Reliability - Evoque vs. X3 vs. GLK

So after countless hours of research and test drives, I have made up my mind on buying one of the following 2013 vehicles:

Bmw X3 35i
Mercedes GLK
Range Rover Evoque

All vehicles have everything I want. They all are great vehicles. I would be happy with either of them.

My BIG question is RELIABILITY. I will be keeping this vehicle 8-10 years. I would prefer not to purchase an extended warranty because i dont feel they are good value. So for all three vehicles, after 4 years I would be off warranty.

In your opinion, which vehicle do you think would be the most reliable? I have heard some horrid stories about Range Rover, but also seem to constantly read problems here for the Evoques. I really don't want to spend $50-$60k and not have a long term reliable vehicle. I currently drive an Acura, so I am used to bulletproof build quality. I am just very scared that my three choices for my next SUV might be terrible for long term reliability. Thank you for your time.

Nick

None of them. I wouldn't keep a European marque for more than 4 years. Your answer is the Acura RDX/Lexus RX or the like. IMO of course.

I'm biased, I would take the Evoque. This is my fourth LR all of which I have changed before 3 years, not because I'm concerned about reliability but I get itchy feet.

I have no problem (if I had the will power) keeping a LR/RR for 10 years. There is a lot of members who are having trouble free motoring.

We ran a Freelander 2 for 5 years and 75k miles with no issues that kept it off the road, only a couple of electrical gremlins with regard to warning lights. We didn't take an extended warranty after 3 years and would not have needed it. We have owned Discoveries which were much less reliable. A view of this given to me is that cars built at the Freelander/Evoque factory are much more reliable than those from the Range Rover/Discovery site. We replaced the Freelander with an Evoque back in July and so far over 6k miles it has been totally reliable. My opinion is that it should fulfill you need.

Any issues I've had with my Land Rovers have arisen early on in the warranty period (within first few months). After that, trouble free motoring.

Nice to hear some people who own Landrovers have not had terrible results. All the other forums seem to put the Evoque on the bottom of the list for reliability.

People are always slating Landrover but if you look at second hand one's especially discovery's, look at the mileage they have done, I know someone with a disco that's done more than 200,000 miles, doesn't that say something about reliability.

It probably luck of the draw no matter which car you buy!

I had no issues with my pure over the 13 months I owned it, but a friend of mine has had his 8 month dynamic taken away on a trailer twice in the past 3 weeks (flat battery and also blocked fuel filter).

I was happy with mine, he's REALLY annoyed with his! (particularly with the attitude of the dealer, who he claims were "worse than shi@?"

I've owned 8 Land Rovers in 16 years, the oldest one of the lot I still own as a 2nd car (a 1996 Defender) it has never missed a beat in 81000 miles, despite being used for what it was meant to be used for! Of the other 7 only one ever left me stranded and needing a tow and that was a 1998 Discovery2 that shredded an auxilary drive belt while I was driving it to the dealership to hand in against a new Freelander1. It all depends on what you mean by reliability - to me it means not leaving me stranded at the side of the road or needing a tow truck/ Land Rover assist coming to sort out a problem, it doesn't mean to me visits to the dealer to fix things like rattles, that is poor quality control that doesn't effect the mechanicals. I don't doubt that there are Evoques that break down or leave the owner stranded, I've never owned one like that (yet) - I have had far fewer problems with any of my Land Rovers and for that matter Rover cars than I had with my Volvo 480Es and Audi 80 Tdi Avant, both of which had numerous tow truck assisted recoveries to a dealership, usually one a long way from home and always from the side of the motorway in streaming rain! That's why I own a Land Rover now, I wouldn't easily be persuaded to buy either another Audi or another Volvo in view of my experiences with the marques. Based on the problems my brother-in-law has with his BMW 3 series Touring I wouldn't buy one of them either as it spends much more time than the Range Rover Sport he brought for my sister, in the service bay

Keep in mind that faults and failures are always more newsworthy than perfect running so forums like this will not give you a correct impression. I've had just one fault - the iPod docking connector - which is hardly anything to do with the ability of the car to get you from A to B. The rest of the car has been perfect, has not missed a beat and is great to drive.

I'm more than happy with it.