I8ABMR

honestly I would say just get the new one. IMHO its the best SUV on the road for under 60k hands down

UDel

It is almost impossible to find a luxury SUV with the size, features, seating, performance like a MDX for less money. The comparable German SUV's are going to cost a good deal more and you will have to worry about reliability and expensive maintenance if kept past warranty. You can try a Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander but they won't have the features like active cruise control and some other newer features and luxury the MDX has. I would check out the Lexus RX and Infiniti JX if you are interested in reliability, lower price, luxury, and lower cost maintenance, the JX is a good deal slower and one of the reviews of its active cruise control was not so great. Loading up a RX-h awd is going to come close or be around 58K too.

http://www.edmunds.com/infiniti/jx/2...html.html.html

You may also want to check out a Buick Enclave though I don't think it has active cruise control and other new features the MDX has nor is it going to hold its value as well.

The best advice I can give if you and your wife want a MDX but don't want to pay 58K is to shop around dealerships for a little while to see if you can get a better deal, you might have to wait a few months for better deals or wait for a slightly used one to come up for sale for a few thousand less.

rai

Do you all recommend to avoid German cars such as BMW and Audi if we are against extended repair shop visits if we plan on driving past 130k miles or is that just a bad stereotype?

My friend has an old X5 which he loves, but at 100k + miles it is in the shop more often than out of the shop.

I don't know if that is a thing of the past or still true?

UDel

It is still true unfortunately though not as bad as it used to be, Mercedes has made some pretty good strides in reliability over the past few years but German cars are still in most cases much more expensive to fix/maintain compared to Japanese cars and have more problems. Porsche 911's are pretty good reliability wise but when something goes wrong it can be extremely expensive, maintenance is expensive too.

LexFather

German reliability has gotten much better and in many cases Japanese reliability has declined or is so-so, especially a non Lexus. The previous X5 wasn't great for reliability compared to some other German cars If you are going to stay with the vehicle about 3-4 years and not top out 50k miles, then a BMW is very attractive to lease and you can get many more features not even offered on a MDX for possibly the same payment. If you do plan to drive it past 100k miles, well then yes I think going Japanese would be best in regards to reliability and familiarity with the MDX would be the safe bet.

People's definition of luxury is different. Cheap leather and fake wood isn't exactly luxurious to some. A BMW X5 on the other hand, especially looking at the new interior and features, really shows what luxury is about.



Mind you the X5 exterior is also a safe update but the interior seems to be amazing. I simply do not see getting less for less as a value, it is a lesser product.

Not sure what is luxurious about this, seems like a step down from the previous model.

bagwell

BMW interiors have always been a low point (boring), the center stack is nice but the gauge cluster is vintage 1982 IMO.


OP - like Blueprint said, if you're gonna keep it a long time (note - a long time for a BMW is past the 4yr/50K warranty) stick with the RX or MDX.
Even if you get a CPO'd X5, warranty is only good for 6yr/100K

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

This view/angle looks like Acura is bringing the bench seat back

hypervish

Lexus RX, best selling luxury crossover for years... Need I say more!

tex2670

If you would prefer to spend less, then aren't your choices really limited to the MDX, RX, JX or SRX (or not get one fully loaded)? Unless you wanted to move a class down, to say a Q5 or RDX?

NYKnick101

My friends mom had a MDX and it became too expensive over time even though it was pretty reliable. Switched over to the toyota venzia and suprisingly is a really great car. Comfort and power is what I think top of the line so its worth a look. and it looks pretty sweet imp.

I

Outrage

Remember to factor in an additional $1,450 if you want to upgrade the vinyl seats in an X5 to actual leather.

clickart

I'm in the same situation and considering the 2014 lexus Gx 460 or the new mdx. But I can't convince myself paying 60k for an acura.

<VENOM>

GX is a truck, if you like driving trucks go with it, other wise the MDX is much more everyday friendly, 60k is the new 45k,

swajames

Yep, you're not going to get anything that's comparably equipped and noticeably better than the MDX without dropping significantly more cash.

Yanz

Haven't seen anyone mention this, but if fuel economy is a concern, MB GLK250 bluetec is a good choice. It's new for the US, but been out in Europe for a few years. Mechanical reliability should be fine.

I'm not the biggest fan of the looks, but you can get it quite fully loaded for ~52k MSRP (you can probably get 2-3k off MSRP). New 2014 models also have the 360 camera, which I don't think the MDX has.

Also, QX70 is nice, less storage room and gas mileage not going to be that great. Has all the features available besides blind spot assist. Infiniti usually discounts well, I think at least 5k off QX70, so that will bring you down to 50k or a hair under for well equipped model. You could probably get more off if you find a FX37. I don't think there were any major changes this year.

QX60 looks like a great package feature-wise, but it has a CVT for its transmission, personally not a fan.