-the-ground siblings, meaning a familiar turbocharged 2.0L engine with 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. The six-speed automatic is more-than-adequate, as is the all-wheel drive system.
The Progressiv is Audi’s entry-level trim, but the list of standard features is pretty exemplary, including xenon headlights and LED fog- and taillights, 18-inch wheels and more. The interior is the only place where criticism can be leveled with a more basic design compared with Audi’s latest models.
With an MSRP of $38,300 and $2,100 of freight and PDI charges, the deal works to $685 a month. That’s spread over 36 months, with a 3.9 percent interest rate, although the mileage limit is only 20,000 km annually. The quoted residual is $22,217.
