I had a test drive of the 2014 RDX and 2014 MDX this Saturday. My background, I drive around 25k miles annually for my Consulting work manly on freeways and go to isolated areas of the state where snow can remain on the road without cleaning when it is very windy. I am replacing a 2007 CRV EXL With 180k miles on the odometer, and not a single breakdown. Wife drives a 2013 Lexus 350 RX. I am highly unimpressed with the Lexus service interval of 5k compared to my 10-12k for my CRV. SO Lexus was out. I have strong preference for Honda due to low maintenance and high reliability. Replacing CRV, because during winter under high winds, the CRV becomes "lighter" due to wind lift and can under certain conditions become highly burner able to skidding. So here is my report of the test drives:
2014 RDX tech with AWD. absolutely did not feel as luxury. View from the cabin was excellent due to the engine hood tapering down. Cornering was very disappointing. Was disappointed to know Bluetooth only supports Blackberry for SMS. BB had a January 14 US market share of 3.41%, less than even windows phone. RDX is out of my consideration.
Then did a test drive of 2014 MDX SH AWD Advance. Handling was superb, especially cornering. The lane assist and adaptive cruise control were very impressive. Something essential to me on long drives when driving alone. This could be life saver optional items for me. I did not like the raised hood, that reduced visibility. With no kids at home, the 2k entertainment system and rare heated seats and huge cargo is a waste. What I could have liked would have been the RDX with these options. My Garmin GPs has lane assist and shows speed of every road in the US. Was disappointed that the Acura navigation does none of these! Why don't car companies parter with Garmin? The ideal would be to allow me to project my ipad through a HDMI cable, like I do on my treadmill at home and watch netflix, and this would even work for google navigation.
For now, I liked the 2014 MDX advance, but will wait and see the 2015 model and keep my search on. Plan to try out BMW etc. I am not much sensitive to price at this point in my life. Prefer a non flashy luxury vehicle for safety and comfort.
Any advice?
2014 RDX tech with AWD. absolutely did not feel as luxury. View from the cabin was excellent due to the engine hood tapering down. Cornering was very disappointing. Was disappointed to know Bluetooth only supports Blackberry for SMS. BB had a January 14 US market share of 3.41%, less than even windows phone. RDX is out of my consideration.
Then did a test drive of 2014 MDX SH AWD Advance. Handling was superb, especially cornering. The lane assist and adaptive cruise control were very impressive. Something essential to me on long drives when driving alone. This could be life saver optional items for me. I did not like the raised hood, that reduced visibility. With no kids at home, the 2k entertainment system and rare heated seats and huge cargo is a waste. What I could have liked would have been the RDX with these options. My Garmin GPs has lane assist and shows speed of every road in the US. Was disappointed that the Acura navigation does none of these! Why don't car companies parter with Garmin? The ideal would be to allow me to project my ipad through a HDMI cable, like I do on my treadmill at home and watch netflix, and this would even work for google navigation.
For now, I liked the 2014 MDX advance, but will wait and see the 2015 model and keep my search on. Plan to try out BMW etc. I am not much sensitive to price at this point in my life. Prefer a non flashy luxury vehicle for safety and comfort.
Any advice?