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I’ve test driven one. I was interested in the steering wheel, which was supposed to be chunkier and sportier. I was disappointed. It wasn’t much thicker than the stock wheel, and the dimpled leather looked/felt cheap.
I like the exterior embellishments, but the overall package falls short, for me. I’d skip the A-Spec and buy the Advance, personally.
I liked it better when A-Spec was a check box on the accessory section and it included the option for suspension upgrade. I would really love to see an MDX Adv or sh-sh-awd MDX with the A-Spec treatment.
I was hoping for a thicker wheel like the BMW M's. My sales guy at Acura has two available for me to test drive this weekend. Already have a 18 TLX ASpec and looking to add another ASpec family hauler.
Thanks for the input ALL.
Back from the dealer and after looking and driving the ASpec, I was a little disappointed. Like what someone previously said, the leather felt cheap and not as plush as the hybrid.
With that being said, I made a cash offer on the Hybrid with the advance package. Was planning on blacking out the chrome trim anyways. What really sold me were the wood trim and 2nd row captain chairs.
Back from the dealer and after looking and driving the ASpec, I was a little disappointed. Like what someone previously said, the leather felt cheap and not as plush as the hybrid.
With that being said, I made a cash offer on the Hybrid with the advance package. Was planning on blacking out the chrome trim anyways. What really sold me were the wood trim and 2nd row captain chairs.
Advance trims come with the upgraded leather which is a great upgrade. I'd wish I could of opted for the Advance but I needed the 3 row seating for for my new born.
Advance trims come with the upgraded leather which is a great upgrade. I'd wish I could of opted for the Advance but I needed the 3 row seating for for my new born.
The Advance has the third row option, at least that was available on this one.
My mistake, I meant I needed the 2nd row seats to seat 3 for the extra space.
Advance with Entertainment comes with the second row bench seat. We really don't care for the ENT but unfortunately there is no other way to get bench second row in ADV trim.
The only plus IMO was the front black bumper trim and more sportier seat color options.
I have not seen the A Spec MDX at my dealership as they told me it will be here late Sept and early Oct. BUT I did see the RDX A Spec and yes I was impress of the black out trim on the exterior and also the 2 tone red and black interior and also the carbon fiber faux interior trim.
But some said the leather on the A Spec MDX are not up to par. Is the leather same as the regular MDX material? Maybe they tone down the leather because of the alcantra material?
I have not seen the A Spec MDX at my dealership as they told me it will be here late Sept and early Oct. BUT I did see the RDX A Spec and yes I was impress of the black out trim on the exterior and also the 2 tone red and black interior and also the carbon fiber faux interior trim.
But some said the leather on the A Spec MDX are not up to par. Is the leather same as the regular MDX material? Maybe they tone down the leather because of the alcantra material?
Remember, the black out trim only refers to the front and not the rear emblems as those are still chrome (which should be black IMO).
I'm sure the leather seats on the ASpec gets softer with more use but the feel if the hybrid w/ advance felt more plush. The suspension may play into it as well since it feels more "luxury" than "sporty" as the aspec on the road.
Not to mention the aspec transmission is just overkill. The sport hybrid feels more responsive when moving past slower traffic.
Remember, the black out trim only refers to the front and not the rear emblems as those are still chrome (which should be black IMO).
I'm sure the leather seats on the ASpec gets softer with more use but the feel if the hybrid w/ advance felt more plush. The suspension may play into it as well since it feels more "luxury" than "sporty" as the aspec on the road.
Black emblems for the rear are available from the Acura accessory catalog.
The leather is junk, imo. The seats are "fine" as they are primarily alcantara, but the steering wheel is particularly "cheap" feeling, and that is a deal-breaker for me, as it's something you see/touch constantly. The advance leather is nicer. Also, I wanted a "chunkier" wheel --- which Acura promised -- but the A-Spec wheel doesn't feel girth-y.
The nail in the coffin, for me, is that the A-Spec is lacking some features that are must-have, for me, and are found in the Advance.
Black emblems for the rear are available from the Acura accessory catalog.
The leather is junk, imo. The seats are "fine" as they are primarily alcantara, but the steering wheel is particularly "cheap" feeling, and that is a deal-breaker for me, as it's something you see/touch constantly. The advance leather is nicer. Also, I wanted a "chunkier" wheel --- which Acura promised -- but the A-Spec wheel doesn't feel girth-y.
The nail in the coffin, for me, is that the A-Spec is lacking some features that are must-have, for me, and are found in the Advance.
Going to be debadging the rear emblems for the cleaner look. I just can't justify buying new ones either when you can scuff them up and paint them yourself.
Agree with you on the steering wheel. All my previous european vehicles had thicker steering wheels which I loved in regular leather and alcantara. An option that has been playing in my head is to talk with the owner of Coby Wheel, who specializes in refinishing BMW steering wheels, and have him redo my TLX Aspec steering wheel, adding padding and new leather with red stitching to match the car. I've had a couple M3 steering wheels done by him and they turned out awesome and his around time was always on point.
Last edited by peterfromsd; 09-17-2018 at 12:00 PM.
I really like the "sports" interior of my 2018 MDX Advance with captain chairs....
I hope in the future Acura makes a Advance version with the second row bench seats. I really wanted the 360 camera, back up sensors and upgraded leather.
I hope in the future Acura makes a Advance version with the second row bench seats. I really wanted the 360 camera, back up sensors and upgraded leather.
They already do. If you get Advance + Entertainment you get the upgraded leather with a bench 2nd row.
Damn! I didn't know. For sure I would have had to wait a few months to find one in the exterior/interior of like.
The reason why we keep buying ADV/ENT. We want all the features of ADV with the second row bench seats. We can care less about ENT as it is outdated (no bluray) and the kids don't really use it anymore, but it was the only way to get the bench seats with ADV trim. $2k down the drain if you ask me.
Well, I saw and test drove an A-spec. I will probably sound like a jerk to some but here are my thoughts.
1. This car looks great in every color, especially the Apex Blue, but I understand it's not for everybody (this is what I would get if I was the primary driver). For the wife, white will do. Silver looks the worst to my eyes, mainly because of the black chrome treatment. (I did see every color in person)
2. The black chrome treatment should have been gloss black like the RDX.
3. Steering wheel is not bad. It would've been better if it was solid leather and a bit thicker. I think the main reason why some find it cheap-looking is that 2/3rd's of it is dimpled and we are just not used to it. If it was just the 9 and 3 o'clock positions dimpled it wouldn't be as bad.
4. Those of you who are complaining about it not being plush need to look at the tech or advance. To me it's not firm enough. Seats and suspension.
5. Overall the car drives really well and feels more solid than the tech in my opinion. Could be the wider tires.
6. The black headliner looks phenomenal.
7. "Carbon fiber" pieces inside look cheap, and that's my biggest problem with the car.
8. Because I have kids I wish the seats where all solid leather, but thankfully Acura has back seat covers.
Final thoughts. I like the car. It's not perfect, but it's another step in the right direction for Acura. I hope they will not listen to people who want it to drive like a Lexus with an Acura badge on it. That did not work out too well for Acura last time they listened to that kind of people about 10-15 years ago. Another brand who made that mistake is BMW. Honestly I hope Acura goes back to their roots, when their cars were fun to drive.
The Aspec is a great buy, the hybrid just outshines it. Now if Acura produced a Aspec Hybrid Tech for $60k I would trade my 18 Hybrid for one in a heart beat. As of now all Im in search for used Aspec wheels haha
09-13-2018, 07:40 AM
