2013 Acura MDX or 2014 Dodge Durango

policeman51

I thought I made up my mind about getting an 2013 MDX. I live in the Chicago area and there's tons of these on the roads and at the dealerships, heard nothing but good things. I test drove one a few times and really like the ride. I was waiting until the 2014s come out and was going to try and get a 2013 for a deal.

Then the NY Auto show happened and the 2014 Dodge Durango showed up. I've test drove the 2012 before and the ride was surprisingly smoothing but the 5 speed trans ruined it. Now they're adding the 8 speed, the nice 8.4in Uconnect (which i demoed at the Chicago auto show at the Chrysler booth), blu-ray entertainment, etc. Just a lot of nice features.

I'm concerned about the reliability of the Durango, knowing the MDX has a good track record.

Any thoughts, just looking for something maybe I'm not considering.

dm55

Sounds like you already answered your own question.

"concerned about the reliability of the Durango, knowing the MDX has a good track record." I wouldn't put my money into a Dodge product.

trucknup

I owned Jeeps for years and switched over to an MDX last year. I don't think there is much in the way of comparison between the Durango and the MDX. The MDX wins hands down in fit and finish, quietness and ride. In the area I am, the Acura dealer is, hands-down, much more consumer oriented.

The Durango, as with most "American" brands, offers lots of bells and whistles that Acura does not offer but I felt like most of them would go unused after the novelty wore off. I also think that with the Durango, you would make a mistake to not equip it with the V8 engine.

I am very happy I chose the MDX.

dewarsandsoda

Hi policeman51,
Let me offer an alternative opinion. Up until 2 years ago, I had exclusively owned cars manufactured by either Audi or Mercedes (9 Audi's & 7 Mercedes). And, at that time, I had planned to add one of their SUVs to accommodate our growing family. But, then I read about the redesigned Grand Cherokee (and Durango) and how they were designed by Daimler, so I decided to examine. I too was fearful of an American car given the past reliability stigma, so I took 6-7 test drives of the Jeep and Durango. I also had the equally challenging task of convincing my wife that we would have an American nameplate in our garage, but after ride 2, she was sold.

I ultimately went with the Jeep GC Ltd V6 4x4 as I didn't need the extra room of the Durango. I did only lease for 2 years just to mitigate my risk, but in that time I have had no problems and love the truck. We have taken it on extended road trips from SoCal to NoCal, AZ, NV, NM, etc. and the ride is fantastic. The fit and finish is solid as well and while the instruments (e.g., nav) are not as 'sexy' as that found in either Audi or Mercedes, it is quite intuitive.

My lease is coming due, and I will likely lease a 2014 Durango as we now need the extra room for our growing family. I had hoped that they would offer a diesel variant but c'est la vie. Nonetheless, our 2nd ever American car will reside happily next to our Mercedes S550 and Audi S4.

My two rupees.

Cheers!

policeman51

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it.

Yeah, I have some time, not planning to purchase until December, but too much time isn't always a good thing.

I actually just test drove a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee V8 and noticed the difference with the 8speed trans. Very smooth.

waygrabow

I had never owned a Dodge or Chrysler product before buying our 2013 Durango. It now has about 7500 miles on it, and I love it. So quiet, smooth, and versatile. We tow with it which is a significant factor in choosing a SUV. If we didn't tow, we would have probably chose something else; lots of vehicles to select from. Our other vehicle is an Audi.

fanboy

I agree the Acura may be the most reliable over the long term but I don't trust Honda V6 and their transmissions. A lot of problems over the years with them in Pilots, Odesseys, MDX's and others. I would get an extended powertrain warranty on the MDX. Not a bad idea for the Durango either.

bruins4

If you need useable 3rd row seating such as we do with a family of 5, then the MDX isn't even an option. The 3rd row seat in the MDX is a joke. Try getting in and out of it yourself, and if you need to use the 3rd row, the MDX becomes irrelevant. If you are looking at a Durango because you need that kind of space, then the field narrows to Durango, Explorer, Traverse, etc. Durango wins hands down. Pathfinder works in terms of comfort, but I really don't care for the CVT transmission, and have you read about the problems with it?

igozoomzoom

The 2013 Mazda CX-9 has more 3rd-Row Shoulder, Hip and Leg Room than the Durango or MDX. The 2013 MDX, 2014 MDX and 2013 CX-9 have almost identical 3rd-Row Headroom, but the Durango has 2” more thanks to the blockier design.