How's the power? In C&D's test of the current-gen Pilot, they said that a lack of power was a huge issue. My wife has a '16 Pilot, and it seems to have plenty of power to me. But the next gen added about 300 lbs, which can make a difference.
Photography Courtesy Acura
Love the idea of a Honda Pilot, but wish it was more luxurious and could be optioned with a turbocharged V6? Acura would like to have a word.
This week, July 14-19, is our very first Classic Motorsports Empire State Tour, a driving tour of New York’s Finger Lakes region. Acura politely offered to lend us a range-topping 2024 Acura MDX SH-AWD Type S with Advance Package to drive as a support vehicle for the week.
If you think there’s a lot going on with the MDX’s name, don’t worry, we’ll walk you through it.
Our MDX for the week is a Type S model, meaning it’s the most powerful version Acura will currently sell you. Under the hood is a twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 good for 355 horsepower and 354 lb.-ft. of torque. (A 3.5-liter V6 rated at 290 horsepower and 267 lb.-ft. of torque is also available on lower trims.)
SH-AWD simply stands for Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, Acura’s all-wheel-drive system that’s been in use for several years–at least in name.
As for the Advance Package, that means our MDX comes with some additional goodies like perforated leather seating, a heated steering wheel, an ELS Studio sound system with 25 speakers, a 10.5-inch heads-up display and a 360-degree exterior view.
All versions of the MDX equipped with SH-AWD–our MDX tester included–get a maximum towing capacity of 5000 pounds. (Front-wheel-drive MDX models, on the other hand, have a maximum towing capacity of 3500 pounds.)
Fuel economy for the MDX Type S is rated at 17 mpg city, 21 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined, with the MSRP starting at $68,450. Add on the Advance Package like our loaner, however, and that price tag jumps to $73,800.
Questions? Comments? Feel free to drop them below.
How's the power? In C&D's test of the current-gen Pilot, they said that a lack of power was a huge issue. My wife has a '16 Pilot, and it seems to have plenty of power to me. But the next gen added about 300 lbs, which can make a difference.
In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :
Personally it feels a little strained to me, but I haven't tried to go all-out in it yet.
Getting ready to do some parade laps at Watkins Glen International!
Whoops! That's me above, y'all. My phone logged into my old account.
I only drove the MDX around the block last night so I didn't get much for driving impressions but I do think it looks really good in person. I did ride in the third row to breakfast and I fit but I wouldn't say it's a good seat to be in for a long drive.
As the owner of a first generation, and second generation Honda Ridgeline, I was expecting the new MDX to feel rather familiar. I say this, as they have traditionally all been based on roughly the same chassis.
While the MDX has that same competence, good looks and clever Acura touches we expect, the infotainment system is maddening. Having driven Hondas as daily drivers for almost two decades, you would think I would feel right at home in the MDX. Instead of a touch screen, or analog scrolling arrows or even analog buttons and knobs, other than volume knob, the new MDX uses a maddening, ultra sensitive touch pad in the console, that is way to sensitive, takes your eye off the road, and in my opinion is idiotic and dangerous.
While I am looking forward to the release of the, soon to come, all-new Ridgeline if the infotainment system is the same as in this MDX, I might switch brands after twenty years of loyalty.
As for performance, the 3.0 liter engine and 10-speed transmission in the new Acura function smoothly enough. But with 355 horsepower, and a 0-60 time in the six second range, this is not class leading in the premium SUV market by any means. The chassis is competent enough, but in sport mode, it is certainly not sports car like in any way. A Porsche Cayenne handles better and does 0-60 mph in less than five seconds.
If you are wondering what my most recent point of reference is, my five year old Porsche Cayenne seems to do more with less, and is certainly more confidence inspiring, on the back roads we experienced this week on our Empire State Tour.
When reviewing the MDX, ingress and egress need to be considered as well. The front and rear seats are fine, but while I have not had time to measure it yet, my old Cayenne seems to have a bigger area in the back and has a larger tailgate opening. We struggled in the MDX, to open a standard size cooler in the back of the MDX so we could take drinks out of it.
Again, I am Honda fanatic, but when it comes to towing, the MDX tows 5000 pounds in AWD versions and 3500 pounds in FWD guise. The Cayenne, or the BMW X-5, for that matter, tow more than 2000 pounds more.
And you might be thinking a new Cayenne, or X-5, are way more expensive. The MDX equipped, as our was, sells for about $75,000 and the Cayenne starts at around $86,000. A BMW X-5 compares even more favorably price-wise to the Acura. And while I understand that Porsche nicks you for every option, if Acura wants to play in this near Porsche, or BMW X-5 arena, they may need to up their game a bit.
I have gotten some time behind the wheel in the MDX and I have to agree with most of what Tim said.
at first the infotainment system was a huge pain and I did not like it at all. I still don't like it but it makes sense once you figure out how it wants to be operated. The touch pad is tricky to get the hang of.
Thank you Acura for making the shifter easy to use. Buttons for all the gears, no weird slider thing. Over all it's a comfortable car with minimal road noise and enough power to get you along. Not super sporty but it has some pickup when you need it. 
I spent a lot of time swapping in and out of the driver's seat of the MDX with Tim this week, so our feelings about ingress and egress and the infotainment system are very much the same. The infotainment controls seemed particularly dangerous, as several times they worked so poorly that I found myself reaching to just use the inputs on my phone. Big user interface red flag.
To add more color to Tim's points, I was particularly frustrated by some of the features that were probably intended to be luxurious: the push-button trunk opening and the automatic seat movements.
Granted, I know this vehicle isn't meant to be the fast-paced workhorse we needed it to be as the lead car in a tour. But when I can't get in and out of a vehicle quickly, that's a problem to me. I needed to be able to open the trunk and grab an a-frame signboard out of it in a few seconds to let the cars following us on the tour know that this is the place to go, but I found myself over and over again tapping my foot waiting way too long for the trunk to open. Very. Slowly,
As a shorter person (my legs are about 2.5ft long), I also had an issue with the automatic power driver's seat. Every time you open the driver's door, the seat moves allllllll the way back to the default position. It does not stay in the position you set it to. This meant that every time I got out of the car, I would get back into a seat that was too far back for me to reach the pedals to, for instance, start the vehicle. And of course, once the vehicle was started I could then push the memory seat position button, but that also moved. So. Slowly.
All that said, for the long highway drive from Newark to Ithaca with only a couple of stops, it was perfectly comfortable. It drove fine. But for activities with lots of stops and starts and ins and outs, this vehicle would not be my first, second or third choice.
Displaying 1-8 of 8 commentsView all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
