just bought an MDX
 

for my wife.... Very nice ride, but this vehicle is not in the same league as my X5.

I realize this has been discussed at length, but since I now have a 2007 X5 and 2007 MDX in the same garage I thought I would start a new thread and compare the two.

As discussed before, the technology on the MDX is very sweet. The voice commands work perfectly nearly 100% of the time as opposed to my X5 who only repeats back "I dont understand that command". The rearview camera is far superior, it has about twice the resolution as the X5, it works great in low light and has a significantly wider angle. The MDX does not have the overlay lines for parking assist which come in handy.

The X5 excels in build quality and refinement...it looks like a luxury car. The MDX lacks the class and small attention to detail that the BMW has. The dash on the MDX looks much cheaper, the overhead lights, controls, etc all look cheap compared to the X5. The sheer amount of buttons is overwhelming on the MDX, and honestly it really does not have any more functionality.

I really appreciate the iDrive even more now. I'll post more details once I spend more time in the MDX...but overall the X5 is well worth the cost difference IMO.

omg you really scared me there!! Don't do that again!!! :)

I won't discuss my opinions on the new MDX considering I pre-ordered and bought a 2001 MDX before driving it, and I hated how big it felt while driving it so six months later I traded it for the '03 X5. ;)
Hope your wife enjoys.

:rofl: sorry for the scare!

oops...what was I thinking, looks like twins.

X5FX -

Having previously owned an 05 TL. The only thing I missed about my Acura and what weighed the most was the lack of touchscreen on the X5.

Does the MDX have touchscreen navigation? or is it through the dial?

Thanks in advance.

Chris

No touch screen, but the voice command works so well who cares.

push button on steering wheel...
...say "nearest chinese food"...

and it presents all the nearest locations. Try that on the X5.

A family member of mine has an '04 TL, the voice recognition is 100% worthless on it. The MDX probably has an improved system.
Are you going to take the front license plate bracket off?

Thanks,

That helped reinforce my purchase decision.

Overall, Im pretty happy that I got my 4.8 E70 instead of the MDX. I still look at them adoringly and wonder "what if" when I see one.

Ps. My 05 TLs voice navi wouldnt let you enter addresses via the voice recognition, which I guess has been refined/improved for 07.

Chris

TrueX5er- Yes, I'll go remove it now.

ccjung- The X5 is so much nicer...you made the right choice.

meh...two nice cars!

CONGRATS!

X5FX -

Aside from purely asthetic/quality/status reasons, the X5 was also initially chosen because it met some weight requirements (over 6000lb GVWR).

6000lb GVWR makes this vehicle qualify for the Section 179 tax deduction for small businesses, so I was able to write off 25k this year as I finance the vehicle over the long term.

According to all i've seen, the MDX comes in at 5948 lbs (52lb shy) and so did the X5 3.0 (until i read the manual stating that the GVWR with 3rd row on the X5 3.0 is over 6000lbs).

I havent looked back at all, and although I miss the high revving nature of the Acuras, I dont miss the lack of low end torque.

I think you and your wife are very lucky people, and probably worked very hard to get where you are.

Cheers.

Chris

MDX is sweet.

exactly why I have the 3rd row on my 3.0si

Great minds think alike my friend.

Chris

MDX GVWR= 5952

i thought i mixed up the numbers, I put 5948. Does the MDX manual say anything in the back about different specifications (i'm assuming its the sport/tech package).

I hope so, that way you can get another 25K write off (assuming you can legitmately say its for business)

Chris

Its Tech/Entertainment...the door panel says 5952.

what is I put a 48lb sack in the back?

glad I well my wife chose the x5

So what's your opinion on how the MDX drives compared to the X5?

:iagree: Jeez, should have posted this in Lounge. Posting in E70 forum is scary and misleading. :)

Congrats! X5FX

I need more time, and of course this is my wifes car so I dont drive much...but so far based on the few times I drove, I prefer the X5 over the MDX.

Our MDX does not have the Sport Package and my X5 has Adaptive Drive.

IMO the X5 ride is much better. The MDX has a harsh ride, you really feel the road and it handles very nicely. The MDX also has a much tighter turning radius, but overall I prefer the X5.

what is your wifes opinion/cmoparision of the two?
What made you decide to get the MDX?

Wife drove a 2001 GMC Yukon XL, so she isnt the best judge of a good ride. She really wanted the Volvo XC90.

The deciding factor was interior space. We have 2 young kids and she car pools to school so 3 days a week she has 4 kids in the car. The MDX had the best 3rd row of all the options. The XC90 was worse than the X5 (3rd row that is). She also had to have Nav and rear entertainment and the MDX had the best overall combo of nav, rse, 3rd row, gas mileage and safety.

We drove everything even the Honda Pilot, GMC Acadia, MB, XC90, Yukon, Highlander Hybrid, RR, Audi everything with a third row. We spent 60 days looking.

I think i saw it on another thread, but why did she not want another X5?

Chris

2 X5s? not a good idea. just like you have a perfect wife, do you one another perfect wife? of course they are both perfect, but putting them together in the same house, thats odd. but if you have 1 perfect wife and 1 perfect girl friend. thats awesome. in that case, they are both perfect, but one is a wife and the other is your girlfriend. just like 1 is your X5 one is MDX.

:confused:

Weights . . .
 

This is kind of a tangent to earlier discussion. But where did you find weights for the X5 3.0 and 4.8? On the BMW USA site, the unladen weight is listed as 5335 lbs. There doesn't seem to be any info on whether this is the 3.0 or 4.8 and how the weight would change with certain options.

Thanks for the help . . .

Page 244 of the E70 instruction manual. if i had known the 3.0 with 3rd row was this heavy, i would have gone this way.

chris

approx how much does the X5 net cost with tax write-offs ?

And I thought they closed that "loop-hole" ... or perhaps it was another one.

the cost of the X5 is the cost of the X5. What the deduction does is lower your tax basis so that your corporate/income taxes are taxed at a lower tax basis. Where it does come in handy tho, is if you own a business and take out a loan for say 5 years. You will only pay your payments, but you can take the deduction in the year you place the vehicle in service (essentially creating 25000 cash flow for your company).

Lets not sidetrack X5FXs thread, but in a nutshell, its not a loophole, but more about how business property can be "expensed" in the first year of ownership as opposed to 5 year depreciation. This is called the "section 179" deduction and must not exceed 108,000 for all equipment purchased for the business.

The old limit was the total of the expensing limit, 108000. The new limit is 25000. The vehicles must be over 6000gvwr (and used primarily for business) to apply for this expensing deduction under Section 179.

I am no tax expert (just a tax saavy business owner), and ultimately you need to talk to your tax accountants to see if this works for you.

Lets let this get back on track, and if you want, someone create a thread about Tax writeoffs either here or in the lounge, and i would be happy to participate.

Chris

Do you like the black plastic bamboo finish? I could not get use to that. Then again I tested a MDX sport tech to a X5 4.8 and there was no real comparison.

Does the big chrome grill bother you? When I was on their forum guys were starting to paint them black and it looked better IMO.

You get what you pay for


The price difference between my two vehicles is $24,000, which obviously is significant…but today I discovered that you get what you pay for. We went on a road trip today and traveled about 250 miles in the new MDX, hardly enough to fully evaluate the difference between these two vehicles, but enough for some observations. Since the MDX is brand new, I drove very conservatively so that should be considered.

We averaged 23mpg on the trip which is very nice, significantly better than my X5 and this before its broke in…but this is where the advantages start to disappear.

The MDX ride is far harsher than the X5, a very noticeable difference. The road noise is also noticeably louder. There are a lot of little details in my X5 that make it a luxury vehicle, little things I never really noticed until I drove the MDX. Some examples:

1. The turn signal- it has a pleasant sound and has a soft touch, plus the abilty to have it flash three times and turn off automatically. The MDX has a very annoying sound and the lever feels cheap. Its either on or off.
2. Buttons and levers- they are all much more refined and just feel better on the X5. The MDX buttons feel cheap and have slack.
3. Dashboard- The X5’s faux leather dash looks like it is leather. The MDX faux leather looks like cheap plastic.
4. Seats- The MDX seats look great, but the X5 Comfort Seats are so much more comfortable, there really is no comparison. The MDX seats also don’t have nearly as many adjustments.
5. The MDX steering wheel is butt-ugly and not comfortable- The X5 Sport wheel is much nicer and looks better too.
6. The MDX only has three power outlets- one in the dash, one in cargo area + a 120v outlet in the center console. The 120v outlet is a nice addition, but it would have been nice to have a 12v in the center console to keep you phone. I find the X5 has much better placement of the power outlets.
7. Ipod- MDX has no Ipod interface, further the only way to plug in an Ipod is thru the rear Entertainment ‘s stereo phono plugs in the second row.
8. The RSE system is nice, but no better than the X5’s despite all the complaints about the X5’s stock system. The MDX is roof mounted and the kids started complaining about neck pain several hours into the trip. Overall its equal to the X5, maybe slightly better due to the integration with the front center console.
9. Sunroof- The X5 Pano Roof is far superior.
10. These features on my X5 are not available on the MDX- and are part of the reason for the price difference:
a. Comfort Access- didn’t realize how much I like it until I drove the MDX w/o it. Plus the BMW key is so much smaller than the MDX key.
b. HUD- WOW, I really like my HUD, especially with the Nav info, this feature was really missed on this trip.
c. Ventilated Seats and Active Seats
d. Front/Rear PDC
e. Ambient exterior lighting
f. Rain sensing wipers

11. Body Design- X5 clearly the superior design
12. Ergonomics- The X5 is the winner
13. iDrive- Ok, the idrive is amazing. The placement of the idrive knob is perfect, it is in a spot that is natural. Every time I had to reach for the MDX knob it was awkward, not to mention the dozen of buttons on the dash. Earlier I stated that the Technology in the MDX was superior, I have to say that after driving the car for a day I think that I was wrong. The BMW idrive is far easier to use and it minimizes taking your eyes off the road. I found in the MDX that I had to ask my wife to operate the nav for me. Of course I wasn’t familiar with the MDX yet, so this isn’t totally fair but I did notice a few things:
a. The Nav screen on the MDX is lower res, the X5 looks much better
b. The MDX screen is not very bright, the X5 is much brighter and easier to read
c. The MDX uses XM Traffic- which has a monthly fee + its is available in fewer cities.
d. The voice commands aren’t as usefull as I first thought.
e. The backup camera, even though the camera is much better resolution and better in low light, I think I like the X5 camera better. The MDX is a very wide angle and it’s very hard to judge distance, plus the BMW adds the overlay lines, which makes it a breeze to parallel-park…not so easy in the MDX.
f. The MDX does not have a PDC feature.

14. The MDX has a power lift gate, which is very nice. Power open and close.
15. The MDX does not have run flats
16. The MDX uses XM not Sirius
17. The MDX has better entertainment separation- The rear passengers can listen to XM FM, AM, DVD, independently + the front can selectively listen to all the speakers or just the front speakers.
18. The MDX will play DVD-A audio discs

The MDX is a fine vehicle, and I’m not saying it has flaws. It’s just not fair to compare the two as equals, because they are not. You get what you pay for….and btw, I am very pleased with our new MDX.

This is one thing that I can't see past on most higher end Japanese cars.. it's almost like they value a car based on how many buttons with little text names they can cram into a dashboard. It's very unsightly in my view and makes for a very plasticy interior.

I agree (based on my test drive of the MDX) that the X5 is in a whole separate league.

At first, I hated iDrive.

I was used to the multitude of buttons that my 05 TL had, loved the navigation system because of the touchscreen, and never used the voice command, except to show someone a "trick". most of the time tho, my girlfriend was putting in the navigation for me anyways (its amazing how quick she is with POIs).

At first, I was disappointed with iDrive. Now I'm in love with it. Its jog dial method of input isnt very elegant, but it keeps your hand on the wheel, and your eyes (for the most part) on the road. hearing that the MDX lacks the touchscreen feature, and resorts to voice command (not a favorite of mine, im tactile) and their bizzare lookng jog dial, I see where BMW went when they decided to go with iDrive versus other interfaces.

It is much less capable (no touchscreen, limited POI, etc), but more simple to use, and real life use of navi (unless your the type that just likes to know distances to places) is limited to few occasions.

Like X5FX said, iDrive is in the natural position for your hand. I have definately come to like it alot more than initially. The killer combo would be touchscreen (for inputting text, etc) and idrive.

The best comparison (save it for another thread) is that of Windows mobile vs. iphone. I have been a winmo user for 5 years, and love it. However, since going to the iphone, i really havent looked back. When designing interfaces, the design teams really have to look at how the product will be used by everyday people. it really looks like BMW is headed the right direction with iDrive. Voice recognition will have amazing impact in the future, but as of right now, i still feel its very limited, both in capability and the users confidence in its accuracy.

My 0.02

Chris

This has been a very interesting thread. I have been in the MDX vs X5 dilemma for a little bit of time now. Although the X5 is a nice vehicle, the price difference does make everyone at least consider the MDX.

I do agree the the MDX does have a multitude of buttons in the center stack. A problem that most car magazines have also been reiterating. I think that came from the fact that they had to mount the LCD screen so far away from the driver. I had a 05 TL and that nav was great. The touchscreen really allowed a great interface for the car. However, with the LCD so far away from the driver in the MDX, they had to resort to so many buttons.

After test driving both cars, I have to agree, on some level, that the X5 has better handling characteristics compared to the MDX. When I had originally tested both, it was a bit snowy out. I took both to a empty parking lot and tried a few slaloms around light poles (I know, don't tell the dealers I did that), as well as tried to put both in to a spin (doin' donuts in the parking lot, just like high school). Now, it being a bit slushy snow and about 2 inches of it, they both were a little loose in the turns. However, the X5 recovered better in the slalom and gave more feedback in the steering wheel with each turn. The MDX did give much more in the slalom and sliding was very apparent. With both vehicles stability controls on, I could not put either into a spin.

As for the iDrive verus Acura's nav . . . it has taken me a while to get used to the iDrive coming from the Acura system. I like the iDrive, however, it could use a great deal of improvement. Some of the benefits of the Acura system, which is not possible on the iDrive are:
1. Ability to look up locations by phone number.
2. Ability to look up locations by name alone (the iDrive system requires you to put in a location first before looking up the POI. The problem is that let's say you live in Chicago and hear about a restaurant. You assume it's in Chicago, but it's actually located in a suburb very nearby. You put it into your iDrive using Chicago as the location, but it doesn't show up. You have to know which suburb it's in before the iDrive can find it).

As for the interiors of the two cars, I think I'm just getting used to the German style of interiors. I will say that I wish BMW would use a contrasting color to the orange. For example, the MDX uses blue for interior lighting and contrasts that with white. It would be nice to look at the BMW gauges in orange and have either the numbers or the needles be white to provide a bit more contrast. But I think that's just my taste.

The one complaint my wife had about the interior was the placement of the rear DVD package in the X5. One swift kick by a kid and there goes the screen. I like the MDX's placement with wireless controls, but unfortunately this placement prevents the placement of a panoramic sunroof. I think a better solution for both vehicles would have been a in the headrest DVD system.

Just thought I'd participate . . . .

One more thing the X5 has that the MDX doesnt- The nice exterior ambient lighting. And speaking of lighting, the headlights do a better job illuminating the road on the X5.

well said... good example of ergonomic design. Capability is only 1/2 the equation, you have to be able to access the capability in a safe and timely manner too.

actually, to me, the TL has an amazing voice recog. I only didnt buy it because it has no AWD

:wow: glad to hear the American made ride excelled in those points :thumbup:

Enjoy both.

Do you think that the MDX harder ride is related to the sport package?

I did an extensive comparison of MDX vs X5 just prior to placing the order. MDX is nice, but it screams Honda all over it. I used to own 05 Honda Odyssey Touring, and many controls of MDX resemble those of the minivan. And the test one I drove (with the sports package) rattled from the day one. If you want value for your money, get the MDX. If you want driving enjoyment - get the X5.

I try that on my google search bar at home and it gives me better results than than any car nav system out there. I don't need an Acura to find where I want to go for dinner:nanana: . I want a vehicle that will take me to and from there safety and effectively (With style of course, ;) ).

I love my 4.8i.:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I guess you dont travel very far from home then. I use this feature all the time while traveling out of town.

the google search bar at "home" wouldnt do me any good.

What happens when you say "nearest good chinese food"? ;)

They actually show you Zagat ratings so you can decide. ;)

does it actually separate chinese food from japanese food because I was navigating around and only saw an option for "asian". I had to discern it from the name of the restaurant.

Didn't use voice.

Not really sure. I never drive the car, but I do seem to recall saying "nearest chinese food" and it immediatly presented the list.

Yay :thumbup:

Also... where are the POIs located in the X5's nav? I haven't played around with the system much, only using what I really "need" to, but I'm curious.

For the next time I'd like to find a decent restaurant or gas station (which we all need to go to a lot, you know), it would be very helpful.

Go to Navigation (knob right) then on the top row scroll right to 'Information'. I only found it today by playing around... I totally forgot it came with it.

Thanks. I'll play with it later...

I use BMW assist's concierge service when I need information like that. And, if it requires reservations, I ask that they make them. ;)

Joel

so do I, but when travelling it sure is helpful to find the nearest McDonalds for the kids, or the nearest gas station, etc. Much faster than using concierge.

That wasn't my experience with the Acura navigation (speed). (2007 model.) I found that it was often incorrect, or became a game of me guessing what it was that I was supposed to say. Oddly, turning off the engine and re-starting seemed to correct the problem...leading me to believe there were some software glitches.

Of course, the X5 never has software glitches. :nanana:

Joel

I was refering to my X5

And I was comparing a desire of speed to not having a direct correlation to the feature set available in the Acura.

Joel