Acura MDX vs Lexus GX 470 vs Mercedes-Benz M Class
I am in the fortunate position of selecting a new SUV...coming out of a MB ML 350...considering the new 2006 ML 350, Lexus GX 470, and Acura MDX. If the prices are similar, what is the best SUV and why? Appreciate any input.
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HTH:)
You haven't said anything about towing or going offroad. That suggests to me that you don't need an SUV. I strongly recommend getting a wagon instead.
If you need all wheel drive, get an all wheel drive wagon instead (e.g., Subaru Legacy, Audi A4/A6, Mercedes E-class wagon with 4Matic).
Full text here: http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2005-03-02-teens-cars-what-drive-usat_x.htm
I've found that the single most important factor in driving through snow is to get a set of snow tires -- not all seasons tires, but a separate, dedicated set of snow tires. I've got a set of Nokians on my 4Runner and went through several hundred yards of 12" of unplowed snow last weekend.
As for comfort on a long drive, you'll have to judge that for yourself in both the front and back seats. I think you'll find the ride motions more comfortable in the station wagons (less side-to-side head-toss, less front-to-rear pitching, less dive under braking).
My 2003 Toyota 4Runner is very similar to the Lexus GX470. They're basically the same frame and drivetrain. The GX470 is a bit heavier, has a taller roofline, and more luxury features. My 2003 4Runner has very little on-center feel in the steering and the steering is very fast (few turns lock-to-lock). That, combined with the tall wind-catching body, result in a truck that wanders quite a bit on the highway. You really have to pay attention to keep it in the lane. On a windy day, it really gets blown around.
In addition, the 4Runner (and the GX470) has a solid rear axle, instead of an independent suspension, and therefore a lot of unsprung weight. The heavier the unsprung weight, the harder the suspension has to work to control the axle when it goes over a bump. The result is that I really feel the axle moving around when I go over bumps. On a bumpy highway, there is a fore-aft pitching or pogoing that I find very tiring.
Recently I drove out Route 2 in Massachusetts through the Berkshire Mountains and came back on Route 9 in Vermont through the Green Mountains. These are steep, winding, 2 lane highways. I would have much preferred to have been in a sedan or station wagon on those turns.
On the rare occasions that I drive my wife's Mercedes C240 sedan, I'm always struck by how much better it drives -- it tracks the lane much better, the ride is much better, it corners much more confidantly, etc.
The Lexus GX470 may be somewhat better than my 4Runner, but it is basically the same truck under the skin so I suspect it will be quite similar. My 4Runner's ride is pretty good -- for a truck. It's handling is pretty good -- for a truck. It's braking is pretty good -- for a truck. But you'll never mistake it for a good sedan or station wagon.
I accept those limitations because I need the offroad capability; I took it offroad twice last weekend and will be taking it offroad tomorrow morning.
But if you don't need that offroad capability, you might want to look at a station wagon, or dare I say it, a minivan.
Parking my 4Runner can be a bit of a challenge. When backing up, you can't see the hood the car behind you, so you really don't know how close you are. If you do get an SUV, I'd look for one with a backup sensor or backup camera. Otherwise it is very easy to hit something while backing up.
It's your money. If you want an SUV, then by all means get an SUV. All vehicles are compromises. SUVs have extra capability (offroad, higher ground clearance) but that comes at a cost. I'm just trying to let you know what some of the compromises are so you can make your own informed decision.
We've settled on the MDX simply because the GX is nicer in ways that aren't as relevant for us in particular. We have 2 small children and a dog, so the more refined interior in the GX is really just wasted on us - my wife thought it was "too nice". We also don't need to tow more than 3,000 pounds, nor do we drive off road in a meaningful way. We also liked some of the interior gadgetry of the MDX -- the excellent Nav and Voice Recognition, the new ability to integrate our iPod, Bluetooth, etc. But I did love the GX and would recommend it highly to anyone in the market for a lux SUV -- it just wasn't ideal for us.
Much like you, I was very impressed by the value of the MDX. I like the way it looks and that wonderful V6. The way the seat folded was very practical. I must admit, the MDX was very hard to beat at first sight.
The problem with the MDX was design tolerance and built quality. Both very poor, after a year or two, it had a bunch of small problems and rattles. Unless you were leasing a MDX for 2 or 3 years, I would not recommend the MDX, especially if you plan to keep the vehicle for a long time.
As far as the NHSA's rollover ratings, they dont really roll over the vehicles, they just input the vehicle's width and height into a formula and come up with a % of probability of room over. It doesnt take into account that the GX is a body on frame design and the MDX is a uni-body design. The body on frame design has a much lower center of gavity.
The MDX was actually test by road and track as one of the most unstable vehicle in its class in emergency handling, even with the addition of the VSC in 03, it is still rated very low. While the GX has one of the best VSC on the market. It is much more stable in snow or rain. I owned both the MDX and the GX, the GX's VSC actually works and the MDX's VSC just plain old dont work.
The 2005 MDX features 4-channel Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) that has been enhanced with active yaw control for increased driver control during accident avoidance maneuvers, aggressive cornering and inclement weather. The VSA system monitors lateral (cornering) stability and seamlessly integrates traction control, 4-wheel drive, Anti-lock braking, throttle control and stability control functions.
If you are comparing an '03 MDX to a current GX, it may not be a fair comparison.
Also keep in mind that this might be the last model year for MDX before revision, though I can't be sure.
The GX470 is a truck-based SUV. It has a separate body and frame.
The GX470 is heavier (read: worse gas mileage), has a higher towing ability, and much better offroad ability. The RX330 is going to drive more like a car than the GX470.
I'm NOT a fan of the GX470's rear door. It swings to the side and the window does not open. Take a long look at that and see if it works for you. If you regularly parallel park, then you may find loading into the rear of the truck when parallel parked is not convenient.
I also recommend that you take a long test drive on the highway with the GX470. Look for a bumpy highway, if possible. See how well it tracks the lane and how much it wanders. As I mentioned previously, my 2003 4Runner is built on the same frame as the GX470 and has basically the same running gear. My 4Runner wanders quite a bit on the highway, making long trips very tiring. Check and see if the GX470 does the same.
I suspect that the RX300 may work better for. The GX470's added capabilities (towing and offroad) are things that you would not utilize. YMMV.
Did that come from a 2005 MDX brochure? Don't believe everything you read. One of my friend has a 05 MDX, and he also agree that the MDX is not good in the snow as the GX. He was amaze by the traction that the GX provides, but we both agree that the 3rd row seat arrangement is better on the MDX, but thats a non factor for me since I never use the 3rd row seat.
Have a happy holiday everyone.
Granted, the GX is a well built vehicle and has advantages as it should for $15,000 more than a similarily equipted MDX.
Then again, they are different vehicles. The 4 Runner / GX are real SUV's. The MDX is an AWD wagon and a good one. To call it an SUV, as it does in the brochure, causes confusion.
Either way it was really nice. not sure if it is worth as much as they want, but I did like it.
Coming from a 1998 Ford Explorer, I can see why you think the MDX is well built. So you must understand why I think the GX is built better since I came from a MDX.
Cheers!
I would be interested to hear how a GX does on long trips? We simply love the MDX for doing long family vacations, I have considered a GX for an upgrade, but don't see much reason to at this point, our MDX still drives like new.
Do you remember me from the MDX forum?
The MDX does indeed get better mileage on the highway, according to my manual calculations: the MDX gets about 2 to 3 MPG more than the GX on the highway. In the city, it is very similar, only 0.5 MPG differences. This may be due to the fact that the MDX has a lower drag coefficient than the GX. The MDX also spend most of the in front wheel drive mode and has a smaller engine. One thing I did notice was that the GX has better acceleration off the line and on the highway, but most Lexus owner, much like myself, don’t really care about speed that much.
The MDX is a dream on long trips, the seats are much more comfortable than the MDX's. It also has higher quality leather and has more power adjustments. Handling on the highway is close to the MDX but not as good, but you can cruise at 75 with no problem. The only bad thing I can say about the GX is that it has a large cross section, driving in high wind condition will need the driver's full attention. If you put the suspension in the stiff mode, it improves the handling a bit in high wind condition.
As far as all weather handling, snow, rain, ice, the MDX does not even come close to the GX, about the only SUV I have driven that is as good as the GX was my old Grand Cherokee, which had off road tires.
The first thing I notice when I went to look at the GX was how much better the built quality and built material was compare to the MDX. I am sorry to say this, but the Canadians cannot build a car as good as the Japanese can. Both car is selling at around invoice now, one can upgrade to the GX from the MDX for about 7 to 8 thousand dollars more. well worth it in my opinion.
Interersting about the ride qualities. The MDX is like a minivan, but its egg shape is good in the wind. I loved the GX on a test drive, but I am not sure it is worth the $$ over the MDX for a flat out luxury SUV (i.e. all weather to me is 6" snow worst...and the MDX handles that easily, maybe not as good, but there are no worries). Luxury Truck, the GX is probably the best on the market. Here the GX with options is still about $53K.
I like the MDX seats (I will concede the leather is thin and cheaper than the GX, but pretty good)...I have done 9 hours straight on a road trip with little discomfort except for the whole left foot thing, which you get used to. The MDX is very roomy all around with room for me to sit between the kids in the backseat...that doesn't happen often, but I can. The fold back center console is great for us to put the portable DVD player on...that feature alone is awesome for road trips.
I am thinking about dumping my Trooper...great truck at $24K and can go almost anywhere...the GX probably has as good offroad ability, but a huge ride improvement. The rub is I don't worry about scraping my Trooper across some rocks, against a tree or filling it with woodchips.
I am torn between the GX or saving 20K and getting a 4runner and using it in a more truck like fashion.
I am lucky with the MDX since we have only 28K on our 2002 and those are mostly highway (it is the wife's car and we have very short distances to go), we probably don't have to worry about the higher mileage transmission issues before we trade out.
I bought my GX at invoice, it was $43000, just a bit more than the MDX. When I bought the MDX, it was still selling at MSRP. The MDX does have nice seats but I agree with you that the leather is cheap and they wrinkle easily. The Lexus' seats are among the best in the industry. Of course you already know that since you had a test drive.
I had a 06 4runner on order before I bought the GX, the 4runner is a very nice truck, good built quality since it is built in Japan. You can probably buy a 4runner SR5 based model for $20K less than the GX, I was looking at the limited which at that time was only $5000 less than the GX. The 4runners has a $2000 rebate now from what I understand.
The GX is much too nice to take off road, Although the optional KDSS suspension is great for off road use. The GX are like the Range Rovers, both SUV were design for off road use but hardly ever get used for its true design intend.
Now having the GX, it is just more refined in the ride/fit/finish than the MDX. I guess if you don't want or need 8 cylinders for towing or power, and you don't want to pay the price, the MDX is the choice. I really wish the gx came with 6 cyl, like the middle east version does, but, I drove it, loved it, leased it. It was a purely emotional decision. I will say that the third row in the Acura has 2 pluses...more comfortable, and, third row has side curtains, GX does not have 3rd row curtains and the 3rd seat is only for the smallest, skinniest toddlers.
On the GX, I was offered such a good deal, it made it easy. My Lexus person offered me invoice and a money factor of .0012, and is selling my friend an RX at invoice as well. Acura has never been willing to deal on price with me.
I would gladly recommend both, depending on your needs.
Happy shopping!
i'm debating between an 04 mdx touring (with nav, dvd, cd changer etc...) or an 04 mercedes ml500 (nav, dvd etc)...both are similar in price...the ml500 is around 32,000 and the mdx is around 30,000...
any thoughts would be much appreciated...
thanks...
tidester, host
My girlfriend's mother has a GX470...I drove it from Montgomery to Birmingham (Alabama) recently, and was surprised at how numb the controls all were relative to our old 2000 Odyssey (the platform and vehicle the current MDX is based on). The steering felt numb, with late turn-in in response to my inputs. I've driven Suburbans and such, and know how a "truck" drives, and guess I expected better from Toyota. I do realize that it is a "truck" in the literal sense, based on how it is built, but the "SPORT" suspension setting did nothing to make the car handle more crisply...it just made the ride more jiggly, which really made the rear jumpseat/bench things rattle even louder than they already do (it has 51,000 miles - 2004 model).
Her average MPG commuting from the suburbs is 15MPG, BTW.