Help me Decide Acura MDX vs Honda Odyssey

inspectoring

Hi there - I in the process of deciding between MDX and Odyssey. We have two kids. But are moving to Rochester - NY where it snows a lot. Sienna is out of the question as we don't really like the interior - but I am kind of really split in between.

I want a safe ride - and something that is very easy to drive as we will be taking frequent trips. BTW - we have 2 yrs old and 1 yr old.

Thank you for your input !

tidester

Whatever you go for, make sure that it is sturdy. Rochester is the pothole capital of the world and that will put significant stress on a vehicle.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

acuramdxx

We had a Honda Odyssey for the past 5 years ( top touring model ,bought brand new in 2005 ) . It's a great driving minivan and holds tons of stuff . My wife loves it. Unfortunately there were a lot of electrical/mechanical problems ( 2005 was the first year of the redesign ) .e.g.both left and right auto doors had to be fixed repeatedly ;trunk hydraulic lifts recently went dead , etc. I was happy to have it traded in for a 2009 MDX . It feels much more solid than the Odyssey and though not as roomy at the back , it still can carry 4+3 in comfort . My advice is : go for the MDX !!

suharsh

I had a similar dilemma ... but more of a Mini Van vs 7-seater SUV.

Mini Van Plus:

- More space. So if your kids go to play soccer or ice hockey or you yourself golf ... etc.
- Slightly better mileage
- Mom's car (if this is going to be primarily used by your wife)

SUV

- dad's car. I decided on the MDX because, I couldn't see myself driving to work every day in Odyssey!
- More safe SH-AWD ... as far as I know Odyssey's don't come in AWD (Sienna does).

So I went with the first elimination to settle on 7-seater SUV and then finally to MDX.

upstatedoc

Can you say lake effect snow? Get the MDX!! We had an '04 and have an '07 and they eat Northeast winters for breakfast. BTW, 2 kids and 2 adults is the max we put in ours, but we aren't planning any more kids. There is quite a cost difference also between the two.

tastycakes55

Is this really even a tough decision? I couldn't imagine cross shopping a minivan and a CUV/SUV.

Everyone I know who needed/wanted AWD went with the Toyota Sienna. AFAIK the Odyssey doesn't have AWD on any models.

I've never driven a minivan in the snow but I can't imagine the Sienna's AWD to be even comparable to the MDX's SH-AWD?

bobber1

The Odyssey will be roomier.

The MDX will do better in deep snow, but other then that the Odyssey will do just fine with the excellent traction control systems that comes standard.

I have an Odyssey in the snowy midwest and get along just fine.

inspectoring

wow...i thought that I would get some help on this forum but it looks like this place is like any other forum - everyone is almost split 50 - 50 %.

Let me ask this - what would be a more comfortable ride when taking long 5-6 hour trips?

bobber1

They're both really comfortable.

You can't go wrong going either way. It just comes down to question of taste and how much room you think you need.

sasc

i had a similar debate, went with an ody in 06-touring model-love it except for the *# run flats-no good in snow. have 3 kids, older now, so am in the process of buying an mdx-although we may replace my husbands bmw- i still love my van, never needs any attention other than replacing the tires and changing the oil. very comfortable to ride in and drive, has 75k miles on it and not a problem with it. figure mdx is a honda vehicle and will do the same, it does not have the room and ease of entry for kids, and 3rd row passengers, so if little kids would stick with the ody.

twoparameters

Both vehicles are well built and would no doubt be good for your purposes. I recently bought an Odyssey but also looked at the MDX as well as several other SUVs.

In the end I decided that the Odyssey would be much more comfortable for my family. Sure, most people think minivans aren't as cool as SUVs but I didn't want to sacrifice my kids' comfort for my vanity. I'll take the automatic sliding doors any day!

I was also concerned about gas mileage. I know the MDX and the Odyssey get similar mileage ratings but the slight difference was enough for me to decide on the Odyssey.

As for snow and ice. I live in Colorado and travel the mountains in all weather. I also own a Toyota 4 Runner but once I put a set of good snow tires on the Odyssey I found I actually preferred driving it in snow over the 4X4. I feel I have more control with the lower center of gravity. The MDX our neighbors own also does well in the snow and on ice but they too have snow tires.

For the other 330 days a year the ride and comfort of the Odyssey can't be beat. There is not a SUV made that rides as well as a minivan. Long trips are a joy in the Odyssey.

I bought the Touring model and paid almost exactly the same amount as I would have for an MDX but I feel it was a wise decision.

txpackersfan

I used to live in WI, but now live in TX. I own a 2000 Odyssey which did great in the WI winters. Many people think AWD or 4WD is needed for winter driving (especially people moving up from the South), but what really is needed is a good set of tires. When I lived in WI, I used a set of Blizzak winter tires on both my Odyssey and Accord. I could drive circles around everyone in AWD and 4WD vehicles. Those people typically were the ones you always saw stuck in the ditches too. I'm now running Goodyear triple tread tires which do great in dry, snow, ice, and rain. I don't need to worry about snow anymore, but these do great in the wet weather.

As for the Odyssey, it's been a great vehicle for us. We have 3 kids and have always been able to pack everything into it. We've taken 2 week vacations in it and never had to pull a trailer or use a roof mounted carrier to haul all of our stuff. It has 165,000 miles and still runs great. No problems.

When we bought the van, we also considered SUVs. Back then, the only SUVs big enough for 5 people and their stuff was the Tahoe/Yukon/Expeditions. The price difference and gas mileage difference back then compared to the Odyssey was tremendous which was ultimately what drove us to the van. The gap between price and gas mileage for these vehicles is much smaller now.

There is definitely a stigma that goes with a minivan, i.e. it's a "mom" vehicle. Some people love that while others hate it. If that doesn't bother you, the Odyssey is definitely the more versatile vehicle. It will carry a lot more stuff than the MDX.

No matter what you get, buy a good set of winter tires. It will vastly improve the winter driving capability and safety of the vehicle.