The Bottom Line: A good value for those who desire luxury content and generous passenger and cargo space at a competitive price. Others offer better performance and/or comfort, however.
Three years ago Acura introduced the first car-based SUV with three rows of seats. Although in my opinion the MDX did not deliver the exhilarating driving experience claimed by Acura, it was a hit. Since then the field has become more crowded. Soon every major manufacturer will offer some form of car-based SUV. Most continue to have just two rows of seats, but a few like the Buick Rendezvous, Cadillac SRX, Volvo XC90, Toyota Highlander (for 2004), and Chrysler Pacifica offer three. Some competition can also be expected from a sibling, the blander but slightly larger Honda Pilot. Within this more crowded field, does the MDX still stand out? Or has it been superceded by more recent designs? Unusually for Honda, the MDX received updates in both 2003 and 2004. Honda usually skips at least a year between updates; I have no idea why the MDX received special treatment. But the real question is whether these updates keep the MDX competitive. I took a 2004 for a test drive to find out.
Acura MDX Reliability
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Styling
I’ve personally never found the MDX attractive, and this impression has only strengthened over time. This was clearly an engineering-driven vehicle, with the engineers establishing the basic shape of the vehicle based on the space they desired for the powertrain and passengers and designers being forced to make do. (With the new TL Honda’s designers seem to have finally gotten a larger voice in laying out the vehicle.) As a result, the MDX’s proportions are all wrong from an aesthetic standpoint. A 106-inch wheelbase is too short for a 189-inch-long vehicle in this age of ever shorter overhangs. Most competitors are similar in length but have a wheelbase in the 112 inch range. The MDX’s short wheelbase and long overhangs lend it an ungainly, tippy appearance.
Since the MDX employs a transverse engine mounted ahead of the front axle it cannot have the extremely short front overhang typical of conventional SUVs, but Volvo and Chrysler both handle this problem more artfully. Part of the problem is the horizontal emphasis within the MDX’s front end and front fender styling. The headlamps and grille openings are short vertically and numerous horizontal character lines and splitters break up both these and the fenders. I suppose the intent was to render the MDX more car-like, but the result is to exaggerate the already excessive visual length of the front overhang.
For 2004 the front and rear ends of the MDX have been tweaked. The changes up front are minimal and will be noticed by few if any people. The new squarer foglamps and body color vertical separations between these foglamps and the lower grille inlet they flank lend the MDX a slightly more massive appearance when viewed from the front, but they have no impact on the side view. These changes reduce the horizontal emphasis to the front end styling, but this impact is counteracted by a new painted horizontal separation between the faux skid plate that sweeps up from beneath the bumper and the lower grille inlet. Overall, the new front end to the extent the changes have any impact at all is a step backward, as it waters down the statement made by the original.
The 2004 updates to the rear end are slightly more noticeable. No one will notice the new tail lamps unless they catch an old and new MDX sitting side by side. But the new rectangular dual exhaust outlets partially embedded in the rear bumper fascia are a notable improvement over the old single exhaust that hung well beneath the bumper. This changes lends the MDX’s rear view a slightly more upscale, more powerful character.
But even this is a minor tweak within the overall styling. Until something more significant is done about the visual appearance of the front overhang, the MDX will appear awkward in a way many competitors do not. The original mission of the stylists was likely to make sure the MDX’s styling conveyed its more car-like character without getting the vehicle mistaken for an SUV, and while they succeeded on both counts this is no longer enough.
Updates to the interior are largely limited to a wider chrome shifter surround and the ambient lighting that is the latest trendy thing. I suppose this was Acura’s response to criticisms that the MDX’s interior seemed downscale relative to many competitors. Well, it’s not nearly enough. Nothing is particularly artful about the design of the MDX’s instrument panel, door panels, or center console. Nothing is ugly either, just pedestrian. The materials similarly fail to measure up, a likely result of the Acura’s value pricing strategy (more stuff for less money) at the time the MDX was introduced. The leather is slicker and shinier than that in many competitors. The fake wood looks especially fake. The passenger side airbag cover still has an obvious seam. Even the Chrysler Pacifica has a more artful, better-appointed interior. The interior of the Lexus RX 330 is in another league. Thankfully there is the Buick Rendezvous with its plentiful hard plastic surfaces to keep the Acura from the bottom of the pile. I suppose real change will only come when the MDX is fully redesigned in a couple more years. The interior will then likely benefit from the same changes recently visited upon the TL.
Accommodations
Two to five inches wider than all competitors save the Honda owing to its use of a large minivan platform, the MDX offers an especially roomy interior. Shoulder room is especially generous at 61 inches in the first two rows. This affords a wide center console in the first row. In the second row it is more beneficial, truly providing space for three adults to sit. There is nearly as much shoulder room in the third row, but that seat is very low to the floor, providing zero thigh support, and legroom is limited. The MDX’s is among the most usable in its category, but this isn’t saying much. As in all SUVs short of a Suburban or Expedition, the third row is only suitable for children over any significant distance.
Comfort in the first two rows isn’t as exemplary as the amount of space. The seats are very flat and moderately firm. You sit on them rather than in them. I personally expect to feel more cosseted in a luxury vehicle, like I do in the Pacifica and RX 330.
The MDX was a breakthrough vehicle in terms of versatility. No seats had to be removed to achieve the maximum cargo volume. Instead they all fold flat. The headrests of the third-row seat must first be removed, but they stow easily in an underfloor compartment. Even with the third-row up there is a decent amount of cargo room (unlike in, say, the Cadillac SRX). Start folding seats and cargo volume becomes abundant. The Volvo and Honda offer still more, but the MDX is still near the top of the field in this regard. To obtain significantly more cargo volume it is necessary to buy either a large SUV or, better yet, a minivan.
On the Road
The MDX’s size translates to a good deal of mass, 4450 pounds to be precise. When the Pilot was introduced last year the MDX received a twenty horse increase, to 260, to differentiate it. This year it gains another five. Together with the five-speed automatic the 265-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 accelerates the MDX quickly enough to satisfy the typical driver of this sort of vehicle. There’s certainly more energy here than in the six-cylinder XC90, Cadillac SRX, and VW Touareg. However, more thrust is available from V8 equipped competitors and even the V6 Infiniti FX35, so if strong acceleration is a top priority one of these alternatives will be better. The MDX’s engine sound quality is more pedestrian than I’ve come to expect from a Honda six. In addition to being more powerful, competitor’s V8s also sound more exciting and sophisticated.
The MDX’s engine has a ULEV (ultra-low emissions vehicle) rating. While this is commendable, you shouldn't think that the MDX as a result is comparable to a Toyota Prius in environmental friendliness. On the smog index, the MDX is still a bit higher than the average vehicle, if lower than the typical SUV. Rated 17/23 MPG, it will burn quite a bit of gas, and thus will produce generous amounts of carbon dioxide.
Even following the updates the MDX’s transmission lacks a manual shift feature. Frankly, such a feature makes little sense in a heavy vehicle with a comfort bias, but Acura likes to pretend that the MDX is a sport sedan in SUV duds so I’m surprised that this feature remains absent. Most competitors have it.
Now, to have any credibility as an SUV a vehicle must have all-wheel-drive, and the MDX does. But not in the traditional sense. There is no two-speed transfer case. Ads and brochure photos aside, the MDX was not designed for going off the road. It was designed for on-road security, and perhaps for people who would like to think they could go off-roading, if they wanted to, which they really don't.
Given this limited mission, the AWD system in the MDX is pretty slick. It's a more sophisticated version of the system found in the Honda CR-V. When cruising, all power is channeled through the front wheels, just like in its Odyssey half-sister. But when accelerating from a stop, or when front wheel slip is detected, the system automatically engages a pair of clutch packs and directs an appropriate amount of power to the rear wheels. The Buick Rendezvous, Volvo XC90, and Chrysler Pacifica all have a similar system, but other competitors’ all-wheel-drive systems continuously drive both axles. While the latter sort of system provides more balanced handling, the type in the MDX should perform well at the more limited mission of providing an extra level of security on poor road surfaces. For a car-like SUV that possesses serious off-road capabilities, check out VW’s Touareg.
The MDX’s suspension was retuned last year to lend it a sportier feel, both to reinforce the vehicle’s positioning and distance it further from the softly tuned Honda Pilot. Three years ago I found the MDX about as exciting to drive as a minivan. Does the revised tuning make a difference? Maybe—it’s been three years, so my recollection of the 2001 is a bit hazy—but certainly not a large one. Lean in turns is certainly much less than in the Pilot and Lexus RX 330, and also a bit less than in the Volvo XC90 and VW Touareg, but most other competitors corner flatter still. The weight and precision of the steering is confidence inspiring. I suspect it like the suspension has been firmed up. The Pilot’s steering is certainly much lighter and number.
However, the bias of the suspension remains towards safe, predictable understeer. Most of all, the very high seating position translates to a tippy feeling relative to the recent wave of lower-riding, even more car-like crossovers. I simply don’t feel comfortable pushing a vehicle hard through turns when I’m sitting this high off the ground. Those who expect their SUV to offer exhilarating driving along a twisty road will be much happier in a Cadillac SRX or Infiniti FX—even a Chrysler Pacifica. Acura seems to accept this fact. Unlike in 2001, this year’s brochure no longer speaks of an exhilarating, sport-sedan-like driving experience. Instead, the section on handling speaks of the confidence-inspiring precision of the steering.
Even with the firmer revised suspension the MDX’s ride quality remains good. Road imperfections are soaked up well, and the body gyrations that often afflict tall vehicles are largely absent in this one. Noise levels are low for an SUV, if not quite as low as in a good luxury sedan. The MDX should travel well.
Pricing
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The rest of this section is from when the review was originally written.
The MDX’s price is up $700 over the 2003 model and about $2,000 since 2001. It remains significantly more expensive than similar vehicles from mainstream brands but less expensive than others from premium brands. With the $2,600 Touring Package (upgraded sound system with CD changer, more power seat adjustments with memory, rain-sensing wipers, roof rack) the MDX now lists for $39,500, and Edmunds suggests that dealers still don’t discount it. The only options aside from the Touring Package are a $1,500 entertainment system (I want one for my kids) and a $2,200 navigation system, both of which can only be ordered with the Touring Package. The MDX I drove had the latter, which also includes a rearview camera. Usually I scoff at such parking aids, but in a tall, bulky vehicle like the MDX this rear camera view can be very useful. It helped me back into a parking space upon returning to the dealership. To make comparisons easier I’ll go with the Touring Package alone.
A Honda Pilot EX runs eight thousand less. What don’t you get at the lower price? The MDX Touring Package content ($2,600 right there), a sunroof, stability control, 35 horsepower, and the Acura’s firmer suspension and steering are the most significant differences. A more prestigious brand and a longer warranty also factor in. Overall, all but the brand account for about three-quarters of the difference. If you cannot live without the Acura’s additional content, or the brand alone is worth an extra couple grand to you, then the MDX holds up in this comparison.
A Chrysler Pacifica equipped like the MDX with TP (but lacking stability control) lists for $36,520. After the typical dealer discount and the newly available $3,000 rebate the cost of the Chrysler drops to about $31,400. Chrysler’s reliability ratings have been improving but it still lacks the reputation of Acura. It also weighs more than the MDX but lacks a fifth gear, yielding somewhat slower acceleration. These disadvantages notwithstanding, I personally find the Pacifica a more appealing vehicle in terms of comfort, handling, styling, and interior quality. In my view it is easily the better buy of the two.
A VW Touareg V6 equipped like the Acura with TP lists for $37,715. Edmunds suggests minimal discounting. The VW has a nicer interior and is much more capable off the pavement, but is considerably slower than the Acura and lacks a third row. To match the MDX in performance it is necessary to spring for the V8, which adds $3,600 to the price. Is the Touareg V8 worth a couple grand more than the Acura? How much do you value the Acura’s third row and reputation for reliability against the VW’s sportier character, nicer interior, and greater off-road abilities?
An RX 330 with similar equipment lists for $39,735. Add another $200 for eighteen-inch wheels that greatly enhance the vehicle’s looks. Edmunds suggests minimal discounting. With a price so close to the Acura’s, which is the better buy? The Lexus has a much higher quality interior and feels more luxurious, but lacks a third-row seat. How important is that seat?
To get the Volvo XC90 to accelerate like the Acura it is necessary to spring for the T6. Equipped like the Acura the T6 lists for $44,575. Edmunds suggests minimal discounting. Is the Volvo worth five grand more? The Volvo does not perform appreciably better in any area aside from styling, seat comfort, safety reputation, and the possession of a European brand name. In my mind these aren’t worth five grand.
A Cadillac SRX V6 equipped like the Acura lists for $47,585, and Edmunds currently suggests that discounts are minimal. The Cadillac in standard form handles better than the MDX but isn’t as roomy inside, but I’d advise spending another $1,300 for the package that include the magnetic ride control shocks. Even without this option the Cadillac is considerably more expensive than the Acura. Is it worth it? Probably not in V6 form, where it is a bit slower. With a V8 and the magnetic shocks the Cadillac performs far better than the Acura, but so equipped it is also over $15,000 more expensive—a different league.
Overall the price of the MDX seems reasonable against anything except the heavily discounted Chrysler and perhaps its Honda sibling. Whether the MDX is the best buy against the others depends on your priorities. The Acura’s main advantage is its price and/or a third row. If the third row is not important to you, one of the others is probably a better choice. If it is important, I’d take a good look at the Chrysler before buying the Acura.
Last Words
Overall, the MDX has improved but still doesn’t live up to its performance billing. I’m personally more comfortable a bit closer to the ground. The MDX’s enhanced ground clearance can be of benefit off-road, but its all-wheel-drive system isn’t really suitable for going off the pavement—an inherent contradiction. The MDX does have an advantage over many competitors in its third row seat and relatively low price, It will continue to attract customers who demand a Japanese brand for reliability reasons, who need a third row seat, and who appreciate a lot of content for their money. Others will likely find a sportier, better performing, more comfortable, and/or more luxurious competitor more appealing.
I'm between three and four stars on this one. I went with three in the end because I feel it is about average for the class in most respects.
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