You might be forgiven for not knowing what the MDX is, since MDX isn't a very descriptive name. It seems MDX is Acura-speak for SUV. Specifically, an SUV that can take you wherever you want to go (if the ads and brochure imagery are to be believed)yet retains the comfort and "exhilaration" of a "performance luxury car" (to quote the first page of the brochure). In short, Acura promises the perfect vehicle that gives you everything you could want, without compromise. How well does the MDX live up to such a lofty claim?

This is not the first SUV to attempt to redefine the category in a more car-like direction. The Lexus RX 300, loosely based on the Camry platform, was the first. Largely because its ride is far superior to the typical truck-based SUV, it has sold very well. But its handling is somewhat flaccid in the mainstream Lexus tradition. More recently BMW has introduced the X5, designed to be the high performance driver's SUV. As I state in my review of that model, the X5 is easily the best handling SUV, but its ride is rough and its cargo room is lacking. Now Acura promises both superb ride and handling. Can Acura deliver where Lexus and BMW have not?

In answering these questions, I'm certainly not going to let the MDX off easy. I personally dislike SUVs because of their rough rides and clumsy handling. Especially the clumsy handling. My #1 priority in a vehicle is nimble handling. Guess what? On that first page Acura promises "nimble handling." Could this be the SUV that will win me over?

Acura MDX Reliability

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Background

How can Acura hope to achieve all of this? To paraphrase the ads for the Pontiac Montana, "Maybe it's not really an SUV." The MDX shares its basic structure with the Honda Odyssey minivan. The wheelbase has been shortened a full foot and the body has been raised a crucial few inches to give it that SUV look. But there's still a minivan under there somewhere. The same strategy is being followed by GM with the Pontiac Aztek and upcoming Buick Rendezvous, which are based on GM's minivan chassis. The theoretical payoff of this minivan-based SUV strategy is interior space and a more car-like ride than a traditional SUV without the stigma attached to a minivan.

On paper, the MDX looks strong. It is larger than other midsize SUVs, especially in width. At 77 inches, it is about half a foot wider than other midsize SUVs and just a couple of inches narrower than full-sized SUVs such as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Ford Expedition. We're talking WIDE. This is also a fairly long SUV. At 189 inches, it's about the same length as a Ford Explorer, and over half a foot longer than a Grand Cherokee. This is a BIG vehicle.

As you might expect from such generous dimensions, the MDX is heavy. Honda has traditionally produced light vehicles, but not this time. At 4400 lbs., the MDX roughly equals the mass of the upcoming 2002 Explorer (due early in 2001), is a few hundred pounds heavier than the current Explorer and Grand Cherokee, and is about a quarter ton heavier than the Lexus. It's nearly twice the weight of the Civic. This does not bode well for handling, ride, or both. BMW could only make such a tall and heavy vehicle handle well by making the suspension overly stiff.

The MDX's generous dimensions do have one payoff: this is also a large vehicle inside. Large enough to provide seating in three rows for seven people (as long as two of those people are prepubescent). Large enough to provide a very useful 82 cubic feet of cargo space. The 2002 Explorer will offer six more cubic feet, but the Lexus RX 300 offers seven fewer, and the much pricier BMW contains only 56. Because both rows of rear seats are cleverly designed to fold flat into the floor, all of this space is available without removing any seats, unlike in most minivans (but somewhat like the Odyssey). The new Explorer will be available with a third row, but it will have to be removed to get a flat floor and maximum cargo space. The Dodge Durango offers 88 cubic feet without removing any of it three rows of seats, but it's a very clumsy, trucky vehicle in comparison. So the MDX appears to offer an excellent amount of passenger and cargo space for an SUV. If you need much more room for people and cargo, you'd better start looking at very large SUVs or minivans.

Given the heft of the MDX, it better have a serious engine to achieve the promised level of performance. On paper it looks OK here, if not spectacular. The single available engine is basically the same as the 3.5 liter V6 in the Odyssey, but tweaked to produce 30 more horsepower, for a total of 240 at an accessible 5300 RPM. The torque peak of 245 lb-ft is reached at a commendably low 3000 RPM, and remains constant through 5000 RPM. So this looks like a strong powerplant. It offers roughly the same horsepower as the V8s in the 2002 Explorer and Grand Cherokee, if considerably less torque (i.e. mid-range power). But remember how much mass these 240 horses must move, and this number isn't quite so amazing. It might be twice as powerful as a Civic, but it also weighs twice as much as a Civic. The automatic usefully has five speeds, to keep the engine in its power band better, but mass eventually takes its toll.

Rare among SUV engines, this one 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.

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 mission, the AWD system in the MDX looks pretty slick. It's a more sophisticated version of the system found in the the Honda CR-V. When cruising, all power is channeled through the front wheels, just like in the Odyssey. 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 GM quasi-SUVs will have a similar system, as will GM's 2002 minivans.

The Lexus and BMW use a different type of system which distributes power to all four wheels all of the time, though the amount sent to each wheel varies depending on conditions. While this sort of system should provide more balanced handling, the type in the MDX should excel in providing an extra level of security on poor road surfaces, and may offer better fuel economy.

Styling

All of this I knew before going to the dealership. What did I learn once there? First I looked the MDX over. This exterior styling probably won't excite anyone, but no one will run away in horror, either. Though the front end is very car-like (it looks very much like that on the Acura CL, just taller), and the wheel-to-body relationship is somewhat car-like as well, the MDX is sufficiently high off the ground and chunky in styling to say, "This is an SUV." No one will think it’s a minivan based on how it looks, which was probably the primary mission of the stylists. This said, truck-based SUVs such as the TrailBlazer and Explorer have much better proportions, largely because their designers don't have to work around a transverse engine mounted ahead of the front axle. The longer wheelbases of the Chevrolet and Ford also help avoid the Acura's end-heavy look.

Interior materials betray Acura's current value-pricing strategy, through which each of its models offers more features than the competition for the same or less money. At $37,500 with the Touring Package, the Acura costs about the same amount as a comparably equipped RX 300. But it is a much larger vehicle, with more power and more room. So corners must be cut somewhere, and the interior looks like the place. Though it is far from shabby, the plastics used on the door panels, dash, and steering wheel look a cut or two below those in a Lexus. In the Saddle interior of the MDX I drove, some of the colors looked a bit off to my eye. Worst of all, the “wood” slathered everywhere looks like the plastic that it is. Like the similar "wood" found in many Chrysler products, it's not going to fool many people. Some will undoubtedly walk away for no other reason.

Accommodations

The MDX's interior mostly lives up to its impressive stats. There is plenty of room in the fairly comfortable front seats and an acceptable amount of room in the second row, though the cushions are a bit flat for optimal comfort back there (no doubt to enable the seat to fold flat). The third row, however, is quite cramped. The seat is very low to the floor, providing zero thigh support even for short adults. Two adults could easily ride back there, but only small children will be comfortable. For this reason the MDX cannot fully replace a minivan as a people hauler.

The cargo room even with the second row up is very impressive for an SUV. The seats are very easy to fold up and down. With both rows folded, this vehicle can carry a lot of stuff. There are only about half as many cubic feet available as in a minivan, but the MDX is a more convenient cargo hauler since you don’t have to remove any seats. One disadvantage versus a minivan is the slightly higher load-in height, a by-product of that SUV stance. Still, we’re not talking Ford Expedition distance off the ground here. Even short adults should be able to load things into the tailgate easily.

So what extra features does the MDX offer in line with Acura’s strategy? Just about everything imaginable is standard, including heated front seats and a stereo with a 10” subwoofer. A Touring Package adds a power passengers seat, a luggage rack, a Bose stereo with 6-disc CD changer, and a few minor features such as a differently styled set of wheels. The only other option is a navigation system.

Perhaps the nicest unexpected feature is a climate control system for the second row, complete with vents and controls nestled in a particularly nasty-looking patch of fake wood on the back of the center console. The most questionable feature is the trip computer that comes with the standard model. It features a flat panel display screen in the middle of the dash much like a navigation system. But it just offers the usual trip computer functions plus a flashy compass. In return for this gimmick, which takes up a great deal of the most-prized real estate on the dash, the climate controls are squeezed into a small area at the top of the dash. Except for a couple of buttons, which for some reason are mounted below the screen. The ergonomics here are not up to Honda’s usually high standards.

On the Road

Now for the true test: how the MDX drives. Now that I've finally gotten here, let me cut to the chase: Never while driving the MDX did I feel like I was driving a “performance luxury car.” The engine is up to the task, but not much else. If you’re the type that wants a 0-60 number, I’ll venture a guess of nine seconds. When pushed the engine sounds much like a domestic minivan or SUV V6, despite the sophisticated DOHC VTEC design. It keeps the MDX from being a slow vehicle, but doesn’t make it a fast one, or a sporty one.

Ditto the handling. Understeer is very prominent—it doesn’t really want to turn all that much. The steering, fairly light in effort, isn’t very communicative. These sensations, together with the high driving position, make the driving experience much like that of a short minivan. Maybe a bit tauter, though there is still a good amount of lean in turns. Overall, the MDX’s handling is substantially better than the more truck-like SUVs, especially those large enough for three rows of seats, but still well short of sports sedan levels. Not what I’d call “exhilarating.” BMW has nothing to fear in this area. The MDX isn’t going to steal buyers from the X5 based on its performance. With a tall vehicle, it seems you still must choose between flat cornering and a good ride, and Acura chose the latter.

The MDX also rides much like a minivan. I drove a 2001 Chrysler Town & Country the same day, which is probably the best-riding minivan. The MDX, though similar in feel, rode better, probably because of the much more sophisticated rear suspension and slightly more manageable dimensions. Compared to the Chrysler, the MDX had a more stable ride, with fewer minor body gyrations. The ride is generally smooth. Not quite luxury car smooth, but close. Certainly very smooth compared to conventional SUVs. And it doesn’t rock front to back or side to side like some conventional SUVs. The all-new 2002 Explorer and GM mid-size SUVs will be doing quite well if their rides even come close. Noise levels are also fairly low, though short of the tomblike silence in a Lexus sedan (and I presume in the RX 300 as well). The tire roar found on many SUVs is absent, despite the large, aggressive-looking treads. The MDX should travel well.

Last Words

Overall, the MDX doesn’t live up to its performance billing. It's much more nimble than other SUVs with three rows of seats, but that's not the same as driving like a sport sedan. So it didn’t win me over. The level of luxury and refinement isn’t quite up to that in a Lexus, either. Acura seems to have become comfortable with a position halfway between the mainstream Japanese brands and Lexus. From this position it will attract customers not willing to pay the extra thousands or even tens of thousands for the extra performance, luxury, and/or refinement offered by Lexus and the European luxury brands. There are plenty of such customers out there, people who equate features with luxury and prestige, and who are overjoyed to pay less to get "more."

In line with this "value" strategy, the MDX offers a lot of space, a very good if not great ride, and tons of stuff for an MSRP of $37.500. This is about the same you’ll pay for a loaded Chrysler minivan or Jeep Grand Cherokee, which are slightly lower in refinement and apparent quality. You could get a Lexus RX 300 for about the same price, but the Lexus is a much smaller vehicle that can only seat five. It may not fulfill the promises in the brochure, but it will more than fulfill many people's needs.

So I suspect that the Acura MDX, like the Honda Odyssey, will be in short supply. If you might want one, you’d better get in line now.

To learn more about my reliability research and sign up to participate in it, or to perform thorough, up-to-date new car price comparisons, visit www.truedelta.com. A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.
Amount Paid (US$): 37500
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: Touring Package