Wife is looking at new car. We've test drove a ton. And yes, I've seen the other threads from recently but not much there on these 2 vehicles.

Anyone have input on either?

I'm leery of new cars and quality as it seems like its gone downhill for every brand since COVID.

Acura....never owned one but great reputation. Not sure how maintenance is with them but I'm guessing expensive?

XT6....can see they are going to discontinue this so it's probably plan B right now. Plus at this point I think I'd trust the asian cars more than the U.S. cars (it hurts to type that!!).

Anyone know that now with a LITTLE more inventory if dealers will go below MSRP?

Will you ever use the third row? If so, the MDX would be better. Essentially, the MDX is Acura's Pilot, and the reliability will be like a Honda.

Don't know much about the Cadillac, but my mom's SRX was a problem machine until GM finally sent someone down to reprogram it, though the dealership kept her in a nice loaner for a couple of months.

My wife is on her our second MDX. Purchased first generation 2001 AWD as soon as it came out. Drove it for 13 years with no issues and no memorable repairs until transmission rebuild at around 160,000 miles. Great car and no complaints. Her 2014 FWD is a little lower quality than the 2001. Still good, but struts have been replaced twice and we've had other repairs that never came up with the 2001. That said, it's a very nice ride and has to be better than a Cadillac.

We have 2019 Acura MDX ASpec. 3rd row is nice for hauling around kids and their friends.

Only real issue is gas mileage isn't great. Only get around 17 in City.

Xt6 is terrible.

Second row has less room than a Ford Edge.

I'd go mdx or highlander or Explorer ST over an XT6 any day.

JBLHAG03 said:

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We have 2019 Acura MDX ASpec. 3rd row is nice for hauling around kids and their friends.

Only real issue is gas mileage isn't great. Only get around 17 in City.

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Quit hittin that VTEC so hard

we actually like the xt6 and I sat in the back...wasn't bad but wasn't quite as good as acura either.

we also drove the grand highlander and it was okay. we also went to drive the ford's b/c I'm an F150 dude....but my '22 F150 has now had 2 recalls on it. When we went to drive the KR explorer we couldn't b/c the sales guy told us they all had recall for backup camera that hadn't been fixed yet. That was all we needed to know.

we did drive the lexus rx350 which I REALLY liked but wife thinks its too small. For some reason she thinks we need TONS of room.

trip98 said:

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we actually like the xt6 and I sat in the back...wasn't bad but wasn't quite as good as acura either.

we also drove the grand highlander and it was okay. we also went to drive the ford's b/c I'm an F150 dude....but my '22 F150 has now had 2 recalls on it. When we went to drive the KR explorer we couldn't b/c the sales guy told us they all had recall for backup camera that hadn't been fixed yet. That was all we needed to know.

we did drive the lexus rx350 which I REALLY liked but wife thinks its too small. For some reason she thinks we need TONS of room.

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Do y'all have kids you're haling around? If not, she doesn't need tons of room, and it's your job as her husband, to make her understand that.

Have you thought about a Hyundai Palisade of Volkswagen Atlas? Those are my preferred 3 row mid-sizers

Of your two choices I'd probably pick the XT6 because I prefer the look of it. The exterior styling is great. Can you option them with GM super cruise?

What about the Lexus TX?

That's the kicker....we have 1 kid and sometimes drive grandma with us around town

What made us look at these vehicles is we ended up with an Atlas as a rental and really liked it. But we've seen lots of info about big problems with it

We drove the palisade and it was nice but for the price the ride wasn't that great.

Lexus TX is an option but they didn't have any on lot to check out.

Again I think the third row is pointless but she's determined

We have a 2020 Atlas and we use the hell out of it. Lots of gravel roads, beach, etc. We use the 4motion. It's been insanely reliable and comfortable. We'd buy another

I drove an xt4 till a hailstorm took it out in September. Nothing to add other than absolutely loved that car and had I not moved back to the truck life, would have gone xt6

cryption said:

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We have a 2020 Atlas and we use the hell out of it. Lots of gravel roads, beach, etc. We use the 4motion. It's been insanely reliable and comfortable. We'd buy another

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I'm sad they killed the 6 cylinder

Me too. That VR6 is an absolute gem. We have a VR6 4motion CrossSport.

Bronze wheels

anything literally anything over the Cadillac

cryption said:

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Me too. That VR6 is an absolute gem. We have a VR6 4motion CrossSport.

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That expedition doe….

Just bought it! I'll write up a little review soon. The Timberline package is awesome.

Op - I went with a friend to drive the Palisade. His family is currently shopping. Under the 55k price point I found it incredibly impressive

My mom had an RDX and it was very solid too. There really are a lot of great cars out right now

this weekend spent some time searching and reading reviews. Wife thought it was interesting what the consensus here was for the XT6. But it's out.

she's narrowed it down to the following so let me know your thoughts

'21 BMW x5 sDrive40i with premium package (crazy bells and whistles) 24k miles....lease return, single owner, no accidents for $45k

'22 Acura MDX with advance package (also crazy bells and whistles) 29k miles....lease return, single owner, no accidents for $50k

both places say pricing is what it is

Your question depends on a couple things -

How long do you plan on keeping it?

How good are you with keep up on your maintenance?

Do you care about driving something enjoyable?

Are you buying an extended warranty?


Of your choices I would personally go with the X5 - they're good to drive, loaded with cool tech, and I just love a German car. But it'll be more demanding on you as an owner. The maintenance will be more expensive and more frequent. It will pay you back by being a better drivers car than the MDX. Will it last 150k miles? For sure - they're incredibly solid vehicles. But you'll spend more over those 150k miles then you would on the MDX. I'd for sure buy the longest warranty I could - and I'd prefer getting a CPO.

Or, do you want more of a set it and forget it kinda car? Something that's more reliable but less enjoyable to drive? The tech isn't as good but it is less to go wrong? You won't be excited to get behind the wheel but it'll be the best appliance you have. That would make you an MDX buyer. I'd still get an extended warranty - but I wouldn't be as picky about it.

The vehicles are targeted to different types of owners. A BMW is for someone who enjoys cars and can put up with the quirks of owning something German. The MDX is for someone who wants a washing machine on wheels. You have to decide what type of owner you are.

I recommend everyone get extended warranties on anything now. Cars are getting more and more complicated, and even small fixes can get expensive now days

excellent points and exactly what my wife and I talked about. Let me add this about each which I should have included earlier on warranty. Keep in mind, I'm an F150 dude…wife's previous cars were minivans (honda and Nissan before that). Last minivan had major brake issues so we had to ditch and long story but ended up really low mile but old Hyundai elantra. So going from something very basic to MUCH MUCH nicer. And even then the MDX Advance is way nicer than the minivans.

BMW basically has 1 more year of warranty on it.

MDX has 45 months or 40k miles so around 3 years with the miles we drive

Ideally we keep the a long time. We're likely to put 12-15k on them each year. Assuming 15k we'd like to get to at least 125k miles but certainly get rid of it before 150k. So call it 7 years we'll be around 130k miles total on the car.

We are very regular about maintenance. We've debated buying extended warranty. I share your opinion on buying warranties on these new cars. My 1 year old F150 now has 2nd recall so we are certainly buying extended warranty there. But we also think the BMW and Acura SHOULD be much better quality than my Ford or her old Honda. I would REALLY lean towards buying it for the BMW and maybe less so for the Acura. If I did BMW plus warranty that's going to put it around the same cost as the Acura (assuming warranty is $5k).

It sounds like if you're thinking 7 years, either could work. If you were saying 12 years I'd say Acura for sure. Are either at manufacturer dealers? I would get a factory backed warranty but not one of those third party ones really. If you could find a CPO on either then you could extend the factory bumper to bumper and I'd feel comfortable owning either for your use case. Also note that warranties are negotiable when you get to the finance guy at the dealer. Don't take the first price.

Have you thought about what one you prefer? Price is about the same and you could add a warranty on either - does either a give you the fizz?

Both are at mfg dealers
The Acura one is getting an extension bc it is cpo.

We're leaning Acura thinking it gets us 2 more years warranty already and maybe a little more. And since planning on owning a long while cost of additional warranty or repairs will help offset price difference

We've driven both and they really aren't far apart when it comes to bells and whistles. MDX gives a little more legroom on 2nd row too

Sounds like you have a good plan. What color is it?

Honda vs GM. Duh.

Also check out the X5's depreciation chart. It's steep!!

Would you buy a 9 year old X5 with high mileage? If probably not, then that is why you should avoid buying one today.

aggiedata said:

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Also check out the X5's depreciation chart. It's steep!!

Would you buy a 9 year old X5 with high mileage? If probably not, then that is why you should avoid buying one today.

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And every service visit will cost 1200-2500. But at least they give you an X1 to drive for free.

thanks for the feedback gents
we decided last night on the MDX.....more warranty, most likely lower maint/svc costs over time, more room, and just like Aggiedata suggested we thought about what we're likely to get when we sell.

rule #1 to be followed when we get it maybe later today or tomorrow

Congrats can't wait to see it!

trip98 said:

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thanks for the feedback gents
we decided last night on the MDX.....more warranty, most likely lower maint/svc costs over time, more room, and just like Aggiedata suggested we thought about what we're likely to get when we sell.

rule #1 to be followed when we get it maybe later today or tomorrow

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You chose well.

trip98 said:

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thanks for the feedback gents
we decided last night on the MDX.....more warranty, most likely lower maint/svc costs over time, more room, and just like Aggiedata suggested we thought about what we're likely to get when we sell.

rule #1 to be followed when we get it maybe later today or tomorrow

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Well done. I had an MDX. You'll love it. One of the best cars I've owned.