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Anyone here with a newer MDX?

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mrothwell

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2009 BMW 328i, 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid 2023 Chevy Bolt
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Looking for a new family car to replace our Rogue, it’ll be my wife’s main driver hopefully for the next ~10 years or so. Don’t want German, and a third row would probably be useful. Budget is $25-27k. We’ve basically narrowed it down to the MDX SH-AWD and an AWD Highlander, both in ~2016-2017 model years.

We haven’t driven the highlander yet, but we drove an MDX yesterday and my wife LOVED it. Torquey motor, comfy seats, good size and a decent amount of standard gadgets.

Anyone own an MDX? Any gotchas? The one we drove had the 9-speed and I thought to drove well, though apparently there’s a lot of complaints about it. Any thoughts from actual users?

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#2 ·
The new one will be out in the next ~6 months so that might push down prices on the old one? Basically everyone I know has one and they all love them (for what they are).
 
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#3 ·
mrothwell said:
Looking for a new family car to replace our Rogue, it’ll be my wife’s main driver hopefully for the next ~10 years or so. Don’t want German, and a third row would probably be useful. Budget is $25-27k. We’ve basically narrowed it down to the MDX SH-AWD and an AWD Highlander, both in ~2016-2017 model years.

We haven’t driven the highlander yet, but we drove an MDX yesterday and my wife LOVED it. Torquey motor, comfy seats, good size and a decent amount of standard gadgets.

Anyone own an MDX? Any gotchas? The one we drove had the 9-speed and I thought to drove well, though apparently there’s a lot of complaints about it. Any thoughts from actual users?
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My dad had an '08; for what it was, it was a fine car.

That being said, between the 9 speed trans and the VCM that Honda puts on all of its V6 engines, you couldn't make me buy one if you put a gun to my head.

The Highlander, though--now, THAT'S a nice piece. And you will hand it down to your youngest without a qualm, and it will be in perfect condition.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I imagine the MDX is "nicer" and better to drive, but:

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I'm not sure what a 1 vs. 5 actually means though. Maybe Tom can shed some light there.

Edit - for reference, your 2009 328i also gets a 1/5 for reliability and a 2/5 for satisfaction. Do you think she'd like owing a larger one of those? :p
 
#8 ·
OK, I'll admit reliability is a thing. And for people who regard cars as appliances (OP's wife?), maybe that's the only thing. So, I get it. Folks love Corolla, Rav4, Highlander. Heck, I have a Tundra, in part because it's Japanese/reliable, and I love it! For me, Corolla, Rav4, and Highlander are all vehicles you DO NOT want to get stuck behind on the HWY...left lane campers, slow, these owners hate driving! :D

But...aren't we splitting hairs? The extra fun of the MDX outweighs any reliability concerns that might tip this decision in the Highlander's favor. OP's wife even loved driving the MDX. I'd like to hear what she says stepping out/waking up from the Highlander. :p

My brother-in-law, uncle, & mom all have had several MDX without any substantial repairs/issues. Not sure what the concern is here. For me, this is a no-brainer for the MDX.
 
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#10 ·
We put about 40K miles on ours with zero issues. It is a 2017 tech. That 9 speed can get jerky when you shift from R to D and it can sometimes get confused when you are driving around town. I think it is just the weird programming but who knows. No issues with it on the highway. Other than that I have no complaints. Typical Honda, minimal maintenance required. I am about do the diff fluid change soon and change the oil every 5K miles or so. I also know two other people that have them, 2016 and 2017. Both are trouble free.
 
#11 ·
elmo3 said:
My dad had an '08; for what it was, it was a fine car.

That being said, between the 9 speed trans and the VCM that Honda puts on all of its V6 engines, you couldn't make me buy one if you put a gun to my head.

The Highlander, though--now, THAT'S a nice piece. And you will hand it down to your youngest without a qualm, and it will be in perfect condition.
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The vcm for hondas has been great since the ‘13 V6. Its the 9sp and the weird ticking noises that annoy me in my 16. Id like to steal the 7sp dct and the active dampers from the sport hybrid...but theres no way to do it reasonably money wise.

Also the horrible infotainment but you guys here know that already. Def wait for the FMC if you can

I guess for the pluses its much faster than my 14 shawd tl and gets over 30mpg on the hwy while seating 7.
 
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#12 ·
Metallitubby said:
I have access to all of the data and even I would like to see what data that red/green/numbering system is based off of. That being said, a Toyota will always be a solid choice.
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I recall hearing that 1/5 -> 5/5 is a handful of percentage points, so it might not mean much. I'm not sure if that's correct though. I also just like confusing the process for the OP.

I would think that either is a good choice, and SH-AWD is neat.
 
#13 ·
Wife had a 17 model, the 9 speed trans is pretty terrible. Infotainment is also a real mess.

Your other half may not notice either "issue" but I did. Also, the adaptive cruise is also pretty terrible, lane keeping is cool though and worked fine.

It'll be fine if she doesn't mind these quirks.

We moved onto a 19 Traverse for her car, and it is miles better in so many ways compared to the MDX. I can't believe I just typed that but it's just the truth.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
elmo3 said:
The Highlander, though--now, THAT'S a nice piece. And you will hand it down to your youngest without a qualm, and it will be in perfect condition.
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We haven’t driven one yet, but they seem to sell well. The reviews always mention the spongey ride, which might be annoying. Any thoughts on NVH of the Highlander vs the MDX? The Highlander is about the same price used as the MDX is, but the Highlander also has Halogen headlights and non Super Handling AWD, which may or may not matter.

B20VTEC said:
Wife had a 17 model, the 9 speed trans is pretty terrible. Infotainment is also a real mess.

Your other half may not notice either "issue" but I did. Also, the adaptive cruise is also pretty terrible, lane keeping is cool though and worked fine.

It'll be fine if she doesn't mind these quirks.

We moved onto a 19 Traverse for her car, and it is miles better in so many ways compared to the MDX. I can't believe I just typed that but it's just the truth.
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What does the active cruise do that’s annoying? What does the 9-speed do that’s terrible? Gotta look out for those things, don’t want to buy it and then be pissed about it a month later.

Also, the Traverse, is it a lease or a long term purchase? Where does it shine? Or is it just not bad where the MDX is.

lowlight said:
OK, I'll admit reliability is a thing. And for people who regard cars as appliances (OP's wife?), maybe that's the only thing. So, I get it. Folks love Corolla, Rav4, Highlander. Heck, I have a Tundra, in part because it's Japanese/reliable, and I love it! For me, Corolla, Rav4, and Highlander are all vehicles you DO NOT want to get stuck behind on the HWY...left lane campers, slow, these owners hate driving! :D

But...aren't we splitting hairs? The extra fun of the MDX outweighs any reliability concerns that might tip this decision in the Highlander's favor. OP's wife even loved driving the MDX. I'd like to hear what she says stepping out/waking up from the Highlander. :p

My brother-in-law, uncle, & mom all have had several MDX without any substantial repairs/issues. Not sure what the concern is here. For me, this is a no-brainer for the MDX.
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Reliability is the #1, it allows me to have an aging German car and not worry very much. And yeah, my wife would probably be fine with a slightly worse driving car.

I’m very curious what she things about the Highlander too. If it rides better and is quieter, she might like it even more. The thing I liked about the MDX was that it had actual steering feel—unusual in a larger SUV like that.

Samson said:
Edit - for reference, your 2009 328i also gets a 1/5 for reliability and a 2/5 for satisfaction. Do you think she'd like owing a larger one of those? :p
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Oof.
 
#15 ·
elmo3 said:
My dad had an '08; for what it was, it was a fine car.

That being said, between the 9 speed trans and the VCM that Honda puts on all of its V6 engines, you couldn't make me buy one if you put a gun to my head.

The Highlander, though--now, THAT'S a nice piece. And you will hand it down to your youngest without a qualm, and it will be in perfect condition.
Click to expand...
I know you're doing your best Scotty Kilmer impression, but I've been living with said ZF9 and VCM for the last 6 months or so and it's all fine.

As for the OP, not sure how real your 3rd row needs are, but if you can live with something vestigial a loaded Kia Sorento might be worth the look, especially if you want smartphone integration. The old 3.3 V6 and 6AT aren't tops in performance or fuel economy but they are so old I don't think you'll have to worry about them. They are at the top of my list for family egg replacements.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
CTK said:
As for the OP, not sure how real your 3rd row needs are, but if you can live with something vestigial a loaded Kia Sorento might be worth the look, especially if you want smartphone integration. The old 3.3 V6 and 6AT aren't tops in performance or fuel economy but they are so old I don't think you'll have to worry about them. They are at the top of my list for family egg replacements.
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Third row is definitely on the list of "might be nice to have" but nowhere near required. Main reason TBH is that we live in a bit of a touristy area and family comes to visit a lot. It'd be nice to be able to just have everyone in one car rather than deal with multiple cars, parking, following each other in traffic, etc.

We also considered an RDX, but we want to own the vehicle for a long time and the eventual plan is for an additional child, we currently have one. Since the RDX doesn't really get much better mileage and is only 2-3 grand less used, it seems like a no-brainer to go with the MDX. My wife likes driving the larger vehicle too, she used to have a Trailblazer that she LOVED.

Not sure I'm crazy about a Kia, they just don't seem to hold up over time and the dealers tend to be absolute garbage.
 
#17 ·
OP, just have your wife drive the Highlander as well. Since she will be the primary pilot, just make sure it meets her needs first. Both are solid choices and will have excellent resale value.
 
#18 ·
I didn't have too bad of a time with my local Kia dealer outside of the fact that they don't have loaners. And while I have no problems with the Acura 3.5 + ZF9 I still think the ancient H/K 3.3 + 6AT or even the new 8AT is probably more reliable. I would put the Sorento on your "due diligence" list- even if you don't want it, go check it out just to make sure. You never know
 
#19 ·
mrothwell said:
Not sure I'm crazy about a Kia, they just don't seem to hold up over time and the dealers tend to be absolute garbage.
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I'd at least go look at one. Our old Tucson held up better and drove better than our current Rav4.

H/K dealers do suck though. Then again, 2/3 Toyota dealers we went to were just as bad or worse. I'd assume Acura will give you the best dealer experience, but I'd also assume that you won't have to go there much unless you want to (free mochas!). Same for Kia or Toyota, really.
 
#20 ·
We bought a 2019 MDX. We cross-shopped it with all of the fully loaded mainstream 7-seaters (Ascent, Pilot, Atlas, Highlander, etc.).

The MDX ended up only being a few thousand dollars more decently equipped. We love ours. Keep in mind, however, that this was before the Pallisade/Teluride was available.

It's a car that does everything well, but nothing spectacularly. But it's reasonably fun to drive, very practical, good on gas, dead reliable, nice looking (although certainly no beauty queen), etc. It also ends up being like $20,000 less than the luxury competition.
 
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