Anybody here trade an MDX or Pilot for an LR3?

[24Hours]

WAAAAY too many soccer moms driving MDX's for me.

No doubt. The fattie next door carts her brats around in an MDX, which seems to be the official SUV of Westchester, NY. But there are certainly quite a few bumping around town so they must be nice.

 

[frugger]

Great thread.

I had a BMW X5 3.0 that was coming off lease and wanted to replace it with something that had a 3rd row that I could use to haul my dogs. I wanted to get the LR3 but they hadn't come out yet. Wife had also just gotten the new TL and I really liked the XM Radio and Bluetooth connectivity and decided that if Acura added those to the MDX then I would get that. Acura did and I leased my 2005 MDX in Oct 2004. Now I'm getting someone else to take over the lease and going back to the LR3.

The MDX is a nice SUV with cool technology, but it feels rather cheap in fit and finish. Drove the LR3 this weekend and it's quieter, feels more sturdy and doesn't rattle as much as the MDX does. Good example is on the X5 and LR3 the dash isn't made of hard shell plastic like the MDX (which scratches easily) but a spongy rubber like material.

Just my $.02

 

[PaulLR3]

That's funny...we liked our '04 MDX so I bought an '04 TL. Looked good on paper, the test drive was fun and it had lots of features at a great price. In actual ownership, it felt cheap compared to previous Audis, had many many rattles (that the dealer refused to acknowledge or correct), the leather on the seats stretched and wrinkled, paint chipped off the hood at a record pace and paint peeled off the rear bumper where it met the tailights. After 18 months with the TL I'm now back in a 3.2 6MT A4 and loving it. No more Honda/Acura products for me.

 

[frugger]

I've got the stretch & wrinkle on my leather seats as well. Seems to me that only Toyota/Lexus and Nissan/Infiniti have gotten their mainstream & luxury product lines sufficiently separated from a quality and materials stand point to justify the added cost. Unfortunately an Acura really does feel just like a Honda, but with a longer warranty and better gadgets (you'll only ever see Bluetooth on Acura and not Honda as per a Honda salesman).

 

[xcursion]

I tend to think the MDX and LR3 are very different cars. The MDX (and Lexus RX, BMW X5) type of cars are more of a luxury stationwagon than a 4x4. They are based on a heighten chasis of a passenger car so they have a comfortable and smooth ride and even with a sporty feel. And they are design for mostly on-road use with limited off-road ability. But for a real 4x4 with people carrying ability, space, ultility, LR3 is a much better choice.