frank69m

Well. Here is my take since I have both. It really depends on your needs and how you will use it.

GX:
Pros: Feels safe, quite, comfy, good view of the road, surprisingly stable for a tall vehicle, fit and finish
Cons: rear swing door, acceleration

Cayenne:
Pros: Solid feel, acceleration, handling, fit and finish, felt like a big sports car
Cons: Rear cargo isn't as big as you think, not sure about long term reliability, $$$$ trying to spec out a fully loaded one, from the rear looks like a Mazda cx9

frank69m

my big deal with the MDX ...esp your new 2014 is...too large..I saw it on the road and it is huge (the new one), wide and low. It is more like looking at an Acura mini van if you ask me.


Just my opinion :-)

Not only that, but there is an MDX in every soccer mom's garage

patgilm

I asked my wife about the MDX and it wasn't even a consideration for her, she just doesn't like the looks (both interior and exterior) and even though the GX isn't much of a looker it still has some ruggedness to it. We also see MDX's everywhere. The MDX is a great vehicle though, it drives and handles great, its quick, has great technology, lights are cool and it has more cargo room. The AWD system in the MDX is second to none and does great in bad weather and you can usually get great deals on them since they are a volume SUV for Acura. I am surprised with the '14 that they didn't really change the exterior much, it still looks the same even though it is "extremely new."

frank69m

Patgilm, the new one is HUGE. You can look at the stats. I saw one on the road the other day on the freeway and as I was coming up on it, I thought it was a new Acura minivan, then I noticed it was the new MDX. Cool LEDs, but the looks are not for me. Plus, its pretty low.

Quadro

I think some people here (and in the LX section) will rarely venture off-road but like knowing that they can go on that trail during the weekend in some national park if they want.

Of course the value of anything is in the eyes of the beholder. I for one certainly like knowing that I'm driving a vehicle with these capabilities while others see them as nothing but useless weight and $$$ adders.

I guess in some places middle east where Land Cruiser and Prado are sold to perform military duty being stranded in the middle of nowhere could be a difference between life and death. Maybe that's why these vehicles are so reliable and dependable.

Quadro

You meant on pavement? The system in MDX has absolutely nothing going for it in off-road.

patgilm

I haven't seen one yet on the road so I will have to keep looking out for one, I'm sure a ton will be around me shortly.

Yes on pavement. Obviously AWD is not the same as 4WD but as far as AWD systems Acura has a very good one.

SpokeBroke

These trucks are prized for their durability and reliability in many areas of the world. I used to do a lot of business in Iceland, and a big pastime with many of my contractor friends there were trips into the interior with their four wheel drives. There are many different, very capable 4 wheelers there, because of the remote outback and extreme conditions. It did seem that the Prado / Landcruisers where the gold standard. This is what the GX is, although with a lot of bells and whistles. We had a lot of fun fording streams and crawling up and down crazy slopes to glaciers, etc. Here is one particular Prado a friend had that made me think - I need one of these!
By the way - That is geothermal steam you see coming out of the ground!

patgilm

I notice that a lot of reviewers and people on here complain about the rear swing door. I can honestly say that this doesn't bother me one bit. I don't reverse park with another car behind me so I have never had an issue with the rear swing door. Would it be nice to have a power lift gate, sure it would but for a short person like my wife the swing door actually works better for her. I also hear a lot of people complain about the side it swings to and this also doesn't bother me and when I am driving I can just walk to the back and the handle is right there on the driver's side. I have had a GX for 6 years and this never bothered me. Other things yes, but not this one.

Does anyone know the reason they put a rear swing door on the GX? Just curious.

Koz

I would think Lexus used the KISS design when deciding what type of manual rear door to use.

I came from a lift gate SUV (4Runner) and thought I would miss it but within a short time I found myself really preferring the barn door better. It is just easier to use. Pulling a lift gate down is a real PITA especially for my 5'3" wife. Also the locking door damper works very well. You can just shove to door open and the damper allows the door open really smooth and it reaches the stop nice and soft.

I now prefer a barn style door over a manual lift gate, but a power lift gate would be nice.

Koz

SaniDel

I too have gotten used to the rear swing door, but I would love a split gate like on the LX.

There's a good reason why the rear swing door is hinged on the right. Consider a parking lot with angled parking spaces, i.e., somewhere between parking parallel to the curb or perpendicular to the curb. A right hinged rear door protrudes less into the traffic path than one hinged on the left.

We are seriously considering moving ... for many reasons, but one important reason is that the garage is longer (front to back) which would allow the rear-hinged door to be fully open with the vehicle in the garage and the garage door closed. That would be quite a luxury compared with having to load and unload the GX on the driveway!
Regards,

SaniDel

Quadro

I would say the most likely reason the door swings to the right is because the stuff has been designed in Japan where the traffic moves in the opposite direction. At least that's what I'm thinking.

SaniDel

That's likely the correct answer, but a right-swinging door works better for all the reasons we have discussed. Do we have any pictures of the GX/Prado in the UK, Japan or Australia to confirm that all markets get right-swinging doors?
Regards,

SaniDel

Quadro

Yes, the Prado 150/GX doors are swinging to the right side on all vehicles sold worldwide. It was the same case with Prado 120/GX470. I guess it's deemed a small enough issue by Toyota/Lexus not to worth designing different set of parts.

92 SC400

So we visited some dealer on Sunday - a little late in the evening so they were either closed or closing so we did not test drive anything. We looked at the GX a little more closely and that rear swinging door would take some getting use to. My wife sat in it and didn't think it felt like a big vehicle; not sure what to make of that comment, but OK... From there we went to the Porsche dealer to look at the Cayennes some more and she got side tracked by a 2014 Cayman. Beautiful car and priced comparably to a Cayenne, so she had to ask "do we really need an SUV right now?" It's a rhetorical question as we don't really need it, but at the same time, we weren't really in the market for another 2 seater... haha

As for the X5, at this point I think she wants to wait and see what the F15 will look like in person - if we don't buy something else before that time.

Lastly, we stopped by a Toyota dealer and thought we'd have a look at the Sequoia. They had some parked right next 4Runners and she actually liked the looks of the 4Runner. That could, however, just be relative to what was surrounding it (Sequoias and Highlanders). Well optioned Limited models look to MSRP around $46k, which is close to $15k less than a comparable GX and $20k+ less than a Cayenne. Dimensionally, it appears to be very similar to the GX BUT it only has a v6; I imagine if the GX is considered slow, the 4Runner must be a slug!

The wife suggested maybe we buy a 4Runner and then think about leasing a Cayman - yes, she gets creative ideas from time-to-time, but I don't think that is a good route to go...! haha

Anyway, we'll probably spend some time at the dealers this weekend, during normal business hours...