[davegood]

OK,

I know that many people have posted their MDX likes and dislikes, but I figured I had the right to state mine as well, so here goes:

Likes:
- Navi (really nothing needs to be said here -- if you can afford it and think that you may want it, just get it). It got me to work today without getting me lost
- Engine - surprisingly quick, and transmision is super smooth.
- Turning radius is also surprising -- very tight.
- Seats - I don't feel that the leather is cheap feeling, and they are very comfortable
- Rear storage compartment - great from jumper cables and bungee cords
- Storage compartments in general -- I'm gonna have to buy more junk now just since I have a place to put it.
- Center console in particular with power outlet.
- Our buddy Tim -- My dealer was great -- more on this in a minute, but their options prices were a joke -- 300 for body side moldings (98 from Tim), 659 for the tailgate deflector (297 from Tim), 200 for the shift knob (98 from Tim).
- The beep when you lock the doors.
- The 6CD changer -- initial loading seemed a little slow, but overall, super convenient.
- Headlights - seemed bright / white enough for me. Not sure that I could see spending money for different bulbs.
- Body Side moldings -- put on carefully last night in maybe 25 minutes. Lines up perfectly with my wife's doors, and I like the line of them.

Dislikes:
- Remote unlock buttons should be built into the key instead of a different fob.
- Radio - not god awful, just sounds a little stale/flat - probably could be helped with a little fiddling of the adjustment knob. The Infinity system in my Jeep was way fuller, though.
- Heated seats - I like them, but they seem a little weak compared to previous cars I have had with them (VW/Audi/Jeep)
- No really good location to store change -- would be interested to hear what over people do with their spare change for meters.
- Roofrack - mentioned before, should be movable - I don't know why manufacturers don't just sub this out to Thule/Yakima/Barecrafters
- Auto up driver's window would be nice

Probably more stuff to add, but just my initial impression. Dealer experience was awesome. Super fast transaction -- there was a potential snafu in the lease numbers as Honda changed some residual factors at the end of the year, but they worked it all out by the time I arrived. No forced options, nothing free included. As I mentioned above, option prices were above the Acura.com site, but I would expect that to change in the future. Detail job seems very good, although it was dusk when I picked it up. There was a little bit of the white shipping tape stuck around one of the windshield washer nozzles. I didn't see a customer delivery checklist, but I felt the car explanation was more than adequate. Oh, and free oild changes every 7500 miles while under warranty!!!

Oh, and the best surprise of the night: I completely fits in the garage along with my wife's car -- height for antenna is not an issue, and although a little tighter than with the jeep, we won't have to resort to leaving one car outside (brrrrrr).

 

[A2MDXer]

Dave,

I agree with most of your points. However, I really like the heated seats - I rarely if ever have them on HI, usually low is enough. The low setting was plenty on my long trip out east and I love that the heat goes all the way up the seatback. Of course, I never have had a car with heated seats so a comparison is lacking.

Congrats again on the new MDX.

P.S. I put my change in the "not an ashtray" compartment (although it doesn't hold a bunch it is a convenient location).

 

[davegood]

I'm using that too

I'm using the 'not an ashtray' tray too -- seems like a good place as it's got felt or something on it to keep the change from rattling too much.

 

[Beachman]

Agree with most of your comments. After 1000 miles, my biggest complaint is the "dead pedal" area. They make this great vehicle with room for everything except a stretched out left leg. My Saab 9-5 has much more room in the deal pedal area. Also, the front windshield washers at 70 mph are not that impressive. Kind of a puny spray for a big windshield. They are ok sitting at a red light. Ditto your comments on the Bose system.

 

[davegood]

dead pedal, etc

Beachman --

I think that everone agrees with the dead pedal issue. I did manage to find a relatively comfy spot for my left foot, tho. I don't like the foot brake where it is, tho.

I do like the huge windshield -- it's gigantic! Oh, and headroom is the best of any car i've owned!

 

[GatorGreg]

- No really good location to store change -- would be interested to hear what over people do with their spare change for meters....

...Oh, and the best surprise of the night: I completely fits in the garage along with my wife's car -- height for antenna is not an issue, and although a little tighter than with the jeep, we won't have to resort to leaving one car outside (brrrrrr).

Congrats Davegood. I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I keep my loose change in the passenger side cup holder. I get most of my spare change at fast food drive throughs, which means I've already got the drink holders exposed and ready for action. As long as you empty it out periodically and don't put too much change in there, it doesn't really interfere with the drinks. I use the actual change holder ("not an ashtray" ) for small paper trash (straw wrappers, receipts, gum wrappers, etc.). This is one area where my old CR-V had my MDX beat. It had a dedicated coin holder under the left side of the dash, which would be just under the cruise/fog/sunroof buttoons on the MDX. It held a ton of change and was super convenient in that location. Only problem was if you forgot to close it, you would bang your knee on it getting out of the vehicle.

As for parking the MDX in the garage, that's one of the things I really like about the MDX. Even though it's fairly big and can seat 7, I can still keep it parked in there along with the wife's car, which is crucial to keeping the paint looking new under the hot Fla sun. Everyone in my subdivision parks their Expeditions, Tahoes, Sequoias and LX470s in their driveway, presumably cuz they're too fat to fit with another car, or even by themselves Meanwhile my 'X stays nice and dry in the cozy garage

 

[davegood]

1983 accord

even my dad's 1983 accord had a nice coin tray -- it was revolutionary at the time. I guess that's progress for you...

 

[dfroim]

Congratulations, davegood!!!

I agree with all your 'likes' and most of 'dis-". Many complained about Bose, I have not got Touring(miss it a little because of the CD changer, but really did not want to wait more when my car arrived) and on Premium sound system is really bad(even for me). This might be another good thing I did not wait for Touring - both need to be upgraded anyway, changer can be added and I do not need much other options in the package.

I have put around 600mi on my by now and am impressed by the ride and handling. Breaking is also good(did not use it in an emergency though). 'Low' option for seats heating is okay with me. I also think that movable roof rack would be much more useful, so I decided to wait some time in a hope that there will be some available for MDX that will not require additional drilling.

 

[GCK]

Dave:

Congratulations! Welcome to the Club. You didn't mention anything about the color, or how much you love it

Do post some pictures.

My biggest issue is the dead pedal.

 

[davegood]

Color

The color is without a doubt my favorite feature. So glad i waited for the 2002 red. It is the best color I have ever had in a car.

It changes shades about 6 times per day depending upon lighting... I love it.

 

[nikonf]

I guess you really can't call this a dislike but I really wish the glass in the rear would open separately from the rear hatch. To me this is a huge deficiency. Not enough for me not to purchase the vehicle but there are times such as bringing the lawn mower or the snow blower to the shop when just having the glass open allows the handle to stick out.

 

[davegood]

yep, completely agree

my jeep gc did this as well as my sister-in-law's Honda CRV that costs 1/2 what the MDX did. Seems like they really dropped the ball on this small item...

 

[MDXMom]

Congrats on your new car.

I could swear that my salesperson demo'd an "auto up" feature when going over my car. We even tested if it would stop if little hands were in the way. I'll try to repeat, or at least admit delusion...

I also would prefer to have the rear hatch window open - I used window-only all the time on my Explorer when putting groceries in the back. The tailgate is higher on the MDX, so the groceries still may not go in easily, even with window only. Still, items that stick out would be accomodated better.

I love the heated seats - heated seats were my number reason for getting a new car . I start them on Hi, then set on Lo when I'm comfy. I don't understand why front passenger seat heat is seat only and not back. They claim its side airbag, but wouldn't that be the case on the driver's side, too?

I use non-ashtray for change and small bills - I like that I can keep it all together.

I, too, love the ride and handling, coupled with the fact that I have ample room in the car without having a mega-vehicle; car-like ride with truck-like volume....

 

[Robyjo]

Congrats again Dave, and I pretty much agree with your sentiments, except that I like that there's no (visible) coin holder. I personally really dislike the way they look, and am happy to use my not-an-ashtray ashtray for coinage.

On a different item on your list--you probably know this, but just to be sure--to load all 6 cds at once, hold down the load button until the radio beeps and it loads all six at once. Again, you probably know this already, but when I first sat in my X, I pushed load 6 times....I figured there had to be another way.

OK, stop reading, take a break and go steal a peek at that beauty outside!

Rob

 

[davegood]

didn't know that

Thanks Robyjo -- I didn't know that load tip. Does it work with eject, too?

Haven't had a chance to read the novel that is the owner's manual. I spent last night putting on the BSMs, cutting the WT mats, and putting on the wood shift knob.

--- D.

 

[msu79gt82]

ditto, didn't know that ...

... its been over a year (I too lurked a few months) and I still learn new things all the time.

This is a great site. Thanks to all who contribute!!

 

[Robyjo]

No problem fellas--yeah, it works for eject too. Again, just hold it down, and it'll spit all 6 out, 1 after the other. If you take too long with one (and this goes for loading too), it'll assume you're finished and start playing the last CD you didn't take out in time (or the last one you loaded)...confused yet?

Rob

 

[ghabicht]

Thanks for the tip!

I've had my MDX for a year now and I didn't know about the load & eject all 6 CD trick - Thanks!. I still love my MDX more than any other car I've owned!
FYI: I use the driver's door arm rest to keep my change in. Easy to get to - not as hard to reach as the "not an ash tray"

 

[davegood]

OK, minor gripe

OK, this is going to seem like a minor problem to most, but I would really love it if the center power outlet was always on. If anyone knows of a relatively painless way that this could be accomplished, I'll buy you an MDX.org sticker.

I like to just leave my phone plugged in there all of the time.

 

[dmyles]

Still amazed by its speed

OK,

Likes:
.......- Engine - surprisingly quick, and transmision is super smooth.

After 2 weeks of ownership, I have to admit that this has been the most surprising thing for me. After having always driven smaller cars (Corolla, Sentra, Integra), I had resolved myself to not being able to have a vehicle w/ quick pick-up anymore since I was moving to such a large SUV-- even though it has 240hp. However, I am having a blast leaving other cars, SUVs, trucks, etc. in the dust when taking off at a stoplight. And it comes w/o much effort! I am constantly amazed. I'm not gonna drag race a Ferrari, mind you, but I can't believe how much pep the MDX has!!

I'm really having to concentrate on keeping my speed down on the highway so I don't garner my first (ever) speeding ticket.