Suburban Dad vs. Urban DINK: Acura MDX

The new Acura MDX arrived in the Cars.com fleet last week just in time for some bad weather and some extreme scrutiny from our resident Urban DINK and Suburban Dad. First up, the Urban DINK took the MDX for a few days of commuting and errand-running before handing the keys to the suburb-dwelling parent.

UD: After enjoying a week with the Acura RDX because of its city-friendly size, I was expecting the MDX to be too big for real urban driving. Surprisingly, when I parked it in the spot where our Jeep Grand Cherokee usually sits, it fit just fine, although it was harder to see over the hood. Parallel parking wasn’t bad, but the tight steering was a bit of a pain.

I’m really perplexed by the size of this thing. The third row doesn’t help at all in our daily lives, and an MDX with two rows would have a ton of cargo room, like the Jeep, without being obnoxiously large on the street. Instead, the standard third row takes up a lot of cargo space without offering much benefit; it does fold almost perfectly flat, though not perfectly enough for me.

SD: The folding third row was one of the things my family and I liked best about the MDX. Having a third row means the kids don’t have to sit on top of each other, which means fewer arguments. The fact that it can fold meant I could load bags back there that wouldn’t fit in the tiny cargo space that’s there when the third row is in use. The one-hand lever that lowers and raises the third row was a hit with me as well.

My wife and I were comfortable in the front, and I fit in the second row easily. Getting into the third row was a little dicey for the kids, but they found their way when they had to.

UD: I thought that second row was unimpressive in size too, because of the space the third row needs. Glad someone liked it, though. Plus, you don’t have to worry about parking the darn thing, Mr. Driveway and Two-Car Garage.

Anyway, when I first drove the MDX I thought the steering was too tight and the whole thing felt heavy, but it really grew on me, especially during cornering and while scooting around town running errands. I was really surprised at how sporty it felt for being so big. There was hardly any tippy-ness when making turns. It also took the commuter train tracks by my wife’s West Loop office (think Rubicon Trail) with ease and comfort — a lot better than the 4x4 Jeep, that’s for sure. 

SD: Don’t hate me because I can park where I want when I get home. The MDX wowed my wife, who thought it was a great ride – very smooth and sure-footed (especially in the ice-and-snow storm we drove through). I also found the steering heavy, but given the poor conditions I appreciated that I knew where the road was all the time. We ran a lot of errands while in the MDX, including a trip to the in-laws, several of whom wanted to check it out. I tested the “Comfort” button between the two front seats, but I couldn’t tell an appreciable difference in suspension.

One of the best things about the MDX was the great accelerator response. I could pass when I needed to, without any lag. On the flip side, filling it up with the premium gas it required was painful. I think it was getting something just north of 15 mpg.

UD: During an earlier test I got to check out the Comfort and Sport settings. I definitely noticed a loss of ride comfort when going into Sport mode, but it didn’t make the car suddenly fun to drive. I left the Comfort button on the whole time this week.

The interior was a step up from the RDX, but that center stack is still full of confusing buttons and too many ways to do the same thing. Plus, I was peeved there was no jack for my MP3 player. It turns out the test vehicle had the “upgraded” entertainment system, which doesn’t include an auxiliary jack. Lame. It turns out the Aux jack is in the passenger glove compartment despite the owners manual not saying that at all, but expressly stating, with an image, the jack in the center glovebox is for the standard MDX only. Brilliant.

There was a bunch of DVD stuff in the back, but of course I have no need for that. I wouldn’t give up a simple AUX plug for a DVD system, that’s for sure.

SD: Boy, you’re not kidding about the buttons. And no MP3 jack? What is this, a Yugo? (Sorry, lost my head a little bit there.) Still, Acura’s navigation system was better than most I’ve tried in that it was easier to plug in an address, and the interstate traffic info was vital on the two-hour commute home.

You know what bugged my family most? The auto locks on the doors. When the MDX hits about 15 mph, all of the doors lock. When you put it in Park, only the driver’s door unlocks. That led to a lot of grumbling, my friend. Also, where the heck was the outside temperature reading? Virtually every car I’ve driven over the last year has had that, and I would guess that Acura drivers want to know what it’s like outside as much as anyone else.

UD: Seriously, I’m with you on the external temp, oh paternal pal. The door-lock thing is pretty common, though. Overall, the MDX would probably be perfect for you, but I think there are DINKs out there like me who wish it came with a third-row-delete option. I’ll have to take a pass on the MDX and keep looking for a wagon or SUV when our lease comes up in June.

SD: Despite my little peeves (and I’m aware that many have that awful door-lock feature, we just didn’t like it), the MDX went over great with the family, and by that I mean the wife. “Can we test drive it for a year?” she asked. Sadly, we cannot. Two out of three kids endorsed the third-row option, the folding seats made cargo space less of an issue, and we’d target this as my car -- the one that only rarely would carry all five of us. Would we buy the MDX? If I knew gas prices were going to hang around two bucks a gallon, it might be parked in my driveway for a long time.

UPDATE: OK, Acura tells us there is a way to turn off the automatic door locks using the information menu and steering wheel controls. The Suburban Dad has one less little peeve to worry about it seems.

Comments

[Mark]

Ironic that my wife recently switched from a GC to a MDX. Even with the price increase it's become apparent to us that it's worth every single penny and then some. I'm still not used to the Acura dealer calling to find out if the MDX has met our expectations. They seem very eager to please us. I too wish there was a outside temp gauge but it's something we can live with. As far as the auto door locks we are so used to them that we don't even notice.

PS Keep up the great work. My wife said reading the article it was as if you were in her head (whatever that's suppossed to mean).

[Tummy]

How does it compare to the Infiniti FX45 you recently tested?

I would think the MDX has a lot more room and is more comfortable, but much less fun to drive.

[Juan Carlos]

if you like the car, buy it. forget about gas. what in the big scheme of things it isn't much unless it goes to $5. and any other car you buy will give you about the same or a little bit more. and will the others cost you more to buy? so what you save on gas will go in the car payment.

think resale value and insurance and the maintenance cost. unless gas goes to $5 or you buy another car that gives you 50mpg, go with this car if you really like it.

[Ken L.]

Dave meister, if you get this MDX, you could end up becoming a Suburban dad like your colleague. You see, the MDX prepares you for the future; just in case you decided to have 5 off springs to fill up the back 2 rows of seats. The roominess will also come in very handle for all your chores. The MDX looks smart and sharp, drives fantastic, reliable, conveys prestige, and everything else a guy (or family) could want in a SUV. I’d chose this as my first choice and the RDX as my second as recommended before. You can’t go wrong.

[Dave T.]

Ken,
There's a bit of difference though. One, it's more expensive and pretty much out of the price range we're looking at. Plus I don't think we'll ever have 5 kids or even 3. But if somehow we have 2 let's say in the next five years I think a smaller car will suit fine during that time. And if we outgrow it we'd be ready for a new car by then anyway.

[Vickram]

As an Acura fanatic, the 07 MDX is total fun. I enjoyed the two takes on the MDX and could only smile the entire time. The simplicity and elegance of the MDX is what really sold me on this vehicle. Technology is another. In addition, the 07 Acura have been awarded for best resale value. Not that I would ever sell my 07 MDX. To note, I also own a 94 Integra, 04 TL, 01 MDX and the 07 MDX. Sorry, but acura has made a wonderful progression over the years, and the 07 MDX takes the cake, or at least until the 09 NSX arrives: time to start saving.

[SuburbanDad]

Tummy,
The MDX stood up well to the FX. I really liked the FX, but my wife didn't like the look of it. She was much more won over by the MDX.

[Spence]

Having leased a FX and now having been a 'long term' owner of a MDX I will say they are both great vehicles. The FX appeared to have more get up and go but the MDX was quieter but a little less of a drivers car. My wife hated the FX as she said it looked like a squished bug. Go figure. If you need cargo room definitly go with the MDX. If you are looking for a driver's car then the FX is probably a better car. Our MDX has only had one issue but it was a major one. The transmission failed at 51,000 miles. Well it actually started to slip in second gear at 51k so it was drivable for some time. To our shock the dealer replaced the trans at no cost to us even though the warranty expired 11 months previously. Even better was they provided us with a free loaner while they fixed it. Since they stood behind the car and were so pleasant to deal with more than likely our next vehicle will be also be an Acura.

[Joe]

I noticed in your review you stated that the MDX with Entertainment Package had an Aux jack in the glovebox. Are you sure this is the case, or did your car have the optional MusicLink from Acura installed?

[Tim]

I have read the reviews on the car and it is nice to see the input from the different views. However, most of the grumbling that I see is based off of incorrect information. I am a salesman at an Acura store and there is a lot of mis-information in your review ( The lack of aux input, the auto locking doors, the lack of outside temp). I understand that you obviously did not get a proper explanation of the equipment before you got the vehicle but before you put up reviews that potential buyers may take into their decision, you should make sure that the information you are providing is correct.

You have to scroll through the menu options to see the outside temp, the RCA inputs most commonly used for a game consol can double as a aux input and you can adjust the auto unlock and lock feature.

Other than that, good review.

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