luckyAKAhappy

Hi,

I have a 05 MDX Touring and I think it's a very decent SUV for the price. Handling wise, I wished that it was a little tighter, not as "bouncy". I drive this SUV the most and my wife and baby is 99% of the time the passengers. My wife hates driving this car. She says it's like driving a damn tugboat (she's got a lead foot ). She wants something that handles a lot better. She also has an old RAV4 that she absolutely loves and continues to drive that. The problem is that we have a baby and I tell her to drive the MDX for safety reasons. She will only drive the MDX if she has too and has no choice.

My car is the TL so I'm thinking of getting rid of both the RAV4 and the MDX and test driving the RX350 and the X5 and pick up one of those.

Question...anyone test drive the Lexus / BMW and decided on the MDX anways? What do you think of the handling aspects of the MDX? Is the newer model much better?

Thanks

FiftyFive

Hm, any thoughts on the RDX?

If you are seriously considering getting out of it, I would go test drive the new X5, RX350, and the new MDX.

007Acura

the rx350 is still riding on the old highlander frame so there is a lot of body roll on it too

tell her to rent a trailblazer for a day, she will think the mdx handles like a nissan gtr

rdx is what i would recommend, its fast and handles great

luckyAKAhappy

The RDX / X3 is her choice. Reminds her of the RAV4 (in size only). I'm trying to steer her away from them cause they're kinda small. She sits in the back with the baby seat and she expects it to be as comfortable as a recliner.

So the only other I can think of was the RX350 and X5. She doesn't like the size of the new MDX as she says it's bigger than our current one. Now if it handled like a jack rabbit, it would be ok. I haven't driven one so I guess a test drive is in order.

thanks

luckyAKAhappy

Hmmm...so since the newly redesigned Highlander came out, is the new RX coming as well? I got to look this up.

As for trailblazer...we had an Explorer and she hated it so she knows that the MDX is comfy. Not agile but comfy.

If the RDX was a tad bigger...I would go for it.

FiftyFive

Get rid of the wife, keep the MDX

007Acura

007Acura

i drove the new mdx because they gave me a loaner and it does handle better because it's center of gravity is lower. +sh-awd
it is shorter but slightly wider, so it looks smaller

why does she care so much... does she track her cars all the time?

csmeance

the new MDX is a very nice car, the RDX is what I would call a Teenage car that begs to be thrown around. No offense, but it sounds like some one needs to realize leadfoot + Tossing car around + Baby = Not Possible.

csmeance

BMW X5 vs. Acura MDX, Cadillac SRX, M-B ML350, Lexus GX470, Volvo XC90, VW Touareg, Land Rover LR3

Heres the link:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...omparison_test

Verdict:

2007 Acura MDX Sport

* Introduction
* Eight: 2007 Land Rover LR3 HSE
* Seventh: 2007 Volkswagen Touareg V-6
* Sixth: 2007 Volvo XC90 Sport
* Fifth: 2007 Lexus GX470
* Fourth: 2007 Mercedes-Benz ML350
* Third: 2007 BMW X5 3.0si
* Second: 2007 Cadillac SRX AWD V-8
* First: 2007 Acura MDX Sport

luckyAKAhappy

lol.

luckyAKAhappy

No but she tends to drive more aggressively than I do and hates the wobbly motion of it. She recently drove an X3 and thought it was night and day compared to the MDX. I know it is and I'm trying to setup a test drive for a X5 since I drove that it I liked the way it handled and it's a little bigger. Have you test drove the X5? If so, what's the comparison to the new MDX?

luckyAKAhappy

Thanks. Now I gotta test drive the new MDX. If it handles as well as the X5...I have more decisions to make.

frosty ride

Wow, we're in the same boat. My wife has the MDX and I have a SSM 6M TL. You are correct about the MDX; it is not meant for driving joy. It is meant to act as a utilitarian mode of transportation. Not real fun, but dependable and straightforward. Super family hauler. I would much rather drive my TL any day.

We did look this summer at getting her a new MDX. We drove an 08, a RDX, and a Lexus RX350. I'll say this, the new MDX handles much differently than our car. Much more planted on the road, but I really couldn't tell that it had 300 HP. I guess I expected the punch like in my TL. It wasn't there, but it is a pretty heavy car. Much newer cockpit and driving sensation. Still the same, our older MDX felt much bigger to me. As mentioned we also drove the RDX which felt very quick with the turbo. It also felt very stiff and would get beat to sh*t on our roads here come winter when the pot holes come back out. In the end, it was just way too small for our family of 5. The RX350 was very nice. Excellent fit and finish. Smooth but pretty "floaty" as well. Had to think long and hard about the Lexus though, really nice car.

In the end, we kept our paid for MDX. It's only got 47000 miles on it and it is as dependable as a Labrador Retriever. With the drop in gas, I'm loving it more than ever. Good luck and let us know what you do.

007Acura

no but i drove my friends x3 3.0si with m suspension and it handles good but the ride is very harsh, much worse than the rdx's setup. also the interior is very cheap and outdated, again like the rx it is towards getting replaced by a new model. another thing i hated about the bimmer is that it always keeps the gear in 2nd even at a stop sign and some times i would really have to put my foot down and then i get banged back in my seat because the tranny went back to first, not a very smooth felling. in the mdx even if i am not stoped but rolling through a stop sign the tranny quietly and smothly goes to first with out me knowing, it feels expected.

maybe she should get a station wagon volvo, 328i, etc

Type34

Price also has to come in play here. For example, a fully optioned X5 xDrive48i can hit over $75,000. A loaded MDX with Tech/Sport is around $50K. If you added the optional 19" wheels to a 2009 MDX with SH-AWD, my guess is that you'd be impressed with the handling.

That being said, one reason the X3 handled so well was probably because it had the optional 19" Sport wheels. If an '09 MDX with 19's doesn't interest you, have you thought about adding 19's (or 20's) to your MDX?

We have 19 x 8.5 wheels with 255/55/19s tires on our MDX and it definitely handles better than the stock 17 x 6.5 with 235/65/17s. My wife loves driving her MDX and I actually do too. Food for thought.

luckyAKAhappy

We only have 30k miles on it and haven't had a problem (other than wheel balancing) on it since we bought it in 05. We're probably going to test drive the X5, new MDX, and the RX350. We'll see what happens but my friend who owns a X5 02 model is looking to "renew" his ride and asked if I wanted to buy an X5 with him to get better pricing. We'll see.

luckyAKAhappy

How is it possible a car is in second gear when they are stopped? Unless it was a manual? Anyways, I'm steering her clear of the X3 cause it's too small. I have a TL so we're not getting another car. And ever since my parents had station wagons from the 70's, I said I would never get one for myself. Ever.

So it's gonna be the new MDX, X5 or the RX350 (I have a feeling this will feel like my current car so..).
Thanks

007Acura

all newer bmw's stay in 2nd unless in d.s. mode to save gas, it's really annoying, just ask any AT bmw owner...

if your tl is a AT put it in sport at a stop then shift to 2nd and step on the gas... i can do this in my tsx, that feeling plus the shock from going back to first is what i am talking about

the rx rides like a soft boat and the bmw will cost you out the ass... not to mention the not so fantastic reliability record of the x5

happy shopping

vas25tl

GL getting the same dependability and reliability out of the X3/X5. They are more fun to drive, but it doesn't offset the cost. As far as the RX goes, I personally don't like them compared to the MDX. I haven't driven a 350 but the 300's and the 350's were slower than the MDX and didn't feel right and they're smaller inside.

How important is reliability/ease of maintenance?

luckyAKAhappy

Hmmm..gotta test it the shift to 2nd.

As for reliability of the X5..I think it's gotten a lot better from where it started. I've asked a few friends who have them and they said no problems so far.

luckyAKAhappy

well..I wouldn't want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere every other week cause it's breaking down. I don't think its' that bad. As for maintenance...it's free for the first 3 or 4 years. Unless they got rid of that service.

lucasb7

Just ben a lurker for a while, but thought I could help:

In regards to the RX350's handling, don't expect it to be spectacular. It is secure and very safe. However, it has some some body role and doesn't really beg to be driven hard.

But the next RX is coming out in March or so, therefore the current ones have steep discounts. The next RX will have many new features such as a HUD, 14 Speaker Mark Levinson sound system, HDD, Nav Traffic, Nav Weather and the list goes on. Most important is that it will have an optional sport suspension that should really tighten things up. Also do take a look at the coming RX450h, with 295 hp and gobs of torque, it is sure to be a lot of fun.

You can check it out at http://www.lexus.com/fcv/RXandRXh.html and be sure to click on the press release to see the real details. Or watch CNET's video at http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10106162-48.html

shooter

I drove my wife's RXH quite often, esp. when I need to haul the lil rugrat around .. LOL ... My take on the driving experience is pretty limited as I always try to achieve that elusive 30MPG everytime I take my baby girl around ... in other words, I drive like a grandma, totally different than in my TL ...

So recently i've been thinking about trade it in for MDX since our second baby is on the way ....

007Acura

thats a nice idea

i still think the current mdx blows away the design of the new 2010 rx