Used 2015 Acura MDX SH-AWD 4dr SUV AWD w/Technology Package (3.5L 6cyl 6A) Consumer Reviews
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Looking for Luxury, just can't find it in the MDX.
Gordon F, Forest Hills, NY, 02/11/2017
Acura MDX SH-AWD 4dr SUV AWD w/Technology Package (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
39 of 44 people found this review helpful
We chose the Acura MDX based largely on positive online reviews from car journals and magazines. I suppose we should've read actual owner reviews. The model appealed to us largely due to its advertised "luxury", and its size (with third-row seating) was a good match for our family of five. At $50,400, our SH-AWD model with Tech Package was certainly priced in the premium segment over the Honda Pilot on which it's based on. Unfortunately, as time went on, we grew to like the vehicle less and less. Amongst our major complains are the lack of luxury. This car simply does not feel luxurious. The windows (all four of them), when lowered even slightly, rattle uncontrollably. There is literally a half-inch of play. Acura dealer says this is normal. We don't think it is. The rattle is not only VERY audible and annoying, but it doesn't befit a $50k luxury SUV. Second, the overall interior feels cheap. Many parts are not aligned correctly, the materials feel like they were made by the lowest bidder. For example, our steering column cover has a huge gap in it. The pieces were clearly not correctly attached at the factory. When I brought this up with the dealer, he blamed me for breaking them and quoted me a price to replace it. Which brings me to my other major disappointment. Service. They do not treat their customers like valued luxury-brand car owners. They're more interested in constantly selling their high-margin services (ATF Fluid change, cabin filter, etc.), rather than addressing known issues. Our local Acura dealer is consistently cold-calling us, trying to sell us "specials". All this, despite the fact that Acura corporate tells me I do not need any service that is not displayed on the dash board. We're not due for an ATF Fluid change until 20k-40k miles. Our dealer said it was dirty and had to be changed at just 8k miles! The power liftgate has been to service three times now. Each time they claim to fix it, it breaks a day later. I don't even bother taking it in anymore. But reliability isn't a major issue for us. The car has been relatively low-maintenance. It's the little things that ultimately add-up to a less-than expected experience. The infotainment system for example. I'd expect it to be a little better. We own a 2015 VW GTI (for which we paid roughly half the price - $25k), yet the infotainment has a beautiful, fluid interface. It's fast, responsive, and does what you need it to do. The infotainment on our Acura MDX has an interface as if it were designed by a first-year graphic design student. They really aimed for the bare minimum. It's also slow and unresponsive. Changing functions or settings often results in a 2-3 second lag. Why not use an updated processor? The premium ELS Audio (as Acura calls it), is also, sadly, a joke. It simply sounds horrible. I don't have many cars to compare it to other than our 2015 VW GTI, whose premium "Fender" audio system is simply generations ahead of the one in our MDX. We're frankly just not that impressed at this, supposedly "luxurious" vehicle. It feels anything but, with a lot of the interior pieces feeling loose, being misaligned, and a the rattling windows and doors feel like they'll fall apart. I was quite optimistic about the vehicle when we first leased it, but over the past two years I've grown to really dislike it. We can't wait for our lease to be up next year.
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7 months into MDX AWD w/ tech - Using everything
Christopher, 08/26/2015
Acura MDX SH-AWD 4dr SUV AWD w/Technology Package (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
My first MDX. Owned a TL and a TSX so familiar with the Acura style. Overall - great SUV. The most striking thing you will notice 1st is the ride. Here in N. Texas, very bumpy riding on hard concrete roads that heat crack and leave you wishing for quite & smooth blacktop. The MDX performs extremely well taking a lot of the smashing right out of the ride. The leather on the seats is the softest I've ever encountered. Handling is great with the AWD. Engine power is throaty and responsive. For improvements, the NAV is crazy. Found the best way is to just type in the address (good display for such). Trying to use the voice recognition for NAV is just stupid. You say, "Dallas, TX" and it says "Ft. Lauderdale, FL." Whatever. Also stupid is that the NAV system locks (most features) while driving. Come on! Hey Acura, there is a passenger who can NAV while driving! Any new car with a lot of features will eventually make you reach to understand the system instead of being intuitive. The NAV takes time. Once you have the address in, the NAV works great. Storage is good so long as the 3rd seats are not used. Using the seats leaves you with a small space left. Also, these 3rd-row seats are kid seats as grown ups will have a difficult time getting to them and being comfortable. I've had luck with the quality- no issues. Got a recall notice for the bolt on the compressor for AC. Easy fix they say. Dealership experience is great. Give you a free Acura loaner if your request. This is my wife's car and she loves it for herself and our daughter. In fact, my daughter always wants to take the MDX over my car.
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2015 Acura MDX for sale near you
3 of 16 listings
- Base 4dr SUVMSRP: $10,991174 mi away
- SH-AWD 4dr SUV w/Technology PackageMSRP: $12,995118 mi away
- SH-AWD 4dr SUV w/Technology and Entertainment PackagesMSRP: N/A147 mi away
See all 16 listings
Huge disappointment!
CORunner, Las Vegas, NV, 08/13/2015
Acura MDX SH-AWD 4dr SUV AWD w/Technology Package (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
30 of 34 people found this review helpful
I have owned my 2015 MDX for about 8 months so far. I have tried to love it, or even like it, but I cannot. I traded in my 2008 MDX after six years of loyal service to “upgrade” to the new model. That was a big mistake. The 2008 MDX was a great car and I loved it from the day that I bought it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good at almost everything. The 2015 was a hassle starting on the day I drove it home. It was raining really hard outside, so we did most of the deal looking at the showroom floor model. My mistake. The salesman informed me that all models had parking sensors, fog lights, and Michelin tires and I assumed that he was correct. In fact, he had lied about all three… I got the dealership to agree to swap my tires to Michelins for free (they only come on the top of the line model now). The fog lights and parking sensors were something I should have checked, so I decided to pay for the upgrades myself. Buyer beware. The fog lights went in without issue, but the parking sensors were a joke. When you upgrade, you can only get rear sensors, not front, and they are not the same sensors that are used on the top model. My installed sensors were not flush with the bumper and they did not work. I had to back almost completely into a brick wall to make them start beeping. So a 50% success rate for dealer installed options. Not impressed. Why Acura would dream of building a $50,000 CUV, make it longer, and not include parking sensors as standard is beyond me! The changes from the 2008 to the 2015, or rather the 2nd generation MDX to the 3rd, were largely not improvements. The power to weight ratio is better on the new car, but acceleration feels anemic in comparison. The suspension is absolutely awful. I had the electromagnetic dampers on my 2008 and it was impressive in the corners! The new model feels far less confident when pushed and my front dampers have developed a constant squeak that causes pedestrians to watch my car as I drive past. The stereo in the old MDX was one of my favorite features and somehow they managed to ruin that on the new model as well. The bass response is weak at best. The touch screen controls are simply awful and make things like adjusting the fan speed for the climate control dangerous while driving. The safety features, like lane departure warning was such a nuisance that I had to disable it. The forward collision warning is dangerous. Mine would go off randomly when I wasn’t near another car! The last thing I want is for my car to slam on the brakes and cause an accident that otherwise would not happen. I spoke with the dealership about the function and was informed that sometimes metal manhole covers or expansion joints will cause the system to produce a false positive. Another safety feature that I had to disable. The materials used inside look and feel cheap. I have a black interior and much of the plastic actually appears to be dark brown. I have had people ask me about it as soon as they get into the car for the first time, so it is noticeable. Finally, the redesign has lowered the height of the vehicle, so while there is a slight increase in cargo space, I’m finding it to be less useable. Oh, I just received my first recall notice… Acura North America has been useless. To be fair, there are a few minor improvements. The cabin is generally much quieter, the LED headlights are great, and the gas mileage is better. I was previously getting 14-16 mpg city / 20-22 mpg highway and I am now seeing 19-21 city and 26-28 highway. If I could go back and undo this deal, I would! My 2008 MDX was superior in almost every way. Build quality has seriously gone downhill. I'm not sure if it's just with the introduction of the 3rd gen MDX or if it's also the assembly line moving from Canada to Alabama. If you are seriously considering a new MDX, I suggest that you take your money elsewhere. I wish I had.
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GPS and Bluetooth are unsable- get a base model
jesseg2, Racine, WI, 06/14/2015
updated 12/19/2018
Acura MDX SH-AWD 4dr SUV AWD w/Technology Package (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
24 of 27 people found this review helpful
I have had my tech package MDX for over 6 months now and can confidently say that a $100 tomtom GPS beats the in-dash hands down. Boot time takes about 60 seconds. Sluggish input. Passenger cannot input an address while moving. score 0 of 10. The Bluetooth phone is horrible. People ask if I have the windows down or if they are on speaker phone. My $100 Plantronics voyager works perfectly. Also can't press any digits on touchscreen when vehicle is moving. But can use the iPhone to press # for conference calls, etc. 0/10 Save your money and get the base MDX. I do love the ride and 28mpg highway that I average. Probably the most comfortable front seats on any SUV out there. 10/10 After owning for 3 years, not a single issue and they treat me well at Acura of Troy. 10/10
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Forever an Acura Guy
robfrommass, Watertown, MA, 02/26/2015
updated 02/27/2018
Acura MDX SH-AWD 4dr SUV AWD w/Technology Package (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
18 of 20 people found this review helpful
Traded in my 04 Acura MDX for a 2014 Chevy Traverse, worst move ever. Bought a 2015 MDX Tech and love it. Much easier to see out of, handles like a car, plenty of power and shifts smoothly with the six speed auto. Dual screen can be a little overwhelming at first but once you get the hang of the redundant controls it is actually quite easy to operate with little distraction. LED headlights are second to none. No need to even remove the remote from your pocket, everything is operated through proximity sensors. Third row one touch entry is as easy as it gets. Interior build quality is high but there are a few little flaws. I'm 73" and wish the drivers seat went back one or two more inches. Update: Vehicle is now at 47,000 miles. Needed power tilt steering wheel assenbly replaced under warranty as the electric motors had become very loud. No other repairs needed beyond routine maintenance as of today. There are a few rattles coming from windows when partially open and from the door trim that I wouldn't expect from a luxury brand like Acura, just cheapens the feel of the vehicle. Overall, vehicle has been very reliable and I am still happy with the purchase.
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