[Onac_]

Pretty sure I will never go over 100MPH in my Type-S. Occasionally hit 90+ on a recent road trip in the middle of no where. What just bugs my OCD is the 160MPH speedo. This is not just an Acura thing but most cars. I hate it. At least the MDX has a digital speedo so doesn't matter much. I hated my last car which had the smallest gaps between 30-50. I rather have speedo's that are 120 which larger gaps in between.

 

[agogley]

Saw a drag race against pickup trucks, now apples to oranges against a SRT Durango? I would be curious to see X5 / Q7 / GV80... Speaking of which, went looking for a car for my wife last weekend, drove the GV80, not sure what the big deal is, materials are nice, fit and finish mediocre, drives like a boat... Wife thought it was extremely ugly. Audi drove very well, but seats felt like they were out of a 30k VW, and no front storage in a 3 Row SUV? So far XC90 is the leader for her.

Tested: 2022 Acura MDX Type S vs. 2022 Dodge Durango SRT 392

These three-row family haulers are adorned with famed performance badges, but only one truly lives up to its legacy.

www.caranddriver.com

the main point of these videos is to get you to look at them so they make money off your click. But as a secondary effect, I think it causes some of us to look at other brands to determine whether we are getting a good value in comparison even if we will never be drag racing at 75K vehicle on the streets.

I found the GV80 had some nice touches and technology that makes it seem more luxurious. The remote parking is a very nice feature. I also like how the cargo protector can be hidden.

My wife and I ruled out Audi and Volvo since both are known to burn oil, which the manufacturer apparently considers normal. Some new friends of mine who have an Audi Q7 convinced us not to look at them. Then when I looked into their complaint, I found it was quite common for Audi, Volvo, BMW, and Subaru.

Good assessment………There really is no comparison between the GV80 and the MDX. I think people want to club the MDX because it gasp lacks a touchscreen interface and overdid the piano black plastic a tad although somehow neither Audi or Range Rover are downgraded for it.

I remember saying before the 2022 MDX was introduced and the GV80 went on sale when everyone was crowning it the SUV to beat to wait to see what the MDX and the Type S would be like.

Honestly I have no idea why people believe that it’s okay to pay close to $80K for a 2023 GV80 and bristle at the idea of paying $75K for the Type S which overall is a superior vehicle than the GV80.

I club the MDX because the lack of a touchscreen is virtually a deal killer (and may ultimately prove to be an actual deal killer for me). But there are also other things. Almost every other vehicle in its class has electronic controls of some kind for the third row. Almost every other vehicle has a three pronged outlet (ground hole) while the MDX does not. Most other manufacturers have some sort of automatic parking. The GV80 has remote parking where you can actually move the vehicle forward and backward while outside your vehicle.

The GV80 has electronic third row seats, ventilated 2nd row, a spot to store the cargo cover, a touchscreen, and the aforementioned parking assist. And after seeing a 73K MSRP GV80 in person, I didn't feel the Type S was particularly superior. It was a close call with the Type S Advance having superior suspension.

 

[mdxstang]

I club the MDX because the lack of a touchscreen is virtually a deal killer (and may ultimately prove to be an actual deal killer for me). But there are also other things. Almost every other vehicle in its class has electronic controls of some kind for the third row. Almost every other vehicle has a three pronged outlet (ground hole) while the MDX does not. Most other manufacturers have some sort of automatic parking. The GV80 has remote parking where you can actually move the vehicle forward and backward while outside your vehicle.

The GV80 has electronic third row seats, ventilated 2nd row, a spot to store the cargo cover, a touchscreen, and the aforementioned parking assist. And after seeing a 73K MSRP GV80 in person, I didn't feel the Type S was particularly superior. It was a close call with the Type S Advance having superior suspension.

Just some counterpoints for sake of discussion -

Touchscreen - already discussed at length but as one who doesn't have a 4th gen MDX but would strongly consider one given the great experience I've had with my 3rd gen, this certainly wouldn't be a big deal to me even though I agree it'd be better if Acura provided both input options and then let the user decide which one they want to use.

Third row - I'm not sure what you mean by 'electronic controls' for it but if you mean power folding/lifting of the seat, I can see some utility but also see more potential things to break and the utility will depend on the usage. I actually rarely use the seat so putting it up/down by hand when I want to use it isn't that big of a deal.

Outlet - A 12v DC to AC inverter for a car is about $30. I actually bought one some years ago for 'just in case' and have kept it in the car but have never used it. I don't see a strong need for one unless one needs to plug in a laptop because the 3-5 hours on battery isn't adequate for them but in that niche case most laptop adapters are 2 prong so if there's a 2 prong outlet available it's adequate. For even more niche cases they can always spend the $30 for an inverter like I did.

Auto parking - Maybe it's a case of 'you don't know what you're missing' since I've never had such a thing but I was actually thinking about this type of feature recently and see no point to it for me. If a spot is so tight that I'd have some difficulty parallel parking it myself then I don't want to park my vehicle in that spot since chances are very good the cars on either end of it will hit it when they pull out. I can manage to parallel park in a reasonable spot just fine.

Again, to me these are all just little nits of features that pale in comparison to how the vehicle actually drives and handles and seat comfort, which are attributes far more important to me than the gimmicks. I also consider the point of how often or long I'd actually use one of the features/gimmicks because it translates to what real value it has - i.e. when driving I just don't need to mess with the screen that much so no big deal, I rarely put the 3rd row seat up/down so no big deal, I wouldn't park in a tight spot due to potential damage from other cars so no big deal on self parking, etc.

Driving 100+ mph and acceleration to get to it - also no big deal to me because in the USA I don't ever drive 100mph and don't even drive 90mph. I do drive 85mph where permitted (Utah, I think maybe some of Texas, etc.). I haven't driven the 4th gen but the 3rd gen gets up to 90mph plenty quickly enough. If I were to drive an MDX in Germany, i.e. if I brought one over there with me, then driving 100+ mph would be important because I've driven those speed a lot over there where it's safe to do so. But I have no plans to move to Germany and bring an MDX there with me.

 

[Maik]

Auto parking - Maybe it's a case of 'you don't know what you're missing' since I've never had such a thing but I was actually thinking about this type of feature recently and see no point to it for me. If a spot is so tight that I'd have some difficulty parallel parking it myself then I don't want to park my vehicle in that spot since chances are very good the cars on either end of it will hit it when they pull out. I can manage to parallel park in a reasonable spot just fine.

Funny, a couple of weeks ago I saw an ad for one of theses self parking cars....it showed two people getting out of the car and the car self parked in a space that was maybe 6 inches wider than the car itself....leaving only a couple of inches on either side where there were two other cars. I thought to myself, WTF, how will the people in the other cars get into their cars without banging the new car?
I can't ever remember thinking to myself...."gee, I wish I had a self parking car!" And, frankly, anyone who can't manage a proper parallel parking probably should not be driving!

 

[Icculus]

I found the GV80 had some nice touches and technology that makes it seem more luxurious. The remote parking is a very nice feature. I also like how the cargo protector can be hidden.

My wife and I ruled out Audi and Volvo since both are known to burn oil, which the manufacturer apparently considers normal. Some new friends of mine who have an Audi Q7 convinced us not to look at them. Then when I looked into their complaint, I found it was quite common for Audi, Volvo, BMW, and Subaru.



I club the MDX because the lack of a touchscreen is virtually a deal killer (and may ultimately prove to be an actual deal killer for me). But there are also other things. Almost every other vehicle in its class has electronic controls of some kind for the third row. Almost every other vehicle has a three pronged outlet (ground hole) while the MDX does not. Most other manufacturers have some sort of automatic parking. The GV80 has remote parking where you can actually move the vehicle forward and backward while outside your vehicle.

The GV80 has electronic third row seats, ventilated 2nd row, a spot to store the cargo cover, a touchscreen, and the aforementioned parking assist. And after seeing a 73K MSRP GV80 in person, I didn't feel the Type S was particularly superior. It was a close call with the Type S Advance having superior suspension.

The lack of a touchscreen is such a huge misstep by Acura; the touchpad is not the easiest or most intuitive (especially with CarPlay) and will surely turn off plenty of potential customers. I wouldn't be surprised if they introduced it at the mid-cycle refresh. At least give people the option, like Lexus did. If you like the touchpad, great, it's there. If not, you have a touch screen like every other car on the market.

The thing with the MDX is that it seems like a great buy for the mid-tier trims, but once you get high up in $70k range, it seems more difficult to justify vs the competition like Q7, XC90, X5, and GV80 which have more power and are arguably more luxurious and prestigious (which does matter at this price point). A loaded GV80 is $71k, a Q7 55 premium plus, X5 45e Msport, and XC90 T8 can all be had for around $70k. People love their Volvo's. The XC90 and XC60 are literally everywhere in my area. I personally know like 6 or 7 people that have one (including somebody who has 2). Most parking lots look like Volvo dealerships.

I like the GV80 styling, but it seems like a bit of a flop in the marketplace. Not to say it's bad car, but maybe Genesis isn't catching on as anticipated, or maybe it's the Hyundai dealership experience which I hear bad things about. It's also on the small side for three rows, if you need it.

 

[Hogan773]

The lack of a touchscreen is such a huge misstep by Acura; the touchpad is not the easiest or most intuitive (especially with CarPlay) and will surely turn off plenty of potential customers. I wouldn't be surprised if they introduced it at the mid-cycle refresh. At least give people the option, like Lexus did. If you like the touchpad, great, it's there. If not, you have a touch screen like every other car on the market.

The thing with the MDX is that it seems like a great buy for the mid-tier trims, but once you get high up in $70k range, it seems more difficult to justify vs the competition like Q7, XC90, X5, and GV80 which have more power and are arguably more luxurious and prestigious (which does matter at this price point). A loaded GV80 is $71k, a Q7 55 premium plus, X5 45e Msport, and XC90 T8 can all be had for around $70k. People love their Volvo's. The XC90 and XC60 are literally everywhere in my area. I personally know like 6 or 7 people that have one (including somebody who has 2). Most parking lots look like Volvo dealerships.

I like the GV80 styling, but it seems like a bit of a flop in the marketplace. Not to say it's bad car, but maybe Genesis isn't catching on as anticipated, or maybe it's the Hyundai dealership experience which I hear bad things about. It's also on the small side for three rows, if you need it.

I think Genesis is going to suffer a bit as everyone knows it is a Hyundai product. It benefits from a "Luxury For Value" sale which works for certain people...."wow I get every imaginable feature and I am saving $XXXX vs Audi or BMW etc" but I think unfortunately when you get into the range of $70-100K cars, there are more people there who don't really give a crap about value, and they are more interested in making sure the world knows they drive the right brand to go along with their Canada Goose winter coat and designer jeans. All their friends might snicker if they wore a "Canadian Expedition" knockoff coat even if it looked similar and had the same amount of down fill, and in the same way, they would wonder what their friends will think about them buying a gussied-up Hyundai

 

[mdxstang]

The thing with the MDX is that it seems like a great buy for the mid-tier trims, but once you get high up in $70k range, it seems more difficult to justify vs the competition like Q7, XC90, X5, and GV80 which have more power and are arguably more luxurious and prestigious (which does matter at this price point). A loaded GV80 is $71k, a Q7 55 premium plus, X5 45e Msport, and XC90 T8 can all be had for around $70k.

I don't view any vehicle as 'prestigious' and don't understand how anyone could. It's just a vehicle and some people will leverage themselves like crazy to get one on a lousy lease deal just so they can be seen in one whereas others will simply pay cash for whatever they want. There's nothing prestigious about what one drives since it doesn't reflect who they are or even their means.

The X5 doesn't compete directly with the MDX because of the third row seat in the MDX. An X7 would be more of a direct comparison. I took one look at an X5 and decided it wasn't even in the running because of the lack of a usable 3rd row seat, plus I dislike run-flats and lack of a spare plus it was overpriced IMO at the time (I haven't checked them in a long time). If someone doesn't care about a 3rd row then there are many other models to consider besides the ones you mentioned.

I've never owned a Volvo but I know Volvo has had a number of quality issues over the years. I don't know if they're any better now.

There are certainly competitors with similar attributes and different styles appeal to different people hence why so many models of vehicles are offered. Unless you hate domestic brands there are some of those you may want to compare as well.

I think Genesis is going to suffer a bit as everyone knows it is a Hyundai product.

I remember back in the early 70s I happened to walk up to a new car being sold at a dealership, a brand that was new to the market in this country, that was actually laughable - a Honda. It was a tiny thing that I actually went ahead and sat in for the fun of it (I wasn't going to buy it no matter what) and I remember I could oil-can the top of the roof with my hand as my arm was resting on the window sill and laughing about it. Somehow Honda has managed to stick around and get past some of those early low end econobox vehicles.

 

[Hogan773]

I don't view any vehicle as 'prestigious' and don't understand how anyone could. It's just a vehicle and some people will leverage themselves like crazy to get one on a lousy lease deal just so they can be seen in one whereas others will simply pay cash for whatever they want. There's nothing prestigious about what one drives since it doesn't reflect who they are or even their means.

The X5 doesn't compete directly with the MDX because of the third row seat in the MDX. An X7 would be more of a direct comparison. I took one look at an X5 and decided it wasn't even in the running because of the lack of a usable 3rd row seat, plus I dislike run-flats and lack of a spare plus it was overpriced IMO at the time (I haven't checked them in a long time). If someone doesn't care about a 3rd row then there are many other models to consider besides the ones you mentioned.

I've never owned a Volvo but I know Volvo has had a number of quality issues over the years. I don't know if they're any better now.

There are certainly competitors with similar attributes and different styles appeal to different people hence why so many models of vehicles are offered. Unless you hate domestic brands there are some of those you may want to compare as well.


I remember back in the early 70s I happened to walk up to a new car being sold at a dealership, a brand that was new to the market in this country, that was actually laughable - a Honda. It was a tiny thing that I actually went ahead and sat in for the fun of it (I wasn't going to buy it no matter what) and I remember I could oil-can the top of the roof with my hand as my arm was resting on the window sill and laughing about it. Somehow Honda has managed to stick around and get past some of those early low end econobox vehicles.

Hey I'm not knocking Hyundai - they've come a Long way and in many ways they are an equal to Honda. I'm just saying that there are a lot of people who DO value the brand car they drive, and my sense is that they will not accept the prestige of a Genesis any more than they would a knock-off Canada Goose parka. I remember a laughable quote on here from some guy talking about how he and his wife "had the means" to borrow a large amount of money for an Acura and still meet the monthly payment as if that made them rich.

 

[mdxstang]

^^ Yes, there'll be a bit of a small hill but Toyota, a company with a rep for making decent economy cars at a decent price, did it with Lexus, Honda did it with some success with Acura, Nissan took a shot at it with Infiniti, and it looks like Hyundai is giving it a go with Genesis and I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be successful. I don't think it'll take long because they have proven to be able to produce a reliable decently valued vehicle and the means to produce a nicely designed and appointed vehicle in the Genesis. It may take a bit longer to get a dealer experience reputation for the Genesis for those who care about such a thing (not me) but the Genesis can easily have all the same doo-dads and leather, etc. that the others have, and they obviously have some good styling design people on board to make a nice looking vehicle.

We'll see.

I bought a 2005 Hyundai Tucson that's been a good vehicle and of course I eventually bought a Honda in the form of an Acura and it's been a great vehicle.

If next time I'm looking for a vehicle I happen to like a Genesis offering I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. There's not enough of a branding difference between a Genesis and an Acura to mean much to me other than a real data point that can be a factor - resale value. I suspect Acura would have an edge on this over Hyundai at the moment but I haven't researched it so I don't know with certainty.

 

[wasabipeas]

I would never buy a Genesis. GV80 and GV70 models are having major problems with rear differentials failing early and multiple times, even after getting replaced. GV80 Problems GV70 problems

 

[mdxstang]

I would never buy a Genesis. GV80 and GV70 models are having major problems with rear differentials failing early and multiple times, even after getting replaced.

That sounds concerning but OTOH if you search much on any vehicle, including the MDX, you can usually find concerning instances of something and often these kinds of issues affect a small percentage of the vehicles.

I'm not currently looking for another vehicle so I've done zero research on the Genesis (other than going to the link you provided) or any others besides what I read here about the 4th gen MDX. Before buying a new vehicle I'll do the research first though.

 

[agogley]

Just some counterpoints for sake of discussion -

Touchscreen - already discussed at length but as one who doesn't have a 4th gen MDX but would strongly consider one given the great experience I've had with my 3rd gen, this certainly wouldn't be a big deal to me even though I agree it'd be better if Acura provided both input options and then let the user decide which one they want to use.

Third row - I'm not sure what you mean by 'electronic controls' for it but if you mean power folding/lifting of the seat, I can see some utility but also see more potential things to break and the utility will depend on the usage. I actually rarely use the seat so putting it up/down by hand when I want to use it isn't that big of a deal.

Outlet - A 12v DC to AC inverter for a car is about $30. I actually bought one some years ago for 'just in case' and have kept it in the car but have never used it. I don't see a strong need for one unless one needs to plug in a laptop because the 3-5 hours on battery isn't adequate for them but in that niche case most laptop adapters are 2 prong so if there's a 2 prong outlet available it's adequate. For even more niche cases they can always spend the $30 for an inverter like I did.

Auto parking - Maybe it's a case of 'you don't know what you're missing' since I've never had such a thing but I was actually thinking about this type of feature recently and see no point to it for me. If a spot is so tight that I'd have some difficulty parallel parking it myself then I don't want to park my vehicle in that spot since chances are very good the cars on either end of it will hit it when they pull out. I can manage to parallel park in a reasonable spot just fine.

Again, to me these are all just little nits of features that pale in comparison to how the vehicle actually drives and handles and seat comfort, which are attributes far more important to me than the gimmicks. I also consider the point of how often or long I'd actually use one of the features/gimmicks because it translates to what real value it has - i.e. when driving I just don't need to mess with the screen that much so no big deal, I rarely put the 3rd row seat up/down so no big deal, I wouldn't park in a tight spot due to potential damage from other cars so no big deal on self parking, etc.

Driving 100+ mph and acceleration to get to it - also no big deal to me because in the USA I don't ever drive 100mph and don't even drive 90mph. I do drive 85mph where permitted (Utah, I think maybe some of Texas, etc.). I haven't driven the 4th gen but the 3rd gen gets up to 90mph plenty quickly enough. If I were to drive an MDX in Germany, i.e. if I brought one over there with me, then driving 100+ mph would be important because I've driven those speed a lot over there where it's safe to do so. But I have no plans to move to Germany and bring an MDX there with me.

The issue for me is that, none of those things by themselves is a deal breaker (well the touchscreen is close for me). But you’re comparing a 74k Acura MDX against other vehicles who have all those things and more. My wife and I looked at the electric controls for the third row. We agree with you that’s another thing to break. But I’m not buying a Chevy. I’m buying a 70k + vehicle and we have been left with the impression that Acura just hasn’t kept up.

We’ve not yet pulled the trigger on any other car because we want to want the Acura. We like the styling. But now we’re talking about waiting till at least 2024 and just making do until then.

 

[agogley]

That sounds concerning but OTOH if you search much on any vehicle, including the MDX, you can usually find concerning instances of something and often these kinds of issues affect a small percentage of the vehicles.

I'm not currently looking for another vehicle so I've done zero research on the Genesis (other than going to the link you provided) or any others besides what I read here about the 4th gen MDX. Before buying a new vehicle I'll do the research first though.

Probably the only reason I don’t own a Genesis right now is dealers are asking for a premium and we think the GV80 drives a bit more like an Expedition than a car. And I like the suspension on the Acura. We’re also close on the Aviator. That’s held up by something seemingly trivial which is the lack of a decent cargo cover. But not having my car broken into and my stuff stolen is a big deal to me.

 

[mdxstang]

Probably the only reason I don’t own a Genesis right now is dealers are asking for a premium and we think the GV80 drives a bit more like an Expedition than a car. And I like the suspension on the Acura. We’re also close on the Aviator. That’s held up by something seemingly trivial which is the lack of a decent cargo cover. But not having my car broken into and my stuff stolen is a big deal to me.

Just on principle alone I wouldn't pay over MSRP for any vehicle and have only ever paid well below MSRP even when the vehicle is in short supply but I haven't bought a vehicle within the pandemic timeframe with the car supply/sales nuttiness.

The cargo cover I use on vacations in my MDX is a dark colored blanket. It form fits so can cover cargo that's taller than the norm and makes it almost impossible to see anything through the factory tinted rear windows given the dark color. Some may call it tacky but I consider it convenient and something that works and meanwhile doubles as a floor protector when getting stuff at Home Depot and the like and triples as a beach/picnic blanket if needed and is convenient to just wash.

I think you're doing the right thing - taking a good look at what's out there, deciding what's important to you, and being patient and willing to wait longer for exactly what suits you. That's what I do.

 

[IanCH]

Can you get aviators now? Back when I was looking in May-june they were gonna make me wait until December.

This was for the hybrid. It turns out I made out like a bandit on the mdx. Got top dollar for my trade in and 2.75 interest with my credit union. Would have been a much different picture now.

 

[agogley]

Just on principle alone I wouldn't pay over MSRP for any vehicle and have only ever paid well below MSRP even when the vehicle is in short supply but I haven't bought a vehicle within the pandemic timeframe with the car supply/sales nuttiness.

The cargo cover I use on vacations in my MDX is a dark colored blanket. It form fits so can cover cargo that's taller than the norm and makes it almost impossible to see anything through the factory tinted rear windows given the dark color. Some may call it tacky but I consider it convenient and something that works and meanwhile doubles as a floor protector when getting stuff at Home Depot and the like and triples as a beach/picnic blanket if needed and is convenient to just wash.

I think you're doing the right thing - taking a good look at what's out there, deciding what's important to you, and being patient and willing to wait longer for exactly what suits you. That's what I do.

That’s an interesting idea. I may look into that further.

Can you get aviators now? Back when I was looking in May-june they were gonna make me wait until December.

This was for the hybrid. It turns out I made out like a bandit on the mdx. Got top dollar for my trade in and 2.75 interest with my credit union. Would have been a much different picture now.

They had Aviators on the lot especially black label. Hybrids. I don’t know what wait time is. My problem is I don’t like the black label. I want a blue with black interior so that puts me in reserve. I can get one but their touchscreen and sync system is the old system. All their other models have the new larger screen and Sync 4. So pretty much everyone agrees that’s likely coming in 2024. So I’d probably wait for that.

Acura. I’m just sorta “meh.” I really want to like it. So I’m going to keep looking and then we’ll make a choice.

 

[MrBuddha]

I have no interest in taking my S over 100 MPH. Could care less.

Same.