[bareyb]

My Wife and I are having another child at the end of August and are considering an MDX. We need the 3rd row seat now and are considering just about anything that has one. The MDX is of course the best looking by far and has the nicest interior too. I am just wondering if...

1.) It will fit in our two car garage along with my Lexus RX-300 and still allow opening of the doors to get my rather large body into the doors.

2.) If the second seat if wide enough for two car seats and one "normal sized" Adult therefore allowing us to leave the 3rd seat down most of the time.

3.) Is this REALLY a good choice for a family car or are we better off foregoing some of the comfort and good looks and getting one of those stupid minivans...

 

[BaldEagle]

Is this REALLY a good choice for a family car or are we better off foregoing some of the comfort and good looks and getting one of those stupid minivans...

I think you have answered your own question.

I predict that if you continue to read posts on this site and you will soon be a proud informed owner of the MDX.

 

[Pauls MDX]

My Wife and I are having another child at the end of August and are considering an MDX. We need the 3rd row seat now and are considering just about anything that has one. The MDX is of course the best looking by far and has the nicest interior too. I am just wondering if...

1.) It will fit in our two car garage along with my Lexus RX-300 and still allow opening of the doors to get my rather large body into the doors.

2.) If the second seat if wide enough for two car seats and one "normal sized" Adult therefore allowing us to leave the 3rd seat down most of the time.

3.) Is this REALLY a good choice for a family car or are we better off foregoing some of the comfort and good looks and getting one of those stupid minivans...

The MDX is much sportier and nice looking. It's excellent for one or two kids, I believe even three. The second row seats are wide enough for three seats for sure. The third row only for children no adults. I would also look at the Honda Odessey which may be more convient for moving around while your driving. It offers navagation, leather and a 240 hp engine. Very highly rated like the MDX. I just couldn't deal with driving a mini-van. I would of went to the Denali or Lexus 470 if I needed more room. Possibly Escalade, Expedition or Navagator. As far as garage ask for a test drive they usually throw you the keys and let you have fun for an hour or so, take it home to see if it fits.

 

[msu79gt82]

Yes

See this thread:
http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6257

 

[MrPrescott]

Absolutely:

1) Unless you have an old house with an exceptionally narrow garage or have a lot of junk lining the sides of your garage, you'll have no problem with width. My Maxima and MDX live very happily in the garage together. Granted, you can't just kick the door open and let it fly, but you do have enough space to comfortably open them up.

2) Plenty of room in the second row. I've had two car seats (middle and left) and seated an adult comforatbly on the right. You can also fold the right seat down or forward for 3rd row access.

3) If you plan to use all three rows and want to have a lot of cargo space, the MDX may be a bit tight. You would, in this case be better off with a full sized minivan like the Odyssey.

As far as being a good family hauler, yes. Would you be better off for space and financially to get a Honda Odyssey? Yes. The Honda Pilot might offer a little more rear space, but with the sacrifice in stlye, you might as well get the minivan.

 

[DaleB]

I know Mercedes adovcates are in pain when they whimper about lack of space in
the 3rd row in an MDX.
If you need to use it, it's enough space and more than what the competition offers (for now). I think Lexus and Merecedes would be stupid not have a 3rd row in '03.
It really gave the Pilot a jump on the Highlander for the same reason, not too mention all the other things.

 

[Morgan89]

Oh my gosh, it is the BEST family car. It is top notch for safety and just for that I was willing to pay. Parents magazine had a little bit about the MDX in the April issue (I believe) and said that the Suburban and the MDX were the BEST for safety and for families in general. I know lots of other safety issues have been addressed in this forum so you can look that up.

Yes, you can fit the two car seats in the middle and put an adult in the center. I'll be honest in saying it's not the most roomy but you'll be hard pressed to find something that is unless you go for the Yukon/Tahoe type vehicle. We have a normal 2 car garage and my MDX fits in well with my husbands pickup truck.

It's an AWESOME car for a mom to drive - it's my primary vehicle and I was soooo happy I could find a sporty looking vehicle that performs AWESOME and has excellent safety features all combined with that handy dandy 3rd row.

I just love it!

 

[wmquan]

I know Mercedes adovcates are in pain when they whimper about lack of space in
the 3rd row in an MDX.
If you need to use it, it's enough space and more than what the competition offers (for now). I think Lexus and Merecedes would be stupid not have a 3rd row in '03.

Do you mean a standard 3rd row, as opposed to an optional one? The ML is available with a third row. On the negative side, it's cumbersome in that it can't be tucked out of the way, it's extra cost, and there is even less room behind it than the MDX. On the positive side, the seats are full-sized, leather, individually removeable, can actually seat a larger individual(s) than the MDX's third row (especially if you push the 2nd row forward somewhat, though that somewhat cramps things up for those occupants), the 2nd row sections collapse and tumble forward for easier access, and the rear quarter windows can be power-opened. Interesting tradeoffs.

 

[DaleB]

Thanks for the clarification but when all is said and done, I think the fold flat seating has the edge.

 

[msu79gt82]

RE: Seats that tumble

... when all is said and done, I think the fold flat seating has the edge.

The older Expeditions (we traded a '99) had third seats that rolled/tumbled forward. This was a very inefficient use of space. In fact the MDX with its 3rd row folded flat had much more cargo room than the old Expeditions with its 3rd seat rolled forward.

 

[wmquan]

Thanks for the clarification but when all is said and done, I think the fold flat seating has the edge.

Best way to really know and decide is to actually try it yourself.

It comes down to your needs. You can actually carry two adults in the ML's third-row in greater comfort for a longer period than the MDX, and that's important to some folks. Wasn't important to me, though.

Acura should have made the second row so that it slides and locks forward somewhat. There's plenty of leg and toe room in the second row (more than the ML320), so it wouldn't cause much inconvenience for the second-row passengers. But they must have figured most people didn't need that kind of space in the third row, and elected to not add the cost.

 

[MDXtrous]

Maybe it was just me, but when I was looking at the ML, I thought the third-row seating was much worse than the MDX. If I'm not mistaken, unlike the MDX, where the cargo floor is "receded" to allow for the bottom part of your leg to fit, the ML's seat was right against the cargo floor, so your knee would be way above the sitting level.

 

[wmquan]

Maybe it was just me, but when I was looking at the ML, I thought the third-row seating was much worse than the MDX. If I'm not mistaken, unlike the MDX, where the cargo floor is "receded" to allow for the bottom part of your leg to fit, the ML's seat was right against the cargo floor, so your knee would be way above the sitting level.

Hmm, I didn't have that problem. Did you remove the floor plate in front of the third row seat? There are these heavy metal floor plates to provide a flat cargo floor (since it isn't a raised, false floor as in the MDX). Of course, I found the floor plates to be a bit of a nuisance, personally.

BTW, I'm certainly not touting the ML over the MDX. Just pointing out that there are trade-offs when it comes to the third-row for prospective buyers.

E.g. one other thing I forgot about is that the ML's third row seats have the seat-belt mechanisms built into the seats, so there's no awkward clipping of the belts to the side of the vehicle like in the MDX (and the noises they make when they get lose -- though the ML can make noises in lots of other areas!).

 

[MDXCT]

I have three kids under the age of 8. I've had an Expediton, a Windstar another Expedition and just sold it to get the MDX. I think the MDX has just as much room as the Expedition without all of that BULK! It's easy to slip into parking garages and parking spaces with less worry of your doors getting dings! If my kids want to bring a friend home, I just pop up the third row. (However, I don't think it will work when they get older because adults/big kids can't sit back there.) The MDX is a much smoother ride and has so many nice features. It's not that much lower than an Expediton either.
Just my opinion.