My wife and I are still rocking our 2005 Pilot. We raised our family with it and it is still going strong with 197k. I am looking for a new family car and capacity is less of a factor now since 2 of our 3 kids drive. Usually we only have 2-4 total people riding anymore. I am planning on keeping the 05 for my youngest. We keep our cars a long time so reliability is very important. I love the idea of going smaller for more fuel efficiency and fun to drive characteristics but a smooth quiet ride is also important. What do you think of the new in-line 6 Mazda has coming in the cx90/70? What else is everyone considering?
2023 Pilot vs Mazda CX90/70 vs. ?
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We are also considering the CX-90, in fact it is the only other vehicle we are considering. We will still likely put down a deposit on a Pilot as the CX-90 won't be available until April. The inline 6 is likely glorious but if they are going as far upscale as it sounds then I think it will be more than I am willing to spend.
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I think Mazda has been working hard to price themselves against Acura, Infiniti and Lexus more than Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Like VW used to do. Not a fan.
I think the straight 6 will be a glorious sounding, feeling and driving motor. I also have serious concerns about Mazdas ability to make reliable vehicles since I know many people who have a CX-5 and love them and have had serious work (multiple with transmissions replaced) done to them.
I suspect the CX-90 will be a very nice vehicle, possibly nicer than the Pilot. But if it's smaller in size I won't consider it.
I think the straight 6 will be a glorious sounding, feeling and driving motor. I also have serious concerns about Mazdas ability to make reliable vehicles since I know many people who have a CX-5 and love them and have had serious work (multiple with transmissions replaced) done to them.
I suspect the CX-90 will be a very nice vehicle, possibly nicer than the Pilot. But if it's smaller in size I won't consider it.
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Glad to see others like me out there. I am considering the MDX, the new Pilot, and the yet to be revealed CX90. I'm intrigued by the RWD architecture and the new in-line 6 cylinder. I sincerely hope it is not a turbo and is naturally aspirated like the Honda. That being said, the Pilot comes with a new NA V6 that is DOHC and has the torque vectoring AWD system as an ace up its sleeve. It is unlikely for Mazda to offer a torque vectoring rear diff. It may also be relatively less space efficient compared to the Pilot. We'll know soon in January when they reveal it.
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Mazda will have to be careful with pricing. Once you approach 60k it opens up lots of options. It looks like a loaded 2023 Pilot will be 50k.
I am also very interested in the straight 6. There are legendary examples of them from BMW and Mercedes. Some of the current ones get very good fuel economy for their power but I’m not comfortable with the luxury brands reliability and cost to maintain.
We bought a new Miata this year and have really enjoyed it beyond our expectations. It is very well engineered and it’s obvious they put a lot of thought into it. I have never heard of Mazdas having poor reliability but with brand new models who knows.
Talk to me about the MDX. I never even considered it. What is the difference between it and the Pilot?
The reading I’ve done makes it sounds like Mazda’s in-line 6 will be turbo charged. I would prefer normally aspirated.
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First thing I advise people is not listen to consumer reports or JD Power when buying cars. In my experience on many forums and keeping tabs on many brands and models through coworkers and family members I formulate my own opinions. And honestly I don’t actively steer people away from very many brands or models, I find they all have people with zero issues and people with major issues.You must associate with some unusually unlucky people.
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I’m willing to put money on it being turbocharged. Mazda builds very smooth and characterful engines I expect it to be a joy to wring out. Everyone I know with a Miata has had great experience, it’s been the CX-5 (talking at least 5 with transmission issues) and the 3 that have universally poor feedback.
knowing this thing will be RWD with an I6 -even if overall length is the same as the pilot the interior room will be less due to the longitudinal and long engine.
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The Acura MDX and the Honda Pilot are built on the same Honda Light Truck platform. They used to share the same engine and gearbox. Now the Pilot gets a new DOHC V6 while the MDX uses the older J35 SOHC in all models except the Type S. MDX also now has a double wishbone front suspension compared the strut based setup in the Pilot.
MDX gets better creature comforts and an impressive ELS sound system. All in, MDX is styled better, relatively more sporty to drive, and obviously costs more. MDX starts at $51k and goes up to $74k for the type S. Pilot starts at $40k and finishes at $53k.
As many of you know, I had an 05 for over 260k.
Now both my kids have moved out, one got a Subaru, which actually surprised me. Solid feeling, great handling.
The other got a Mazda Cx30. Now for a near bottom of the range, but its a really impressively designed and built car. Its somewhere between a VW an an Audi in quality or a Honda and an Acura depending on your preferences. The seats are incredibly comfortable. Mazda has a pretty simply powertrain line up, but there is nothing wrong with that.
Now both my kids have moved out, one got a Subaru, which actually surprised me. Solid feeling, great handling.
The other got a Mazda Cx30. Now for a near bottom of the range, but its a really impressively designed and built car. Its somewhere between a VW an an Audi in quality or a Honda and an Acura depending on your preferences. The seats are incredibly comfortable. Mazda has a pretty simply powertrain line up, but there is nothing wrong with that.
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I'll add that even with all the similarities, I've always been impressed by just how different the MDX looks, feels, and sounds compared to the Pilot. At least to me, the difference is even more obvious when I spend time in an MDX then go back to a Pilot. The MDX just has a sound, feel, and heft that imparts a sense of substantial luxury even though it has nearly the same bones as the Pilot.
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Yes. I read that as well. They speculated about 280 horsepower that I felt to be low for a turbocharged I6 with mild hybrid.
Were these the Ford based ones? Mazda themselves usually does pretty good. The rebadged Fords though… uhh… not so much.
Overall I really like what Mazda is doing. I rented a CX-5 Turbo this summer for a week and took it from Harrisburg to Niagara Falls. Thing was really good with a few really nice feature. Everything was well designed and implemented. Only real complaints I had were the engine was louder than I’m used to and the gas tank seemed small. Their “Soul Red” paint is also awesome when clean.
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Honda quality is not where it used to be.
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I remember in the late 80s my friend had a Turbo Mitsubishi and he always let the car idle for 2 mins before shutting it down to "let the turbo cool down"
Not sure if that was a thing or not but he was certain it was good for the turbo
More frequent oil and spark plugs changes.
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That used to be recommended decades ago and you can still buy "turbo timers" that keep the engine idling for a period of time after you turn off the ignition to allow the turbocharger to cool down so it wouldn't cook the engine oil sitting in it. That's no longer necessary with today's oil and water-cooled turbochargers like Honda uses.
Based on what owners are reporting and my own experiences, Honda's turbocharged engines don't prompt for maintenance any more frequently than their non-turbocharged engines. Maybe you're thinking of turbocharged engines in the 1980s?
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