This month’s participants include: Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Nissan, Acura, Hyundai, Infiniti, Honda, Lexus, Volvo, Audi and BMW.
For Dealer Quotes, go to: Yahoo Autos or TrueCar.com..
To check your credit, go to CreditReport.com.
Ground Rules
- Participating vehicles will be based on the lease rates gathered on this website during the corresponding month.
- 36-month/15k lease terms will used for all calculations unless a better term is available.
- A $1500 drive-off fee is assumed for all cars. Since fees and taxes vary from region to region, your drive-off may vary.
- Sale Price estimates will be based on Truecar.com sales data in the Southern California region, so your numbers may vary.
- All estimates assume you qualify for the base rate. A minimum Credit Score of 700
may be required to secure Top Tier credit in most cases.
- Sales taxes are not included since different states handle taxes differently.
- The rating system used is based on RIDE with G’s Lease Calculator. Only cars with a 90 rating or higher will be included on this list.
SEDAN
2012 NISSAN ALTIMA SEDAN S CVT (107.1)
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00047 Base Rate
2011 INFINITI G37 SEDAN JOURNEY (107.1)
36 Month – Residual 59% of MSRP – .00064 Base Rate
2012 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN EX AT (105.9)
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00050 Base Rate
2012 NISSAN MAXIMA S (103.8) *The SV also leases very well
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00184 Base Rate
2011 INFINITI G25 SEDAN JOURNEY (102.2)
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00065 Base Rate
2012 NISSAN SENTRA SR CVT (100.5)
36 Month – Residual 63% of MSRP – .00115 Base Rate
2012 Acura TL Base (98.1)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 60% | .00166 base money factor
2012 Mercedes-Benz C300 4matic 4dr Sedan (98.1) *$1500 Loyalty cash applied
36 Month – Residual 62% of MSRP – .00182 Base Rate
2012 Hyundai Genesis Sedan V6 (97.2) *$1500 Conquest/Loyalty cash applied
36-month | 15k miles | residual 58% | .00147 base money factor
2012 Volvo S60 T-5 (95.1) *$1000 Loyalty cash
36-month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00134 base money factor
2012 Hyundai Sonata Turbo SE (92.1) *$500 Loyalty cash applied
36-month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00120 base money factor
2012 INFINITI M37 SEDAN X AWD (91.6)
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00153 Base Rate
CONVERTIBLE
2011 INFINITI G37 CONVERTIBLE BASE (93.8)
36 Month – Residual 59% of MSRP – .00160 Base Rate
2012 Volvo C70 T-5 (90.1) *$1000 Loyalty cash applied
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00082 Base Rate
COUPE
2011 INFINITI G37 COUPE JOURNEY (107.9)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 62% | .00128 base money factor
2012 HONDA ACCORD COUPE LX-S AT (101.8)
36 Month – Residual 56% of MSRP – .00050 Base Rate
2012 NISSAN ALTIMA SEDAN S CVT (101.0)
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00141 Base Rate
2011 INFINITI G37 COUPE IPL AT (96.2)
36 month | 15k miles | residual 59% | .00128 base money factor
2012 Mercedes-Benz C250 2dr Coupe (91.8) *$1500 Loyalty cash applied.
36 Month – Residual 66% of MSRP – .00225 Base Rate
HATCHBACK/WAGON/SUV/CROSSOVER
2012 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR 4WD EX-L (110.2)
36 Month – Residual 57% of MSRP – .00068 Base Rate
2011 HONDA CR-V 4WD LX AT (99.3)
36 Month – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00095 Base Rate
2011 INFINITI EX35 AWD JOURNEY (98.4)
36 Month – Residual 54% of MSRP – .00127 Base Rate
2011 INFINITI FX35 AWD (96.7)
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00130 Base Rate
2012 HONDA PILOT 4WD LX (95.8)
36 Month – Residual 58% of MSRP – .00061 Base Rate
2011 NISSAN MURANO AWD S (93.7)
36 Month – Residual 49% of MSRP – .00005 Base Rate
2011 NISSAN ROGUE AWD S (92.7)
36 Month – Residual 55% of MSRP – .00094 Base Rate
2012 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS V6 AWD (90.5)
36-month | 15k miles | residual 56% | .00115 base money factor
Bright Spots
Audi does have a lot of loyalty cash available, making the lease decent. They aren’t rated over 90, but they are in the high 80s if you manage to get aboout 10-11% off MSRP with the loyalty cash. Worth a shot if you are shopping for one.
BMW and Acura also has a few cars with high 80 ratings (TSX, 1 and 3 series) If you are willing to pay a bit extra for your lease, they might be worth a look.
The Nissan Leaf has terrible lease rates, but the rebate ($7500) is so huge that it makes the car a decent lease. Obviously, there are limitations to this car and it may not be for everyone. However, if your commute is short (and limited), this car may be for you. Leasing it at 10,000 per year (it’s got limited range anyway) should help keep the payments low.
Weak Spots
VW leases stink. Not only does VW make it tough for people wanting to trade-in their VW (before lease end), they also don’t discount much off their cars. The only glimmer of hope lies on the Volkswagen CC Sport, but this car barely cracks a 87.1 RWG, and that’s with lease cash.
Lexus is also a disappointment. Leases are not very attractive on 2012 models. 2011 are getting a lot of incentives right now so if you plan to lease a Lexus, try to find a 2011 model.
In Summary
Once again, the Round-Up is being dominated by Nissan/Infiniti and Honda/Acura. Despite very good competition, I have to give Honda the edge since the CrossTour is an excellent lease right now. It’s not a pretty car, but you can’t deny how good the lease is.
On a side note, I have this ongoing theory that the reason why the CrossTour gets so much lease support is because it’s a tough sell without it. Your thoughts?
@G, is there any 7-seater SUV in your round-ups? Please advise. tks,, RJ
Honda Pilot. You can go all the way to EX-L trim and it will still be a pretty good deal. Once you start going to the NAV and RES models, the residual tanks and you will pay extra. Still better than the MDX and LR2 though. Plus no disposition and $1500 damage waiver makes Hondas/Acuras great cars to lease.
I know it’s not a pretty truck, but Honda seems to be hurting for sales right now so the Pilot is very attractive in my opinion. If I had the cash right now, I would definitely pick one up because I have the need for a 7-seater as well.
@G, thanks for your valuable suggestions. I greatly appreciate it! Your website is a great resource and so is your quick responses.
I will look into Honda Pilot.
One more question, how about in luxury area, do you have any picks that you like in 7 seater (other than Acura)?
@RJ. Not a lot of good leases on 7-seaters. Pilot was the only one that stood out as a good lease. The rest are all quite expensive either due to lack of discounts, low residual, high money factor or all of the above. If you are looking at luxury brands, I would have to say the MDX comes closest to a reasonable deal.