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Acura MDX (pre-2007)
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FYI, the '01 ML320 is rated 17 mpg in the city. I'm not exactly sure, but I believe that most drivers get about 15-17 mpg in the city and 20-23 mpg on the highway. I do purely city driving and my fuel economy is about 16 mpg. On mixed higway and city driving (70% city/30% highway), I can get an average of 18-19 mpg.
Your poorish fuel economy may be a combination of your driving style, your engine not being completely broken in yet + the fact that 3.5L is a fair amount of displacement. Your economy should improve (albeit probably slightly only) as you put on more miles on the odometer. BTW, the Durango's much less sophisticated V6 engine would've done much worse than the MDX.
If it was ULEVs, too many vehicles would be in the carpool lanes. I believe that the only regular car (petrol engine) that qualifies for SULEV status is the Nissan Sentra CA. Other SULEVs include vehicles like the Toyota Prius hybrid, for example. Interestingly, the Honda Insight is not a particularly clean car. It only qualifies for ULEV status.
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
1) Are you computing MPG from your trip computer, or by comparing your gas receipt with the amount of miles since your last fill-up?
2) If you're not using premium, please indicate as such.
I agree with Drew about the optimistic EPA ratings, and the slight increase in MPG as the engine breaks in. My previous Acura Integra never quite achieved the city EPA mileage, though on long highway trips it could exceed highway EPA. Of course, the Integra's engine (not a VTEC one) was a lot different than what's in the MDX.
It's not going to make a huge difference, but I suspect that the trip computer's MPG numbers are a bit on the low side. So we're starting to also track mileage based on fill-ups. I knew the darn trip computer would be distracting ;-) Also noticed that the fuel level on both the fuel gauge and in the trip computer (based on range left) is also overly conservative. I wonder if this is a problem or a "feature." Again, the old Integra was also conservative about remaining fuel; you'd be practically on empty and still have nearly a quarter-tank left.
I'll try to post our numbers, but they'll be shot to heck because our driving pattern is going to be weird until my wife finishes her maternity leave. For now, it's scattershot, short, little trips and that wrecks havoc on our vehicle's MPG.
Thought I heard a rattle but it was the retracted cargo cover. The reinforced end can flap against the metal housing, so it's probably best to keep the cover closed most of the time.
The power has been very enjoyable. The cargo room behind the second row seat is great and we've been taking advantage of it. I love the width of the second-row seat, and how it lets us put our son in his infant seat in the middle, but still leaves room for an adult to comfortably ride next to him when necessary. Also have enjoyed the in-dash CD a lot (playing CD-R's with no problem).
The ride comfort has been very good -- for an SUV (see below). We've taken it down one popular 40mph road that is pretty beat up, and the suspension seems to absorb the jarring well.
Complaints? Relatively small (sort of). The second-row outboard seat belts don't fit me too comfortably, partly because I'm short, partly because my shoulders aren't very broad (which thus puts the belt closer to my neck than I'd like) and partly because the shoulder belt has to circumvent my gut and is thus shifted to a less than ideal position ;-)
Still wish that Acura would have at least covered the dash housing with padded vinyl rather than leaving it textured but hard plastic.
Trip computer is a bit distracting and even annoying; we don't turn it off but have dimmed it.
One of the tricks in getting used to the MDX was a lot of the strange and different sensations. How it drives, rides, and just "feels." I've had a lot of trouble putting my finger on the right causes, but I now suspect a lot of it is simply the transition from a car to an SUV.
This is our first SUV, and indeed, our first vehicle anywhere close to this size (last one was an Integra). No matter how car-like the MDX may be, it's still a bigger, heftier, different-feeling vehicle (duh). My wife has made the transition better, but I think it's because she's occasionally driven her parents' pickups and minivans, while my more limited driving experience has been confined to compacts.
Nevertheless, while it's taken some time to get used to the SUV qualities, I'm not sure if we could go back to sitting lower and having to look up at the backs of minivans and other SUV's in front of us.
Also was worried about the fit of the seats too, but some of that was probably after reading some of the posts complaining about bad fit. And this is the first vehicle with leather seats we've ever had.
I know that citing the transition from a smaller car to anything SUV-ish is stating the obvious, but I suspect that the MDX may be the first SUV/minivans for a number of buyers and wanted to reinforce the distinctions.
you'll notice that the vehicle may be an ULEV, however it also can't use gasoline.
BTW I have about 320 miles and am on my second tank of gas, and I'm averaging 17.8 mpg LA driving (freeway & surface).
I have similiar experiences going from my 12yr old Integra to the ML320. I take longer to get into traffic (totally ticks off people behind me)-: because I'm afraid I can't get its mass up to speed in time (even though the acceleration/braking speeds are close to my ancient Integra's). Parallel parking is also similiar to the Integra, but I pass over what I think are "tight" spaces that I would have happily crammed my Integra into even though I can still get within 2-3" of the curb. Handling even feels familiar except what is probably feeling the road bumps at a higher height (it almost feels like a slight secondary response after hitting the bumps).
On the slightly amusing side, a coworker (Audi owner) recently decided between the MDX, ML, Allroad, and Volvo XC. He thought the MDX was more truck-like than the ML. Weird, huh? He ended up w/ the Volvo because he was afraid of the ML's reliability, even though the Volvo is in its first year. It's strangely ironic that a tech on our list said his dealership has more problems w/ Volvos than MBs...
Drew/aling
Townhall Community Leader/Vans Conference
That's why I thought it was ironic that he chose a Volvo. The MDX would have been the most reliable of his choices. I think the MY2K/2001 MLs would have been a bit better in reliability than a Volvo as well. Only time will tell. It'll be interesting to see which of us has more problems :-)
At least Volvos don't rust...
Thanks
Having said that, you most likely are referring to a year-old ('00) RX 300 if you can in fact pick one up "close to dealer invoice." If I'm correct, you'll be spending thousands less for a vehicle one year older than the MDX. No surprise there! Try pricing an '01 RX 300 and I'm quite sure you will find the price very close to what people are paying for a comparably equipped MDX.
When I first decided on a mid-size luxury SUV and began shopping around several months ago, I had the opportunity to visit my brother-in-law in Denver and spend a lot of time driving and riding in his RX 300. Frankly, I was not impressed. I then eliminated the Mercedes based on appearance (too stubby looking), then the BMW (too expensive).
Rather than go into a lot of detail that would bore most of the MDX aficionados who frequent this forum, suffice to say that I opted for my MDX based on performance, size, seating capacity, cargo capacity, handling, interior and exterior design, comfort and looks. And with Acura's excellent reliability over the years based on the people who complete and mail in their "Consumer Reports" questionnaires, I feel confident that the MDX designers, engineers and assemblers came up with a winner. Lord knows they've had enough time to study the SUV market in detail before jumping into the sport ute competition. And as far as I'm concerned, they got it right!
That being said, you can't compare your priorities with others unless they are the same. What are yours? Where is price on your list of priorities? If it's way up there, you already know what your "right" decision is. Can you wait until MDX prices come down if it is your "right" car? If you need a replacement *now*, that is part of your priority list and affects your final decision. The choice of a car is never a one size fits all proposition...if it were, there would not be so many models to choose from...
Michelin Cross Terrains. Beginning at about 50mph, a low noise and accompanying vibration
seemingly from the rear is noticeable. This goes
away at around 70mph. Rebalancing has not corrected the situation. The service manager says
this is normal and that the rather tread
design is the culprit. Anyone else noticed this
issue?
Ken, thanks for your information in this townhall conference. I can see the reliability goes with the name. I do deal with another Ken Yee (my wife's cousin) from PA. He acknowleged that there are few good Ken Yee out there.
That's pretty funny about the name. :-)
Glad your 740 was not plagued w/ recurring problems.
William:
The Volvo XC was also on my short list. The cost of it (almost same cost as ML once you loaded it up) and the comparative lack of storage space nixed it for me. Unfortunately, they may be following the same path as MB: adding lots of features that may cause reliability problems and chasing more customers, which then overloads the service departments because of the lack of reliability. At least Acura designs for high reliability so their service departments are not overloaded. If we ever move out to the burbs, my wife wants an S60, so we'll have to hope they get their act together by then...
the XC. The XC looks cool, that's for sure, but
the reliability of their vehicles pretty much
sucks. If you want to take a chance, great. I'm
not too into risks of that level. They have been
too unreliable as of late. The Allroad, while few, is on a pretty proven platform (I don't know if platform is accurate...but their quattro is proven as are a lot of the other pieces of that vehicle. I think it's much more stable than the new XC. IMHO, of course. )
The Allroad looks terrific. Unfortunately, with a base MSRP of $42,450 (including destination), it's even more pricey than the XC (which starts at $35,475), though at least it's way cooler and has the proven Quattro system.
The SUV's (MDX, ML320, RX, X5) end up looking like bargains compared to those wagons. Selling price of a loaded XC is comparable to a well-equipped MDX or RX, and pretty close to an ML320. Selling price of an Allroad can net a BMW X5 3.0i and is in the range of an ML430.
Wildcard for some could be the new H6-equipped Subaru's. Should be quite reliable, but they're a tad small and it's still hard to get used to the idea of paying so much for a Sube (over $30k for a H6 VDC with stability control and more luxo features). Especially when you can buy a loaded 4-cylinder Outback (without stability control) for $200 over invoice or less (right at $26k).
(Though I suppose adding a 6-cylinder, extra luxu content, and stability control is worth about $3k, so it's not too far off, assuming you can get a good discount on the VDC.)
Then there's the coworker who rags on me about getting the ML because he said he'd never pay 30K+ for a car...well...I thought it was a bargain :-)
With 1st baby on the way I'm intrigued by William's point about Lexus having "ISOFIX/LATCH" for child seats. I'm unable to find details on this feature. Please advise.
I'm not sure if you caught the Dateline or 20/20 a few weeks back. They basically found that if you put 5 large adults in most SUVs, you would push them over the "safe" payload limit. They also found the same to be true w/ 2 couples and luggage. The basic conclusion was that you should have a payload of 1100lbs or more. The RX300 was 900lbs, FYI.
As for the LATCH system, those child seats don't exist in the US yet. It's the classic chicken vs. egg problem. No LATCH system, no child seats for that attachment method. It's supposed to be a more idiot proof attachment system.
p.s., so what are your priorities, listed in order? Just curious...
good information. My thanks to everyone!!!! 'Specially cotmc and wmquan.
I upgrading my steering wheel and shift knob and as a result I have the originals (in the ebony color) and would like to make them available for free to anyone who wants them. You can email me
privately at scubaflex@yahoo.com and we can figure out the shipping. I live in the Wash DC area. I
will give preference to those who respond first and those who I know and feel have been helpful to me (sorry but that's the right thing to do).
Now for other stuff. I just completed a 1000 mile trip to the Carolinas and thought all would like a
report. I have a base (premium) MDX w/o Nav.
Original total miles traveled at start of trip was 850 ... have taken great care for the break-in period. Drove and handled very well. Traveled all highway at speeds around 70 - 80 mph. Averaged about 21 - 22 mpg. I found that when I had the AC ON I lost about 2 mpg.
The MDX shifted well and had reasonably good acceleration at speeds above 50 mph. Don't expect a BURST of energy at 50 mph when your going to pass someone but on the other hand you will get by
them.
I personally do not like the feature that the AC automatically turns on when the defrost is turned on. In 38 degree weather for at least 4 hours I found that if I put the defrost ON with the fan setting on the lowest level and set the temperature to 65 degrees with the AC in the OFF position the car did not fog up and it still remained comfortable temperature wise in the car.
In addition, I noticed (at least I think this is the case) that the default setting for the rear airflow is in the ON position. So for those of you who are planning a trip w/o passengers in the back be sure to set the rear air flow to manual and it will cut of stuff going to the back seats. This is done with a button up next to the defrost button on the dash.
The stereo was surprisingly good. I had a chance to listen to a lot of CDs. The sound quality was very good for the base model. I found that the interior space was blanketed in sound w/o distortion when the volume was up. I didn't like the fact that you could not random play or cycle backwards through the CD and thought the automatic replay after the CD completed was a bit unusual. As a matter of fact the CD programming features are strictly fundamental and I would have expected more; but overall I am very pleased with the base model performance with regard to sound quality!!! I have a BMW as well and the base system in the MDX is better IMHO.
I drove in rain and both the front and back wipers worked VERY well. I did notice that the fluid in the back just "ran down" as others have commented but with enough swipes of the wiper the window
cleared well.
I have the moon roof visor and roof rack. There was little noise at highway speeds in all cases when using the moon roof with the following exception. There was substantial noise when the moon roof was in the lifted position. That is when the back of the moon roof is up and the front is down.
Can't think of anything else off hand. Got back into the 3 series BMW convert to go to work this
morning and honestly it was a let down. The MDX clearly has propelled past the BMW in many ways.
interesting. I always prefer to get back to my 3 series BMW convert than my wife's X5 3.0i anytime, despite the frigid weather in NJ. However, in traffic I can see better in a SAV than the convert.
We got some snow the other night that melted on the windshield and froze. To say that I am impressed with how quickly the defroster melted the front window is an understatement for sure! The ABS and VTM both worked very well, although I have to get used to driving a heavy vehicle in slick conditions (3 years since last SUV). The ABS "chatter" was much less pronounced than in the Vigor I traded for the MDX.
The slick streets probably accounted for knocking the mileage down to my first tankful under 20 mpg. (18.6 with usual mix of city/highway).
1400 miles and still love it more with every drive!
Our experience with Ed Voyles was as close to perfect as I can imagine. Made a down payment
in early Sept. 2000, and placed a firm order
after a couple test drives in early October.
(Ed Voyles never did cash our deposit check;
I have no idea if that's standard, or if they
would've had we backed out of the deal.)
We paid MSRP for our touring package/NAVI model.
Unlike some other dealers around ATL, Ed Voyles doesn't require you to buy any cheesy option
packages. For that reason, I couldn't object
to the one slightly dubious charge, a $198 "document fee."
Our sales rep., Dwight Banks, was absolutely first-rate: friendly, knowledgeable, and
helpful. Dwight returned all calls promptly
(and called regularly with unsolicited updates)
and came within a week of the estimated delivery date. He's also been very helpful after the sale.
So, Atlanta shoppers: I would recommend Ed Voyles and Dwight very highly.
Audi's reliability to me is a question mark from some of my friend's experience(both good and bad). So reliability won't favor either one.
I testdrove ML, MDX, XC(Allroad wasn't out then). MDX's versatility and strong engine made the sale, plus our experience of 2 honda cars(both first year model and no problem, period).
For the price of Allroad, I would rather pay a couple of more grands and get the ML430 for its 7 seats and more space.
Handles well, accelerates nicely, no problems so far. We were sitting in traffic in Cambridge last week and someone pulled up next to us and started gesturing for us to roll down a window. We did, and the guy said, "Hey, COOL car! It looks really great! Congratulations!"
We said, "Uh, thanks!!" and grinned all the way home!
Laurie
Payload should be GVWR (on the label on the driver's side door) - actual vehicle weight.
E.g., the ML320's GVWR is 6300 lbs and vehicle weight is 4600 (rounding both) so payload is 1300lbs. What I don't understand is that when the ML320 came out, the GVWR was 6013lbs and weight was around 4300, but they didn't change the engine on the new models and the GVWR went up.
Steering wheels:
If your kids have one of those force feedback wheels for the PC, it'd be cool to replace the steering wheel piece w/ an MDX wheel. I should stop by a local Acura service department if they're just throwing the old ones out :-)
Mileage:
Does the MDX trip computer have instantaneous gas mileage? I'm a bit freaked out by the 8mpg my ML reports in city driving and acceleration. I'm curious how the MDX does. Maybe I should be glad my previous cars never had this feature..
I am trying to fit in some aftermarket accessories like handsfree/headsfree wireless phone system etc. Any pointers?
of this car. It said that this car is wonderful
but requires premium gas. Could this be true?
Picking up the Mesa Beige in a few days/weeks. I have a couple of questions:
1. King Acura (Birmingham) is charging $648 for the towing package (hitch and two coolers). How does that compare to other dealers?
2. 6 disc changer added to the base system. What brand can I use? Has anybody actually added a third party changer (ie Alpine) and have the factory stereo control it? If so, how do you still use the single disc player from the factory after the changer is installed?
Thanks for any info,
John
It definitely is not unusual for an upscale car/SUV such as the MDX to recommend premium gasoline. Many 6-cylinder engines, and probably all 8-cylinder engines, from Japan recommend or require premium grade gasoline. Almost all cars and SUVs from Europe recommend or require premium gasoline.
For example, I saw that the BMW X5 3.0 and the Mercedes ML320 both require 91 octane gasoline. (Maybe the more knowledgeable M-Class owners will jump in and say this is more of a "recommendation" and not a "requirement"?) I've had a couple Audi's and a BMW that have required 91 octane, according to the owner's manuals. On the other hand, I believe the Lexus RX300 is similar to the MDX, where the premium grade gasoline is recommended, but not required.
Maybe there is a fine line between "recommending" vs. "requiring" premium gasoline? My interpretation is that you can use 87 octane gas forever in vehicles that "recommend" premium gas, without affecting long-term reliability. (Engine performance may be reduced, though). On the other hand, you definitely need to limit the number of tanks of 87 octane gasoline for vehicles that "require" premium gasoline, or else long-term reliability may be affected. That's just my opinion -- not one from an expert!
Zap? I'd guess it's the tire compound. Many modern tires have a high silica content to reduce rolling resistance (for better fuel economy). A side effect is build-up of a static inside the car from the fact that the static has a harder time going to ground.
Premium? Yes, it's *required*. To get 240 hp out of the engine, the compression ratio is fairly high, which requires premium. There is a knock sensor so that when you don't use premium, the engine settings (mainly the ignition advance) are dialed back so as not to harm the engine, but you'll suffer poor response, poor performance and poor fuel economy as a result (don't know if it will offset the $ saved by using regular or not, but IMHO you paid for the hi. perf. engine; why not use/enjoy it?).
Has anyone heard of a matching door molding for the mahogany color? I'm real concerned about the bangs, especially in NY. I looked prostripe's web site but none of the colors look good.
I'm also rethinking my decision to put the fender flares on; since it only comes in the grey shade.
Has anyone seen the mahogany mdx with the flares on? Any suggestions on the moldings?
mdmdxny
Has anyone heard of a matching door molding for the mahogany color? I'm real concerned about the bangs, especially in NY. I looked prostripe's web site but none of the colors look good.
I'm also rethinking my decision to put the fender flares on; since it only comes in the grey shade.
Has anyone seen the mahogany mdx with the flares on? Any suggestions on the moldings?
mdmdxny