[german]

I am currently shopping for 2019-2020 Acura MDX with Advance trim. Sold mine 2016 MDX advance several weeks ago after 5 years and 80K miles of ownership. It never let me down and was very reliable.
Yesterday I was test driving CPO 2019 MDX Advance model with 10k miles on it and I noticed that it drives different then 2016.
It felt sluggish and hesitant during acceleration and it was more noisy inside the cabin
I never experienced something like that with 2016 MDX. The acceleration was super fast without any hesitation.
I don't understand why. Could it be the transmission issue?

 

[mrgold35]

The 19-20 MDX Adv do have electronic dampers. I don't know if Acura also adjusted the IDS throttle response and 9AT in Comfort/Normal modes compared to Sport modes? I have a 19 MDX hybrid and always keep it in Sport IDS mode because it feels the best in steering, handling, and performance.

 

[mdxstang]

Echoing MrGold - Make sure it was in the same driving mode (Sport, Normal, Comfort) you were used to with your 2016 so you're comparing apples/apples.

 

[Krauthawk]

I am currently shopping for 2019-2020 Acura MDX with Advance trim. Sold mine 2016 MDX advance several weeks ago after 5 years and 80K miles of ownership. It never let me down and was very reliable.
Yesterday I was test driving CPO 2019 MDX Advance model with 10k miles on it and I noticed that it drives different then 2016.
It felt sluggish and hesitant during acceleration and it was more noisy inside the cabin
I never experienced something like that with 2016 MDX. The acceleration was super fast without any hesitation.
I don't understand why. Could it be the transmission issue?

Can’t answer the noisy part … maybe you had it in Sport mode which could make it sound noisier (more aggressive).
As far a sluggish …. the 19 and 20 non hybrids with the 9 spd actually takes off in 2nd gear in most situations. The 16-18 started off in 1st and many experienced a jerking type shift into 2nd, but could make it feel quicker off the line. That might be what you are experiencing.
I had a 17 SH-AWD that jerked into 2nd now and then. My now current 20 SH-AWD starts in 2nd and is very smooth shifting all the way to 9th gear. Honda made some software and small mechanical changes to the ZF9 with the 19 and 20 non hybrid models.
And my 20 is as fast as my previous 17. Just stomped on the accelerator from a dead stop and it should take off from 1st.
If that doesn’t explain it, have a dealer tech look at it.
Good luck and let us know what you find out.

 

[german]

i couldn’t figure that out. I selected comfort mode while driving it. This is the mode I had always selected on 2016 model.
I thought maybe its because I drove my wife’s 22 Benz GLE 350 for almost one month since I sold my 16 MDX but for some reason I definitely felt something wasn’t right with 19 MDX. Yes, it has only 10k miles and wasn't driven to much. I’ll let you know very soon

 

[nhhiep]

yep. that's your problem. you are getting used to a real luxury suv. acura is just a nice honda. it's hard to go back to acura once you tried german brands

 

[Stuart S]

No, it's not. Especially when your warranty has expired.

 

[datechboss101]

I am currently shopping for 2019-2020 Acura MDX with Advance trim. Sold mine 2016 MDX advance several weeks ago after 5 years and 80K miles of ownership. It never let me down and was very reliable.
Yesterday I was test driving CPO 2019 MDX Advance model with 10k miles on it and I noticed that it drives different then 2016.
It felt sluggish and hesitant during acceleration and it was more noisy inside the cabin
I never experienced something like that with 2016 MDX. The acceleration was super fast without any hesitation.
I don't understand why. Could it be the transmission issue?

i couldn’t figure that out. I selected comfort mode while driving it. This is the mode I had always selected on 2016 model.
I thought maybe its because I drove my wife’s 22 Benz GLE 350 for almost one month since I sold my 16 MDX but for some reason I definitely felt something wasn’t right with 19 MDX. Yes, it has only 10k miles and wasn't driven to much. I’ll let you know very soon

Once you drive a German brand, and go back to a Honda, you realize, how numbing it is. I realized this when we test drove a base model X5 for my dad not too long ago. I too like @mrgold35 , use the Sport IDS mode on my 17 MDX. There shouldn't be an issue unless it was provided on the CarFax or it was given to you in a statement by the dealership saying how the PO had said issue and brought it in multiple times to address it.

Just keep in mind the GLE is RWD and the MDX is FWD. The AWD systems reflect what their base model counterparts use for the drivetrain (either RWD or FWD).

 

[andysinnh]

I went from a '17 AWD Tech to a '19 AWD Advance. I will say that in terms of off-the-line quickness, the '17 might have been a tad quicker given what was mentioned earlier around starting in 2nd vs 1st (they did a HW/SW modification for the '19 and '20 models. But overall, the behavior of the '19 was much more predictable and "better" overall than the '17. I definitely prefer the '19 overall to the '17 - and even the wife noticed the difference (which is a big deal ). The electronic dampers in the Advance do tend to give a "firmer" ride in all of the IDS settings vs the non-electronic versions - but it does help in handling the twisty corners. I can't compare to your '16, but the '16 was the first year with the 9-speed tranny and probably had a feel you got used to. As I said, they made changes for the '19 that you might be seeing. The '19 Advance I have (with only 13k miles) is the car intend to keep for 10 years (which is a huge deal for me given I tend to change cars much more often)....

 

[EbonyGraph]

I second Karuthawk. I was not aware of MDX starting in 2nd gear in comfort & Normal when I test drove 2020 MDX, it was so bad that I dropped the idea of buying it. I ended up buying 2016 ADV CPO because it had much better throttle response.