Hi
@ymehu ! I was the owner of a 2022 Acura MDX Type S Advance MSRP around 73K, and recently traded it in for a 2023 Kia Telluride SX-P X-Pro. I was thrilled initially with my MDX purchase but after a few days it almost became stressful to drive due to it's poor implementation of several important key tech and safety features and overall packaging. The Acura easily won in regards to quality of most materials, handling, and performance. The Telluride by a large margin I feel is far superior on the tech and safety side, and a few other features. Please see my list below.
Telluride Pros:
-Much much more usable interior room. The MDX almost felt cramped inside, especially for the driver and front passenger.
-No touch screen in the MDX. Everyone on the MDX forums says you will get used to it, however I constantly had to take my eyes off of the road for simple changes like marking something important in waze, selecting an album on Spotify, and anything else the infotainment screen was needed for. It made the entire driving experience feel less safe and stressful.
-Very poor blind spot monitoring integration. With the Telluride, if a car is racing into your blind spot you are alerted with several feet to spare. With the Acura you would only receive a warning when the car is nearly in your blind spot, no matter how fast it is approaching.
-The blind spot cameras in the SXP are truly something you rely on while changing lanes. It has saved me more than once.
-Self drive features and Lane keeping assist are a full generation ahead of the MDX. On the Telluride the "Lane Keep green steering wheel" kicks in from 0 MPH and up if it can recognize the lane. In the MDX the "auto steer" functions do not kick in until 45 MPH and the car yells at you so often thinking your hands are off of the wheel. In the 7 months or so I had the Acura, I used the feature maybe 20 times. It was basically useless compared to the Telluride. The kia navigates turns on its own almost to a 30 degree angle and the new "auto lane change" feature truly is something amazing for highway driving.
-In the Kia, the ventilated seats become much much cooler than the Acura. Most times in the Acura you couldn't even tell they were on. Same went for the heated seats... the Acura even on the high setting only felt slightly warm, and the heated steering wheel also was a light touch of warmth instead of a true heated steering wheel experience.
The Acura of course won with the premium sound system and some high end luxury features, but the Kia has so many similar luxury features and most of them are executed far better on the Kia.
Most importantly you want to feel safe and comfortable driving your car, for me switching back to the Telluride (previously owned a 21) was a decision that I am very happy with. Absolutely no regrets, and my next planned car purchase will either be the 24'
EV9, or the 25 fully refreshed / updated Kia Telluride. It's amazing how conservative most Japanese brands still are with implementing new tech. I understand the old tech is more reliable, however once you get used to the new generation of tech and how Kia has implemented it, it's hard to go back. I sure do miss the massage seats in the Acura, but the 30 and 60 minute surprise massages the Telluride offers adds a nice touch.
I would suggest doing a long drive with the Kia on a highway (HDA2 will kick in when you go on auto cruise control) and don't forget to hit the little steering wheel button on your steering wheel every time you start the car for the auto steering when lane markings are recognized. It's pretty wild how well the tech works in the new Telluride. Compare that the Telluride with a long drive in the Acura and see what is the best fit for you and your family. If you will be using the 2nd row or the 3rd row a lot, my passengers have been much happier on both short and long drives in the Telluride.
Good luck with your purchase. Feel free to post any additional questions here or DM me.
but curious if anyone has any thoughts, particularly since the two vehicles seem pretty closely matched from a features/bells/whistles perspective.
