My Wife Wants an MDX
 

My wife wants an MDX. She's primarily interested in safety features and reliability. The safety features that she wants in particular are:

-Blindspot Information System (the thing that lights up and chimes if someone is in your blindspot
-Rear Cross Traffic Monitor (when you're backing out of a parking spot, it uses magic to tell if cars are approaching from either side so you don't pull out in front of them)
-Forward Collision Assist (it beeps to let you know you're about to rear-end someone)
-Collision Mitigation Braking Assistance (if you get too close to something it will partially brake for you)

Those features all represent scenarios she's concerned about. She didn't start driving until she got out of law school and moved to Texas, so she's relatively new at it. She is an incredibly cautious and safe driver, but her big concern is that one day she'll look over her shoulder to change lanes only to find that the car in front of her slowed dramatically and now she's going to rear-end that car. She also gets uncomfortable backing out of parking spots. This, I'd say, is largely due to the fact that people haul ass in parking lots in our town.

Now, she'd also like to have other features such as the one that tells you if you're veering out of your lane, a backup camera, and the audible beeps that tell you when you're about to back over something. Further, all the airbags are important, but they come on most cars these days.



All that said, here're my questions:

This thing is freaking expensive. Is there anything else that foots the bill in terms of reliability and safety while not being quite so expensive?
It's my understanding that all of these features are only available on the 2014 or newer MDX. I would love to just buy a used one with 40k miles and save a bunch of money, but the last gen doesn't have all the safety doodads.

Also, it's my understanding that the '14 and newer MDX is one of the most in-demand vehicles on the market right now. It appears that it's a sellers' market. Dealers aren't budging on price. You maybe save a few grand by buying a 2014 with 20k miles, so you might as well buy used. Does that sound about right?

I'm not opposed to the RDX. In fact, I like smaller vehicles, and we have no need for the third row of seats in the MDX. But I think that the RDX package that will get us most of the safety features (maybe not even all of the safety features) winds up being almost as expensive as the MDX. Hell, you have to go to about $47k on the MDX to get all the safety features, as the lower-end MDXs conveniently leave those features off.

Thoughts?

I don't have a lot of insight into this market segment but I do like what Mazda is doing. Maybe check out the CX-9 (looks like it offers most of those features)? Also, I know Subaru has gotten a lot of acclaim for their "eyesight" system so probably throw the Outback on the list as well?

My wife got a new MDX in 01 when they first came out. She loved it and put over 150,000 miles on it. I drove it quite a but and had nothing but good things to say about it, comfortable ride, well appointed interior, quiet, handled well, reliable, good looking. She traded it in for a new 15 RDX, which is a little smaller, a few months ago. You can't go wrong with either an MDX or a RDX.:thumbup:

New Pilot should have the full suite and be cheaper. It's also bigger, though, and not quite as powerful. Getting rave reviews right now, though, as it's supposedly a clear class leader/winner (MT, especially, thought it was a "walk-off home run")...

I was going to say the same thing. In fact, based on the pictures and specs I've seen, it may hurt MDX sales.



I have a 1st gen RDX. Doesn't have the safety features she's wanting, but dang, it's a fun drive for an SUV.

The new 16 revamped RDX is now hitting dealerships. They offer all the same features as an MDX at a cheaper price point and still with V6 power. Plus it's pretty handsome looking.

I have a 15 MDX that has almost all those features. I have the SH AWD tech package but the brake assist and lane control only come in the Advanced package.

We got it since we had a baby and needed to lug a lot stuff around. Tech AWD was about 47k I think. Advanced was another 7-8k or something if I remember correctly.

From reading all the changes to the 2016 Pilot it really looks like they took almost all the features out of the MDX and put it in there plus some extra and at a lower cost. I don't like how it looks as much and I'm sure interior materials will be a little lower but you get a lot for the money with the new Pilot it looks like.
I drove the RDX before buying the MDX and really didn't like it. In comparison it just felt cheap and not nearly as sturdy.

The SH AWD system makes a big difference with how the car drives.

That's a lot of cash to make up for inexperience. If it were my wife, I would have her keep driving what she is driving a while longer until her comfort level is where it needs to be so that all that stuff is not as important. You worst case scenario is you spend a pantload of money, and with a low level of experience she makes a mistakes and smashes it anyway.

I prefer a safe smashable beater to an expensive one with some nannies you hope will save you from a mistake. Forbid the cell phone in the car and she should be fine. I still don't own one of those things and I do just great. ;) When I am passing someone talking on one on the highway and I am on my motorcycle it gives me the heebies.

But also if it were my wife, her comfort level with stuff never changes so in ten years she would still want the safety nannies.

Good luck.

I think you can now add the Acura Watch Plus (or whatever it's called) and get almost all of all the safety doodads on the Tech package. But the lower packages still miss out on some stuff even with the Acura Watch Plus. I think that's right.

We have one and it's very good off road.

Has she had formal driver training from a school?