Okay, it's not quite 70,000 miles, but within shouting distance of it (about 800 miles shy). My parents bought this car new in 2005 and we bought it from them in November. It had 56k miles in November and we've put close to 14k miles on it in the 8 months since. We bought this because of a rather unreliable minivan we had previously. The MDX has a 3rd row of seating. And while not as large inside as our previous minivan, it's nearly as functional. And despite much more powerful engine, larger tires, AWD, and heavier mass, the fuel economy is about the same. Though to be fair, this one does use premium fuel.
The ride and handling on this far exceed those of our minivan. The MDX rides better and handles far better. The chassis is very playful and with the shorter wheelbase, it feels like the rear tires really are part of the team, rather than being drug around as it felt in the van. I think the ride and handling balance that Acura struck with this is as close to perfect as it gets. This is the previous generation MDX (2001-2006), and is based on the Honda Pilot, though the MDX has some additional chassis bracing and gusseting compared with the Pilot.
It also has a more powerful engine (though both engines are 3.5L J-series engines). In a word, this engine is fantastic. The powertrain smoothless is top-notch. The 5-speed automatic is flawless, much better than the 4-speed we came from. This transmission is the only one I've driven that actually performs as its "Grade Logic Control" advertising would have you believe. We just got off a 1,200 mile trip to Pittsburgh and back, and this thing was a dream on the mountains of I-77 and I-79 in West Virginia. Even on a 6% grade, the engine had plenty of power in reserve. Just push the right pedal down and you've got a much larger shove in the back than you'd think an engine of only 3.5L could provide. We did the same trip in our van last year, and there is simply no comparison in the "satisfaction" of the drive, if that makes any sense.
I'm happy with the fuel economy this car gives, if still on premium fuel. The original estimate is 17/23, with revised estimates of 15/21. We average closer to the original estimate with it. Over the 1,200 miles, we averaged 20.1 mpg, which I'm very happy with.
Although this vehicle has some complexity to it (tons of electronics in the AWD system, and a lot of stuff inside like navigation and DVD video), nothing's broken. Nothing. This is another welcome change from our old ride. I will give it a major service at 70k miles here in another few weeks, including an oil change, ATF change, coolant change, and VTM fluid change. And rotate the tires. Although not a review of them specifically, I couldn't be happier with the Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires we have on it. They give a large "beefy" feel to the drive. They handle fast mountain curves extremely well, and their grip on the snow (though obviously aided by the AWD system) is tenacious. Acura and Michelin got this tire RIGHT.
I don't have any real complaints about this car. I do think Acura could have done some things smarter. For instance, it has a photo sensor for the automatic headlamps. But the day/night mode on the navigation system isn't tied to that; it's tied to the headlamp operation. So if you have the navigation system in AUTO mode, and turn on the headlamps on a light day (because of rain for example), the navigation screen dims out. For that reason, we simply have the screen on DAY mode, and only turn it to NIGHT mode if we're out at night (which isn't common). It would have been just as easy for Acura to tie that input to the photo sensor instead of the headlamp circuit itself.
But really, this is an excellent family vehicle. There has not yet been a situation where we would have "needed" the van's extra room, though we make use of this Acura's 3rd row regularly. And we've taken the MDX to places where the van could never have gone (like into the woods for picnics at the lake, and pictured below on one such outing). The ground clearance and grabbier tires on the MDX simply provide capability the van doesn't have, and we use that capability more than we thought we would when we bought it (which has been a fun surprise).
The ride and handling on this far exceed those of our minivan. The MDX rides better and handles far better. The chassis is very playful and with the shorter wheelbase, it feels like the rear tires really are part of the team, rather than being drug around as it felt in the van. I think the ride and handling balance that Acura struck with this is as close to perfect as it gets. This is the previous generation MDX (2001-2006), and is based on the Honda Pilot, though the MDX has some additional chassis bracing and gusseting compared with the Pilot.
It also has a more powerful engine (though both engines are 3.5L J-series engines). In a word, this engine is fantastic. The powertrain smoothless is top-notch. The 5-speed automatic is flawless, much better than the 4-speed we came from. This transmission is the only one I've driven that actually performs as its "Grade Logic Control" advertising would have you believe. We just got off a 1,200 mile trip to Pittsburgh and back, and this thing was a dream on the mountains of I-77 and I-79 in West Virginia. Even on a 6% grade, the engine had plenty of power in reserve. Just push the right pedal down and you've got a much larger shove in the back than you'd think an engine of only 3.5L could provide. We did the same trip in our van last year, and there is simply no comparison in the "satisfaction" of the drive, if that makes any sense.
I'm happy with the fuel economy this car gives, if still on premium fuel. The original estimate is 17/23, with revised estimates of 15/21. We average closer to the original estimate with it. Over the 1,200 miles, we averaged 20.1 mpg, which I'm very happy with.
Although this vehicle has some complexity to it (tons of electronics in the AWD system, and a lot of stuff inside like navigation and DVD video), nothing's broken. Nothing. This is another welcome change from our old ride. I will give it a major service at 70k miles here in another few weeks, including an oil change, ATF change, coolant change, and VTM fluid change. And rotate the tires. Although not a review of them specifically, I couldn't be happier with the Michelin Cross Terrain SUV tires we have on it. They give a large "beefy" feel to the drive. They handle fast mountain curves extremely well, and their grip on the snow (though obviously aided by the AWD system) is tenacious. Acura and Michelin got this tire RIGHT.
I don't have any real complaints about this car. I do think Acura could have done some things smarter. For instance, it has a photo sensor for the automatic headlamps. But the day/night mode on the navigation system isn't tied to that; it's tied to the headlamp operation. So if you have the navigation system in AUTO mode, and turn on the headlamps on a light day (because of rain for example), the navigation screen dims out. For that reason, we simply have the screen on DAY mode, and only turn it to NIGHT mode if we're out at night (which isn't common). It would have been just as easy for Acura to tie that input to the photo sensor instead of the headlamp circuit itself.
But really, this is an excellent family vehicle. There has not yet been a situation where we would have "needed" the van's extra room, though we make use of this Acura's 3rd row regularly. And we've taken the MDX to places where the van could never have gone (like into the woods for picnics at the lake, and pictured below on one such outing). The ground clearance and grabbier tires on the MDX simply provide capability the van doesn't have, and we use that capability more than we thought we would when we bought it (which has been a fun surprise).
