About MDX
The MDX is the car that pays Acura's bills. Since it arrived for the 2001 model year, the three-row crossover has been the brand's best seller in most years and one of the default choices for families who want something nicer than a Pilot without stepping up to German prices or German repair bills. It is built in Ohio, sold mostly in North America, and judged by a very practical jury: parents with car seats, hockey bags and long highway commutes.
Four generations have taken it from a boxy unibody alternative to the body-on-frame SUVs of the late 1990s to the sleek, long-hood shape of the current model, which moved to a double-wishbone front suspension and offered a turbocharged Type S for drivers who resent being sensible. Owners praise its reliability, comfortable ride and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive; critics gripe about a cramped third row and an infotainment touchpad that takes some getting used to.
Its rivals line up around the block: the Lexus RX and TX, the BMW X5, the Volvo XC90, the Genesis GV80, the Infiniti QX60 and, in many shoppers' minds, its own cousin the Honda Pilot. The MDX makes its case on value and durability rather than flash, and comparisons in the press tend to swing on whether a buyer prizes the Acura's road manners and resale value or a rival's plusher cabin and quieter ride.
Watch for word of the next generation, the trademark filings that hint at off-road trims, sales and inventory reports, recall notices and long-term reviews. The MDX rarely makes headlines by surprising anyone, which is, for most of its owners, exactly the point. When it does make news, it is usually because Acura has tweaked the formula, and the family-SUV crowd is quick to say whether the changes were worth waiting for.