| Danlock |
| Hello, newbie here; Considering 2004 MDX Touring with Nav/DVD and read comsumer reports which gripes about brakes and emergency handling. I drove one and definitely noted the braking being less than stellar, but I've poked around this board for a while and have heard no mention of any problems. Everybody satisfied with their brakes? And their "evasive action" maneuvers? Thanks for your help, maybe soon I'll have the 2004 MDX Touring, Nav/DVD etc. below my posts too. |
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| laborlitigator |
In regards to the brakes, no problems yet. . . knock on wood.
As for the evasive manuevers, I once had to veer right very quickly to avoid debris hitting our car on the highway. I'd say we were travelling around 70 and the X handled very well. No wobbling, no sign of tipping over. |
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| Jim03MDX |
The MDX handles well for a mid-size SUV in my opinion. I think CRs complaint about the brakes is regarding distance to stop. The brake "feel" is fine but compare stopping distance and the MDX does not do very well. A few examples from Car and Driver:
70 - 0 MPH
MDX 200 ft
RX330 176
Sequoia 184
XC90 180 |
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| MDteX |
| I had to do an emergency manuever this week when a car decided to change lanes at about 70mph then decided not to and then decided to stop between lanes and think about it. I had two quick turns at around 70 and the MDX felt fine--much better than my heart! :3: |
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| nightguy |
A couple of months ago I was going a little over 50 mph on the main road to get to the interstate in rain when a couple of deer popped out of the woods. I hit the brakes pretty hard and steered hard right out of the direction they were running. The steering felt natural and I don't remember the ABS making any noise at all despite stopping much shorter than usual.
Couple of days later, my cop neighbor said he was behind me when it happened and it actually looked like a very evasive maneuver so he wondered who was driving. They have lots of trouble with deer there in the spring and fall. He also told me he ran my plates because I was weaving. :rolleyes: |
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| clarkjrmac |
| I had to come to a dead stop in the pouring rain going about 40 mph and my 2004 MDX stopped a lot faster than I expected and actually prevented me from hitting the car that pulled out in front of me. Maybe it could be better in comparison to other SUV's, but I think it is pretty solid. |
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| perk |
As far as evasive manuevers, the X seems to do very well on paved roads but not so well on slick surfaces elsewhere. I've had to swerve and miss things on several occasions and have always thought the X did very well. But, last winter I was driving on a gravel road in the mountains and the X went nuts when I hit a corner too fast. Before you say 'wait a minute' let me explain.
I know a thing or two about driving on dirt roads because I grew up in the south and have driven on dirt roads often going both fast and slow. I know how cars generally react to sliding around corners when you are going too fast.
Anyway this is what happened. I was driving a bit too fast as I went into a relatively sharp 90 degree turn. When the X began to slide sideways, I did what you're supposed to do--steered in the direction of the slide, kept my foot off the brakes and attempted to drive my way out of curve. Problem is, the X started fishtailing wildly. I did a complete fishtail to the left (180 degrees) followed immediately by a complete fishtail to the right (180 degrees) all before I could get the X under control. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm still convinced that the VSA intervened and caused most of this. Moral of the story, other than don't drive fast on dirt roads, is that VSA probably causes more problems than it prevents when driving off paved roads. |
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| Fabvsix |
I also found that once the X has over 300-600 miles, the brakes are well broken in and work better. When I first bought mine, the brakes needed to "break in" so to speak......they only get better. Warped rotors is a whole different issue. Based upon whether your the type that "washes" your car with hot rotors as an example.......not a good idea.......
I think the X handles just fine ! |
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| sushix |
Tires could be an issue here. I don't know what kind of tires Touring model come with. The stock tires-Goodyear Integrity on the base model are pretty bad
Also check out this thread |
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| The X-men |
The front brake has been upgraded to dual piston since the 03 MDX. Some of the braking distance that are posted are for the 01 and 02s. Even with the dual piston brakes, the MDX does stop a bit long. Not to the point where it is unsafe. Like every other car, you have to know your braking distance and drive and brake accordingly.
As far as emergency maneuvers, in normal highway driving, the X can handle almost all emergency maneuvers. It is when you push it to the limit, like CR and motor trend tests, that is when the MDX become unstable. Again, one must know the kind of car they are driving. In every day emergency driving maneuvers, one should never even come close to reaching those limitations. |
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| Danlock |
I really appreciate all the great replies to my inquiries. I might have to buy an MDX just so I can be part of this group! :p
Thanks again! |
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