Acura is in a demographic a bit higher that the KIA. $5K price premium. I would trust the Japanese manufactures over the Korean any day of the week. My brother and sister both have the Hyundai and KIA, they are very nice.. Ride very well. Well thought out.. The Acura looks way better

 

I like it. It has a "muscular" look to it.

 

I'm going to go out on a limb and say you have not been inside any of these vehicles, not a Telluride or Palisade or the new MDX, I have and I have driven them all. I stand by what I said, the top trim Palisade and Tellurides are nicer than the MDX, or worst case just as nice. The MDX is full of cheap plastic and cheap piano black plastic trim inside, its not luxurious.

The size difference is not small, its considerable. I believe the MDX has 10 inches less combined legroom than the Palisade and Telluride. Thats huge, and its the difference between being able to carry adults in the third row and not being able to do that, if you need to do that like I do, then you can't buy an MDX. If I didn't have to carry people in the third row I wouldn't buy any 3 row SUV.

Your issue here is 100% driven by brand. There is nothing luxurious about an Acura, its just a Honda with somewhat nicer trim. If we were talking about a Mercedes or a BMW that would be different, but there is no prestige in an Acura MDX. As for resale value, Palisades and Tellurides sell used for more than their new MSRP.

The CX90 looks awesome, but again it looks like there is going to be a big interior space penalty to pay and I just can't pay that penalty.

If the Telluride were not a "Kia" you would love it.

 

Wouldn't it make more sense to compare sales figures of the Palisade/Tellirude to the Honda pilot?

 

Probably but the discussion was about how the MDX compares to the Palisade/Telluride.

 

A Palisade starts at $35K whereas the MDX starts at $49K.. It would be obvious that the Hyundai would sell at higher volumes. The Pilot is around $40K because there is premium on Japanese brands over the Korean brands....

 

I'll agree that today's MDX is not that impressive, but, at one time, the MDX had a first-class interior, materials, and quality/solidness of assembly. And today's Telluride or Palisade, nice as they are, couldn't come anywhere near it.

 

Disagree on that! I have for some reason or another driven my in-laws' 2012 MDX for hours at a time. The acres of unconvincing fake wood, vinyl-like leather, nasty silver painted plastic trim, basic even for the time displays, and outdated infotainment systems (again even for the time) soured the mood. I will say it is put together extremely well though even if the Honda gear is readily on display. Overall that generation of MDX was great.

The Telluride/Palisade do a much more convincing job of being upmarket though imo.

 

The fact that the MDX is being compared to the Palisade and Telluride instead of the GV80 it's priced against is a perfect example of how weak it is as a competitor in its class. I'd say the only real saving grace it has is the air suspension, which may be more of a liability for some, and is only available on the top-of-the-line Type S.

I don't know if the CX-90 will be a better car than the MDX, but on paper it certainly has better bones.

 

From a price perspective sure, but the Palisade/Telluride punch above their weight class which is the point. Something like an MDX or QX60 even though they are more expensive really aren't any nicer...

That interior was full of hartd plastic and fake wood...nothing luxurious there either.

 

LOL. They punch their weight because they are cheaper to buy vs a MDX. And have a long warranty. And they are very well packaged and nicely equipped. That said, the Palisade is $15,000 cheaper for the starting price…if the base price was $15k more, people would not pay it. Both my sister and brother own one of each, they love them,,,but they also tell me it’s all about value

 

Of course its about value, the Palisade and Telluride aren't luxury branded models, Hyundai has Genesis to compete with luxury models. The point is you can buy a vehicle for $50,000 that is every bit as nice as a $60,000+ MDX or QX60.

And people are paying $10,000 markups on Tellurides and Palisades, meaning they are paying the same price as an MDX or QX60...

I am not kidding when I say I would absolutely choose a Telluride or Palisade over an MDX or QX60...its just a better family vehicle with more room.

 

People will not pay $50,000 MSRP for this…$34K interior. The issue is when you compare the sales figures of the Palisade to the MDX which a $15K difference. Does not make sense. Of course the Hyundai will sell better. It’s cheaper

cloth seats and FWD and all



Do it….I’d probably do the same. But I wouldn’t pay more than the current pricing. I’d rather have the Pilot but not the HL since they dropped the V6

 

Thats not what a $50,000 Palisade interior looks like.

 

you don’t get it. Someone brought up the sales figures of the Pallisade and the Kia, and compared it to a $15,000 more expensive vehicle. Make them the same price, and see how well they sell. A cheaper vehicle will sell better. And take away the longer warranty.