Topic: Mrs. Railton goes on a test drive

[Jaeger]

Interesting choice. It seems like the larger Nissan SUVs (Armada, Pathfinder) and their Infiniti equivalents have a poor reliability history. 

Odd because the older ones (up to 2004) were robust. 

Railton, have you tried talking to other dealers about the MDX?

Yes, I was in discussions with four different Acura dealers - trying to get the to better each other's offer. Hamilton Acura played the hardest. For a 2017 Acura MDX with Navi package they matched the Infiniti QX60 Premium/Touring pkg pricing. But, the Infiniti has more to offer. Then, there was the the Infiniti incentives (previous Infinit owner, $500 lease damage credit, etc.) freebees, etc. that made it hard for Acura to compete. MDX's come standard with all the safety nannies, and we didn't want them anyway. We liked the look of the car though - The new grill looks much better. The entertainment/HVAC control stack is still bad though and the shifter is well... there is no shifter. Nice seats.
[edit] And, the $2K timing belt change we didn't like.
Railton

Here's hoping that trend dies. 

[Ex-airbalancer]

I like the QX60 or JX 60 or whatever it called now, I just did not  like the driver seat 
And $2gs for  time belt, it would also be off my list , anything with time belt is off my list

[JohnnyMac]

I like the QX60 or JX 60 or whatever it called now, I just did not  like the driver seat 
And $2gs for  time belt, it would also be off my list , anything with time belt is off my list

Do vehicles with timing chains ever need those parts serviced?  I know my Santa Fe has one but I don't see anything about servicing in the manual and I doubt my indie shop inspects it much either.  How often do these timing chains fail?

[rrocket]

I like the QX60 or JX 60 or whatever it called now, I just did not  like the driver seat 
And $2gs for  time belt, it would also be off my list , anything with time belt is off my list

Do vehicles with timing chains ever need those parts serviced?  I know my Santa Fe has one but I don't see anything about servicing in the manual and I doubt my indie shop inspects it much either.  How often do these timing chains fail?

The chains rarely fail.

It's the guides and tensioners that can.

I don't mind belts. The change interval is 150k on my cars.

[Railton]

I like the QX60 or JX 60 or whatever it called now, I just did not  like the driver seat 
And $2gs for  time belt, it would also be off my list , anything with time belt is off my list

Do vehicles with timing chains ever need those parts serviced?  I know my Santa Fe has one but I don't see anything about servicing in the manual and I doubt my indie shop inspects it much either.  How often do these timing chains fail?

It's the belts that need to be changed - they usually do the adjuster(s) and water pump at the same time. Chains rarely break or need replacing for the life of the car.
Railton

[Railton]

From a pure handling perspective the MDX will run circles around the 'finiti'

This may or may not be a consideration for you.

If Mrs. Railton wanted handling she would have stuck with the FX (QX70) which runs circles around any MDX. No, she went for comfort and luxury this time. We still have the G37S with manual tranny in the household which she is driving to the office tomorrow.
Railton


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[Hannibalsmith]

From a pure handling perspective the MDX will run circles around the 'finiti'

This may or may not be a consideration for you.

If Mrs. Railton wanted handling she would have stuck with the FX (QX70) which runs circles around any MDX. No, she went for comfort and luxury this time. We still have the G37S with manual tranny in the household which she is driving to the office tomorrow.
Railton

Left field, I know, but how about giving the Tahoe a look and drive. My recent suburban rental was very positive and my wife loved it. So comfortable.


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[Railton]

From a pure handling perspective the MDX will run circles around the 'finiti'

This may or may not be a consideration for you.

If Mrs. Railton wanted handling she would have stuck with the FX (QX70) which runs circles around any MDX. No, she went for comfort and luxury this time. We still have the G37S with manual tranny in the household which she is driving to the office tomorrow.
Railton

Left field, I know, but how about giving the Tahoe a look and drive. My recent suburban rental was very positive and my wife loved it. So comfortable.


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We drove one for a week in Ft. Myers last Fall Martin - Lots of room but it's a truck and pretty large as well for Mrs. Railton's DD.
https://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=66402.msg1238072#msg1238072
Railton

[Hannibalsmith]

Got it.

So what are the top 2 / 3 contenders now?

[tpl]

I like the QX60 or JX 60 or whatever it called now, I just did not  like the driver seat 
And $2gs for  time belt, it would also be off my list , anything with time belt is off my list

Do vehicles with timing chains ever need those parts serviced?  I know my Santa Fe has one but I don't see anything about servicing in the manual and I doubt my indie shop inspects it much either.  How often do these timing chains fail?

The chains rarely fail.

It's the guides and tensioners that can.

I don't mind belts. The change interval is 150k on my cars.

The engines that wear out the tensioners, guides and even stretch the chains tend to be well known and reputable shops will do them well before there is any trouble.