opus360

I attending a dealer launch party of the Infiniti JX tomorrow. The JX has some very interesting technologies relating to safety. I am most excited about the "Blind Spot Warning", "Back-Up Collision Intervention" and factory "Remote engine start". I'll have to wait out the reviews and see how the system actually works in the real world.

From what I read, MDX will be refresh for MY2014.

NABS4

^Blind spot warning is available on the MDX. Check out NHTSA and IIHS websites for crash testing info. I'd be curious to see how the JX/Pathfinder fairs.

hmn4858

We currently have an 09 highlander as well. Have the babies on the outboard second row seats and our oldest on the third row in a convertible car seat. We've taken it with 4 adults and 3 kids and it's not bad for an hour or two. When we do that I generally ride in between the babies and it's tight but not unbearable. Forget about storage space though. 3rd row up and there's not much there. The newer ones had a split 3rd row which helps but then the kid sitting back there can monkey around with whatever you put next to them. We drive it to Texas (from MA) every Christmas with a cargo box up top. It's not a bad ride but it's squishy handling and not much giddy up. If you like drive sporty cars it's not for you but should be fine for your wife. There's a few things I do like better on the highlander like the removable middle seat on the second row and that it has a heat strip at the wiper rest position to prevent ice buildup on your wipers.

I actually might switch to it until the kids can ride forward facing to hang on to the Q instead of selling it. With 2adults and 2kids no question Q5 is the way to go. I was like your wife. Said hell no to minivan prekids but now I'm starting to come around to the idea that maybe for the sake of convenience I can suffer with one for a few years. When the kids go off to college I'll go back to a roadster.

cwdonahue

The leather in our 2008 MDX has held up better than our 2004 did. I agree that the leather isn't quite as nice as the Audi Q5. Our 2008 MDX has been a great family hauler and we did buy it because it offers a third row seat which has come in handy at times. The MDX also has pretty good gas mileage for a larger SUV. The MDX has always felt more like driving a car than a truck. The MDX was off the shopping list this time because Acura has really fallen behind in their designs and power trains. Not loving the look of any Acura these days and Honda is just stuck on producing the same motors and 5-speed auto trans. They aren't moving forward and have been moving backwards from the market as evidenced by the less than stellar new Civic. So, they've become the "old reliable" of the market, except for the crazy styling. The new RDX I saw at the Chicago Auto Show looked nice, but wasn't worth waiting for in my opinion.

There is one other life event I forgot to mention where hauling space becomes important...the 4 years (if you are lucky) of hauling stuff to/from college. For that, I recommend getting a trailer hitch and renting a small trailer. Some years we hauled furniture, other years we didn't, it's a widely varying experience. We stuffed the MDX to the gills bringing my daughter home freshman year because she forgot to tell me how much stuff she picked up along the way to take home.

NABS4

^ At least the MDX is now a 6 speed auto. But yes, Acura's fallen behind on the design front. They've dropped SH-AWD on the 2013 RDXs, BTW. A clear cost cutting measure.

The G Man

The Highalander handled like a minivan, ride quality is very smooth, not as firm as the Q5.
We always have a fun car in the driveway and a family hauler as well. As nice as the Q5 is handling wise, it will never match its sedan counterpart, which I guess its the A4 and A5. The Q7 handles even worst than the Q5.
As far as 7 seaters that handles well, there is none on the market that I know of. I also had a 03 MDX, the MDX handle a little bit better than the Highlander, but not much. I havent driven the new MDX with the magnetic suspension technology yet, I heard that option really help the handling.
If you are into handling, a few 7 seaters that are worth looking at are MDX, CX9 and the Honda Pilot.

russ0054

If you want a seven seater that handles at least as well as the Q5 - CX9 is the hot ticket!

dr150

if you need a spacey 2nd row, the Subaru Outback is the way to go. That rear seat is even comfortable for a 6'3" guy like myself.

Not surprised when the dealer told me it's a very popular car for basketball players and family of the local NBA team.

HotRodW

Maybe we'll get lucky and Audi will bring us this . . .

http://www.automobilemag.com/new_and...ant/index.html

hmn4858

If Bentley can pull out an ultra lux suv why doesn't someone make a lux minivan? Family functional and sporty don't have to be mutually exclusive.