mdloops

Nice to meet you all.

I am a BMW convert or traitor, whichever makes more sense to you.

Traditionally I buy 4 door sports sedans - my current car is a 335i xDrive with a 6 spd manual transmission. Our family has gone from just us to a 2.5 year old and 7 month old in the past few years, so if I ever want to take my car on a family trip I need something substantially bigger because with the child seats on board we have zero leg room.

I have spent a month on test drives and research and have narrowed the list down to a 2015 Acura MDX and 2013 Lexus LS 460

MUST have:

• We have 2 kids in rear-facing child seats. My oldest will be forward facing in a year.
• The car needs to be VERY comfortable with plenty of leg room available for long trips (we live in CT but all of our family lives 6 hours away in NY)

REALLY want to have:

• The ability to carry my current size family (Us + 2 rear facing kids) + 1 adult extended family member. The MDX can definitely handle this. Not sure about the LS.
• Fit 3 child seats across when not carrying an extended family member.

Overall, the LS is a better quality car, more reliable, etc. My wife is stuck on the MDX having the capability to carry extended family members.

Here is the rub - If the LS cannot fulfill the REALLY want to have requirements then it will be designated as my DD to/from work ONLY (no family trips). In this case I am wondering why I wouldn't get something a bit more in my wheelhouse like a 400-500 HP BMW 5 series or a fun to drive GS 350.

I really like the LS and am trying to make it work. It is time for a life changing car decision.

- Mark

Doublebase

I'd go for the MDX but I'm jot a huge fan of the dash and don't those engines have oil consumption issues that require ring replacement? And I don't think I'm ever going to trust a Honda transmission that's mated to their V6 ever again. But a bigger SUV would make more sense in your current situation. The LS is big, but I find when having smaller children I prefer to sit a little higher and have that open SUV feeling. I assume you're looking into an AWD model of the LS, but again, the higher sitting, bigger tire MDX might give you a little piece of mind. Personally I think an AWD LS is a tank, but you're sitting lower....you have to bend down to get the kids out of their car seats, you have to open the trunk to get their stuff out and you have to bend down into that too. Whereas the MDX will allow you to deal with all of this - and more - at a comfortable level.

As for a BMW as a DD?? Lol, you're kidding right? Why punish yourself like that? You have two small children, there's enough things that you're going to have to worry about...don't add a BMW as a commuter to your list.

If you decide to go with the LS, yeah it can fit three across in the back seat...I've done that before without any problem, but there is a bit of an upward hump in the center...not ideal to sit there.

Chuckinnj

You are a father of two children..... You are a family man!
A family man needs a four door full size car!!! The LS is the car for you! Plenty of room, safe, lots of power, AWD, smooth ride and the list goes on.
BTW! Put off buying the GS until you hit your "mid life crisis" at age 42.

GR6RR

I've had bad luck on this Honduh V6 Tranny issues, too.
06 Odyssey EX-L Transmission slips horribly, Van had less than 80K miles
04 TL Transmission trashed at 60K, rebuilt, and trashed again... WTF...

After those two disasters, I have been in the Toyota family ever since. 05 LS430 sold to buy a 11 X-Runner then sold to buy my wife a 14 Camry... then I needed a car too, so I found a deal my 07 LS460.

I won't ever go back to Honda/Acura again...

SW17LS

Very different cars. For your needs I would buy the MDX (actually I would buy an Infiniti QX60 or a minivan) love my LS, but it would never occur to me to take it somewhere on a trip with the family over the van.

Gbp

IMO, the five-person requirement (3 adults, 2 children, or any mixture of kids and adults)) makes the LS unsuitable for long family trips. With the high transmission tunnel and therefore limited leg room, the center of the rear seat is uncomfortable, except for the smallest child. And your kids will grow.

mdloops

Great responses thus far.

Forgot to mention: we do own a 2016 Subaru Outback Limited, which is what we use for trips.

To clarify - We would probably never carry 5 adults. Only child seats in the back with potentially 1 adult. I only keep cars for 3-5 years so by the time the kids got bigger I would have another car (not a fan of long term ownership, lol, at ALL)

SW17LS

The car will take two rear facing car seats very easily, but the issue would be an adult and those car seats in the rear at the same time.

FatherTo1

I've test driven a 2014 MDX and found the third row virtually unusable for an adult and I'm only 5'9". Still, between the two choices, I would say the MDX for carrying passengers and cargo on roadtrips. As you already know, kids come with a lot of gear (stroller, diaper bag, potty seat, toys, coats, blankets, etc.). You need space for all of that on a daily basis, let alone a roadtrip.

We love our LS430 on road trips but we pack it to the brim and we only have one child. For your situation, if you go for an LS then at least get the LWB and select options to maximize trunk space too. In case it helps, I remember the following review of a 2013 that showed three car seats installed in the LS. All depends on how wide your car seats are and the stature of that extended family member.

http://www.realmomreviews.net/2013/07/2013-lexus-ls460/

LouG

Long, looooong time lurker here......

I don't yet own a Lexus vehicle, but I'm yearning for a late year CPO LS460 in a couple years. To the OP, I bought my wife a (then) new 2014 Toyota Highlander Limited when the redesign came out. We absolutely LOVE this vehicle. Once bought I took over her '03 Honda Pilot and kept it until the tranny started to slip. I suppose I'm one of the lucky ones as it only started with 186k miles on the clock. I now drive a '15 Camry SE, the best appliance made with four wheels.....

Take a look at the Highlander if you haven't already done so. The power is really great, and the '17s I believe now come with the upgraded V6 from the new RX350, which is even better.....

chuckNX

Based on CR's ratings, I would stay clear of Acura.

I would go with the Lexus or consider the new Honda Pilot.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cars-...best-vehicles/

superdenso

It all depends on what you're looking for in room and performance. You could suffer through the 5th passenger ordeal with an LS; your kids won't be tiny forever. The LS has a lot of body lean and the MDX doesn't. If I compared my repair receipts/shop-time for Acuras and Hondas they don't come anywhere near those of Lexus. The Honda/Acura 3.5/3.7's never had a single hiccup. I have two 3.5's at or near 200k and they will easily outlast the car's they were built in. Compare the Honda v6 with no recalls to the LS v8 that's a bit recall heavy...If you wan't to run up the miles and only change timing belts every 150k the Acura is your car. If you want a little more brand prestige the LS is a better choice. With either choice I'm sure there will be tons of things to like.

Are you shopping awd LS's? Because that creates a different concern. The AWD in the MDX is a marvel that's worth witnessing and will be more capable than a rwd LS on snow and ice. If you get the MDX equipped with A/S Michelins or Goodyear Triple Treads you can easily tackle the very nasty weather that's available in the NE USA.

UZ214

i owned a MDX very briefly it was a 2009? was in a same dilemma as you; needless to say we kept t he MDX for full 2 months...it was a good car but just not Lexus quality. Just not as comfortable- we ended up getting a LX- which later got traded in for a RX..i have 2 kids 6-7 year old and we all love the LS460; mostly because no car even SUV can match it with how comfy it is. The kids are usually asleep after like 30 mins- its big enough for car seats and have large enough trunk for kids stuff.

so my vote is for LS460- skip the MDX its just more nosier and bumpier!

SW17LS

I love my LS, but with young kids space wins over everything lol

k311in

iTrader: (4)

I have 3 car seats in the back of my car. Thankfully it's a L model so all 3 kids are pretty comfy.