Came back to my 14 elite (advance in the us) here in Canada after a 2week holiday. I did miss driving it. Am loving it all over again. Info centre or the touch screen is just perfect. Took me about a day to figure it out at first. It works amazing for me. My first acura and glad acura went the way of the touchscreen. Have yet to use the voice control for anything. I am sure I will never use it or maybe just to show off. I had voice control in my murano and have never used it for the past 5 years. Personally I find the touchscreen to be quite easy to use though I can understand the complaints for first time use as it takes a bit of a learning curve. I am sure all other vehicles with touchscreens would also require some learning to do as the systems are so different. The warning features are useful especially the BSW. I do have all of them on and they do keep me on track.

 

For me, a lot of the angst regarding the ODMD touchscreen is more related to the learning-curve than actual functionality. Once you start getting used to it, it's OK, and it does give you the availability of a lot more functions than you'd otherwise have. I've used voice a time or two to get around the lockout for certain functions when the vehicle is in motion, and while by its nature the voice interface is a bit more clunky (as in, say each step, wait for the system to recognize the command, then implement it, then say the next step) I haven't (yet) had the kinds of problems with it that some folks have.

I have LDW turned off almost all the time. I'd probably consider turning it on mainly for long-distance, long-duration cross-country cruising, but most of the time it just seems to be annoying. It seems that my driving style is to crowd the driver-side lane a bit too much for the taste of the LDW, so I make it nervous a lot. I suppose I should be thankful to it for pointing that out to me, though.

BSI (Blind-spot Information-I assume you mean that by BSM) is very handy--I have not previously had that in a car. Visibility in the MDX isn't bad from the driver's seat but there still are blind spots, and people in other cars seem to delight in sliding into them at every opportunity, especially right after you start signalling a lane change. Also handy for managing merges onto busy freeways.

FCW is, so far anyway, redundant for me. By the time it goes off, I'm well aware there's an obstacle in front of me. (Knocks on wood.) I suppose in the scenario of long-distance long-duration cross-country cruising, where highway hypnosis (or simple fatigue) becomes a factor, it might very well save your bacon, but so far, it's kind of a non-factor for me. Nice to know it's there though, I guess.

 

*shrug* This is why I chose the Advance. CMBS > FCW, LKAS > LDW

If course, you pay a lot more for real capabilities.

 

Completely agree. The Tech MDX is about as much as I would want to pay for a car, adding another $8k on-top of that just for a few safety features is something I cannot justify for myself. I wish I could get the Base MDX with CMBS and LKAS, sadly it's not an option.

Since I don't consider the advanced an option for myself, I'm weighing if the safety features from Tech are even worth it.


Reason I'm asking if people like these warning features is because of this article from IIHS: Crash avoidance features
Basically it says the warning systems may not actually help (not enough data to know for sure), but the collision mitigation systems have definite data that they help.

 

OP,

The touch screen takes some time to get used to but it's not bad. I only wish it would respond faster (like iPhone interface fast). I think it's pretty easy to use.

For base vs. Tech, I was actually going back and forth when I was buying my MDX. I ended choosing the base for the following reasons:

* The base has all my required features: bluetooth, power liftgate, and backup camera.
* The NAV locks out when you drive, so it's less useful. I don't know why Acura starts doing this but my TL doesn't.
* All the safety features (BSI, LPW, etc) are nice to have but the car is easy enough to drive. Visibility is great all around. Out of those, BSI is my favorite and is helpful IMO
* I don't want to spend extra 4K for those extra features. But I do spend some money on accessories (Roof rails, running boards, and splash guards for about 1K - I installed them my self with my uncle's help.) Those make the car look much better.
* Tech comes with 19" wheels making the car bumpy a bit on bad road which I deal with everyday. I prefer the smooth and quiet ride.

The only thing I miss on the Tech package is the ELS system. The base sound system is decent. CD/MP3 sounds great but AM/FM could be better. Since we are on this topic, the only thing that I miss on the Advance package is the perforated leather and ventilated seats. If Acura includes those perforated leather seats even without ventilated feature in the Tech package (like in the TL), I would bite the bullet and get Tech instead of base.

I also think that Acura should include parking sensors in the base, or at least in the Tech package. They are very helpful.

 

Sort of a side question. My sales guy keeps saying that the Base and Tech '14 MDX has different leather in them. From what I can tell, the only different with the '14 MDX is the nicer leather in the Advanced model, but the Tech and Base have the same. Is that right?

(my guess is he's still thinking about the '13 MDX or something...)

 

I think on '13 (not 100% sure) and '14 (100% sure), base and Tech has the same leather. Advance has softer leather called Milano perforated which is softer and feels nicer. You should be able to tell the difference if you seat on both. However, the leather in the base is actually very good.

On the TL, Milano leather comes with Tech package. The difference between base vs. Tech is much greater as the base feels much more rough and cheaper.

 

Edmunds says that there is upgraded leather in the Advance, but doesn't mention any difference in leather between the Base and Technology versions.

It's the same thing according to the Acura website. It says "Sport seats with leather-trimmed interior" for all versions, but the Advance version has "Perforated Milano Premium Leather-trimmed front seats".

The quickest way to look at differences among the versions is to go to the Acura website for pricing (click here), and then click on "COMPARE MDX MODELS".

 

The quickest way to look at differences among the versions is to go to the Acura website for pricing (click here), and then click on "COMPARE MDX MODELS".

Yup, I did all that. I figured my sales guy was confused. I checked the comparison tool on Acura's website. I also looked over their "Fact Sheet" for feature differences between the different packages, and the only place I saw leather differences was on the Advanced model. I just wanted to see if anyone else had heard the same (maybe their marketing screwed up). But if there was actually a difference, I'm sure Acura marketting would want to advertise it to up-sell to the higher trim level.


On a different note: thanks for all the feedback for those that provided it. It's been helpful.

 

Tech

The blind spot warning comes in very handy and is a great feature. This is where I prefer the tech over the advance because I want to be warned about someone in my blind spot, but I do not want the car to do anything about it, that needs to be up to me. Frankly, the car yanking me in one direction or another is not something I am interested in.

Lane departure warning and collision warning is helpful to keep you aware of your driving deficiencies (make sure you signal when shifting lanes, keep your distance from the car in front of you), where you are on the road, and it might help to keep you awake if you begin to drift off into sleep while driving, but if you fall asleep they will likely not provide any help as it will be "too late" to do anything about it even if the beep wakes you up.

The user interface is actually quite good and it appears that other car designs are following Acura's lead on this to some extent. Despite the consumer reports review, I really love that there are not a lot of buttons, although, I suppose if you are very old and used to things the way they were, then "where are my buttons?"....I am not a big user of voice, but I do use it to make some phone calls. Finding a destination does not seem easy via voice, but I haven't tested that out a lot. It is quite annoying that you can't use much of the touch controls for nav while driving, but you know how it is - lawyers rule everything these days...I got a chuckle out of starting the car up for the first time and seeing a disclosure on the nav screen that states "you are responsible for driving this car"...ha.

 

I too am looking at base vs technology. The salesperson told me that there is a little but more insulation in the wheel wells in the Technology. I drove a Tech, then just took home a base tonight for evaluation. The Base seems to be less quiet to me -- or maybe I'm just thinking that because I was told there is less insulation.

Is there really a discernible difference?

Thanks!

 

My 05 doesn't have the lane departure etc but I did drive a Volvo rental in England with those features.

Once I figured out why the car was buzzing and beeping at me all the time I really got to appreciate those features on their crowded roads.

Especially loved the head on collision stuff. I could set the cruise control and let the car manage the safe speed in traffic as well as when exiting an interstate and going to another. Of course that does require traffic in front if you.

My only concern is that Acura is charging too much for those features. My company is equipping its Chevy company cars with them at a cost of under $500. So Acura and Volvo in the US need to drop the price of these features big time.

 

I've owned 2 Tech models (12 & 14) and appreciate the features that the 14 tech has. The LDW and FCW are features that keep you alert and more of a defensive driver. The FCW will flash a big orange BRAKE warning on your screen if necessary. This helps when some clown changes lanes fast and pulls in front of you. The LDW alets you as needed and can be turned off. Both assist if your trying to fool with the touch pad for the Nav, Radio, or Phone.

The Tech model IMO is worth the few extra bucks for the features it has and I'm still learning about.

 

We got the tech package. I wanted to get the warning signals. BSI,etc. I also wanted the electronic door locks for the rear doors. Nav. I could have done without. I like the better stereo.

 

I own the Base AWD but had a Tech AWD for a few days as a loaner.

Exterior items for Tech
1. Wheels look nicer and I felt they handled a bit better. I believe the tires are more hi performance than base per the acura website description.
2. Puddle lights were neat feature but wouldn't say that they're useful.
3. Smartkey entry from 2nd row doors is nice to have.

Interior/safety items for Tech
1. LDW: Its just a warning system as most people know. Felt the warning system was inconsistent and didnt always go off when it should.
2. FCW: It only went off once when I had the car. I guess it could be handy if you're always playing with the infotainment system or like to daydream when driving.
3. BSI: This was the best safety indicator. Definitely handy as an add'l check when changing lanes. When I decided to go with my base, this was the safety feature that I coveted on the tech.
4. Navi: I think it takes too long to input data vs using ur phone or garmin. The only plus is that its definitely nicer to have on that secondary screen vs the standard base trip computer.
5. Rain sensing wipers: It didnt work as expected and I wasnt going to open the manual to figure out how to use. I figure you just turn to auto and it'll work but never did when I drove the car...even though it was raining on those days.
I used to own BMW that had rain sensing wipers and it worked intuitively.

Now that I've had the Tech model experience for a few days, I do covet a couple features as noted such as wheels, BSI, smartkey entrance on all 4 doors.. but not enough to warrant the 3-4k price difference.
I'd be curious to see what tech features they end up including in the base model in future yrs. I can see them adding BSI since its becoming a more common feature for many cars.