Give Me First Gear Already - 2014 Acura MDX AWD Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited October 2014 in Acura
imageGive Me First Gear Already - 2014 Acura MDX AWD Long-Term Road Test

I manually select first gear when descending my dad's ultra-steep driveway, but our 2014 Acura MDX simply will not comply.

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  • jli585jli585 Member Posts: 8
    Does the MDX have a hill descent control feature? I did a quick search and didn't find one. Seems like an oversight for a vehicle marketed as a luxury SUV.
  • cynic783cynic783 Member Posts: 30
    edited October 2014
    these cars are meant for mall parking lots not actual off road duty lol
  • tatermctatumstatermctatums Member Posts: 107
    This is one of the main reasons I won't buy a vehicle that doesn't have a manual transmission.
  • noautomaticsnoautomatics Member Posts: 14
    Hated this for the two years we had the previous gen 2011 MDX Advance because this transmission behavior is awful while driving in San Francisco. Glad to be rid of it.
  • mitchelldylanmitchelldylan Member Posts: 2
    Looks like a great place to own a 4Runner Trail. Or a Ridgeline you can lock into Variable Torque Management 4-Wheel Drive (VTM-4). Even better a manual trans XTERRA Pro 4.
  • hellcat68hellcat68 Member Posts: 1
    My 2015 Honda FIT CVT enables use of 1st gear (of 7) with the paddle shifter. I live on a mountainside in British Columbia and the descent through, ultimately, a 30km zone is really easier with 1st gear. I made sure of this feature before I bought the new FIT.
  • chaser2008chaser2008 Member Posts: 4
    The manual shifting feature on the MDX is infuriating. As stated, it will automatically upshift from 1st to 2nd even when you are in manual mode. If you are in automatic mode and shift using the paddles, it will return to automatic mode too quickly. And when you want to return to automatic mode, you have to hold the upshift button for a long time. It won't downshift unless the rpm in the resulting gear is below 4000 rpm or so. Perhaps I am spoiled since I had an Evo X MR before the MDX. The TC-SST is how all automatics in manual mode should operate.
  • MountainfreakMountainfreak Member Posts: 1
    edited April 2022
    This is a terrible problem for me. My cabin has a steep .5 mile driveway and my 2014 Acura goes way too fast because it will NOT stay in 1st gear! Gonna burn up my brakes. I took this matter very far up the chain with Acura and got NO help.
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