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Acura MDX in the snow?

gmcunni

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Have been looking for a used people mover that drives well in snow.. by people mover i'm talking about an SUV that can hold 8 passengers.

Found a used Acura MDX that is interesting. We had a Honda Pilot (cheap ver of MDX) in 2003-2005 and i was less than impressed with how it handled snow driving. Anyone drive a recent MDX and have an opinion on how it does in snow?

:snow:
 

gladerider

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don't know what year mdx you are looking at but my friend's 2009 is great in snow. i doubt 8 adults in that car though. my friend takes his mdx for weekend trips with us. his family of 4 with 2 kids and 2 adults needed a thule rack for his equipments. much smaller than my 2005 pilot. my pilot does great in snow. i drove through 6-12 inches of snow couple years ago going up to stowe no problem. i did have new michelin tires, though.
 

Glenn

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That would be tight squeeze. If you plan on hauling that many people, you'll probably want to look at something bigger...Suburban or Expedition.
 

gladerider

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i took 2008 expedition ext from LA to tahoe. what an awesome car.
 

Masskier

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Have been looking for a used people mover that drives well in snow.. by people mover i'm talking about an SUV that can hold 8 passengers.

Found a used Acura MDX that is interesting. We had a Honda Pilot (cheap ver of MDX) in 2003-2005 and i was less than impressed with how it handled snow driving. Anyone drive a recent MDX and have an opinion on how it does in snow?

:snow:

I have a 2008 MDX and it is a great ski car. However not for 8 passengers. If you are going to have that many all the time you should go with a full size SUV V's a Mid size. I think the MDX is the best value in the mid size category . Great performance, good gas miliage and good in the snow. I do put on 4 snow tires in the winter.
 

MommaBear

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I had my heart set on an Acura MDX but ended up with a Suburban. Neighbor has 2 - haven't seen her have any issues so far in the snow over the years. If I remember correctly, the MDXs we looked at (used but forget the years) had 3 rows of seats, but it was going to be a tight fit to fill them all. Our Suburban has the 3 rows (3, 2, 2) AND has a nice trunk space (skis/boards go on the rack up top, but everything else easily packs in the back).
 

Geoff

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I have a 2008 MDX and it is a great ski car. However not for 8 passengers. If you are going to have that many all the time you should go with a full size SUV V's a Mid size. I think the MDX is the best value in the mid size category . Great performance, good gas miliage and good in the snow. I do put on 4 snow tires in the winter.

The people I know who own them do the same. Like any 4,000+ pound midsize SUV, it's going to have marginal braking and cornering on a slippery surface with the stock tires.
 

playoutside

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Pilot is rated an 8 passenger, but the MDX is only 7. I drive a pilot which seats 6 adults comfortably using last row seats, but not with ski gear. There is really no storage left with that 3rd row open. The MDX is narrower in the back, so would be even worse. Agree the PIlot is not great in the snow...not bad, but not like a Suburban or Excursion.
 

gmcunni

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Pilot is rated an 8 passenger, but the MDX is only 7.

good example of what happens with assumptions and internet shopping. for some reason i had it in my head that, like the pilot, the MDX 3rd row sat 3 rather than 2.

guess the choice narrows further.

fwiw, family of 4 is most of usage. occationally 6 with equipment inside and just want/need 8 (4 adults / 4 kids) in rare situations where there will be little equipment or it will be in a box on top.
 

SKIQUATTRO

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i drove my partners expedition several times on long trips and found the seats were aweful, killed my back...coming from our volvo which as some of the most comfy seats in the industry
 

SKIQUATTRO

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GMC...I'm in a similar situation...we had the Nissan Armada which we LOVED, comfy, awesome in the snow, tons of cargo, but once we were putting in $100+/wk in gas we had to let her go....leased a Volvo XC70 wagon...clearly not enough room for a family of 4 even with a Thule box up top.....once lease is up we are looking at:

-GMC ACADIA
-MERCEDES R AND GL
-TAHOE/SUBURBAN
-YUKON
-ODYSEE

not many choices for the needs we have.....want the room of a full size but dont want the gas $$$$
 

wa-loaf

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GMC...I'm in a similar situation...we had the Nissan Armada which we LOVED, comfy, awesome in the snow, tons of cargo, but once we were putting in $100+/wk in gas we had to let her go....leased a Volvo XC70 wagon...clearly not enough room for a family of 4 even with a Thule box up top.....once lease is up we are looking at:

-GMC ACADIA
-MERCEDES R AND GL
-TAHOE/SUBURBAN
-YUKON
-ODYSEE

not many choices for the needs we have.....want the room of a full size but dont want the gas $$$$

Not an AWD Sierra? Seems like if you've got the Odyssey on the list, that should be included.
 

SKIQUATTRO

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Not a big fan of the styling on the Sienna, the Honda just looks more sporty....there is a stigma on the minivans, but man, are they functional.....we'll see, will all depend on what deals are to be had, may lease again or may buy..have to talk to the accountant...
 

gmcunni

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GMC...I'm in a similar situation...we had the Nissan Armada which we LOVED, comfy, awesome in the snow, tons of cargo, but once we were putting in $100+/wk in gas we had to let her go....leased a Volvo XC70 wagon...clearly not enough room for a family of 4 even with a Thule box up top.....once lease is up we are looking at:

-GMC ACADIA
-MERCEDES R AND GL
-TAHOE/SUBURBAN
-YUKON
-ODYSEE

not many choices for the needs we have.....want the room of a full size but dont want the gas $$$$

saw a lot of GMC ACADIAs on the road this past weekend. Will do a little research on that one.. i haven't had an American vehicle in 10+ years.
 

o3jeff

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saw a lot of GMC ACADIAs on the road this past weekend. Will do a little research on that one.. i haven't had an American vehicle in 10+ years.

I just bought a new Jeep last October and while American vehicles have come a long way, I still think the Japanese have the edge.
 

marcski

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Not a big fan of the styling on the Sienna, the Honda just looks more sporty....there is a stigma on the minivans, but man, are they functional.....we'll see, will all depend on what deals are to be had, may lease again or may buy..have to talk to the accountant...

Agreed about the functionality of a minivan. We were stuck up in Toronto for the holidays...after the guy tried to blow his balls off....that airport was a mess. We drove to Buffalo, to get a minivan. They gave us a Sienna. I have to say, that thing was huge..comfy and not bad to drive...and it wasn't even the awd. 6 hours and 15 mins with 2 stops from Buffalo Airport to Newark Airport. But I still wont' get a minivan. ;)

The Acadia does look real nice. Anyone with realtime Beta on it? My wife drives an MDX. Drives very nice...a little too stiff for me at this point. Man am I old. But very solid, reliable drive....haven't driven it in any real deep snow....but like others have commented, with the 3rd row up...there is barely any storage space left. If that's what you want, I think you need a full sized truck. But the Acadia does seem to be kind of in that in between size. I still think our Jeep GC was the best vehicle I've ever driven in the snow...esp with the Hubs locked.
 
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