TunedRX300

Yes, I am sure you like RX the way it is. I respect individual experience. As for your example, I can also floor it making a right from a FWY exit with my 2000 FWD Acura TL, traveling 60mph without breaking a sweat. But those two wheels on the rear axel do not provide any torque from the engine, just being dragged on and let the suspension took the body lean.
MDX's superior SH-AWD is perhaps not needed by some, but that does not means others won't appreciate/use MDX's superior drive train technology. In fact, every time the SUV attacks a curvy road, turns a corner, drives on weather induced slippery surface, SH-AWD would have the performance and safety edge over the traditional AWD because its dynamic, fractional-of-a-second torque allocation. And RX350's inherited drive train from RX330 would not even qualify for a traditional AWD...

As for more objective tests, I would wait for slalom speed/time and skid pad of RX350 and Acura MDX. Edmund.com test already published 2007 MDX's skid pad result of 0.82g, which is very impressive for a 4 ton SUV with elevated ground clearance.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do.../pageId=105013
Let see what Edmund say about RX350...

Husker4the

Picture -- 2007 Acura MDX

Kan-O-Z

I can gaurantee that the MDX will be better on the skidpad. The main reason being the suspension tuning on the RX is much softer. The tires are probably narrower on the RX as well (I haven't looked it up but I am guessing). The AWD on the MDX while it may help is not the big skid pad number producer. The reason I say this is that some of the best handling cars in the world don't have AWD, they are either FWD or RWD. The Acura Integra Type R was a phenomenal handler, probably one of the best handling vehicles out there and was FWD. The main reason for this was the incredible chasis with all the bracing and great suspension tuning paired with good rubber. If you add some nice suspension to the RX and some good rubber the skidpad numbers will come up significantly.

Someone could argue that if you're going to do all that to an RX then you might as well get an SUV that handles well from the factory like the new MDX or Infiniti FX. Someone may also argue that why buy an SUV if handling is so much of a concern. Some may prefer the Lexus even though it doesn't produce the skidpad of the MDX...simply because it will ride so much better. You can't have the best of all worlds. If your SUV handles like a sports car, it will ride like one too. I feel the Lexus excels at what a crossover SUV was meant for. It has reasonably good handling and is an amazingly luxurious cruiser with lots of room.

Your example of a TL taking a turn going 60mph is not a good test. Take your TL and pull up to an intersection and come to a stop. Now take a right turn or left turn while flooring your car. See what happens The RX350 behaves very well in this scenario giving me the impression the AWD system is pretty good.

Kan-O-Z

TunedRX300

IMHO RX350 and MDX are good models, there is no right or wrong answer here, only personal choice.

Having said that, I believe SH-AWD is a power delievering mechanism that is one generation ahead of RX350. Handling is improved because it offers a dynamic torque distribution feature that helps handling AND providing power to wheels.
A smart drive train system provide active power by allocating torque accord to needs, that is something traditional suspension system can not do, it merely reacts to forces thrown at it. In SH-AWD case, in matter of msec to distribute large amount of torque (up to 70% to rear, up 100% of it to outside rear wheel), to improve both system and performance in all kinds of weather conditions. Based on professional test drive reviews, MDX's amazing handling performance is very much credited toward the SH-AWD.

I don't want to divert too much into an OT discussion about drive train, but to give some opposing facts about previous poster's comment that SH-AWD is a fancy display with no practical usage.

LexFather

LOL, 99.9% of these SUVs won't be at the Nurburgring or at a track here in America, let alone pushed. Not sure why so many are caught up in the "sport" hype.
Both are luxurious, reliable with decent room. Both have pros and cons. Both are near tops if not tops in class. Can't go wrong with either one.

I also do agree SH-AWD is very advanced (ridiculous name) and maybe the most advanced AWD system. It is very impressive. They still though have not put it in a vehicle truly worthy of exploiting its abilities. 300hp is 300hp on paper, the MDX and RL are pretty much midpack if not in the back when it comes to acceleration.

I can't wait to hopefully see SH-AWD in the next NSX, or a V-8 future Acura.

TunedRX300

The same can be said with almost everything in a SUV. Why need 270-300hp when 120 hp will be more than sufficient to move the whole family from point A to point B, if one could care less about taking half a minute to reach 60mph FWY speed. Why need leather seat when cloth is perfectly fine...the list goes on and on.
I don't believe Lexus can afford excluding performance from luxury, in fact, the market trend is top performance and safety features get included with the most luxurious SUV or sedan models.

LexFather

SUVs need 270-300hp to get out of their own heavy *** way! I think at some point, if sport is more the priority than utility, get the correct wagon. A 5 series or A6 or E wagon. Heck those wagons in many cases offer more utlity than a comparably priced SUV!

Lexus clearly knows what people wants, RX sales are over 100k every year with no one else even close. The older GX and LX are holding up well. Lexus clearly is tuned more luxury than utility (they even call them luxury utility vehicles on their website). Clearly utility and luxury are the priorites here in this market.

I commend sporty SUVs but I can't help but think they miss the entire point and really only give the owner a sporty "smugness" of ownership. All these ads with SUVs ripping up curves and raceways (even Lexus is guilty of this with the RX introduction) is ridiculous b/c only Lexmex and a couple other members here actually USE the sport.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Like mostly everything we discuss on CL. It is an image thing Heck, I too would rather drive a "Sporty" SUV than a sporty minivan or station wagon and I don't particularly care for SUV's. If I had to buy another SUV I'd probably get a more sporty one. Why? The SUV was already a compromise for me. My wife liked it and we needed more room than the BMW had due to our soon to have newborn. Up until then I was satisfied with the BMW and my 2 seater Acura It is very hard to go from good handling sedans/coupes to high CG scary handling SUV's. Sure, I can drive slower, but I'm still too young for that. A sporty SUV that handles fairly well would be a good compromise for me. The sportier and better the handling the better.

Oh well. I'll join you soon enough. As soon as we sell our RX330 I'm picking up a 2001+ GS430.

norush

Not accurate, RX350 was updated with the limited slip center diff and 50/50 front/rear split

Works very nice in the snow (had a chance to test it this past weekend, car did way better then I expected)

Acura's SH-AWD while being good in overdriving outside rear wheel by 1-2% on a dry pavement will not help you much in the snow, just the opposite, it will be spinning your car out of control when you hit wet or icy/snowy patch in the turn.

Just check Acura RL forums

Mousse

I'm considering the MDX and that's a very scary thought.

Kan-O-Z

You hit the nail on the head with this post. Everyone has their idea of how sporty an SUV should be but I think when you feel that an SUV should handle better than a decent sedan, you are in the wrong vehicle...be it MDX or X5. You just have the laws of physics working against you. Sport(in terms of handling) in an SUV can be over-rated.
We here at CL are already a rare breed and represent the mentality of probably less than 5% of people out there. 90% are never going to corner that hard with their SUVs. Acceleration(and hp) on the other hand can be useful on an SUV because it comes in very handy merging into traffic or passing other vehicles. By giving an SUV more power (since most are very slow), you almost make it safer....as long as someone doesn't abuse that power to go at very high speeds.

The SH-AWD reminds me of the Prelude SH back years ago. It had the same concept except with just the front wheels and could be activated with the push of a button. I still remember that several editors of a magazine drove it and absolutely could not notice a difference on the street. The only place they noticed a little bit of difference (and I am talking very minor) was on a race track where the system helped reduce the time by a very small amount of time(I can't even remember). The conclusion was that the system was pretty much useless and unnoticeable on the street. If Acura thought this system was so great why didnt they put it on their NSX or even the S2000? These are cars that are all about handling. To me this thing seems gimicky especially in an SUV....there I said it

It's kind of like how Infiniti is bringing back the 4 wheel steer mechanism on the 2007 G35. Back a long time ago, the Honda Prelude and Nissan 300ZX Turbo had the whole 4 wheel steer thing going on. Once again it dissappeared and seems to have resurfaced again. Once again gimicky. Why? The best handling cars out there (Porsche Boxster, BMW M3, Lotus Elise, Honda S2000) do not use 4 wheel steer or SH system and seem to be doing just fine!

Once again folks we are talking SUVs here and not the new Porsche 911 or Skyline GT-R. I personally don't really care about the SH system on the MDX. If we were talking sports cars, I may care a bit more. Even if editors think the SH system is what gives it phenominal handling, my question back to them would be why don't the best sports cars in the world use this system? The technology is not new, its 10 years old.

Kan-O-Z

Husker4the

I guess I personally am just ready for something a little more sporty ... and the ride didn't seem worse to me than my RX 330. I want something different that has more personality. Again, I have loved my RX ... have practically ZERO complaints (the lack of iPod jack angers me some ... especially since they managed to put one on the GX).

TunedRX300

Care to show me an URL? Remember RX330 supposed to be 50/50 and it turned out to be false.

TunedRX300

Again, we are not discussing how RX350 or MDX can out-handle a sedan or a sport coupe, this is way OT. The whole discussion is about Acura MDX having a better and more useful drive train system than others SUV, nothing else.
I think we got caught up with putting down superior features from competing brands. But really does our brand loyalty to Lexus leads Lexus to make better cars in the future? Shouldn't we talk about RX350's superior drive train instead of dismissing competitor's as "not useful". After all, aren't users, not just past but present and future ones, put the stamp of appoval on any break-through technology?

Kan-O-Z

Yes I agree with you and you are correct. We are getting too caught up with this whole SH AWD thing. I really wasn't trying to put the system down, rather just point out that the system should not be deciding factor in a buying decision (at least for me). I was also trying to analyze what exactly the goals and needs are of an SUV owner. What makes one SUV desirable over another?

GMC came out a long time ago with a super S10 pickup called the Typhoon. It had a Corvette V8 in it and could out accelerate almost anything on the road. By the same token, Ford came out with the Lightning and Dodge came out with the truck that had a Viper engine in it. Porsche came out with a 500+hp Cayenne Turbo. While these vehicles are great and cool, they didn't or don't sell. They don't offer what most people are looking for in a pickup or SUV. These vehicles are also 'confused' in my opinion. If someone wants to go this fast, it sure the heck shouldn't be in a truck or SUV! SUVs and trucks with their high CGs and massive weight are way too unsafe to be going 150mph! Go buy a real sports car.

I am not trying to compare the MDX to any of these. Of course the MDX is very good at what an SUV should do. I just pointed these examples out just to show extreme cases of things that are 'useless' for most people and don't belong in an SUV anyways.

The MDX and the RX are probably the leaders of the crossover SUVs out there right now. They are both great in their own ways. I think no matter how much we discuss handling and performance specs, I think once you drive both, you'll know which one is the right one for you. This happened to me as I always liked the Infiniti FX but once I drove one, it was way too harsh of a ride for me for an SUV. I want an SUV to be a place where I can spend comfortable time cruising. I want it to have utility (cargo space and roomy seats). I also want it to drive well in snow. I want the handling to be adequate so it is reasonably safe...beyond that should be for sports cars in my opinion. The FX wasn't it for me.

Specs don't tell the whole story. If one was to look at specs alone, the Corvette has every car up to $100k beat for about $50k. Is it the best sports car for under $100k...absolutely not. Not for me. I drove a Porsche Boxster S and Cayman S and they do something the specs can't describe and I was smiling the whole way.

Ok enough of my long post. If you are in the market, go drive both. They are both great and you can't lose. Don't always trust car review editors either. They all tend to look at everything from a performance perspective even if it is not fit for the vehicle. They recently bashed the LS460 which is a fabulous car in my opinion...they said it can't corner like the 7 series. Really does anyone buying a elegant, luxurious $80,000 car care to push it that hard? Sorry if I came across as bashing the MDX but it was all just healthy discussion.

Kan-O-Z