Review: 2014 Acura MDX Tech Entertainment

Nice review!
This car checks all the boxes you could ask for in its segment for its price, except the exterior styling is a bit bland. Not that the competition is a bunch of lookers.

Auto is nice, but not my cup of tea. This is what I figure you get when you take a biologist who ended up working in the auto industry and cross bred their ideas. An ugly plain Jane of a bug eyed auto. Over all while fit and finish look to be as expected to a high level, their design language just does nothing for me both external and internal. Just Blah, no big deal and will be forgotten in a few years.

I wonder how much longer Acura can go on with that grille.

Until all the deli meat is gone.

Until all the deli meat is gone.

Boy that radiator will be one greasy nasty mess by the time all the meat is cut.

7 months into the design of the all new 2014 MDX, and we still cannot get enough of them to sell. It's a nonstop vehicle, period. The only ones that do not sell are those without navigation, so Acura is adjusting production to minimize those and focus on AWD Tech models, the top model.

It's an incredible crossover. No vehicle this size offers what it does, or is rated anywhere near to 27mpg with AWD...or actually get it, which this one does. It's fun to toss around and back in the summer, I clocked 31.4mpg in a 26 mile highway trek home.

Great car. And yes, what you see here and the good bits of the RLX will carry over into next models. I met the lead engineer of the MDX in June in Ohio R&D, and that was a telling time.

There are so many competitors, yet even this fall, we still had customers trading "newer" Infiniti's, Mercedes', BMW's, Audi's, etc on previous gen MDX's. The new one now tripled that.

Really out of touch with the market. One word, "Boring".

Caddy Cruiser, if you are constantly sold out, you should ask to have some transferred from the Seattle area. There are ton's on the lots and they do not sell that well. Then again, in a Hi Tech city, you see plenty of MB, BMW, Audi and Cadillac SUV's everywhere.

Caddy Cruiser, if you are constantly sold out, you should ask to have some transferred from the Seattle area. There are ton's on the lots and they do not sell that well. Then again, in a Hi Tech city, you see plenty of MB, BMW, Audi and Cadillac SUV's everywhere.

Not constantly sold out, but it's in batches everywhere. Sometimes you have them, then again you don't. Right now everyone mostly has a full inventory of AWD base models, but not Tech, Tech/Entertainment or Advance and those 3 are in constant demand.

Once you get a batch, the batch is gone pretty quickly, base models aside.

Thanks for the clarification, that blows is all the Acura CUV's sitting around here are just base models. I cannot think why in a High Tech City they would not have all the electronic options that most workers would want.

It's like the reverse problem of the original SRX... where Cadillac mainly pushed out high optioned V8 models but customers mostly wanted the V6.

Thanks for the clarification, that blows is all the Acura CUV's sitting around here are just base models. I cannot think why in a High Tech City they would not have all the electronic options that most workers would want.

Built a mix of all of them, but what's happened is 80% sold are Tech models. Production is adjusted, but you still have to sell all the AWD non-Tech models to earn more AWD, AWD Tech, etc.

Once they sell, you build more, and they sell as soon as they arrive. Thankfully Acura/Honda are quick at adjusting production. All things balance in time. Build a hot vehicle that doesn't need incentives to sell. Good move. Really, the only thing we've done from time to time is a special finance rate on base models. Otherwise, not necessary. That's how you keep resale and build value, without cash buckets and over produced inventory.

Are they still producing out of balance or is it adjusted now?

Are they still producing out of balance or is it adjusted now?

No, it was balanced pretty quickly. But as we were doing a split of all models before, and Tech's were selling nonstop as they arrived and continue to, most dealers still have more non-Tech base inventory from before.

Not as many bases will be produced, but we have to sell all the base models to earn more MDX's overall. Not really an issue.

The MDX without Tech still has more "tech" than it ever did before, and is incredibly well decked out for almost everyone. My mother used to her Terrain with Intellilink where she streams and plugs iPhone/iPod in anyway is a perfect example of who one would be perfect for.

On the opposite hand, the RDX that was new for 2013 continues to sell nonstop through today, however the "hot one" lately again is the AWD car without Tech. Different price level all together, and when you're in the mid $30k's there are so many small crossover choices, it's a no question choice to get the Acura vs. what else is out there.

It fluctuates back and forth. Probably in a few more months, we will move back to more Tech RDX's and more FWD models as well. I've sold a lot of FWD MDX's even in PA, by request, even with the recent weather. Makes sense when you consider, even if people don't realize, how large the volume of FWD large crossovers is vs. AWD, especially vehicles like the Lambda's and others.

Seen more of these floating around here lately....

And as quickly as things change...in the course of a week, now we're selling a LOT of AWD non-Technology models. There's no rhyme or reason, except people realizing how great of a vehicle it is for the dollar. There's no way shape or form I would buy or lease an Explorer, GM Lambda, Pilot, Infiniti, Nissan, etc. crossover against the new MDX and we see the comparisons daily.

Non-Tech, with the large screens, Bluetooth streaming, USB, Pandora, AHA Internet Radio, etc. I'm back to getting a lot of "that's all I need anyway, I use my phone for nav and that's rare as it is" comments.

Oddball? We've had a lot of people recently, "in between" ready to buy an MDX then for whatever bizarre reason debating a new Explorer. No comparison. Mostly lease customers too. That huge discount and Ford marketing draw attention. Then you drive the Explorer...or realize, as we just looked up, an example MDX has a 60%+ 3-year lease residual...the Explorer? 45%. At that rate, you better be getting a coupon for owning a horse, a discount card, a credit card, a dance, and a bag of money to make it cheaper.

Interesting stuff, what people compare and why.

Is that a real lease residual on the MDX or a subsidized one?

I could see myself leasing an Enclave if I were in that market, but none of the others you list. The Grand Cherokee is still the highest on my list.

Is that a real lease residual on the MDX or a subsidized one?

I could see myself leasing an Enclave if I were in that market, but none of the others you list. The Grand Cherokee is still the highest on my list.

That's a real residual. Acura's, especially the SUV's, hold incredible value and even with 60%+ residuals, every time they come in to be turned in we buy them out and there's equity. We don't do funny business of lease cash, cap cost mystery cash, etc. Not necessary if the car truly holds value.

egads! the acrua lease calculator seems to be a bit off. 36 month/12k lease $749 a month for a MXD-AWD with 10% down? A slightly higher MSRP Jeep GC is $220 a month less than that.

egads! the acrua lease calculator seems to be a bit off. 36 month/12k lease $749 a month for a MXD-AWD with 10% down? A slightly higher MSRP Jeep GC is $220 a month less than that.

The calculator is always off, I wish it would update to be closer to correct...but alas. That's why the national special programs are advertised and dealers can be emailed easily.

To give an example, the last MDX AWD lease I just did stretching a bit at a loss, with $2500 down and PA suburbs tax, 12k per year I made it $499 monthly with tax included and new license plates. No funny money, no incentives needed, and Acura Financial. At the end of 3 years after 12k, it's a 62% residual on that car.

Great stuff.