Overview & Reviews

The 2016 MDX gets a standard nine-speed automatic transmission with push-button gear selection, an optional suite of safety technologies called AcuraWatch Plus and a revised all-wheel-drive system that Acura says is lighter and more responsive. Other changes include a standard frameless rearview mirror, Siri Eyes Free voice controls for compatible Apple devices, an easy-entry driver seat and (via the Advance package) auto stop-start.

• Generous number of features for the money
• Adept handling
• Quiet cabin
• Excellent crash-test scores.
• Confident acceleration
• Good fuel economy

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 82.00

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  Not what I had hoped for $50,000+ - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Daniel - December 17 - 5:16 am

  It came down to the 2016 Volvo XC90, Honda Pilot, BMW X5, and 2015 Toyota Highlander. We were inclined to get the XC90 for all the safety features & the incredibly cool look. The drive is great, however it felt really risky getting a brand new everything car. The dealer had been saying they would get in Jan, the first ones did not appear till May and it seemed like they were trying to get it right. Visibility was ok. However, loaded with all the safety features it was getting to 60 though it starts at $47 all cars had very confusing option packages & what is considered a safety feature. The test car 3rd row seat seem to have a problem. Then they recalled the vehicle to fix the third row airbags. We keep cars for 10 years & did not want to be going back to the dealer over and over again. The final straw is when they were offering factory maintenance for all models except the XC90 which had 1 year less of the maintenance. On a new model they should not insert more doubt. The BMW drove great but the 3rd row was not big enough for anyone over the age of 12 so had to cross it off. The highlander felt less luxurious but most importantly did not have all the safety systems that we were looking for so we decided to pass. At the time the 2016 was not out, it appears from the reviews that they have added some safety features. We were left with the pilot and the MDX. In the end, the Pilots cheap minivan arm rest on the drivers side along with the bad handling and turning radius on turns made us skip it. Any man over 200 pounds will find there is no way to lean on the arm rest comfortably. The turning handling and radius were a big concern also as on a sharp turn near our house the car veered into the oncoming traffic lane. We did it twice. Finally, unless you get the highest trim the handling is so "trucky" the kids got out and were ready to throw up. This left us with the MDX. We were excited to be moving up in the luxury ranks and were hoping the reliability would be there also. After a bad selling experience we picked up the car and immediately noticed things. There is a paint defect under the clear coat on the roof. There was a sticker there so it was clearly a known problem and they sold to us anyway. We have complained with no response. The hood does not latch unless you slam it. If the hood is already down there is no way to close it without opening it and slamming it. Finally if you look around the car you can see multiple places where the rubber is not flush including the doors & hood. I walked around the lot and would say 50% of the cars had the same problem. Not what we had expected at $50+ . Dealer was no help with these issues, I have read on line about cars getting water on the inside I am hoping that the rubber problems will not cause that. When you go to the car wash & open the back doors there is water in the painted part. As for the drive it is pretty good, the 9 speed transmission is a little bouncy especially as low speeds, but no one is getting dizzy at least. The stop start feature takes getting used to, as if you need immediate power like turning onto a highway of making a left turn onto oncoming traffic, the car will hesitate long enough to make it dangerous. You have to turn the wheel of take your foot of the pedal to start the car & be ready to go, or turn the feature off, however if you do that I cant imagine how much worse the gas mileage it would be. We are getting 15.5 in the city, & its Premium so it has been surprising. Power in the SHAWD is very good & its a quiet ride with good handling. Seat comfort for a large driver is not as good as I would have hoped. I would like the seat to go back more when its high up and it just wont, so you end up sitting kind of low which removes one of the benefits of and SUV. As for the safety features the lane assist works well on a Interstate highways at high speed, not so good in other settings. The automatic follow feature is very sensitive and breaks really hard and speeds up hard, so much so that you cant use it. The break alert system works ok, I wish it would also go on if I am breaking but not hard enough. It will not stop the car automaticlally at low speeds like the volvo. The heads up display in bright sun creates a distracting reflection on the winshield & and the pairing with SIRI does not work well. The NAV is a complete waste of money, I wish I could convert the screen to show my iphone instead. Nav traffic & directions sub par in every way. The voice input is the same as our 08 Accord, very clunky. AC is hard to keep constant, need to adjust all the time. In the end we are very disappointed with what we hoped would be an amazing car. We hope it lives up to the reliability.

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  Not what I was expecting from Acura - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Mike B - October 23 - 5:58 pm

  Chose the MDX for a few reasons - reliability, versatility, build quality, value. Been very surprised that car does not deliver well on at least two of those traits. Had a transmission issue the first day I drive the car. Transmission got stuck in low gear. Was solved with a software upgrade and been ok so far. I did a lot of research on the transmission issues and was under the impression that the ills of 2015 were fixed in 2016. Not sure of that. Next issue was a rattle from the rear of the car since day 1. Turns out that a bolt was dropped into the chassis during assembly which required taking out part of the interior to find. How did that ever pass the quality check before delivery I dont know. On a positive note, I am actually getting great mileage - averaging 25 mpg on the freeways, far better than my last Lexus. But the car feels cheap and as if corners were cut. Lots of plastic and poor damping on the different cubbies in the car. My Lexus was far superior for only about $3k more. Still 2 1/2 years on my lease but this is my last Acura. I grew up on Hondas and Acuras but feel Acura, at least, has lost its way. Back to Lexus for me.

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  beware of useless nav system - 2016 Acura MDX
  By al - May 21 - 8:39 am

  Navigation system is mostly useless..better off not paying for it and using Wavz

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  Surge on - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Don Thomas - April 14 - 12:15 pm

  This transmission is awful! Take your foot off the gas going down a hill and the car surges rather than slow down. Have to step on the brakes hard to slow it down. Same issue when downshifting with the paddles. Also stutters when going into drive. Voice commands are a joke. I say find nearest ATM. She says turn air conditioner up. And so it goes. This is my third MDX but it is my last.

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  Transmission Problem - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Nagaraja Kini - May 9 - 7:30 am

  2016 Model, only 8200 miles has transmission problem. Dealer told me transmission to needs to be replaced. For a brand new vehicle we had small minor issues from the beginning. This one is big. Dealer has been very courteous.

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  Could have been a Homerun - 2016 Acura MDX
  By SideStepping - December 7 - 1:28 pm

  Owners should know, and DEMAND, that early 2016 models built in 2015 have a software update to the transmission, technical service builletin 15-054, which changes the shifting dynamic of the car, and SHOULD resolve most of the transmission jerkiness issues. Unfortunately, my dealership didnt apply the update, BUT next time my car is in for service, I will DEMAND they fix it, because I too, experience rough shifting, surges while braking and going downhill, and poor overall transmission performance. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO UPDATE THE SOFTWARE ON THE TRANSMISSION. ACURA, ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS? Acura should be embarrassed to turn away customers. No wonder they are LAST in customer satisfaction. Now...onto the car. Two major issues with this car: the transmission, and the infotainment system. The interior is nice size and comfortable, even though it doesnt feel so luxurious. Handling is great, ride is smooth when the transmission isnt jerking you all over the place. The overall infotainment system, navigation included, is SO slow and my 2008 Infiniti G35 had a better nav system. Its pretty pathetic. This is my first (and probably last) Acura until they get their act together, stop trying to fool customers into thinking their product is the "best in its class," and until they produce a real transmission and a real infotainment system. What a shame. BTW, my dad had 3 MDXs...a 2009, a 2013, and a 2016. He loved (and so did I) the 2009 and 2013. He had the 2016 for 5 months and got rid of it. Thats how embarrassing of a vehicle it is. But, Im sure Acura is laughing all the way to the bank...what a joke of a 50K car.

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  Disappointed With the Test Drive - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Chris - November 10 - 3:56 am

  Ive owned 3 MDXs--2005, 2010, 2014 and Ive loved them all. Each of those years I test drove a variety of SUVs (the usual suspects) and always ended up with the Acura! So when the 2017 Acura hit the showroom last week, I was pretty sure I would end up buying another one. Its not going to happen. Took it for a test ride and noticed immediately how differently it shifted when accelerating onto a highway. Couldnt get out of its own way--thats the way it feels anyway. Back in the showroom the salesperson told me they changed the gears from 6 to 9 back in 2016. I have no idea what that means I only know that the car doesnt feel right going through NINE gears. Like Im towing a boat or something. It has the power; it just takes too long to get to it. What a shame--just when they finally changed the front grill.

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  Cant hear the music - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Michael - June 22 - 10:52 pm

  Loved the RDX and followed with the MDX. Mistake. From cold start the car takes a few seconds to download (or open) its software and the initial start is "jerky". The transmission/pick-up is initially slow. But the one awful feature is the radio- It has been to the dealer to check all connections-claims to have found none which I believe since the radio still cannot hold a station. Every station wanders/gets static. Think this is the worst car radio Ive had since I was a kid in my fathers 1958 Dodge.

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  This SUV almost got us hurt - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Carlos - May 25 - 9:16 pm

  We got a new 2016 MDX and before it hitting 3 months, our new MDX almost got my whole family hurt (or could have been worst). While driving on the freeway it just suddenly stop while I was changing lane. Luckily the car behind us managed to stop and avoid hitting us. I tried to restart the engine and when it did, it move very slow and roughly to the shoulder of the freeway. After restarting the engine, ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS came ON including Break System Failure or Malfunction. It scared my whole family and it was the most horrible UNSAFE DRIVE HOME for hours worrying if we still have break system working. Dropped of the MDX at our local dealership and until now (about 9 days now) still trying to figure things out.. We feel like this vehicle is just so UNSAFE now and it basically traumatized my whole family being in this MDX. Will review lemon law and make sure we dont become the CRASH TEST DUMMIES for this. And I hate hearing them say "Oh it must be because of the computers and technology"!.... We got this vehicle because of the SAFETY AND TECHNOLOGY advertised by Acura.

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  Transmission problems - 2016 Acura MDX
  By MDXINTX - March 22 - 4:59 pm

  After 1000 miles the new 9 speed transmission cant figure out what gear to use at low speed (< 40 MPH). The ride is jerky or the car surges. The dealership is aware of the problem, but solution not available. Also the memory seat/steering doesnt always return to the set drivers position and the navigation system worked correctly 1 out of 4 attempts. Knowing what I know now, I would not get this car.