This review is not intended to read like an article in Automobile or Car and Driver. We subscribe to both of those magazines, which rated the MDX very highly as did Motor Trend, who gave it the top rating for SUV's last year. Instead, my intention is to give readers more of a feeling of what it has been like to own an MDX over the last year...kind of one year review to answer the question, would I/We buy it again or should we have bought one of the other SUVs that we considered?

The Other Cars We Considered

We considered almost every other sport utility and 4-wheel drive vehicle, including the Chrysler 4-wheel drive minivan. We test drove the BMW X5, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Forerunner, Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon, Audi A4 and A6, the new Subaru Outback, and the Lexus RX 300. Living up in the mountains, we need a 4-wheel drive vehicle with some power that handles well in the snow. Our final 3 choices were the BMW X5, the Lexus RX 300, and the Acura MDX. We fairly quickly ruled out the BMW due to price and not a lot of space; we had actually considered and almost purchased the Lexus RX 300 the year before. We purchased a house instead, and deferred the auto purchase until 2001. Thank God we did.

We were looking for an SUV that had the ability to seat more, but not necessarily all the time; an SUV that didn't drive and park like a massive truck. Kind of a cross between a minivan and an SUV.

Our Driving Conditions

We live just off of Lake Tahoe in NV at 6,350 feet. We have great skiing in the winter, although it warms up at times causing the snow to be heavier than in Utah and Colorado. Some call the snow "Sierra Sludge" for that reason. We drive to Reno 2-3 times per week, which is about a 40-minute drive up to near 9,000 feet and then down to 4,000 feet. We get lots of snow, high winds with no visability, and all of that on very dark, twisty mountain roads. Summertime takes us to trail-like roads that are off of the main roads and are very bumpy.

The Long-term Drive Comparison

Last year I spent about 5-6 months back in Michigan during the Fall/Winter due to my father's illness. During this time, I drove their Lexus RX 300 and Chrysler Town & Country minivan extensively. Both cars drive nicely, but I have to say that I prefer the feel of the Acura MDX.

The minivan drives too big, and the RX 300 has a smooth ride, but its steering is too sensitive. In fact, while driving on either my parents country road or the patched and bumpy expressways in Detroit, I found that the Lexus got pushed around a bit. Even on smoother highways, I found that small corrections in steering made me feel like I was somewhat zig zagging in an effort to keep a straight line. Going around a curve feels like a series of small corrections, which required more effort and concentration.

The MDX has been a dream to drive on our mountain roads around Lake Tahoe. It has a firmer ride than the RX 300, but not too firm. Driving through the twisty roads feels smooth and has less body lean, probably due to the wider wheel base. It's a subtle thing, but it seems like I can actually feel the wider stance when driving. It may not be as cushy a ride as the Lexus, but it feels more secure, tighter, especially in the turns, and it is by no means a rough ride.

Driving in the snow was a actually enjoyable. As hard as we tried, we couldn't get the MDX wheels to slip. We have even tried to get them to slip when starting from a stopped position on a slippery, snowy, sloped road. No luck. I can't say the same for our Subaru Outback at that same stop sign.

The Driver, Passenger(s), and Seating

Well, I am fortunate to be the primary driver. We decided that I should drive the safer of our two cars since I cart our 4-year old daughter around, and my husband works only 2 miles from home.

We have our daughter in the center of the back seat. The back seat easily fits 3 car seats or three adults given its extra width compared to other SUVs in its class (BMW X5 and Lexus RX 300). The far back seat is mostly for occasional, short-distance use, for which it is more than adequate. We use it for nights out with friends so that we don't all have to drive. Driving around here for an evening out usually involves 30-45 minutes of driving...that's mountain living. We have never considered the rear seat to be equal to the comfort of a minivan. However, it is serving the exact purpose we thought it would. We love having the flat cargo space when it's not in use. Also, it's great to be able to pull up only one of two far rear seats since they open independently so that we can seat 6 and have a little more cargo space. When the rear seats are up there's not much room for anything behind the seats...but we don't really anticipate the need to bring luggage on our nights out. The only time it's a problem is if we all want to drive together to go skiing, mountain climbing, or on another activity that requires extra equipment. However, we are planning to get a storage box for the top of the car as a solution to not having enough space for equipment when there are 6-7 passengers.

Some extra bonuses of the seats. All 7 seats recline! The front seats fully recline, the middle seats recline about 35-40 degrees, and even the folding seats recline about 20 degrees. Secondly, the separate rear folding seats gives more options for seat configurations and makes it even easier to set up by making it lighter to lift. Thirdly, all middle and rear seats have tether bars for car seats. The middle row even has bars under the seat that are accessible for tethering rear-facing car seats. Lastly, plenty of drink holders throughout.

Accessories/Additional Packages

We got the car loaded with everything and have not regretted it one bit. Probably the one extra that we have loved the most is our navigation system. It gets me where I'm going to within 15 feet...if I can't find my destination from there, I don't deserve to find it. It's amazing how well it works. It gives us an estimated time of arrival to the minute, and is accurate to within 30 seconds; it will map out routes to a days' worth of errands; I can plug in commercial phone numbers and be given the address or visa versa; it can completely map out a trip across the country; it recalulates my route if I run into a detour or choose a different route; it searches for stores like looking through a phonebook; on snowy, low visability days, it alerts me to upcoming curves because I can see where we are on the map; I can find the closest Chinese (or any type) restaurant, ATM, gas station, hospital, hotel, and more when passing through a new town. The only drawback to this system for me is that now I will never have to develop a sense of direction, but then I wasn't too confident that at 37 it was going to happen anyway. My husband likes to say that we can go to the same place 100 times and it will seem to me as if we've never been. I know, kind of scary.

We purchased the dog fence so that we could safely load the cargo space to the max and not worry about items flying forward if we had to suddenly stop. The dog fence is made out of a tough, stiff, but flexible netting that has convenient clips to attach to the ceiling and floor. This is much better than the dog gate in our Subaru Outback, which our German Shepherd can easily knock over.

What's Lacking in the MDX?

Not too many mistakes that we have found after driving it for a year. We have one of the first ones off the lot in October of 2000. It's possible that some of these things have been changed already or will be changed soon. These are the things that you're not going to read Car and Driver or another review that is written in a similar style. They are the things that are noticed only after driving the car for an extended period of time under normal circumstances with the family.

The first pet peeve is that the fan for the climate control system is on the flat panel screen. So, you first have to pull up the right screen and then find the fan control. It would be much easier to have it as a button that you can feel for instead of having to visually see what you're doing. I'm kind of used to it now, but someone driving my car for the first time would not have the slightest clue about how to adjust the fan.

My second complaint is that the rear climate controls are nice to have if you have adults sitting in the back and not a child strapped into a car seat, who can't reach the controls. This is the scenario that repeats daily in our car. "Mommy turn off the air conditioning". Ok, I can do that from the front controls, but it has to be done every time the car is restarted. Next, "Mommy, I'm cold, turn on the heat." Ok, now this is tricky. If I don't want the heat on up front, I have to reach on the back of the center console and try to remember which knob does what and which direction I need to turn it...while I'm snaking around on the winding mountain roads. Not an easy task nor safe! And lastly, for longer rides, there are no arm rests for the driver to rest his/her forearms on. You can rest on the center console, but it's too far over for shrimps like me.

All things considered there annoyances, and do not diminish how much I love my MDX. If I still lived in Washington, D.C. instead of the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe, I would still want my MDX. We have both said to each other countless times that it was much better to have waited for the MDX than to have bought the RX 300. It's a great cross breed that excells in many areas with few compromises.



Amount Paid (US$): 40,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: touring package + navigation system