dajonx

Hahaha! When I first saw this, I was like "wtf?"

Wow, that is really good (mileage)! As for the interior, yeah... That's what I would expect especially since it's a Honda...

Don't get me wrong. I like the RDX, but it's starting to get less practical for me because my family is growing. Perhaps I'll look into the 2014 MDX whenever that comes out. Obviously, it'll cost a lot more than the Ody which sucks.

singlecoilpickup

Now you'll never be able to un-see it.

BlackDogRDX

Not sure if it's an option but have you considered the '13 MDX? It's not going to give you the same mileage but the numbers they are throwing around with the new model right around the corner may actually mean you'd get it for less than the Oddy.

dajonx

We did consider the '13 MDX for a second, but my wife doesn't like the way it looks. She does like the '14 MDX though. I did see that there are considerable discounts on the '13 MDX though.

It's so hard to like older stuff...

singlecoilpickup

She doesn't like the looks of the MDX... but she likes the looks of a minivan?

lol... women.

Pitbull11

My wife's the same way, cars don't register . I had a 2008 Mercedes CLS63 AMG, black, badass looking car. I could let her out n the Grocery store parking lot and sit and wait for her to come back out. She would come out walk to a black Volkswagon passat and try and get in the passenger side. I would sit in the Mercedes and watch her look around wondering why I was not in the car . After a few minutes I would honk at her and she would then walk over and get in our car. Like many women cars are the same to them, just something to get them from point a to point b. I bet his wife likes te mini van because it is the better appliance, she uses "looks" to keep him focused on the mini van. We all know women are smarter then men. If she wants a mini van she will get the mini van. He is screwed

BlackDogRDX

That's great! Although I'll admit I've mistaken the Passat (and current gen Jetta) for about a dozen cars since it's so generic looking haha.

danmangto

I considered the MDX when we bought our Oddy. MDX is far smaller. With the 3rd row up on the MDX there is literally almost no storage room behind the 3rd row. Oddy has 3x the storage room behind it's 3rd row. Highway mileage is night vs day. Oddy is 28 highway vs 21 for MDX? Oddy is regular 87 octane. Not sure if you can run a '13 MDX on regular gas? I know the older 2009-2010 MDX would ping on reg 87.

singlecoilpickup

But, the '14 MDX is supposed to have more cargo room and also supposed to get significantly better gas mileage. Just something to consider.

danmangto

Depends on the woman, my wife is very knowledgeable on cars. Just like there are some guys that don't much about cars and look at them as appliances. The only hot looking Mercedes or hot looking cars (my opinion) are 2 door models. No 4 door sedans.. 4 doors just look like another family sedan.

danmangto

Sorry, even the '14 MDX will have far less room than the Oddy. There is no comparison. The Oddy has a usable 3rd row for adults and near best in class storage room behind the 3rd row.

singlecoilpickup

Sorry, but I never said otherwise. What I said was that the '14 MDX would have more room than the '13 MDX.

Also, it won't look like something grandma should be driving.

danmangto

No, the MDX and Oddy are both family-mommie mobiles.. Sorry

singlecoilpickup

lol. Nope.

geocord

Agree. Looking at both the MDX and the Oddy I can't see where one is better looking than the other. They are different vehicles. Vans are often associated with soccer moms and that, IMO, is the only reason some make fun of anybody considering one. I have no need for the carrying capacity of a van but if someone does a van makes perfect sense. Push a button and the side doors open up for the rugrats without damaging cars on either side in a parking lot. Tons of hauling capacity if needed. Better MPG and smoother ride for road trips. I truly believe all this hate is mainly from guys with "issues". They don't think a van is manly enough for them so they try to make fun of anybody else considering one. Pretty childish when it comes right down to it. It seems they just can't accept that a guy would rather have something that is really practical versus something that has a more manly perception to it. Marketing at work in America. Bye for now, I'm going to take my RDX on the Rubicon Trail and get me some tree bark to eat!.

singlecoilpickup

Of course it's all marketing and perception. If it weren't then we wouldn't care if we were driving an RDX or a Ford Escape. They both serve the same utility. Speaking of marketing traps, I think a lot of people have fallen into the marketing trap of "my family can't survive without a minivan!" when in all likelihood a four door sedan is just fine unless you're hauling six kids.

Like it or not, perception is a big part of the way society works in the Western world. If OP likes a van, more power to him. In my opinion, I wouldn't drive one solely because it seems like something designed and marketed to grandmas. If practicality is the most important thing to him, that's fine.

But trying to say an MDX and an Odyssey are on equal footing is pure folly. Can they be used to serve some of the same utility? Of course. Are they built with the same buyer in mind? No.

geocord

Did I say anything close to "the MDX and Odyssey are on equal footing"??? Please don't put words in my mouth. I just said that neither one would be considered gorgeous automotive design and one doesn't "look" better than the other. They are what they are. And of course they usually have different buyers.

I don't think perception had much to do with my decision to buy the RDX but I'm sure a little bit as after all I am human and live in a consumer oriented economy. I chose it over my second choice which was a Mazda CX-5 because of power(270+ vs. 155). I was more than happy to consider a non-luxury brand if the CX-5 had had more power I probably would have saved 10 grand and bought that. I think the difference in HP is reality, not perception. Resale value is not perception but reality. Reliability records are mostly reality but I realize there is some perception in there. I looked closely at the TDX wagon too but I found it too hard to get in and out of compared to the RDX I do like the slightly raised driving position of the RDX compared to the very low TDX.

As far as people falling into marketing traps, I think there are just as many people that fall into the "I need a SUV" trap as there is that fall into the "I need a van" trap. It's kind of like AWD. I've lived in Chicago are for almost 40 years and have had many RWD and FWD vehicles. Haven't ended up stuck, in a ditch, unable to get around, etc. But when I got my SUV I had to get AWD. Why? Yeah, I gave into a little marketing but mostly for resale value as the next buyer in this area will probably expect it too.

singlecoilpickup

You sound mad, dude.

geocord

Really? Why would you say that?. I just asked to be treated with respect and not to put words in my post....or mouth so to speak. Sorry if my reply was little strong.

danmangto

Agreed. I think the so called minivan hate is from guys with issues. It doesn't bother me owning one. Many people that don't buy the van really need one, but they will squeeze everyone into a much tighter SUV that gets worse gas mileage.. good for them..

In my case we compared getting an MDX vs the Oddy.. (similar price, MDX was a little more $) and after seeing it in the dealership we need the van for a family of 5 with 1 person that sometimes requires a wheel chair. It's nearly impossible to fit a wheel chair in the back of an MDX with the 3rd row up.. where as the Oddy has at least 3x the room back there and it's fine.

danmangto

The Ford Escape (top of the line fully loaded model)actually has more features than our RDX does.. park assist, lane detection cross traffic, forward sensors, Larger panaramic sunroof, 19 inch wheels, Sad but true. That said I prefer the RDX.

Unfortunately perception goes against common sense in the western world. When you add up all the costs, $$ for the value, the minivan offers more space, better gas mileage for same or less $$. Unless you need all wheel drive...

Agreed on that for many a sedan would be fine instead of a van. But the same argument can be used against those that buy big Chevy Suburban/Escallades, MDX, etc.. I do not tell people what they should be driving, that is up to them to decide.

The marketing trap you are referring to is actually "my family can't survive without a SUV/cross over" Minivans are becoming more scarce as mfg's abandon them. The percentage of new cars purchase reflects this.

The MDX and Oddy share the same platform, that is a fact. They are cross shopped more than you think. With the top of the line Oddy approaching and exceeding the base MDX pricing..

dajonx

Thanks a lot for all of the information!

My wife really likes the Odyssey so that's another reason to get it as well as the practical usage. She also likes the look of the 2014 MDX so that could be another option. So now we're just fiddling our thumbs waiting for the 2014s to come out.

As for the comparisons between the MDX and Odyssey, we don't think the third row seats will be up normally (so far we have four people in our family; although still undecided on a third child). So I am curious how large the storage would be on the MDX. Obviously, it doesn't compare to the Odyssey's storage space. The Earth Dreams on the MDX as well as all of the tech really piques my interest. I don't know if Earth Dreams will be part of the '14 Odyssey (Odyclub spectulates it will).

In the end, we are leaning towards the Odyssey, but that could certainly change!

musty hustla

I like the Chrysler T&C better.

Dimcorner

I would so rock an Oddy!

dajonx

We actually considered that, but I like the Ody look better. Can you please tell me why?

musty hustla

The Chrysler has a bit more torque and couple of nice standard features (stow and go, dvd player, power sliding doors/liftgate,3 zone climate and 40GB hdd).

You probably can't beat the resale of the Honda though. I think they both are pretty reliable if you take reasonable care of it.

singlecoilpickup

Sure it has more features, but they'll also probably all be broken by 75k miles, knowing Ford. lol

One thing it doesn't have though, even in the highest package, is a V6. While I wouldn't call the RDX a race car, having a bit of power and good power and acceleration still matters quite a bit to me.

I rented an Escape on a trip a few weeks back and I felt like the engine was going to explode trying to get up a moderate incline.

dajonx

Thanks for the info!!

danmangto

LOL! I agree.

danmangto

More torque means nothing in the real world, since in all the magazine tests the Chrysler is slower 0-60, 1/4 mile, passing vs the Oddy and Sienna.

The embarrassing thing for Chrysler is that they have the best in class 283 horsepower, yet the 248 horsepower Oddy is faster and it's drivetrain is more refined and it gets better gas mileage, LOL! The Oddy is only 100 lbs lighter, which wouldn't explain 35 horse diff. Honda prob does the tranny/gear ratios better.

17/25 for T&C
19/28 for Oddy, I've gotten up to 32 mpg in long highway trips on my Oddy

danmangto

I guess if you like the van (T&C) that has slower acceleration, a less refined drivetrain, worse gas mileage and far worse reliability and resale, then, to each their own.. LOL I hope it's a lease that you are done with in 3yrs.. I wouldn't want to own a Chrysler long term.

danmangto

Good luck.. we enjoy our 2011 Oddy.. Can't beat it for room/gas mileage/size. We looked at the MDX, too small, esp since we use the 3rd row a lot and need to carry a stroller/wheel chair etc. That kind of stuff will never fit in an MDX with the 3rd row up.

fleuger99

I do not agree with your comments here. Torque is the acceleration an engine produces. In real world it actually means a lot. An engine with higher torque is better in everyday driving than an engine with high HP as HP is more about top end. How often in real world driving are you racing at top speed from light to light? I suspect that it is slower is more to do with the gearing/transmission than the engine torque.

dajonx

Thanks! We're eagerly awaiting the 2014's!

dajonx

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoram...194047271.html

Nice!

Vividsi

I'm 27 and looked at the oddysey Elite and considered it because of the great looks/technology and I'm also single, haha. But I ended up with the RDX.

the oddysey is really a complete package that has some of the same tech as found on the MDX but it would be interesting to see an oddysey with SH-AWD and a larger output V6.

Pitbull11

You should of gotten one it would of been a Baby Momma magnet

musty hustla

The Acura Iliad

dajonx

Hahaha! That's awesome!

Hahaha!!

Uh, what's that?? I can't find info on it...

musty hustla

I made it up. Odyssey and Iliad are poems by Homer.