stevearends
Member
Our lease is about up on our 03 MDX. The MDX has been a great vehicle - it is mostly my wife's car and we have 5 kids (two at home). No problems with MDX except the brakes made a clunky noise that Acura eventually fixed. It is loaded - NAV, backup camera, rear entertainment, etc. Nice quality, good pickup, awesome it the snow - very stable. It has 50k miles on it, so it is time to do something different.
Thoughts:
1) 07/08 MDX is nice - I drove the Sport and the regular MDX - the Sport is a definite improvement in agility compared to my 03. However, equipped with Sport and rear entertainment it is $46k Plus
2) Drove Hyundai Santa Fe - I was surprised - better than I thought, but it is too small and kinda doggy and the handling was soft.
3) If we wanted to save some $$$ we cd pick up a Honda Pilot but they are just too ugly - the proverbial "SUV appliance". Nice reliability, nice size, but man, you only live once - why drive an ugly vehicle that everyone else has?
4) BMW X5 3.0 or 4.8 Sport - hmmmm, I wd have this baby in a heartbeat if it wasn't too dear on the wallet! (I drive a 2002 BMW M5).
5) Yukon, Jeeps, Fords, Lincolns, Saturn, GMC - I just can't handle the poor build quality - every one that I have driven just lacks quality and they kinda "lumber on down the road". You can get them big but they are not fun to drive (AT ALL).
6) 4Runner & Pathfinder - too "trucky" for my wife
7) 08 Highlander - we will probab ly check this out but I think it is too much money and not very exciting
8) Sequoia - too big for my wife - she wants it lower to the ground and more nimble.
OK, now the CX-9
I love the look, but I was put off by what I heard was a Ford 3.5 motor. Yesterday my wife and I broke down and went to drive a 2007 CX-9. Impressions:
1) Great looking inside and out! This is arguably one of the top three or four best looking SUVs out there (Cayenne, Audi QX7, X5 have great looks too IMO). The black cherry on black leather wd be my choice (but not my wife's).
2) The car is bigger inside than it looks from the outside. I can't believe the 3rd row - almost too big for what we need - I wd have preferred a little more room behind the 3rd row although it has more than out MDX (or the new MDX).
3) Interior looks sexy - I even liked the cloth. And, both colors looked very good.
4) Driving: Quite nimble - I am a BMW lover at heart and as I said earlier - I wd have the X5 Sport if it weren't so much $$$. However, the CX-9 is the best handler in recent memory - I wd have to drive the CX-9 back-to-back against the new MDX/Sport and the BMW X5 Sport to make a final comparison. My only complaints - I placed it in manual sport/shift mode and tried to make a "balls to the wall" aggressive start from a light - when I went from 1st to 2nd there was a huge pause or slip - I don't think it would have went into 2nd had I not let up (instinctively) on the gas. Other times when I shifted it manually (not under WOT) it shifted crisply - no surprises. I am in Denver at 6,000 feet and I wished it had a little more power. I would say that from a start my 03 MDX pulls a little harder and the new MDX definitely gets with the program harder and faster than the CX-9. However, at highway speeds when I floored the CX-9 it seemed to have as much grunt as the MDX. The cabin was very quiet and solid at all speeds- I am pretty sure it is quieter than our 03 MDX. The fun factor for the CX-9 is definitely more than our 03 MDX - no contest. I know the 03 MDX is a little tired with 50kmiles on the clock, but the MDX NEVER handled and simply had as sporty of a feel as the CX-9. And, even though the 07/08 MDX has a stronger motor than the CX-9, I think that all around the CX-9 might get the performance nod from me. And, the CX-9's larger 3.7L motor for 08 will certainly help keep up with an MDX.
So, at this point we are planning on an 08 CX-9.
Here are some questions for you current owners:
1) We drove a GT with the 20 " wheels - I could see where they might be a tad harsh. I will go back and drive a regular Touring with the 18" wheels. I live in Denver so we do get some snow and i just think the 18" is a better choice - handling should be just as good if not better than the 20's and I will have more choices for snow/all season tires
2) I don't like built in NAV and my wife doesn't use the backup camera in the MDX (I like it BTW). So, I am thinking about getting a Touring package and adding the rear entertainment - one LCD in each headrest for about $1,400 (thru the dealer).
What other advise can everyone give me? I could probably save some $$$s on an 07 but I really want the ever-so-slight increase in HP and the even-better increase in torque in the 08 motor. And, I heard in the Canadian 08 CX-9 test drive that the 08 3.7 Motor is unique to Mazda and is sourced out of Japan - anyone know or hear anything on this rumor? We live in Denver at 6,000 feet and we need every extra drop of HP we can get with the thin air here!
Thx for your thoughts!
Steve
Thoughts:
1) 07/08 MDX is nice - I drove the Sport and the regular MDX - the Sport is a definite improvement in agility compared to my 03. However, equipped with Sport and rear entertainment it is $46k Plus
2) Drove Hyundai Santa Fe - I was surprised - better than I thought, but it is too small and kinda doggy and the handling was soft.
3) If we wanted to save some $$$ we cd pick up a Honda Pilot but they are just too ugly - the proverbial "SUV appliance". Nice reliability, nice size, but man, you only live once - why drive an ugly vehicle that everyone else has?
4) BMW X5 3.0 or 4.8 Sport - hmmmm, I wd have this baby in a heartbeat if it wasn't too dear on the wallet! (I drive a 2002 BMW M5).
5) Yukon, Jeeps, Fords, Lincolns, Saturn, GMC - I just can't handle the poor build quality - every one that I have driven just lacks quality and they kinda "lumber on down the road". You can get them big but they are not fun to drive (AT ALL).
6) 4Runner & Pathfinder - too "trucky" for my wife
7) 08 Highlander - we will probab ly check this out but I think it is too much money and not very exciting
8) Sequoia - too big for my wife - she wants it lower to the ground and more nimble.
OK, now the CX-9
I love the look, but I was put off by what I heard was a Ford 3.5 motor. Yesterday my wife and I broke down and went to drive a 2007 CX-9. Impressions:
1) Great looking inside and out! This is arguably one of the top three or four best looking SUVs out there (Cayenne, Audi QX7, X5 have great looks too IMO). The black cherry on black leather wd be my choice (but not my wife's).
2) The car is bigger inside than it looks from the outside. I can't believe the 3rd row - almost too big for what we need - I wd have preferred a little more room behind the 3rd row although it has more than out MDX (or the new MDX).
3) Interior looks sexy - I even liked the cloth. And, both colors looked very good.
4) Driving: Quite nimble - I am a BMW lover at heart and as I said earlier - I wd have the X5 Sport if it weren't so much $$$. However, the CX-9 is the best handler in recent memory - I wd have to drive the CX-9 back-to-back against the new MDX/Sport and the BMW X5 Sport to make a final comparison. My only complaints - I placed it in manual sport/shift mode and tried to make a "balls to the wall" aggressive start from a light - when I went from 1st to 2nd there was a huge pause or slip - I don't think it would have went into 2nd had I not let up (instinctively) on the gas. Other times when I shifted it manually (not under WOT) it shifted crisply - no surprises. I am in Denver at 6,000 feet and I wished it had a little more power. I would say that from a start my 03 MDX pulls a little harder and the new MDX definitely gets with the program harder and faster than the CX-9. However, at highway speeds when I floored the CX-9 it seemed to have as much grunt as the MDX. The cabin was very quiet and solid at all speeds- I am pretty sure it is quieter than our 03 MDX. The fun factor for the CX-9 is definitely more than our 03 MDX - no contest. I know the 03 MDX is a little tired with 50kmiles on the clock, but the MDX NEVER handled and simply had as sporty of a feel as the CX-9. And, even though the 07/08 MDX has a stronger motor than the CX-9, I think that all around the CX-9 might get the performance nod from me. And, the CX-9's larger 3.7L motor for 08 will certainly help keep up with an MDX.
So, at this point we are planning on an 08 CX-9.
Here are some questions for you current owners:
1) We drove a GT with the 20 " wheels - I could see where they might be a tad harsh. I will go back and drive a regular Touring with the 18" wheels. I live in Denver so we do get some snow and i just think the 18" is a better choice - handling should be just as good if not better than the 20's and I will have more choices for snow/all season tires
2) I don't like built in NAV and my wife doesn't use the backup camera in the MDX (I like it BTW). So, I am thinking about getting a Touring package and adding the rear entertainment - one LCD in each headrest for about $1,400 (thru the dealer).
What other advise can everyone give me? I could probably save some $$$s on an 07 but I really want the ever-so-slight increase in HP and the even-better increase in torque in the 08 motor. And, I heard in the Canadian 08 CX-9 test drive that the 08 3.7 Motor is unique to Mazda and is sourced out of Japan - anyone know or hear anything on this rumor? We live in Denver at 6,000 feet and we need every extra drop of HP we can get with the thin air here!
Thx for your thoughts!
Steve
