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Acura MDX 2007
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Comments
varmint, "Acura MDX vs. BMW X5" #12, 3 Oct 2006 7:10 am
In short, I don't think the X5 will have the handling advantage this time. Braking? Sure. Steering feel? Probably. Cornering? Not so much.
"Remote entry system with Acura personalized settings for driver's seat, steering column, outside mirrors, climate control, select audio settings and more."
http://hondanews.com/CatID3029?mid=2006090870646&mime=asc
-Cj :P
As somebody who has put 300,000 miles on turbocharged cars (with boost levels higher than stock for most of those miles) without any turbo related problems in the last 15 years, I'd have to disagree. Turbos are no more problematic than any other major component on cars these days.
However, this is not a problem for me personally.
My guess is that this is due to the fact that the memory seat can be programmed to the keys, and you usually get two sets of keys only.
I am happy for you. Through better design and material nowaday, turbos may became more and more reliable. To me, more parts mean more chance of failure. Costly repair, if I might add.
But I am a tech loving guy and Acuras tech is the best so I know I will like that part. Will depend what price i can get and what i can get for my Tribeca which might fare well because they are reskinning (no redesign) the Tribeca for 08 after only its first 2 years of current style. I guess ppl didn't like it and the front end/nose was polarizing but I've always liked it, still do and so does everyone else that sees it and even comes up asking what kind of car it is becaue i have the lettering taken off. I've told some ppl its an Alfa Romeo because not only the front end but the rear end looks just like a Alfa Romeo 187 (i think) and it was designed by the guy from Alfa.
So yeah fact that there are 2 model years that look the way they do, that could help its resale making it more rear if ppl really dont like the new reskin which from what i've seen the grille looks to be boring and conservative.
Anyway I did not like the look of the RDX much at dealership at all, especially with roof rack on it, it looked like a squarish Subaru Outback and well therefore more like a Subaru then my B9 which has the nicest curves.
But i'm hoping I like the MDX styling better even though its supposed to be similiar to RDX i think it will be and already from pictures looks better.
Any dealers have them yet? Due out this month right?
Will have to check it out and hopefully dont love it too much though until i can maybe actually get one in Jan.
"'I wonder why Honda / Acura did not install a six-speed transmission in this new model?'
They don't have one.
Instead the budget went into developing the J37 engine, the sport-suspension system, and the integration of the VSA and SH-AWD. "
This is a true bummer, because in the non ultra luxury category, think sub 7/S series cars, Acura was the first one to jump to a 5 speed automatics, when everybody and their parents and kids were still doing 4 speed's from 1980. Also the Accord got a 5 speed long before it's competitors got it...
We now have saturn throwing out vehicles with 6 speed, geez... wake up Acura, borrow my 401K if you need some change to get a decent 6 speed seed money.... (i'll only charge 20% interest)...
ksso
:lemon:
I'm a fan of BMW & Acura. I recommend Lexus to my staid boring friends, but I'll never buy one myself even though i can gaurantee it'll be the most painless car experience... sadly too
But i'm decided all my future BMW's will strictly be leases, no more buying....
MDX, i can't buy that with 5 speed, i'll probably wait for a mid model refresh to see if it steps up the ante, gets a 6 or 7 speed and gets better fuel economy... overall like it so far for ownership
ksso
Really? Acura only started using the 5AT six years ago. I'd assumed others were using them earlier.
It is really sad that despite of having nice engines, Honda has refused to move to 6AT. It is THAT reason its engines aren't getting appreciated as much as they would otherwise. How many times have we heard that RL's 290-300 HP engine doesn't feel like it? Thats where it goes, lack of 6AT that can allow for short gearing for greater oomph yet a wide gearing spread for improved fuel economy. This is my only complaint with Acura, right now.
I won't be surprised if MDX's 300 HP powerplant, despite of having healthy torque, gets underappreciated when it is compared to less powerful/lower torque engines from competition but with 6/7 speeds.
Better skip the MDX then. Lots of "more parts" to fail.
Or, we can expect a "lead-n-languish" pattern to emerge.
Folks should review problems associated with the MB 7-speed transmission.
Besides, and challenge you to prove me wrong, 5AT (and 4AT before that) were limited in gearing spread to about 5 or less (top gear ratio divided by first gear ratio). The new 6-7 speed transmission provide for a spread of 6 or better and that is comparable to CVTs! It is not only good for extra oomph (i.e. taking advantage of that powerful motor under the hood), but also to improve fuel economy.
I am genuinely surprised that the market expectation is moving so fast. With five speeds being outdated today, I figured Acura must have been middle of the pack or even late in 2000.
I mean, if Acura was considered an early adopter in 2000 with the five speed... and five speeds are now out-dated... then my guess is a 6 or 7 speed tranny will last only 3-5 years before it is considered obsolete.
That is surprising to me.
I do not doubt there are advantages to using a 6 or 7 speed tranny. I doubt it is economical to redesign a mass production tranny every few years.
BTW, do you really think they have the capacity to crank out another 400,000 6ATs per year for the NA Civic?
I still don't have an answer to why a 5AT couldn't have a very short first gear (with overall drive ratio of about, say, 13.5-14.00:1) and a relaxed tall gear. If they go short in the first gear, they end up with relatively short gearing in the top gear as well.
OTOH, if you notice the new 6ATs, they have a spread of about 6:1. So, if RL's tranny had that kind of spread, even leaving the top gear overall drive ratio where it is now (2.3:1). the first gear would be a 10% punchier with an overall drive ratio in mid 13s. And then people would start to appreciate the torque and power from the engine. Until then, they will be unimpressed, and wonder where did all that HP go? (Most people associate HP/torque with thrust, not with vehicle speed). I won't be surprised if the same happens with MDX. Acura just isn't as aggressive with gearing as it can be, and like BMW is with its (a reason people think they produce more power than they are quoted at). These things help sell cars. If it means more investment on Honda's part, I don't see why they shouldn't.
As far as Euro Civic's 6AT is concerned, I'm sure it will be a challenge to produce 400K units of those unless Honda went for it. But that takes us to another interesting point. Honda doesn't sell a whole lot of Civics in Europe (compared to America) yet it was willing to offer a 6AT for a much smaller market! Worse, when you consider European market doesn't shy away from MTs either, and a major chunk of sales are from it (even then, Honda is actually offering 6MT in Civics, as opposed to 5MT we get here). It would have been easier to just slap 5AT/5MT from the American market after all.
So, I don't think "investment" is really the issue. If they can cater to a niche (relatively speaking) market, why not in their largest market? Better yet, in their upscale models, starting with Accord.
Let's think about offering options one by one instead of in bundles. The parts are already on the line, and the workers install whichever belong on each vehicle. For example, offering a base mdodel with the sport package, but without navigation and without the rear DVD would only mean that those things were not installed. There would be a slight extra effort to program the computers and to write the sales brochures, but that is it. The reason for bundles is greed coupled with hope that people will grudgingly accept the bundles rather than shop elsewhere.
My wife and I have decided to order a new Ford Explorer V8. We had an Edge on order to be sure that we could get one soon if we liked it(no obligation to buy), but the cargo hold of the Explorer better fits our specific needs, and I'll appreciate the V8, six speed automatic, and rear wheel drive every day I drive it.
The Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX are indeed nice. The edge weighs less than the Acura MDX, and has a six speed, so it will be faster. The MKX has one feature lacking on the Acura MDX - cooled seats, a significant difference in warm climates. If you compare an Edge SEL Plus and an MKX, it seems that the Lincoln label, different grille and lights, different tail lights, and different instrument panel/console cost $7,500. However, the MKX does have options which, unfortunately, are not available on the Edge (e.g. a super sound system, special headlights, cooled seats, a power tail gate).
Beach Convention Ctr. They are crowd-pullers. The show runs through Sun 15. There are
2 memory seat buttons but Roof rack doesn't look standard. Foot-brake now disengages
through a release tab just below the dash. Front grille looks better than in pictures!
For folks on waiting list, late October/early November delivery appears dependent on color/options. Steel Blue / Sport not in first wave of October delivery in Southeast.
End result, put in for Grey/taupe/sport/res if arrival is before November 3 or Steel Blue/taupe/sport after this date with end of November estimated delivery.
Hopefully, will get delivery before November 3 in time for vacation. Then could give it good test drive in North Carolina mountains.
I understand why you *want* that to be true. I really can't blame you. But it isn't.
If you don't want to accept it from "some guy on the internet", I can relate to that, too. Go read Harbour Reports or talk with someone in manufacturing. It is a simple reality. The easier it is to manufacture something, the less it costs to manufacture. What you are talking about is possible, but it is also expensive.
I really wonder if the gray areas on the bumpers will stay nice for very long. Plus, I expect that they will be more difficult to keep clean, as it is easier to clean smooth paint than rough plastic. Has anyone thought about painting those areas of the bumpers?
Varmint, I agree with you, to a point. If we were discussing adding something which is not already available, and which required different processes, Etc. I would agree completely. However, the parts (e.g. for power tailgate or not) are already on the line, and the workers are fully trained to install whichever is required for the particular vehicle which is at their workstation. There is no relationship whatsoever between the power tail gate and the rear DVD pacifier, except the relationship which Acura created in the ordering system in an attempt to get people to spend $2,000 more if they wanted some part of that bundle. Plus, we are only talking about a few parts. If each worker had to be trained to install 30 different combinations, that would certainly increase costs and would probably decrease quality.
The first week of the month the factory will be producing units in red. The second week, they will make units which are blue. The third week... silver. Then black. (I'm making this up as an example, but they do, in fact, build colors in lots.)
They do this because it means the paint stations can run continuously without the need for excessive clean-up. Does that make sense to you?
If so, apply that thinking to other areas in the factory.
When they build units with.. oh, I dunno... the sport suspension. The assembly line moves slower than when they build units without it. The slowdown at the suspension station means they would have people further down the line standing around doing nothing... waiting. (This costs money.)
So, what they do is find other things for those people to do. They change the timing of the whole line. Other stations might be given additional tasks. (Installing NAV wiring?) And other tweaks are made so that every station is fully productive.
Then you've got things like bundled assembly processes. Again, I'm just making up examples, but I suspect that creating a power lift gate means extra running wires from the cockpit area to the rear of the vehicle. Adding the DVD probably requires running additional wires from front to back. If the wires are packaged in a single bundle, installation is easier, faster, and cheaper.
If they create two separate wire bundles, they must track two items in the inventory rather than one. They must train the worker how (and when) to install two bundles instead of one. They must stock the parts bin with twice as many wire bundles. They must accomodate twice as much time spent assembling the wiring and shift other tasks on the line or end up with workers waiting.
The whole thing is a ballet. And if a single dancer wants to add one additional twirl, the entire production from dancers to music to lighting must be adjusted to compensate.
I don't do ballet and I don't do manufacturing. I do work in an industry where I've seen (many times) customers pay thousands of dollars to have a single keystroke removed from a computer program. A single keystroke like hitting the enter key when asked "okay to save?" will cause them enough grief that they will pay $2,000 to eliminate it. So, I can easily understand why a company would want to streamline the assembly process as much as possible.
Don't get me wrong, I know that part of their reasoning is that Acura gets more money per sale by bundling packages this way. But there is a relationship between these parts in the real world. Parents of young children will want both the DVD and the power gate. And there may very well be a relationship in the world of assembly, as well. Plus simplifying the process makes for better reliability and the lower costs are passed on to the consumer.
Will they tick off a few customers with bundling? Sure.
Will those customers buy one anyway? Some of them will. Of ourse, there will be a few losses, too.
Will the savings during assembly, make up for those losses? Partly.
Will having a lower price than the competition help sell units? Absolutely.
This strategy has been working to Acura's advantage for years becuase the benefits outweigh the problems. If anything, the fact that the MDX comes with several option packages is a departure from what they've done in the past.
http://www.autospies.com/images/users/Agent001/X5_Ordering_Guide.pdf
Example: GM uses a 200hr test run at full throttle, alternating between peak power and peak torque, which all their passenger car engines must pass. Thus when they add a turbo, that engine is tested at much higher output than it's non-turbo sibling. It may get anti-wear coated pistons, a stronger block, and better oiling than it's NA relative. If the turbo engine has more power than a typical buyer can frequently use without getting pulled over/crashing, they're using a smaller slice of the tested limits of their engine. Of course full throttle operation is not what's likely to kill their turbo engine - short trips leading to contaminated oil or hot shutdowns without something to prevent oil from cooking in the turbo (easily fixed), using inferior oil, or hard driving when cold, etc are more likely to cause an early end to their engine. The top Mercedes and Bentley models are turbocharged; so is the tow truck that hauls away the gently driven, non-turbo car that spent it's life puttering around on errands and sludging itself to an early end.
Dealers and consumers have only a few variations to consider/track and shop. I find it much easier to price shop a honda/acura product across multiple dealers because I can very simply specify the exact configuration I want. When there are 30-40 options per vehicle, it becomes much more difficult to compare (or find) apples-apples products on competing dealers lots.
Still doesn't make sense to me. They should have offered a few more option packages to make everybody happy,
But it wouldn't make everyone happy. Every single buyer... whether they want an MDX loaded or stripped... would have to pay more money so that someone else could get choices. I doubt that would generate a great deal of happiness.
Everyone, please check out Can this new MDX serve as the new flagship for the Acura brand?
As for the power liftgate, it may be one of those things Acura may sneak in with MMC to other trims as well.