[Aine]

Did anyone ever measure what the actual height is? My garage door when open has a 7' height opening. My Highlander clears it by 2 inches. Looking to buy MDX but don't want to be surprised if I can't open then liftgate when the car is in the garage.

Length of garage is short, just barely fits the length of the vehicle. Backing in not an option (liftgate would not clear back wall).

 

[tigmd99]

More likely, they checked and found that it's a feature that's not needed by 99.99 percent of buyers, and adds cost and complexity for a feature that most owners will never use.

It's also possible that the MDX liftgate height is less than on a Highlander so there's less need for that other 0.01 percent of buyers to worry about it.

No. Highlander was just re-designed...while RX is based on previous gen platform.

 

[swong13]

Just went out to measure. About 82 inches at the highest point.

 

[nsxtasy]

Do you back into your garage, or drive in going forward? I just checked in my own garage, and one thing I noticed is this. I usually back into my garage. When I do that, and the garage door is raised, the door only goes over the front half of the car. So if the car is already backed up into the garage, raising the hatch just needs to clear the ceiling of the garage, and not the door itself. If you back your MDX into your garage, clearance might not be that much of an issue.

Also, while my measurements may not be useful to you - because each garage may be different, and my MDX is a 2004 so it's not exactly the same dimensions as yours - I measured, and here's what I found. My garage door is 7' high (84"). When it's raised, the vertical clearance underneath it is 86" (IOW 2" more clearance than the height of the door itself). (The arm that raises the door requires an additional 3-4" of clearance so it might be as low as 82".) When the hatch door on my 2004 MDX is raised, it's 78" off the ground. So if I wanted to, I could open my garage door and open my MDX hatch, and it won't hit anything if I backed into the garage with the open hatch underneath the garage door. Like I say, these measurements aren't exactly the same as yours would be, but it shows you how to do the calculation to make sure it clears.

HTH

 

[BigL]

No. Highlander was just re-designed...while RX is based on previous gen platform.

Correct. The new RX will have it. The new Lexus NX already has it. BMW, MB and many others have the height adjustment.

 

[BigL]

really? I've never heard of such a thing. . .

Check out this thread: http://www.mdxers.org/forums/94-new-2014-acura-mdx/80642-no-lift-gate-height-setting.html

 

[tigmd99]

Check out this thread: http://www.mdxers.org/forums/94-new-2014-acura-mdx/80642-no-lift-gate-height-setting.html

What car do you drive now?

 

[Aine]

Yes that helps thanks. The low point of my garage door is 84". So as long as the liftgate is 82" or less I should be ok. I can't back in because my space is basically bumper-to-bumper so I would not have horizontal space to open the liftgate if I backed in.

 

[Cloudsplitter]

Has anyone had an issue with the hatch not fully extending? My 2015 intermittently stops short of opening fully, stooping a 2-3 inches short of full extension. I took it to the dealer, and they said they looked at 3 other vehicles and this was normal. I'm throwing the BS flag on that one, especially for an 8 month old car. It should open to the full extension all the time. I've banged my head into the thing more than one. They rudely said they would only fix it if it failed completely, or fed back a code, citing that they cost $2k to replace - again, I find that hard to believe. Any info on similar experiences would be appreciated?

 

[SMMN]

Has anyone had an issue with the hatch not fully extending? My 2015 intermittently stops short of opening fully, stooping a 2-3 inches short of full extension. I took it to the dealer, and they said they looked at 3 other vehicles and this was normal. I'm throwing the BS flag on that one, especially for an 8 month old car. It should open to the full extension all the time. I've banged my head into the thing more than one. They rudely said they would only fix it if it failed completely, or fed back a code, citing that they cost $2k to replace - again, I find that hard to believe. Any info on similar experiences would be appreciated?

Yes, my 2014 does the same thing except not intermittently - all the time since new. Never had it looked at, as always forget to mention it when at the dealer for regular service.

 

[BrianV]

My Volvo XC60 had adjustable height, it was done through the nav screen and worked well. I was astonished this functionality is not in the MDX.

 

[mcadori]

I didn't catch it when I bought..

My X5 had adjustable height. Even the Toyota Highlander, which I also shopped, has it. I just assumed the Acura does, but was mistaken. For us taller but not basketball player height guys (6'1"), the additional clearance can mean the difference between clipping your head and not.

I found the extra 2" of height by pushing the tailgate up and assumed that was a problem, but apparently it's not. My house has taller garage doors, so a higher tailgate opening doesn't present a problem.

It's definitely one of those bullet items I'll check every time from now on. I guess most folks don't care quite as much. I suppose that makes sense. Why would you if your head doesn't hit the tailgate?

 

[DiplomaDon]

Personally, I don't see adjustable height as a big issue. We just traded in our 08 Lexus for a 16 MDX. Both hit the garage door when open. Years ago when we bought the Lexus, I just glued foam to the garage door where the lift gate would hit it....problem solved. On the MDX, we just hold the handle until it goes into manual mode and lift it up, until it hits the foam on the door.

 

[funtogo]

Got a 2014 MDX and the hatch doesn't open all the way up.I can't believe this is designed that way,but going to the dealer for it to find out.I am 6'1" tall and I have to push it up a little every time I open the hatch!Bummer!