jchoi5

I wrote out the name incase anybody is doing a google image search for it. I couldn't find any pictures so hopefully those keywords get picked up by google.

I got my first car wash today, and it was a beautiful day so figured I'd take some pics to share. The car wash attendant did not know wtf he was doing with the electronic gear shifters. He put it in neutral, opened the door, then the car went back into park. I told him he had to shut off the engine but he didn't understand me. He ended up putting it in neutral and staying inside the car through the whole wash.

Anywhos, I love this car, it is my second Acura. My first was a 2005 TSX which I traded in at 91k miles. That thing was reliable as hell and an honest work horse; I am hoping this will be no different. To be honest, I do have a little bit of concern with the reliability as many of the forum members are reporting problems on their new MDX's (Power steering issue, LWD/FWC, Emission/BSM issues.)

Here are my honest impressions with the car. I'm not trying to sell anything, and I tried to keep everything as unbiased as I can:

First, the looks. Man the new MDX is GORGEOUS! I LOVE the jewel headlights! They look great and to be perfectly honest, I don't NEED the fog lights, I just added them on for looks. The road gets maybe like 10% brighter adding the fog lights, very little difference in my honest opinion. The tech pack rims looks really nice and sporty too. I love how the whole thing comes together with the sports bumper trims and sport step running board. It looks sporty, without being over the top (Lexus NX is a bit too much for my tastes). It still maintains that "sports utility" feel. Honestly, I do a double take after parking my car sometimes, and whisper to myself "dang that car looks so good".

The 9 speed engine is really smooth and I like it so far. My only criticism is the 1st gear feels a bit watered down, but it's still a powerful engine nonetheless. On 2nd gear+ this car just launches. I only drive in regular Drive mode, I messed around a little bit with the "Sequential" mode, and it seems to hold the gears at a higher RPM before shifting. I didn't really care for it and the regular Drive is a more comfortable ride, so that's my default. The SHAWD really makes a huge difference on how the car handles. I feel like the car is hugging the road as the car turns, and so "in charge of the road" when accelerating. The suspensions eats up tiny bumps/potholes like nothing and the whole thing rides so smooth and quiet. It feels like riding on a mellow cloud, but you can definitely get the power when you need to.

My favorite IDS mode to drive in is Sports mode, I like having the stiffer handling and it just feels really responsive to me. I couldn't really tell much of a difference between "comfort" and "normal"--maybe a slight difference but not enough to categorize it into two distinct modes IMHO.

The sound ELS Studio Audio sound system is OK, but it isn't all that impressive to me. I play a few instruments and I am an audio junkie when it comes to sound quality. As much as I tried, I couldn't really tweak the settings to makes me go "Yeahhhhh, *this* is euphoria for my ears". It is missing that oomph or "Hi Def" sound to my ears.

There is a ton of tech in the car, and I'm slowly familiarizing myself with them. Maybe I'll revisit this post when I'm a lot more apt, but for the most part they are all definitely nice to have. I still can't figure out a couple of settings like how to adjust beeping volume, manually saving songs into HDD, small things of that sort.

I live in North NJ, and this past winter has been pretty brutal. I love snowboarding and going to the mountains to ride, so I'll see how these OEM all seasons Continental Cross Contact LX Sports fare. I would love to ride some fresh powder this coming winter. The reviews for the tires in snow performance haven't been all that great, but I'm hoping maybe they were just really harsh reviewers. I really don't want to get a set of dedicated winter tires if I don't have to. They will cost me about $1.5k-2k-ish with rims. Got my fingers cross these these tires will be pretty decent for winter!

I'm scheduled to get my front windows tinted and a UV screen on the windshield in 2 weeks (black cars get so hot in the summer time here). But I've added a ton of accessories already:

• Splash Guards Set
• Sport Bumper Trim-Front
• Sport Bumper Trim-Rear
• Running Boards-Sport Step
• All-Season Floor Mats-1st- & 2nd-Row
• Cargo Mat
• Back-Up Sensors
• Fog Lights-LED
• Wheel Locks

Couldn't really find many pics of the Acura sports step running board, so I took a few shots hoping they'll be helpful to someone.

Enough writing, pics time!

Tigmd99

The weird thing (to me) about ELS is that it does NOT like to be adjusted too much. For me, the best sound (to my ears) are at these settings:

Bass 0
Treble -1
Balance, Fader 0
Subwoofer +1
Speed volume MOD
DTS Neural OFF

If i adjust too much of a setting away from 0 (center), then the DSP (digital signal processing) seems to make the sound worst.

For me, the ELS is quite good...pretty accurate. If you like bass (more than what the original recording calls for), then ELS is not for you. Neither is Mark Levinson in Lexus. I compare what i hear with ELS with my home audio. Obviously my home audio sounds good, but ELS is pretty good for an in-car system.

E92Vancouver

Congrats! I am very interested in this watered down/neutered first gear because I can't feel it. Are US models different from Canadian models?

When I do a full throttle start from a standing start, first gear really launches and pulls hard to redline.

Tigmd99

IDS...Comfort vs. Normal...only the steering wheel assist changes. No change to the gas pedal sensitivity.

In ANY mode, there is no change to suspension. I have USA model...unless you Canadians are different, but in USA suspension is the same for all MDX models (non-adjustable).

SPORT IDS mode: firmer steering, more sensitive gas pedal, and more aggressive SH-AWD torque shifting to the outside wheel.

BTW, your camera gives off more glare than JJ Abrams' movies!

jchoi5

Thanks for that info. I have the US model as well.

The camera is picking up the glare is actually there. All new cars from my dealer comes with 2 free oil changes, 1 tire rotation and a free cilajet application--hence the mirror like gloss shine.

It's my first time with the cilajet but i gotta say it does make my car extra shiny

http://www.cilajet.com/phone/index.html

Krisbo26

Help!!! I can't see the pics you posted!!!!

jchoi5

I really have no idea. It seems to work for the other people fine. I can see it on my computer and my phone too.

Are you viewing from a work computer where they block or disable some features?

SMMN

From the Canadian User's Manual for my 2014 MDX:

"Comfort:

Maximizes driver comfort through increased steering assist.

Normal:
Enhances vehicle response feel through decreased steering assist, heightened throttle response increased SH-AWD* torque bias, and modified the active sound control.

Sport:
Enhances vehicle response feel through decreased steering assist, heighted throttle response and some dynamics."

Tigmd99

Either Canadian models are different or the Canadian manual is wrong. You can testdrive one and see that the Canadian manual is wrong...at least in USA models.

BassAtl

From the USA, 2016 Owner's Manual:

funtogo

Pics look good!

Evil Teo

nice addition

WMark

Your ride looks awesome, I just bought a 2016 MDX SH-AWD Tech/AcuraWatch and was thinking of adding some of the same accessories.

RDX10

I absolutely love the chrome front and rear splitter looking things. They really stick out against the deep black paint. I very rarely see it on mdx's here. It is a good way to stand out