2008 Acura MDX

We bought an Acura MDX in April 2008 to replace our 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. I had a lot of maintenance issues with the Jeep and its dealerships, and we only have one car that can hold the whole family, so my first priority was to find a reliable car that would need a minimum of repairs. Other requirements for our family include 4-wheel drive to visit my parents in the Sierras, and ability to carry 2 hockey bags and a stroller simultaneously, so we were pretty sure we wanted another SUV. We were interested in having a third row for occasional trips together when our relatives visit. We were mindful of fuel efficiency, and cost (relative to the features included).

We started with Consumer Reports, to make the initial cut based on reliability. That eliminated most American cars right away, or at least pushed them way down the list for us. Since we had a new baby, we also briefly considered the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey minivans. Ultimately, we decided that even though we almost never drive in the mud and snow, we wanted to be able to anyway, and focused on SUV's. Eventually we narrowed our preferences to the MDX, the Toyota Highlander, and the Honda Pilot, and we test drove those.

The primary intrigue for us with the Highlander was the hybrid option. We found that in general it was about $7k more than the non-hybrid version for about 25% savings in fuel efficiency. Assuming $3 per gallon and 12k miles a year we weren't sure it was worth it, especially considering the potential for more maintenance and battery disposal complications. Also, we didn't enjoy dealing with the salesmen at the nearest Toyota dealership.

The MDX was highly rated in both editorial and customer reviews, and we really liked it too in our test drive. My only reservations were that I'm not all that tall but the back seat's still uncomfortable, and the rear visibility in newer style SUV's is not as good as the old ones, because they are using more metal/less glass to improve strength in rollover and rear-end collisions.

The Pilot was interesting due to its 8-passenger capacity and lower cost. But the new model wasn't out yet, and it wasn't as nice a car as the MDX. My husband didn't even bother to test drive it. I did, and compared to the others it felt lightweight and stripped down.

In the end, comparing a non-hybrid but otherwise fully-featured Highlander or Pilot to the MDX, we felt the MDX had significantly better driving performance and creature comforts for not that much more cost, so we bought it. My husband found a forum on the Edmunds website that gave him a good idea of what to negotiate for a price, and for a trade-in value for the jeep. We opted to have a tow package and running boards installed.

I always loved my Jeep and really expected to miss it, but once I drove the MDX off the lot I have never looked back. I love everything about the car, and we also loved our salesman and have been very happy with the dealership so far. They are open on Saturdays, work quickly, and recently replaced a damaged tire for a very reasonable cost. I would definitely recommend the car to anyone looking for a similar vehicle.