Scott in AZ

I own an SH-AWD MDX and a Sport Hybrid. Both are great. My MDX has 66,000 miles, and though I've been conservative with scheduled maintenance , the total amount of warranty repairs and out-of-warranty repairs in the 7 years I've owned it is .... $100. For a new battery replaced under warranty. My out of pocket repair cost has been zero, not including expected wear and tear like tires, brake pads and timining belt. I'm only painting this out to collegially assert that I have some experience to have an informed opinion. I'm also assuming long-term ownership,which is not a valid assumption for many people, but it is for us. We also have a 2001 GMC Yukon 4WD with 170,000 miles that runs like a top.

I expect the first year of the MDX Hybrid will be a very reliable car, but have several nuisance issues covered under warranty that get resolved with TSB's until they are eliminated in subsequent model year tranche builds. I think the lessons learned and the overall reliable performance of the AWD Hybrid System from the RLX are absolutely good indicators that these issues will be minor and fix-able.... but Acura has had issues with new model introductions in the past few years. I also think that the fact the MDX will be the first hybrid built in Lincoln AL will be a factor. (BTW I toured the Lincoln factory in 2002 and it's impressive.)

But mostly I was referring to overall and general maintenance and reliability exposure. More "stuff" brings more performance. But More stuff equals more price and risk, even if the risk is relatively low. AWD has more maintenance and reliability exposure than FWD or RWD but I've chosen AWD on my last three vehicles because the trade in benefit versus cost/risk is worth it to me. I'm not suggesting the MDX Hybrid will be an unreliable car, but I do believe it's long term "total population" reliability will be lower an the long term total population reliability of the AWD Gas Engine. And to me, the extra 10% horsepower , improved gas mileage of the AWD hybrid MDX is not a good trade for this exposure, extra price, and towing limitations versus the gas engine AWD MDX.

My $0.02: If you might tow, I don't think the MDX Hybrid is a good choice. (I think you'd be crazy to tow with it.) If saving $1500 per year in Fuel costs for many years is worth $3500 up front to you, with some additional cost to eventually replace the hybrid battery after more than a decade, I think the MDX Hybrid is a good choice. If not, and it's not to me, get the gas engine AWD MDX.

YMMV.

Scott in AZ

Exactly!

RLX-Sport Hybrid

If there are any issues, we will deal with them. I just think it is a cool concept and I'm not one to still use a rotary phone. I'm classified as an early adopter. I'm on the left side of the bell curve when new tech comes to market. With that comes issues, but I don't care about the cost differential. It is a small amount to me.

TampaRLX-SH

Although the SH version of the MDX will be new, the MDX itself and the SH system are not in 1st iteration. The MDX should have it's nags worked out by the MMC. The SH system is virtually the same hardware as the RLX and NSX. The programming logic and the V6 it is mated with are the differences. I think Honda's V6s have reached Rolex refinement.

I would not hesitate if I wanted an MDX SH because neither the car not the SH technology are newly released. And the future MDX SH owners can thank the RLX SH owners as the limited but thorough test group.

wilspainar

I have always liked MDX's. Once I get a RLX Sport Hybrid and pay it off I will probably get a Sport Hybrid MDX after. Although towing isn't recommended it still could and it isn't a deal breaker for me.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I'm not ever going to tow anything so that does not matter to me. If I'm not the first to have two sport hybrids, I will be one of the few to start. You can be sure I will provide a full report when I get it. When I get an estimated delivery date I will let you all know if anyone is interested. The only question is what to name it. I have always called the RLX SH the Blackbird, but what to name the MDX? Any ideas? Just a fun thing to ponder.

getakey

you could keep the blackbird theme and go with the Habu

getakey

or go opposite with Mongoose

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I like that idea!

Scott in AZ

End of the day this is the best reason to buy any car

TampaRLX-SH

About the towing restriction.....I get it, maybe. But how many people who own an CUV actually tow anything? About the same who actually go off-road? If towing with weight is a priority - buy a true truck. If medium / light duty is needed the normally aspirated FWD or SHAWD or a Pilot. But I cannot imagine towing with these vehicles beyond a pair of jet-skis, a small pop up camper or a motorcycle trailer. If heavy duty towing is only occasionally needed, rent a duty purposed vehicle.

I find it odd that towing restriction has surfaced so regularly from a SH audience who own a car that has a lot less to offer than the MDX SH. To me it equates to saying the RLX SH is a great choice, except for the fact it has not the brand cache. Or I would not by an RLX SH because it does not have a power trunk lid. Did you really buy it for that?

Clearly I cannot identify with this towing nag, as I have never towed or needed to tow anything. But even just imagining a need for towing, I think of a big honking 4 doors club cab truck or Suburban type vehicle. As with my SH purchase I bought it for my drawn to it's unique, impressive (to me), well executed and leading edge engineering.

And now that the RLX is not the sole Sport Hybrid, with the NSX and MDX offering SH technology, I have to refer to mine as the SH sedan? I have spent some cash to remove the RLX branding so I would not have to call it an RLX SH!

RLX-Sport Hybrid

The only towing I will do is to "tow the line". Sorry bad joke. That is the best I can do.

The technology is unique and that is what I like. The cost is very reasonable in my opinion.

getakey

Having towed a ski boat for many years, I can understand the issue. An SUV size vehicle was perfect for that. I did not want Surburban size nor a pickup. In those years I had Explorers and Durangos.
Then I got smart and put the boat in Dry Stack where the boat is at the marina and they will launch it for me.

Scott in AZ

180 degrees out from my logic. i don't think most of us are looking to replace our RLX's, but rather looking to supplement them. Me personally? I don't need two hybrids. And since I have the Hybrid RLX , I'd trade more Utility over Sport in my SUV.

My RLX is my daily driver, and first choice for the long trips I make between Phoenix and Palm Springs ... but it is my second car. If I could only have one automobile it would have to be a super-useful Crossover or SUV or Sport Wagon to haul mountain bikes around, pick up colleagues from airport, and occasionally tow a light trailer. That's what our MDX is for.

But it like many of us, I don't only have one. A gasoline engine MDX paired with a hybrid AWD RLX covers a lot of territory. If I only had one vehicle? The Audi All-Road Sport Wagon w 3.0L turbo would be a great choice.

Thats why why I think Acura missed the market a few years back with the TSX wagon. It was only offered In FWD with the four cylinder engine. A 6-Cylinder engine with SH-AWD would have truly made for a versatile aitomobile .

hondamore

My personal interest in the MDX Sport Hybrid over the "regular" MDX is primarily because of the performance benefits of the Sport Hybrid.

Firstly, while the announced power difference between the non-hybrid and the sport hybrid versions of the MDX is "roughly 10%", the big difference is the early or low-end torque that the electric motors provide. Honda/Acura vehicles with VTEC have always lacked the "off the line" power until the revs got up to a point that the VTEC could kick in. The electric motors of the hybrid are the perfect addition to the VTEC ICE offering immediate torque to get the vehicle going until the VTEC kicks in and starts to make real power at higher revs. The resulting performance is greater than the sum of the parts because of the perfect complementary nature of the components. I admit to being disappointed that Acura "down-sized" the ICE in the Sport Hybrid MDX to 3 liters, but I still suspect the performance of the Sport Hybrid to be superior to the non-hybrid version. The true test of this will be the road test comparisons between the two MDX versions which I am eagerly awaiting.

Secondly, the Sport Hybrid SHAWD system is, in my mind, superior to the non-hybrid SHAWD (which I absolutely loved in my RL). The ability to effectively torque vector under braking and off throttle, the ability to use regenerative braking front and back to enhance the torque vectoring etc. make the Sport Hybrid superior in my mind. Reports that the MDX system is more efficient and refined than the RLX make me even more excited about trying it out.

Thirdly, while it is not a primary reason for being interested in the Sport Hybrid, the fuel economy benefits are very significant. My wife's driving style is predominantly city driving and ZERO need for towing, so the prospect of improving city mileage by 8 mpg is a really nice bonus to the performance gains especially considering that her shopping trips and lunches eat up a lot more mileage than my trips to the golf course.

I fully respect that those who need towing capacity in their utility vehicle will not be interested in the Sport Hybrid MDX, but for my personal situation with no towing needs, the Sport Hybrid MDX seems like the right choice just at the Sport Hybrid RLX was the right choice for me over the PAWS version.

Just my two cents.

TampaRLX-SH

And they were body on frame trucks.

TampaRLX-SH

I was not inferring to replace the RLX SH with the MDX SH. I was basically saying if towing is a priority get the non hybrid MDX. And if heavy duty towing is needed, don't expect a CUV to do that job get or rent a truck.

I guess in my mind, I would never consider a hybrid vehicle if towing was a need / priority. And I would not have expected a hybrid to have any towing capability.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

It is not needed or likely financially the best thing to do to get the MDX SH, but I want it. That is good enough as far as I am concerned.

getakey

Tampa - why would you not have expected the hybrid to tow? Has more torque. Are you thinking a braking issue as I described earlier? That's the only thing I can think of.

TampaRLX-SH

^^^ Because the logic of the car is to use EV initially and feather in ICE. The strain of towing may not be compatible with the logic of that launch sequence. Yes, if you stomp the car from a stop all system light up, but it is designed based on the car's weight and cargo capability. Otherwise the cargo could be 8 tons of gold bricks, without a trailer and it is not. Second, towing uses engine braking. The regen motors on the car are not designed to engine 'brake' / regen once the battery is fully charged. Towing a trailer down a slope might over incapacitate the electric motors or burn them out. And engine braking with the V6 alone seems counter intuitive to the regen concept to leverage emotors for negative torque (braking) while regen power. We already know they must de-couple at high speed to prevent damage. Engine braking beyond the regen capability would, I believe be equally damaging.

I just think the amount of stuff this car has to manage, it is not ready or designed to be compounded by towing stresses. Current hybrids are more complicated than just more torque, especially this system which is not only leveraging hybrid for power efficiency it is also dynamically shifting power output and simultaneously managing dynamic braking / regen. Some newer hybrids are gaining towing capability, but they are not the complexity of SH.

George Knighton

It would be possible to design a Sport Hybrid to tow, but the suspension modifications and performance re-tuning would make it a fundamentally different vehicle.

getakey

I had mentioned the brake regen issue previously. I suspect that is the primary problem

hondamore

Performance reasons for choosing the MDX Sport Hybrid over the "regular" MDX - Part deux...

I did some reading about the MDX Sport Hybrid and found a few more reasons to choose it over the non-hybrid version.

- The Sport Hybrid comes with a 7-speed DCT transmission similar to the RLX Sport Hybrid. This transmission is one of my favorite things about my RLX Sport Hybrid and the technology is superior to the "standard" automatic transmission in the non-hybrid version.

- The Sport Hybrid MDX will offer Acura's new Active Damper system adjustable suspension. This system adjusts to your driving style or you can choose to keep the suspension in the stiffness of your liking. It helps take the Sport mode that we all love in our RLX's to the next level.,

- I can't find braking distances to support this claim, but I suspect that the regenerative braking of the Sport Hybrid system improves braking distances.

I'm sure there are even more performance benefits of the Sport Hybrid system (lower center of gravity for example), but suffice it to say that I am sold on the technology. Heck, you can even pretend to be an eco warrior driving a hybrid even though you chose the Sport Hybrid because it is faster and way more fun to drive.

Just another two cents.

Bulldog2

Just beating a dead horse, but...

If the OEM tires on the MDX SH are as bad in the rain causing the back end to get loose even when coasting, I would include about $1200 for immediate replacement versus the mechanical AWD option.

wstr75

The downhill regeneration issue when the batteries are full could be dealt with by using power resistors encased in a heat sink package. Electrical energy loves changing into heat energy via a resistance load.

pcloadletter

Towing capacity is not based on brakes. The RLX-SH has better brakes, larger rotors and two piston calipers at the front. The engine will start to bleed of power when the batteries reach full charge on long downhills when using regen braking. I see this every time on the way to the ski resort.

getakey

The RLX-SH has better brakes than PAWS?
If batteries are at full charge and you are coasting, how would regen braking even work?

getakey

Question for both RLX and MDX Hybrid:
Is Reverse limited to EV only?

hondamore

Every time I back out of my garage in reverse, the ICE is operating since the car has yet to reach operating temperature and/or the ICE is needed for cabin heating. Based on this, NO the RLX Sport Hybrid does not restrict reverse to EV only.

TampaRLX-SH

The RLX SH can reverse in either EV or ICE. I reverse into my garage, and if the battery level is sufficient, it drops into EV. However, I sometimes experience some lugging when reversing slowly - it wants more throttle - which, when reversing towards a gas hot water heater is not wise. If it starts lugging, I punch the SPORT button to engage the EV and permit a smoother reversing entry into the garage.

metoo

I am assuming there was some technical obstacle prior to this hybrid release that prevented towing. My guess is they were running out of time trying to figure out how to add towing in order to meet the release date, so it likely will have a towing capacity next model year, even if its a small one, which is all I need. Just because it's a hybrid doesn't mean it can't have a towing capacity. Several other hybrid SUVs/crossovers have a towing capacity if only a little.

we were 100% positive we were going to buy the Acura MDX hybrid until we saw that it cannot tow anything. That makes it tough to replace my Jeep Cherokee diesel, which we would be keeping if it had a third row of seating. On rare occasion I need to tow things that will not fit inside of the vehicle or that I do not want inside the vehicle and for twenty bucks I could do that with a U-Haul trailer. Right now I need to go pick up a couple of Italian cypress trees and some flowers. I only need a few hundred pounds of towing capacity to do that. A BMW X5 hybrid would work (if the 3rd row seat is as useful) but its way too expensive for the same features.

getakey

nice review

2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD First Drive | Review | Car and Driver

quartzinterior

Comparing it to the rlx hybrid, I was not impressed. In all honesty I prefer my 2012 mdx advance awd to the 17 sport hybrid. This is just my opinion. I wanted to see if the mdx drives similar to the rlx hybrid, to consider buying the mdx sport hybrid instead of the rlx hybrid. I knew it wouldnt drive as nice as it is an suv and heavy but I was expecting more from the mdx sport hybrid. The 3.0 L v6 is too weak for the mdx hybrid and that is where the main difference is felt. A weaker engine on a bigger car vs the 3.5 L v6 in the rlx
Reviews are subjective. I personally think the rlx hybrid is a great car and the reviews dont do it justice. I find the reviews for the mdx to overhype the car. The mdx is a very good suv, but the reviews overrate the mdx and underrate the rlx hybrid. As the advice from many wise AZ members goes, test drive it and see what you think.

George Knighton

With a normal hybrid, you only have to worry about the data that would activate and de-activate ICE and what it would do to the attitude of the vehicle while towing, and the attitude of the towed trailer.

With a Sport Hybrid, you have that to worry about plus the data that influences how the two rear motors are turning on and off, pushing and pulling one side and the other.

And you have to worry about that before you talk about things like spring rates, roll bars and bushings, and then go back and worry again about what those changes have done to the vehicle's and towed trailer's attitudes in all kinds of situations.

If you need to tow, then you need to buy the other MDX. :-)

George Knighton

I think I'd have put the 3.5 in the North American vehicles, even if I felt I had to put the 3.0 into the Asian vehicles.

RLX-Sport Hybrid

I'm test driving one today. I will give a full report later tonight or tomorrow.

hondamore

I wonder if they were trying to achieve a certain fuel economy goal for the Sport Hybrid MDX and just couldn't get there with the 3.5 so they decided to go with the 3.0 from the Asian model so the marketing department could get the mileage number they wanted???? I must admit that the missing 3.5 ICE and the lack of heads up display has me thinking about waiting for a year or two more to buy an MDX Sport Hybrid for my wife to see if both show up in year two or in an early MMC. I planned to wait for around a year anyway to let them work the bugs out and for the good deal prices to arrive (Canadian prices have now been announced at $72,176.00 for the Sport Hybrid MDX which is $4000 more than the "elite" model - Hmmmm) .