| Needsdecaf |
Hey all.
The X is in the shop today for various niggling ills (XM Nav traffic inoperable, pulling / drifting TSB, radio speaker pop TSB) and I have an '07 RDX as a loaner. My thoughts, FWIW:
Pros: Steering wheel. Much sportier, thicker rim, shape fits my hand better. Also the controls...like them better, no having to reach to the bottom for the MID controls or the voice command. And paddle shifters much nicer than the "slap shifter".
MID displays odometer, outside temp and trip distance at the same time. And the MDX can't do this why?
MID has a display for instantaneous MPG. Again, the X does not have this why?
Transmission sport mode. Very nice for tooling around in traffic or burning it up in the twisties. I'm surprised the X doesn't have this, especially the Sport model. It's only programming, you'd think it would be easy to implement. :confused: I have this in my Volvo R and I love it....relaxed when you want to be, aggressive with the push of a button. Perfect.
Speed: sucker is quick. Power / weight very nice. Turbo has some lag, but not too bad for the engine displacement. Managed to chirp the tires off the line (cold out up here, and I don't think this truck has true All Seasons on it) without even so much as a brake torque stand.
Nimbleness: very quick to respond to the helm, does not roll, turbo torque makes point and shoot very fun.
Cons: Ride. Damn, this thing is STIFF. Not harsh, but certainly stiff. Very stiff. Did I mention stiff? If ever a vehicle needed a standard "man bra" this is it. Well, sportiness has it's price.
NVH: turbo 4 with apparently not so much noise insulation. It's better than some of the testers I drove when it first came out, but it's louder than my Volvo and way louder than the X. Reminds me of how quiet the X is.
Features: it's a tech, so it's got all the goodies, but no memory seats? (yes, they fixed this, right) and no passenger power seat (fixed this too?). Manual tilt / telescope wheel? No auto lights? I know it's 6k less than an MDX tech, but it's still over $37k MSRP.
Size: yes, I know it's not meant to compete with the X, but it seems smaller than my co-worker's X3, which it competes with. We were considering this when it first came out, and I am SO glad we didn't get it. Baby seats would never have comfortably fit in the back (I"m 6'2" and my wife is 5'10"). Also, the center console intrudes much more than the X's does.
Instrument / control placement. I know that I'd get used to it a bit, but having the radio and climate information about 2 feet away from where you adjust it doesn't do it for me. Also, the radio controls are recessed and tend to hide behind the shifter and your favorite beverage. I like the placement of the infotainment joystick, but the nav screen placement in the X, being higher, is much more useful. And the huge speedo w/ small tach is not sporty, very Accord. And why does the right gauge pod have nothing but a fuel gauge and a PRNDL indicator? :confused:
All in all, a fun little machine that's perfect if you're single or married w/o rugrats (either around or on the way). If I didn't need the room, it certainly would be a fun machine to zip around in!
Has anyone attempted to retrofit the RDX wheel into the MDX? I am seriously thinking about this, even if I couldn't get the paddle shifters to work. If you could, that would be awesome. But it's much nicer than the X's skinny wheel. |
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| Heat00 |
I posted my comments in another post as I had to drive a RDX for a week, last month.
It was brand new, right off the truck and only had 4 miles. I gave it back with 500, lmao.
Your comments are right on except I was a little more dissapointed with the engine/speed and just overall I didn't like it at all.
size was ok, just very ugly looking on the outside. looks like a crv and drives like one until the turbo kicks in which is not soon enough most of the time.
just my 2 cents worth. |
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| eujinc |
Nice comparison. The MID display for the temp, trip odo, etc has been my pet peeve. Would be nice to have this info on one screen rather than having to scroll through all the time.
Also, I believe the wood steering for the X is slightly thicker than the stock. |
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| aceacura |
NeedsDecaf,
Can you elaborate further the popping sound you have on your speaker? I have experienec an intermittent popping sound on my rear right speaker. I want to know if this is a known problem on the MDX.
Thanks |
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| adr5 |
| I agree that I too am disappointed with steering wheel control layout. I've recently driven a bunch of other cars with steering wheel controls and the MDX is probably the worst of the bunch. My aunt just bought a Nissan Sentra and that steering wheel controls for the radio and it has a better layout than my MDX. On the Sentra you can turn the radio on and off without taking your hands off the wheel. I also think it is not such a good idea to have other controls lower on the wheel. It means you have to take your hands off the wheel to reach them. You may as well have put those buttons else where in the car. I previously had a Chrysler mini-van and it had radio controls on the back of the steering wheel. I don't see why Acura couldn't do this too if they want to put so many controls on the wheel. I rarely use cruise control so if those controls were on the dash I would not miss them. I also agree that the steering wheel feels a bit thin for my likes. The two bumps at 10 & 2 feel just right. The rest of the wheel should be that thick. I also recently drove an Audi A4 convertible. I liked that the basic navigation information also appeared in Audi's equivalent of the MID. |
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| Needsdecaf |
quote:
Originally posted by aceacura
NeedsDecaf,
Can you elaborate further the popping sound you have on your speaker? I have experienec an intermittent popping sound on my rear right speaker. I want to know if this is a known problem on the MDX.
Thanks
I have the "pop on startup" described in this TSB:
http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/b07-052.PDF |
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| MDXRDX |
I have them both and prefer the RDX quite a bit more due to the wonderful speed, handling and overall size.
The only reason I traded in our 01 MDX for an 08 MDX is so my wife would leave my RDX the hell alone! |
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| Needsdecaf |
quote:
Originally posted by Needsdecaf
I have the "pop on startup" described in this TSB:
http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/b07-052.PDF
Technician indicated today that
1) They could not replicate.
2) This TSB is not valid....does not show up in the system. |
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| dj-mdx2 |
quote:
Originally posted by Needsdecaf
Technician indicated today that
1) They could not replicate.
2) This TSB is not valid....does not show up in the system.
Then that tech is either stupid or lazy or both. Print out the TSB, including the website info, and bring it and your Tech's comments to the service manager. |
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| Needsdecaf |
quote:
Originally posted by dj-mdx2
Then that tech is either stupid or lazy or both. Print out the TSB, including the website info, and bring it and your Tech's comments to the service manager.
No, he's not lazy or stupid. The Service Writer tried to start the car and do it as well. I'd say 1 times in 10 it does it, and only when cold. I had hoped they'd take my word for it since there is a TSB out.
I'm going to simply use the voice recorder on my cell phone when I start it cold in the AM and bring it in along with the printout. |
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| rsnaider |
I brought a hard copy of the TSB last week with me and they applied the software update.
It has been almost a week and for me, no more pop in the morning when I start the car.
The Software update is available and even my dealer thought the TSB was no longer valid until I handed him my printout. |
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| well168 |
Also got an RDX as a loaner when the X was in the shop. Took it to Santa Barbara for the weekend. Driving down the 101 and this sucka had some juice to it.
My two biggest complaints were no seat memory and the back didn't have latches for my baby's car seat. |
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| 07aspenx |
| I brought my X to the dealer today to have the oil, wheel, tire balance. I also reported the clunking noise and "popping noise". The service guy said that Acura is aware of the popping noise, however they are still waiting for a TSB through Tech-ine for a fix so they won't be able to fix it until the next time I service the car again. As for the clunking noise, he said it was something with the sub-frame under the engine and are working with Techline for a resolution. In the mean time they provided me with an RDX as a loaner. I like the speed of the car even though there is noticeable turbo lag, but I don't like how stiff the ride is. I think I'm just spoiled with the smooth ride on the X. We'll see what they say tomorrow about the clunking noise. |
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| ductman |
quote:
Originally posted by 07aspenx
I brought my X to the dealer today to have the oil, wheel, tire balance. I also reported the clunking noise and "popping noise". The service guy said that Acura is aware of the popping noise, however they are still waiting for a TSB through Tech-ine for a fix so they won't be able to fix it until the next time I service the car again. As for the clunking noise, he said it was something with the sub-frame under the engine and are working with Techline for a resolution. In the mean time they provided me with an RDX as a loaner. I like the speed of the car even though there is noticeable turbo lag, but I don't like how stiff the ride is. I think I'm just spoiled with the smooth ride on the X. We'll see what they say tomorrow about the clunking noise.
Do you get your clunking noise when accelerating from a stop or
braking, in other words whenever the weight of the vehicle is shifting? I also get that, I thought it was possibly the lower control arms, please let me know the outcome. |
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| 07aspenx |
quote:
Originally posted by ductman
Do you get your clunking noise when accelerating from a stop or
braking, in other words whenever the weight of the vehicle is shifting? I also get that, I thought it was possibly the lower control arms, please let me know the outcome.
When I first purchased the car I would hear it when reversing and accelerating from a stop. Now I only hear it when accelerating from a stop or when driving over a bump. I'll let you know when I hear from the service guy tomorrow. |
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| epiney |
quote:
Originally posted by eujinc
Nice comparison. The MID display for the temp, trip odo, etc has been my pet peeve. Would be nice to have this info on one screen rather than having to scroll through all the time.
Also, I believe the wood steering for the X is slightly thicker than the stock.
Yes the "wood" wheel is thicker than stock and feels much better.
Agree with the MID display. What's up with that anyway? |
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| 07aspenx |
quote:
Originally posted by ductman
Do you get your clunking noise when accelerating from a stop or
braking, in other words whenever the weight of the vehicle is shifting? I also get that, I thought it was possibly the lower control arms, please let me know the outcome.
Just an update, I still don't have my X back. I get a call from the service guy every day telling me that the X should be ready the next day but it's still at the dealer. It's all good though because the RDX is starting to grow on me. :) Will post again once I actually get my MDX back from the dealer. |
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