2010 Acura MDX: The Biggest Acura Ever... But is it the Best?

For those readers hailing from the other side of the Rocky Mountains, let me tell you one thing you need to know about Vancouver: it’s full of incredibly wealthy people. Stand on a streetcorner in trendy Yaletown, and you’ll be treated to a cavalcade of motor vehicles that would look at home in Dubai, with things like Gallardos, DB9s and F430s all rendering little more than a cursory glance from the waiting valets. Although none of the vest-wearing car jockeys will likely forget their first short jaunt in something from Maranello or Sant Agata, any more than a few months’ service makes them jaded, and it isn’t until an Enzo or Reventon pulls up that you’ll see a few raised eyebrows amongst the crowd.

Of course, this being Vancouver, those all-too-expensive exotics are all but useless for the majority of the year as our local climate competes with the South Pacific’s monsoon season for rainfall records. But if you’ve got a Lamborghini parked in the garage of your trendy downtown apartment, you probably aren’t prepared to ride the bus for the remaining 10 months of the year, which brings us to this: the Acura MDX. One of the first premium SUVs on the market at the turn of the century and the first seven-passenger crossover, the MDX (which, coincidentally stands for “Multi-Dimensional luXury”) has been an unequivocal hit locally due to its combination of space, all-weather capability, and of course, trendy brand positioning. And after a thorough redesign recently, even Vancouver most narcissistic denizens found their eyes drawn to the dramatically styled SUV.

Because with the now-obligatory “Power Plenum” styling, the MDX is absolutely impossible to ignore, be it in the move or parked at the local Lululemon store. However, while the same styling looks a little egregious on the smaller sedans in the Acura lineup, the larger fascia of the MDX serves as a better canvas for Acura’s heavy-handed stylists. Flanking the to-scale grille is a pair of equally interesting headlights that, although sharing some shapes with the rest of the Acura lineup, manage to look a little more organic. On either side, the MDX’s fender flares bear a striking resemble to those found on its platform-sharing stablemate, the Honda Pilot, and do a good job of making the otherwise minimally sculpted flanks slightly more interesting. Out back, Acura finishes the MDX off with perhaps my favourite Acura styling trait; a pair of shaped exhaust tips that look as if they were machined from a solid chunk of billet. Interestingly, although being wider than all its competitors (the X5 comes close, but still measures about half an inch narrower between the wheels), the MDX’s body styling boasts impressive aerodynamic chops, besting even the big Bavarian in the wind tunnel. By testing the vehicle in a windtunnel equipped with a turntable, Acura engineers were able to turn the vehicle perpendicular to the wind direction to evaluate interior noise levels in strong crosswinds as well as during simulated highway driving, and the result is actually quite commendable. Commuting through farmland completely devoid of windbreaks, the moderate gusts that are indicative of late summer in Vancouver had little effect of the MDX’s composure and stability.

Not that one would expect all but the most gale-force of winds to upset something that weighs up to 4,627 pounds. Add a couple passengers and you’re tipping the scales at over two and a half tons worth of luxury SUV; a figure that conspires against the MDX’s performative aspirations. Although powered by a robust 3.7 litre V6 producing 300 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, the MDX struggles to overcome its girth during heavy acceleration, to say nothing of the effects that weight has on its braking and handling performance.

Of course, the upshot to all that mass is a massive damping effect when the road gets bumpy, bolstered by a significant amount of sound deadening material to complete the magic carpet ride experience. With all the gizmos and gadgets one would expect from such a vehicle and five solid, supportive, and spacious seats (the rear row is somewhat punishing), the cabin is a great place to pass the time. Tall windows and the widest sunroof amongst its competitors ensures good lighting and an airy atmosphere throughout the huge interior, and good materials imbue a degree of class and sophistication not found on the cheaper Honda Pilot. The steering wheel and center stack of climate controls and entertainment switches is well organized (as with all Honda products) and of first rate materials, with every facet of its assembly being well looked after. From the positivity of the button feedback to the precision of the button labels, everything held up under the closest scrutiny I could muster, and I am pleased to say that it may be the first Acura product to compare with even Lexus’ excellent controls. That said, the MDX’s emphasis on styling and sophistication does leave something to be desired on the practicality front, as I found myself questioning the relative lack of storage space available. Moving the shifter from the dashboard (as it is on the Pilot) to the center console greatly reduces the amount of easily accessible console storage, and I have a personal hatred for center console bins with dual side-opening lids, as they offer no increase in accessibility and are harder to locate things in. But for a quiet, smooth, comfortable and just generally laid-back ride, the MDX is superb. Isolating the passengers excellently, it would prove a great long-distance cruiser for those holding significant numbers of shares in a major oil and gas company.

Because believe me, this is one thirsty vehicle. Powered by “just” a naturally aspirated V6, many buyers would assume that the MDX is a relatively thrifty vehicle when thrown up against some of its V8 powered rivals, and those people would be colossally wrong. For years I’ve tried to explain to friends and family that it takes a certain amount of energy to move a vehicle of a certain weight at a certain speed, and that the laws of physics do not care about the layout of the engine that produces that power. Sadly, my friends and family never quite understood that argument, until they saw the MDX. Driven just as I drive nearly every other vehicle I test, the MDX could do no better than 15.4 litres of premium octane fuel for every hundred kilometers I traversed; a figure that’s worse than that produced by the Range Rover Sport Supercharged (coincidentally, a vehicle requiring the same premium fuel as the MDX) I had tested earlier this year, which brings me to the cusp of this review: the cost. With a base MSRP of $51,990, even the most basic MDX is a few thousand dollars more than a top-rung Honda Pilot Touring; a vehicle that shares both its platform and many of its components with the Acura. And should you be more interested in opting for the top-of-the-line MDX Elite, you will be staring down the barrel of a $61,990 price tag; a price tag that’s nearly double that of a base model Honda Pilot. But here in Vancouver, where the MDX’s premium price is easily excused by the premium brand, the big Acura has even bigger problems in the form of other, more established premium brands, like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and perhaps most notably Land Rover and their brand-new $59,900 LR4. Providing buyers with superior brand cachet and in some cases even more practicality, the European competition begs the question: just how multi-dimensional is the MDX’s luxury?