Drop, charge, and lose the cords
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- My rating: 0 stars
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Pretty bad review by CNET"
Pros: Tons of tech for a great price, great handling, lots of space.
Cons: Backup camera take time to come on, pretty big blind spot in the back, extra gear would have been nice.
Summary: First off, how can the MDX receive a 6.9 from CNET when the RDX which actually has less tech (No available DVD entertainment, no heated back seats, no memory settings, no passenger power seat, power left back hatch, etc) get a higher rating at 9.0? It is beyond me. I could only think of the price difference being a reason, but for $8,000 more, you're getting a larger car with way more options. Not only that, but cars like the X5 which is over $20,000 more got a better rating!!! CNET got it wrong big time!
We test drove the X5, RDX, MDX, Mazda CX9, and others. For your money, you only need to find the nearest Acura dealer (especially with the 2.9% financing they have going on for a limited time). Only the CX9 seemed to have better room for third row occupants compared to the MDX. In the CNET review, they said that the storage in back of third row was almost non existent. Well, go look at the fully-equipped, $70,000 X5 and you'll see it actually has half the cargo space in back of it's third row when compared to the MDX! Let me give you the comparisons between the MDX and X5 for cargo space:
Third row up (X5 - 7.1 Cubic Feet, MDX 15.0 Cubic Feet)
Third row down (X5 - 21.9, MDX 42.9)
Second row down (X5 - 61.8, MDX 83.5)
Driving it is awesome. We really hit the speed bumps and corners on our test drive and were really impressed. Comfort wise, I'd give the nod to the MDX, driving wise, I'd give the nod to the X5. Both are great in either situation. I do love the brakes in the MDX though, they are the best I've ever experienced in a car, especially for an SUV.
Second row passengers get spoiled. You have theater seating so that they see higher than the front passenger and driver. Also, the dvd screen is up on the ceiling instead of the floor as in the X5. When driving with the dvd screen down, I can still easily see through the back window with the review mirror (the dvd screen gives only a slight obstruction). On the other hand, with the dvd screen on the center console as in the X5, third row occupants will have to lean and look over the the second row to see the screen. Not only that, but you better watch your knees or you'll smash that screen right off!
Also, the second row seats are as comfortable as the front row driver/passenger seats. They are huge and give you tons of leg/shoulder room. Get the entertainment package and you even get heated seats back there. They really do get spoiled.
Other tech like GPS navigation, bluetooth hands free calling, XM radio and traffic, and tons of voice commands just add to such a good buy. I heard cons about the GPS screen not being touch screen. Let me help clear this point. The GPS navigation screen is out of hands reach anyways. The screen is put up on the dash for very easy viewing. Look at the review for the 2008 Subaru Tribeca on CNET and you'll see why a touch screen in this case would be unusable anyways. Not only that, most touch screen models limit your use of the touch screen when driving.
Just use the voice commands though and you will be more than happy about not having a touch screen - and yes, you can use all commands even when driving. Instead of plotting a course to go home, I just say "Go Home" and the damn thing will route me home. Need to find a restaurant, just say "Find Restaurant". Let's say it gives you 5 choices, just look at the number next to the restaurant you want and say the number. It is really that easy. Keep your fingers on the wheel and off of the screen!
So to finish this mini-review off, you get so much for your money compared to other vehicles while still attaining that luxury feel. Go test this baby out and see for yourself. Oh, and CNET, go work on your scaling when it comes to reviewing cars. You're all over the map!!!
