jblazing

Hi. I'm a newbie and have searched a bit and have come up with different answers. My wife is in the market for a new crossover SUV and we are considering the RX350 and Acura MDX. I personally like the sporty drive of the MDX a bit more than the Lexus, but the RX is really comfortable and plush.

We are going to the dealership to make sure all of the baby stuff fits in the RX, but I'm 90% sure it will and that's just a formality.

Anyway, my questions for RX owners are:
1) What are your experiences driving in snow? We live in the NJ/ NYC area, so winters aren't terrible, but there are times when we would have to drive in 4-5 inches of snow, unplowed or during storms (generally <12", but at times as much as 25")? I believe the MXD's SH-AWD is better than the Lexus' AWD system, but practically, how does the RX perform?

2) How does the fit and finish of the RX hold up (I can't even believe I'm asking this of a Toyota product). I assumed it was amazing, but there are stories of excessive wear after only a year or 2 (the Car & Driver Review hints at this as well).

3) Practically speaking, for people with 1+ smaller kids, how is the space of the RX? On paper, the MDX has 3 more cubic feet (big deal), but the sloped roofline of the RX scares me a bit).

4) Is there anything else that I should know? I'm kind of relying on Truecar.com for pricing, but any other hints are much appreciated!

Thanks again for your help.

wyau01

MDX uses a truck chassis, can go offroad, better AWD system, but gets less in MPG.
So comparing on base models, RX is cheaper, better fuel economy, better looking, the leather feels better. MDX gets third row sitting, and bigger in size.

Good Luck shopping.

hypervish

Fit and Finish is way better on the RX. My brother was set on buying the RX450H but we still took a look at the MDX anyways and it was obvious the RX350 and 450(H) were much better.

The Acura does have a better AWD system in theory, and in reality. The RX AWD system doesn't look all that impressive on paper, but in reality it's more than enough. I've driven both "my" RX's through over 1 foot of snow, once it was about 18 inches. It performed flawlessly. Just make sure to have good tires, and your good to go.

The RX is more comfortable, and in my opinion is looks much better. Plus, everything is just in hands reach in the cabin. The MDX felt awkward when reaching for the controls, etc. The seats are more supportive in the RX as well when compared to the MDX.

The only reason one would buy the MDX over the RX is because it seats more passengers besides that I don't see a single reason.

jblazing

Thanks for the replies.

I have 1 baby now, and we may have 1 more, so the 3rd row would only be used on rare occasion (maybe 1-3X a year in a random situation).

I think looks wise, both are a tie. I don't like the MDX grill (who does), but the rest of the car is nice. The RX is a little curvy to me, but both are in the eyes of the beholder.

If people generally like the durability and think it's fine for the snow/ rain (I'm not offroading, or driving in unplowed 20" snow), then I think we'll choose the RX.

I'll post an update after I make a decision, but if anybody else has an opinion, please share!

LexBob2

In Consumer Reports, they give the MDX a rating of 85 points and the RX350 79 points. The RX450h got 88 points.

RX450h is their top rated Luxury SUV followed by MDX and then RX350.

kitlz

Snow is not a problem in the RX. Even the 450h performs great. The only quirk, don't take turns quickly. I've driven in 2" to 22" semi plowed, the latter for fun Never lost control, never got stuck.

The RX ages well. I can count on my hand the amount of problems I've had on both of my prior RXs outside of basic maintenance. Of course I babied them. But they hold up inside and out. I still see quite a few 1st and 2nd gens on the roads by me every day.

No children, at least not the human variety, so I'll leave the space question for others to answer. Nor have I driven the MDX. I remember it came out around the same time as the RX300 back in 1998 and was the only other 'luxury' SUV in that size. I wasn't interested in Acura or even Lexus back then. But one drive was all it took. It's been almost 13 years now.

Get the RX!

jeffgdula

The MDX was the only other car we really liked when we were looking. Liked my wife's previous generation MDX alot, but I don't like the exterior of the new one or how busy the dash is. Like the way it drives alot, but we don't need the extra seating and the gas mileage gave us pause. Both are great options IMO.

jblazing

One other quick question. If I buy the car at Dealership A, and then get service at Dealership B, do I still get the extra perks, like Dealership B picking up my car and dropping off a loaner, even for oil changes, free loaner cars, free cookies ... or is that dealership dependent. Thanks again.

BTW, I don't mind the buttons and ***** on the Acura, at least you can access what you want quickly. However, the Lexus mouse system is awesome.

shkr

Being a software engineer, ask me how awesome and comfortable that is

MEP7557

Let's not forget that large amount of fake wood in the MDX. To me that is a deal breaker. You spend that much for a LUV it should have real wood.

jeffgdula

My local dealership made it clear that I would not when I bought out of town.

(Back story: I went in to local dealership first, told them the price I was willing to pay and they laughed me out of the dealership. I called another dealer I was familiar with and gave them the exact same offer. They called back and accepted the next day. I called local dealership and informed them as a courtesy. At that point they offered me the same deal plus all the free carwashes, etc... and I told them I wasn't going to back out of an agreement for that. They then offered to beat the price by $500, but I told them I was a man of my word and kept the deal with the other dealership (even though my local had the car on the ground and the out of town one hd to wait for the car to get here from the port of LA).

data2009

If you can live with the ugly Acura Corporate nose, get an MDX. If you planning to have more kids, or will soon start taking trips to Poconos/Catskills, you will appreciate the extra space in MDX. We now have 2 small kids (6 and 3), and, packing for the summer trips, we both miss MDX's space. 2 extra seats almost never got up, but were pretty handy on a few occassions.

I had 2 MDXs in the past (2001, 2005), but wanted to try RX. RX is more upscale in terms of goodies and fit/finish, but mine just did not age well. Compared to both MDXs, RX came at a premium in price, and I cannot justify it anymore as my Canadian-built 350 turned up with more issues than both Canadian-built MDXs. Maybe you can consider "Made in Japan" RX 450h.

I had no problems in 2 NYC winters with RX, except it developed a rattling in steering wheel that was just fixed. Both MDXs handled superbly in snow, and this was before SH-AWD equipped models. Used to plow the driveway by simply backing in/out in 12-14" snow.

Gas mileage is not that great around the city. RX 350 averages 13-15 mpg (mostly my tiny wife's driving, not my lead foot). My 2005 MDX averaged about the same. Not sure how the new MDX would fair, but I'd bet about the same.

I had a good experience with both Acura/Lexus dealerships in Long Island, but Lexus service costs more.

One more, I think that Acura's Navi is superior. You can enter directions as you drive. A major annoyance with Lexus. Voice recognition is a joke. Lexus does have a superb mouse-like controller and overall console ergonomics are better. I also dislike the center console in a new MDX. Previous models were simpler. Simpler is better.

hypervish

There must be something wrong with your RX350 then because I highly doubt your getting 13-15mpg in the city even in traffic with A/C the minimum I get in an RX300 is 17. Just saying... might want to get it checked out, that or your wife does have a lead foot! LoL

We take road trips every month in both RX's. One month I take my RX300, and the next month my brothers RX450H, and so on. The RX450h is similar to RX350 in terms of storage. It's 4 of us that go (Sometimes 5, even then there's enough room), for a weekend to sometimes a week. And, we can easily fit all of our luggage in the trunk, along with the cooler for drinks and some food. There is plenty of room to go around for an average road trip/vacation. At least for 4 people, we are all adults so I can't imagine kids having more luggage than adults.... Then, again they do have a bunch of toys. LOL

In the end, it's all about personal preference though. You have to drive the car everyday, and it's your hard earned money you have to spend.

data2009

As soon as we get out from the city, we get 20-25 mpg.

Driving on city streets 90% of the time kills the mileage. I have 16 mpg total average from March 2010, with average speed 18 mph. I think only hybrid/electric is a cure for this.

Oh, try... An average adult needs one set of clothes per day. An average kid needs at least 3 sets, multiply by two kids. Then go toys, books, games, bikes, medications, and food (crackers, serial, fruits, vegetables, yogurt, etc.) - in case local stores don't carry the same variety of the above.

data2009

I would say 12-14 mpg. I don't see the difference at the pump in periods between fill ups. Typically, once a week. The range was about the same as well.