[Kevin Klug]

I have been reading alot about the MDX. I will be picking mine up on 04/25/02. One thing that has concerned me just a bit is the information about the road noise, especially around 70 mph or higher. What I am wondering is how loud is it. Is the noise level high by any cars standard, or is it just high by luxury car standards.

Thanks,
Kevin Klug

 

[Magwich]

I think it is by luxury car standard. I was concerned myself after reading over and over about the road noise but it seems that it was blown out of proportion by some. We routinely go up to 80 mph on our trips over the mountains out here in the northwest. Hope you are not disappointed with the noise. I know you won't be with the car in general.

 

[msu79gt82]

Definitely high by luxury CAR standards.

Did you not test drive the MDX before ordering it?
It is loud by car standards, not so bad by SUV standards. All SUVs tend to be louder than cars. The MDX gets louder the faster you drive it and wind noise is definitely present at 60+. But no more so than our old Expedition. It depends a lot on what you are used to. We removed the roof rack to help some, since we do not use it anyway.

 

[msu79gt82]

More on Road noise

My previous reply commented on Wind noise and not Road noise.

The road does transmit noise into the interior but again not too bad for an SUV. The type of road is the biggest factor; very quiet on some roads very noisy on others. Some say the Touring's Michelins are quieter than the Premium's Goodyears, but I do not have first hand experience.

I would rate the Wind noise as a bigger aggravation than the Road noise. But Acura no doubt could have done a better job with noise reduction.

 

[mdx_vegas]

Freeway Noise

In my experience (driving from Vegas to LA), there is a lot of noise when you cross 75 mph, especially if the wind (which there is a lot of) hits the MDX right. I've not had problems on other drives, only with the Vegas-LA drive. Still not that big of a problem, but noticeable.

Notwithstanding, I still love my MDX.

 

[texrb]

As others have posted, the wind and road noise is higher than luxury cars & higher than luxury SUVs. I have a RX 300 that is very quiet even at 80 mph.

msu - sorry to diagree with you but I believe the Michelins are a big part of the road noise. I did drive both the base & the touring before buying & the touring was louder. My RX has the same goodyear tires that the base MDX has & I believe that (along with better insulation in the Lexus) is one reason it is so quiet.

Having said all that - below 50 mph - I don't notice any difference in noise level.

 

[msu79gt82]

Could be right about the tires

I have not had the privilige to drive both tires. I was quoting old reviews that made that claim.

I drove on a newly blacktopped road the other day with a 45 MPH speed limit. The car was very quiet! Like I said the type and condition of the road is a major factor. New highways tend to be concrete that has been scored for better wet traction. These new concrete highways with traction control scorings are very loud for any car with whatever tires.

 

[hopper]

There is noise in th MDX at high speeds, but it is really minimal. Mine is a '01 and it sounds like they tweaked the noise issue for '02.

Compared to say a Ford Expedition, the MDX is whisper quiet.