My wife drove the 2018 and she felt the transmission was much, much better than the 2017 we had for a month. She's far less picky than I am, for what that's worth. (Don't get me started on the audio system sound quality.)
My wife drove the 2018 and she felt the transmission was much, much better than the 2017 we had for a month. She's far less picky than I am, for what that's worth. (Don't get me started on the audio system sound quality.)
Off topic, but how do you like the 2018 Audio system?
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I think the UI improved over 2017. The lower screen seems greatly enhanced and that part seems to work better. The virtual buttons for HVAC seem smaller to me, though.
Audio quality may be a little better, but it's very sad for a a vehicle in this price range. My 11 year old subaru sounds much, much better still (it had "premium" audio and is better than anything they currently seem to sell now.)
Some day I may look into better speakers for the front. The subwoofer basically can reproduce a very narrow range of frequencies and the crossover frequency seems too low. You get one strong note from the sub and that's about it. The midrange is lacking, particularly the lower midrange. Music and voices sound thin. I've messed with the controls and that helps just a little. 2017 had similar problems.
Elliot Scheiner (the guy seen at the mixer in the EL Audio literature) might have a "tin ear", huh?? I had a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit and let me tell ya - the Harman-Kardon 825 watt system with 19 speakers was simply AMAZING (but the rest of the car wasn't, sadly). And their 8.4 U-Connect infotainment/nav system was the easiest and most intuitive one I've ever seen. It can all be done with one, large screen. None of this split-screen crapola needed, although here you find people that love it. I ain't one of them.
If you want good sound then replace the speakers - it is small beer compared to the price of the car and the results are excellent. (There is another thread here where we discussed our speaker upgrades for 2014-2016, and I expect that is the same for 2017-2018.) The "ELS" speakers are cheap OEM units with an "ELS" sticker on them - does a 15W max rating for the door speakers sound like audiophile to you? The door and center dash speakers are very easy to replace, with the pillar speakers requiring a bit more customizing but still easy. The subwoofer is a bit more work as accessing it and cutting away some internal plastic in the enclosure is a bit awkward but nothing a DIYer can't handle.
I have a Base SH-AWD model (2016, no nav system) so the upper display is used mostly as a clock. I much prefer the new Pilot's arrangement with a single large display, and the climate controls have a small display of their own.
Yeah, the thread veered off onto the other chief complaint about 3rd-gen MDX.
But I'm not sure what you're looking for. No one can really answer the question you have posed.
You have already said you like the performance of the Honda 6-speed, and I agree. The change to the 9-speed was to gain fuel economy in the EPA tests. It also improves 0-60 acceleration times a bit because of the huge gear spread. But there is a cost.
I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you trade from a 2014 MDX to a 2018 9-speed MDX (3.5L ). But I readily admit I am biased. I also tend to hang onto vehicles unless there is a compelling reason to replace them.
IT SUCKS!!! I cannot stand it. I have the 2016 and wish I would have kept my 2008...even with the updates etc it never knows what gear it wants to be in. Sometimes it will shift, sometimes it wont. Sometimes it jerks so hard I feel like the car is going to stall. Ive had it 2 years and I still cannot stand it. I should have thoroughly test drove the car as I would have noticed the lack of brain this transmission has. No matter in comfort, normal or sport IT SUCKS!! Looking at trading it in for another brand of vehicle. Acura isnt making the cut anymore. Cheaper vehicles with bigger prices. SAD
Yeah, the thread veered off onto the other chief complaint about 3rd-gen MDX.
But I'm not sure what you're looking for. No one can really answer the question you have posed.
You have already said you like the performance of the Honda 6-speed, and I agree. The change to the 9-speed was to gain fuel economy in the EPA tests. It also improves 0-60 acceleration times a bit because of the huge gear spread. But there is a cost.
I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment if you trade from a 2014 MDX to a 2018 9-speed MDX (3.5L ). But I readily admit I am biased. I also tend to hang onto vehicles unless there is a compelling reason to replace them.
Actually, there have been several comments that have provided answers/input. Given the Acura luxury badge and the amount of $$$ to have an MDX, I can live with a few small but fixable issues. However, a transmission that consistently manifests a non-fixable, ongoing annoyance, however slight is pretty much a deal-breaker. The way my brain works, I would sit there anticipating a clunk/lag and notice it every time it happened.
Because of the above, you are probably correct in my setting myself up for disappointment. But I also don't think it's unreasonable for an MDX to operate smoothly since my 14 has for years. That's what I am looking for , at least in this instance. The tweak to gas mileage and a small improvement in acceleration offer nice but minimal improvements.
I will still do a test drive on an 18 when the weather breaks to see what this transmission thing is actually about. I will also try out the Sport Hybrid, hopefully on the same day, to see if it is a viable solution.
I'm not really in a bad place. Both the 13 RDX and 14 MDX are in great shape and have many more years in them. A newer model is just a nice to have.
Hi Dear:
I bought 2018 MDX Tech model. Since the first day, I have noticed that it is jerking from initial gear 1 to 3. It is very annoying. I took the vehicle to the dealer but they advised me that everything is fine which is not.
Hi Dear:
I bought 2018 MDX Tech model. Since the first day, I have noticed that it is jerking from initial gear 1 to 3. It is very annoying. I took the vehicle to the dealer but they advised me that everything is fine which is not.
So it's been a very long time since I've posted on this forum. I've just not had the time or inclination, but this thread is something I can speak to with a good deal of experience. I first owned a 2007 Sport MDX which was very different than the other MDX's. I loved that vehicle so much and so did my wife that we bought a 2014 for her and we both love the vehicle, the split screen/audio is a mixed bag. I traded my pristine low-mile 2007 Sport in Sep 2018 for a 2018 MDX Advance. Differences between them are as follows in terms of the transmissions.
2007 - I loved that vehicle. The transmission did have problems if you were in cruise control going over hilly/mountainous terrain and would frequently downshift seemingly unnecessarily. It also need a period of break-in where the first 15K miles if you let off the accelerator the pedal would vibrate in a way that felt like the transmission was the cause. I did complain about that, but it went away on its own. So I guess only the one complaint about the transmission. I occasionally used the manual feature because it just performed better when going from 2-4.
2014 - The transmission is a great performer. I never felt the need to put it in manual and it still had a manual gear shifter (no buttons)
2018 - I noticed that if you're light on the gas it does have some lag; especially if you're going around corners. The SH-AWD system requires you to accelerate around corners or you tend to get noticeable body roll. This is perhaps my biggest complaint. If you put it in "S" it's a great performer, but it won't go into the higher gears - I suppose this feature is only for use under 50-55 mph and "in town" kind of driving. The push button system is a bit annoying, but you get used to it. I do miss having a place to put my right hand as I grew up on a stick (manual transmission).
Would I buy another MDX? Not likely. The stereo is certainly not "premium" or for the audiophile. The transmission is a bit of a letdown for me. It's just OK and certainly not something I would call a feature or attraction. If they put the Krell audio system in a 2020 MDX and fixed the transmission then yes, I'd buy one. Lexus has Mark Levinson which is pretty good, not sure why Acura refuses to put the Krell system in the MDX - perhaps they are in love with Elliot Scheiner or he has some kind of contract with them but not likely. It's also a shame that they don't seem to take customer input and fix issues in future models. The MDX subwoofer has always been a disappointment - the rest of the stereo is also a mixed bag. People shouldn't need to spend north of $50K and have to replace 15watt speakers in the doors with better ones. And the transmission has been an issue for 4 model years now. It's far too long for a troubled transmission.
Personally I think it a bit of the tail wagging the dog to judge a car by the stereo - to each his own. I doubt that there is anything substandard except the speakers, which of course are critical for reproducing sound. If one is willing to make a $50k decision for the stereo then why not upgrade the speakers and be done with it? IIRC it cost me about $350 for replacing ALL of the speakers (DIY), and it would be more like $1k for the pros to do it. If you are unhappy with the stock speakers then no point in suffering for the duration of ownership. BTW the "ES" speakers appear to be the stock Honda speakers with a label stuck on them, and are indeed very unimpressive. Even non-audiophiles can hear the difference.
So it's been a very long time since I've posted on this forum. I've just not had the time or inclination, but this thread is something I can speak to with a good deal of experience. I first owned a 2007 Sport MDX which was very different than the other MDX's. I loved that vehicle so much and so did my wife that we bought a 2014 for her and we both love the vehicle, the split screen/audio is a mixed bag. I traded my pristine low-mile 2007 Sport in Sep 2018 for a 2018 MDX Advance. Differences between them are as follows in terms of the transmissions.
2007 - I loved that vehicle. The transmission did have problems if you were in cruise control going over hilly/mountainous terrain and would frequently downshift seemingly unnecessarily. It also need a period of break-in where the first 15K miles if you let off the accelerator the pedal would vibrate in a way that felt like the transmission was the cause. I did complain about that, but it went away on its own. So I guess only the one complaint about the transmission. I occasionally used the manual feature because it just performed better when going from 2-4.
2014 - The transmission is a great performer. I never felt the need to put it in manual and it still had a manual gear shifter (no buttons)
2018 - I noticed that if you're light on the gas it does have some lag; especially if you're going around corners. The SH-AWD system requires you to accelerate around corners or you tend to get noticeable body roll. This is perhaps my biggest complaint. If you put it in "S" it's a great performer, but it won't go into the higher gears - I suppose this feature is only for use under 50-55 mph and "in town" kind of driving. The push button system is a bit annoying, but you get used to it. I do miss having a place to put my right hand as I grew up on a stick (manual transmission).
Would I buy another MDX? Not likely. The stereo is certainly not "premium" or for the audiophile. The transmission is a bit of a letdown for me. It's just OK and certainly not something I would call a feature or attraction. If they put the Krell audio system in a 2020 MDX and fixed the transmission then yes, I'd buy one. Lexus has Mark Levinson which is pretty good, not sure why Acura refuses to put the Krell system in the MDX - perhaps they are in love with Elliot Scheiner or he has some kind of contract with them but not likely. It's also a shame that they don't seem to take customer input and fix issues in future models. The MDX subwoofer has always been a disappointment - the rest of the stereo is also a mixed bag. People shouldn't need to spend north of $50K and have to replace 15watt speakers in the doors with better ones. And the transmission has been an issue for 4 model years now. It's far too long for a troubled transmission.
I completely agree. The trans in the '14-15 is great. For the most part it's in the gear it needs to be and doesn't have gear hunting issues. I never have lag with kickdowns when I need to quickly accelerate and it doesn't feel like complete dogshit in stop and go and unpredictable city traffic.
Just wanted to share an observation here. I've had several 6-speed Acura vehicles - '13 MDX, '12 TL SH-AWD and a '15 RDX. All did the job well. I then got a '17 MDX SH-AWD and found the transmission different - not bad - but different. You get used to some of the jerkiness and downshift behavior. But overall I'd agree that the 6 speed was a better behaving transmission. Recently I moved from the '17 to a '19 MDX SH-AWD, and the transmission behavior is night-and-day different. Jerkiness is gone, it's much more linear in its shifting and downshifts are much quicker. If I didn't know better I'd say it's a completely different gear box. To me the tell-tale sign was when my wife drove it. She told me just the other day that she HATED to drive the '17 MDX, but loves driving the '19 - largely due to the transmission behavior. So take that for what it's worth......
I feared the nine speed while buying my 2020 MDX but after a few days I have to say it has not disappointed in any way. Most shifts are undetectable unless you are looking at the tach.
You're right that the 19 transmission is different. If you read the news release you will find that they have mentioned new tuning to the transmission. I own a 17 MDX and drove the 19 as a loaner and noticed the difference too. The jerkiness and lag is still there but i would say it probably occurs 1 out of 50 times vs 1 out of 20 times in 17.
Just wanted to share an observation here. I've had several 6-speed Acura vehicles - '13 MDX, '12 TL SH-AWD and a '15 RDX. All did the job well. I then got a '17 MDX SH-AWD and found the transmission different - not bad - but different. You get used to some of the jerkiness and downshift behavior. But overall I'd agree that the 6 speed was a better behaving transmission. Recently I moved from the '17 to a '19 MDX SH-AWD, and the transmission behavior is night-and-day different. Jerkiness is gone, it's much more linear in its shifting and downshifts are much quicker. If I didn't know better I'd say it's a completely different gear box. To me the tell-tale sign was when my wife drove it. She told me just the other day that she HATED to drive the '17 MDX, but loves driving the '19 - largely due to the transmission behavior. So take that for what it's worth......