BoringAccountant

I've been driving my 2010 MKX 3.5 AWD for about 3 years now. I know it's an older vehicle, but still see many for sale. Anyways, I've been quite unhappy with the throttle response, low end torque, and shift response. Don't get me wrong, the MKX/Edge is not slow, more than capable in poor weather, and has been a reliable daily. Just when winter rolls around and I have to put the bike away, I miss having that immediate throttle response and being able to do doughnuts in a snowy parking lot. I considered Pedal Commander/Pedal Monster, Intake, Exhaust, but decided to go with the SCT X4 Tuner. Here's how I came to that decision. The following is in CAD and before tax, because I live in Canada. Pedal Commander (PC) is roughly $350, where as Pedal Monster (PM) is $450. SCT X4 on sale is $430-470. After researching PC issues I wrote it off as an option (if it fails, could leave you powerless while driving). So then it was PM vs X4 - PM uses OBDII to change throttle response (better than PC, if fails defaults to stock), but at that price I might as well get a X4 and tune gas type, shifting points, etc. So SCT X4 was the way to go for me, as soon as it arrived, I put on the 91 tune and it immediately made a difference. Low end response on take off was immediate, but still had issues with shift points and rolling throttle response. Did some more research and found CD3 Performance X Tuned by James - A SCT tuner file specifically for the 3.5L Edge/MKX for about $150USD/$200 CAD. Because tunes are based on mods, I had to consider whether to add intake ($720) and exhaust ($1300), decided I didn't want to spend that much on an older vehicle. So how did the SCT X4 with custom Tune by James go? AMAZING - Feels like a completely different vehicle. Low-mid-high end torque available, throttle response is faster off the line and while rolling, and mileage difference is negligible (note I am running 91 octane, have been since I got the vehicle - no I don't want to hear the science of whether I've been wasting money or not). How does this translate to drivability and fun? With quicker throttle response and better gear changes, I see an opening, step on throttle, and enter the gap. No more, step on throttle, wait a second, reconsider if I can still enter the gap. When it comes to winter time drifting, it almost feels like a manual with response time, allowing me to drift around obstacles in a "empty" parking lot with precision and confidence (obviously need traction off), something that was not previously reliable due to response timing/engine power hesitation. Overall - If anyone else is considering a mod to make their Edge/MKX more responsive and fun, I would highly recommend that SCT X4 Tuner with custom CD3 Performance - Tuned by James file. Altogether low $700 after tax, everything was plug and play, well worth every dollar from a performance and drivability improvement perspective. Hope this helps someone else out there, because I regret not doing this 3 years ago. Richard