| SouthsideDuc |
I purchased an '04 with NAV and RES about two months ago and had the chance to put about 1000 miles on the car.
At this point I'd give the car a solid "B".
Plusses:
Decent ride. Handles decently for an SUV and the ride is a nice compromise with a firm but not harsh suspension.
3rd row fold down:The major selling point for me was the 3rd row fold down. One reason I don't like minivans is that there is no true cargo space. If you come to a sudden stop in a minivan, any cargo will now be travelling towards the passengers. The MDX is one of the few options that provides for good cargo storage or carrying a few extra people around town in a pinch.
Transmission:Not as good as an Audi or BMW automatic, but much improved over the previous Honda automatics.
Engine:Pretty good compromise between power and efficiency.
Fuel efficency:I get mid-teens in town and 22-23 on the highway. For a vehicle which weighs well over 2 tons, I think this is decent.
Comfort: I like the ergos for the driver, although it would be nice if the steering column telescoped. I have longer legs, so I would like the steering wheel to be about 1" closer to me given the seat position I require. Also, the seams in the leather on the steering wheel should not be on top of the spoke here your thumbs end up resting. The should be on the back or bottom only.
Towing:Unlike some other manufacturers, Acura takes into account that an SUV driver might actually want to tow something.
Minuses:
Just about all of my gripes have to deal with the interior quality. All of these were noted before I bought the car, so for me they were outweighed by the plusses above. Still, for a "luxury" car that sold for $45k or so new, I would expect more.
Leather:The quality of the leather is really poor. I have a VW with over 100k miles on it and the leather looks almost like new. In the MDX, with 45K miles the leather is creased and in some locations getting a bit saggy. I know it's not just mine, because every MDX of this vintage that I've seen has this problem. It's especially problematic on the drivers side left, for obvious reasons.
Dash:I have the quartz interior. The front dash upper is a darker gray coating. Unfortunately, this coating is over a much lighter color so scratches in the upper coating are very obvious.
Pedals: The brake pedal has about 1/2 inch lateral play in each directions. Really cheap feeling. The "fake" pedal on the left is a not close to being at the proper angle.
Climate control: Am I wrong or are there no vents for the 3rd row?
Spare: A minispare is a joke on a car this size.
Fuel gauge: Light comes on way too early and with the needle below E I only put in 17 gallons.
Overall, I like the car and I got a decent deal so the faults are no big issue. If I had paid for the car new, though, I would have been upset watching the interior age as rapidly as it does in these cars. |
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| highcountrymdx |
Pretty good summary, Well done.
I also noticed the gap between what the fuel gage said, and how much you put in. I'm not suggesting my below remarks become a common practice, but (only as an experiment) I once continued filling the tank after the nozzle 'clicked' off. I was able to put in 3.1 gallons of fuel more, without spilling a drop. I stopped only because I didn't want any chance of overflow, yet I hadn't reached capacity. Again, I am not recommending this as one's normal procedure. A 3 gallon difference is quite a lot, I think. If the pump stops with 3 gallons of capacity to go, then advertise the tank usable capacity at 17 gallons, not 20. |
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| G. COLTON |
quote:
Originally posted by highcountrymdx
Pretty good summary, Well done.
I also noticed the gap between what the fuel gage said, and how much you put in. I'm not suggesting my below remarks become a common practice, but (only as an experiment) I once continued filling the tank after the nozzle 'clicked' off. I was able to put in 3.1 gallons of fuel more, without spilling a drop. I stopped only because I didn't want any chance of overflow, yet I hadn't reached capacity. Again, I am not recommending this as one's normal procedure. A 3 gallon difference is quite a lot, I think. If the pump stops with 3 gallons of capacity to go, then advertise the tank usable capacity at 17 gallons, not 20.
High, there is a lot of difference between vehicles of when the gas pump automatically cuts off. On my MDX it is invariable very close to the absolute full mark. Many times I have ried to add more and get very little before getting fuel out of the fill pipe. My wife's Cadillac will hold at least a gallon after the auto shutoff. I have gotten to the point that on the MDX I no longer even try, but on my wife's car I always keep going and fill more.
Over the years I have notices a large difference between my vehicles. This is one of the reasons that I always say that you need to run at least three tanks when trying to calculate fuel mileage.
G |
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| highmath |
| Its only the first 1000 miles! You'll love it more and more! |
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| scorpion114 |
Has always taken at least 3 extra gallons after the pump clicks off.
I always carefully take the time to get the extra gas except at Costco, where there are long lines waiting to get it. I dont know why its always clicked off "early" like this but it does every time. DanF |
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