Anyone have anything good/bad to say about an Acura MDX

My wife is considering one. I don’t like the idea.

A friend of mine has had 2 of them, and they have been flawless.

New or used? We owned the first generation of MDX. Solid, dependable, versatile, good safety ratings. However we sold it after 8 months. Roughest riding vehicle we had ever had. It had a sport-tuned suspension which on Minnesota roads was a night mare. We had other mid-sized SUV’s with softer and far better rides. Our MDX going over a manhole cover or railroad tracks would result in nearly ejecting you thru the sunroof.

Early consumer reports noted this problem as well. Acura was to address this in future models… I assume they have. However, if you’re looking new ask if its its still sport-tuned suspension and test drive it on a pothole road somewhere. And over tracks, manhole covers, etc. If you come back with all your teeth then they probably fixed the issue.

If not keep looking if you like a comfortable ride. Remember most mid-sized SUV’s have a relatively short wheel base and anything less in terms of a forgiving suspension magnifies shortcomings in ride quality.

If you want a comfort ride, check out Lexus RX, or if you don’t want to spend as much the Toyota Highlander is pretty much the same platform and ride. My wife now drives a Nissan Pathfinder and it has the longest wheelbase in the mid-sized class. Much better ride. Infinity has the Nissan version too in a more expensive model with more bells and whistles too. I’m glad she opted for the non-luxury version myself

My parents have a 2005 that has been very reliable. I too am not particularly fond of the ride, but that is coming from much longer wheelbase SUVs we own.

FDR

She’s looking at a 2014 or 2015 with the “tech” package. Commander honeybunch test drove one and liked the ride, so it sounds like they fixed the suspension issue. As I’ve been researching the vehicle, I’m seeing a lot of complaints that the tech package is sub-par and a fair amount of people are complaining about general computer system glitches with the car. She has hot nuts for the tech package–my personal take is to buy a base model vehicle and add on the “tech” stuff with aftermarket items. Technology advances so quickly, why buy a car with a bunch of hard-wired toys that will be obsolete in a couple years?

My other reservation is that my wife treated her last car like a rented mule. Last thing I want is a 55K dollar luxury vehicle with melted lipstick and french fries smashed into the carpet.

Thanks for the advice so far.

The thing that killed me on the luxury cars that Mrs. Grouse owned was the insane cost of maintenance. This is very difficult to get a handle on in advance of the purchase, but I’m sure someone publishes estimated figures.

If not, I’d look up a few things just so you know in advance:

– Cost of timing belt replacement. This can be a absolute killer. In Mrs. Grouse’s Audi A6 it was over $3000 and that was through a cheaper independent servicer.

– Tires – IMO this gives a good indication of how big of a PITA the vehicle will be. If the tires on it are some screwball size with limited options and cost $389 each on TireRack, that’d be a sign to me that this vehicle is going to be a massive PITA to own.

Other common maintenance items like batteries, brake jobs, etc also can give an indication of what you’re in for. My personal favorite was a relative of mine bought a Mercedes back in the 1990s and discovered later that it used 12 quarts (!) of Mobile 1 synthetic at each oil change. No $19.95 QuickieLube change for him.

chamberschamps wrote:

My other reservation is that my wife treated her last car like a rented mule. Last thing I want is a 55K dollar luxury vehicle with melted lipstick and french fries smashed into the carpet.

Yes. Women can be like that. Strongly advise purchase of fitted floor liners like Weathertechs or similar about the day after you buy the vehicle. These have really saved wear and tear on Mrs. Grouse’s vehicles. I just wish they would make a scuff/skid plate to prevent high heels from scaring up the inside of the door and digging into the floor protector.

Grouse

While I drive the more utilitarian tow vehicle, my wife has driven some high-end luxury vehicles over the years… Audi’s, Volvos, Lexus, Acura. The point above that is true is the expense of maintenance (especially the European brands). Just to put them “on the computer” to check something out always seem to equal $2000+ to identify and fix something.

Her idea as much as mine, but enough. We found the same platform for most of those vehicles in the “lesser” brand (i.e. Toyota Highlander vs. Lexus RX, or Nissan Pathfinder instead of Infiniti) etc… Same ride quality and surprisingly much of the same equipment for overall less sticker price and maintenance costs. Its just less prestigious to some. Glad my princess doesn’t care about that much any more. We have 3 kids under college tuition now and more important things to focus on…

I’d just get my wife the MOST AWARDED SUV ever and be done with it…

What’s the difference between an ACURA MDX and a porcupine? A porcupine has the pricks on the outside. lol, just kidding.

I would like to be more helpful but as I am a professional Proctologist, I drive a brown Ford Probe.

FYI Pre 2005 had plenty of transmission issues, later than that they are ultra reliable just thirsty