Acura MDX vs. Toyota Highlander: Which One Is Best For Me?

If you are in the industry for a brand name-new SUV created for family members, there are two automobiles that will probably demonstrate up in recurring queries: the Acura MDX and the Toyota Highlander. Each of these SUVs seat 7 men and women and have exceptional protection information as nicely as above-regular dependability scores. The two of these brand names are well known and have a massive following. So, which a single is appropriate for you?

The choice amongst these two outstanding Japanese-designed SUVs is heading to appear down to how significantly you benefit luxury and how massive your funds is. The Toyota Highlander is a useful family auto with some great standard functions but couple of updates in the way of present day luxury. The Acura MDX is a luxury auto built from the floor up to provide convenience and contemporary sensibility that will come at a steep value. Equally of these excellent SUVs would be a great choice for any massive or developing family.

This comparison will split down the specs, execs, cons, and comparisons amongst these two sporty SUVs so that you can make the greatest choice possible for oneself and your household.

At a Glance

Let us look at the important factors of every single merchandise.

Overview of Acura MDX:

The MDX is the flagship SUV of the luxury Acura model, and it displays. The 2022 Acura MDX seems sharp, drives fantastic, and when you sit down guiding the wheel, you come to feel like you are in the lap of luxurious. The entrance seats are comfortable and heated. The interior specifics are a combination of wooden and leather with contrasting vintage shades and textures. The infotainment technique is contemporary. The AC has variable local climate handle and different heating and cooling zones. The MDX looks the part outside the house and within.

Beneath the hood, the MDX features a 3.5L V6 engine that outputs 290 horsepower. The motor is a Honda motor at its main which implies it is reliable and effortless to correct up. Although the base engine is not anything specific, the MDX does feature an up to date 10-pace transmission which provides a far better truly feel and manage over the outdated nine-speed transmissions. The auto is fun to push for a car of its dimension, and it handles far better than common SUVs. This small dose of added zip does come at the cost of gasoline mileage which lags driving the Highlander by a pair of miles for every gallon.

When it will come to the worth, people’s mileage will differ. The MDX is unquestionably sleeker and nicer on the inside than the Highlander, but under the hood, they are extremely a lot the very same. These two autos attribute very comparable DNA and bones. Think of the MDX as a sibling that received a makeover.

Overview of Toyota Highlander:

The 2022 Toyota Highlander is a reputable SUV that is aware of what it is and focuses on what it does best. It is huge and roomy on the inside. It provides unparalleled basic safety on the streets. It has an superb observe report in phrases of durability. The Highlander was made to just take people from Position A to Point B as reliably as attainable with no leading to significantly of a fuss.

The motor is practically identical to that of the MDX, except this one is created by Toyota alternatively of Honda. The Highlander also features a three.5L V6 that puts out just under three hundred horsepower. The Highlander will get better gasoline mileage both on the highway and in the metropolis. There is also a hybrid design available that can increase people numbers even greater for an added fee.

Toyota has also extra a whole lot of new common attributes to the 2022 product, such as basic safety technology and driver assist at no added expense, which provides price to an currently fairly priced SUV. All of this is packaged in an interior that steps above a hundred and forty cubic toes of passenger space and an sector-typical 16 cubic feet of cargo area.

The only downsides are that the Highlander’s back again row is a small smaller sized than most would like, and the instrument panel leaves a lot to be wanted. The Highlander is not likely to set any land velocity documents, and it is not heading to charm to pure mechanical motorists, but it gets the work completed.

How Do They Compare? Going Head-To-Head

Performance

Edge: Acura MDX

The two the Toyota Highlander and the Acura MDX function quite related base design engines. The two SUVs appear with common three.5L V6 engines that put out virtually identical amounts of horsepower. The Acura starts at 290 HP, and the Highlander has 295 HP. Nevertheless, the Acura MDX has a significantly nicer chassis and a greater ten-pace transmission. The MDX also has a activity motor choice that boosts the horsepower over 350, supplying it a whole lot a lot more zip. On paper, the output of these two SUVs appears quite similar, but some additional refinements under the hood make the MDX breezier to drive and more quickly on the street. The Acura feels greater and a lot more responsive than the Highlander. That doesn’t issue to everybody, but if you are an individual seeking for a higher-overall performance driving machine, the MDX delivers much more than the Highlander.

Price

Edge: Toyota Highlander

If price tag and affordability are crucial to you as a purchaser, then the Highlander is going to be a a lot much more attractive option. The base product Highlander starts off at $36k, which is $12k much less than the foundation design MDX. This is not stunning, considering Toyota is a consumer brand name, and Acura is a luxurious model, but the price tag variation is even now stark. Suppose you are hunting at upgrading outside of the base product. Most Highlanders clock in about $40k although the MDX rapidly surpasses $50k and approaches $60k. Understandably, not absolutely everyone can find the money for to pony up the further income for the Acura MDX.

Design

Edge: Acura MDX

Acura is a luxury manufacturer, and the MDX has a luxurious interior. The 2022 product of the MDX was redesigned to reflect our modern technological entire world. The cabin of the MDX feels sleek, modern day, and up to date. The exterior of the MDX also acquired some updates to maintain it searching ageless. The Toyota, unsurprisingly, feels pedestrian by comparison. The Highlander is by no means a bad SUV, but it does not have the refinement and updates that are existing in the MDX. If you are a person hunting for the newest in luxurious and technological innovation, the MDX is the clear winner in conditions of modern day style.

Safety

Edge: Tie

When it will come to basic safety, the two the Acura MDX and the Toyota Highlander earn excellent marks. IIHS gives each of these vehicles best scores for crashworthiness in all of their tests. SUVs of this size are typically catered to people who just take security extremely severely. If you have security as a best priority for your automobile, the two the MDX and the Highlander are excellent choices. Neither a single is markedly safer than the other, so this category ends in a tie which in the long run is a quite good factor.

Size

Edge: Acura MDX

Equally the Acura MDX and the Toyota Highlander can seat seven. Nevertheless, the Acura MDX is roomier and much more comfortable than the Toyota Highlander. The two of these SUVs have lackluster third rows, but Acura offers a lot more headroom and a smoother ride from the back again seat. The passenger volume of the MDX is significantly larger than that of the Highlander. That currently being mentioned, equally of these SUVs have the very same quantity of rear cargo space at 16 cubic ft. If you are looking for the roomiest car that seats the most people comfortably, the MDX normally takes the cake.

What Drivers Say

Acura MDX

Motorists rave about the seem and truly feel of the 2022 MDX. This year’s product feels like an upgrade more than the earlier model. There is a lot more technological innovation integrated, and the soft traces are extremely appealing. All of the new characteristics make the MDX come to feel like a very good value for purchasers, even if the sticker cost doesn’t necessarily mirror that. The SUV stays roomy and enjoyable to generate, which are massive pluses for average customers.

The greatest niggles for the MDX in fact arrive from the so-known as infotainment method. The method is controlled by a trackpad which is finicky and challenging to use particularly when driving. Yet another point that specified motorists have pointed out is the truth that the MDX is not as high-end as other similar luxurious SUVs. Although the MDX gained a whole lot of updates in 2022, it even now doesn’t evaluate up to other luxurious manufacturers in phrases of higher-stop luxurious. That is a critique not absolutely everyone will be able to make or recognize, but it is something to notice.

Toyota Highlander

As opposed to the MDX, the Highlander did not get key updates in 2022. Instead, they stuck to a formulation that works and that folks answer to. Drivers like Toyota’s protection features are now included common in the Highlander, which enhances the already stellar protection record. The base engine is powerful and the same as the considerably more expensive MDX, which is nice. The Highlander also has great gas mileage for an SUV of this dimension as effectively as a hybrid option for the gas-conscious buyer, which are all appreciated features. The gas mileage is particularly wonderful when charges increase at the pump.

The issues about the Highlander are that the third row is tight. The Highlander can seat 7, but it almost certainly simply cannot seat seven older people. The 3rd row is unpleasant to ride in for extended durations of time, so really don't place your in-laws in the backseat for a cross-nation road vacation. In any other case, the Highlander is continual. It doesn’t rock the boat, and it does not deliver a whole lot of constructive or damaging inner thoughts to the area, and that satisfies most regular drivers just wonderful.

Conclusion

Both the Acura MDX and the Toyota Highlander are 3-row SUVs constructed to transportation people about in type. The MDX is a flagship luxury SUV with all of the bells and whistles with a cost tag to match. The Highlander is a common family members car designed to ferry a good deal of men and women from location to spot securely. The choice among the two is likely heading to come down to how attached you are to the notion of possessing a luxury SUV. At their cores, these two cars are in fact extremely comparable. It all is dependent on how numerous extras you are prepared to pay for.  

Featured Graphic Credit rating: (Remaining) 2022 Acura MDX A-Spec, front | Graphic Credit score: Kevauto, Wikimedia Commons CC SA four. (Correct) Toyota Highlander (XU70) | Image Credit score: Alexander Migl, Wikimedia Commons CC SA four.