 2010 Acura MDX. Click image to enlarge |
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2010 Acura MDX
With a base price of just under $52,000, Acura’s MDX mid-sized crossover is the third-most expensive model in the brand’s line-up behind the RL sedan and rakish ZDX. Yet it is also the brand’s best-seller, by far: new-vehicle buyers snapped up nearly 6,000 MDXs in 2009, which works out to more than one-third of Acura’s total sales last year, and it’s already well on its way to the same result for 2010.
Not bad for a vehicle that saw its last full redesign in 2007. That makes this the fourth year for this second-generation MDX and, predictably for a Honda product, it was due for a mid-cycle refresh. For the MDX, that meant updated styling, including the application of Acura’s controversial front-end treatment, and some less-obvious updates elsewhere.
 2010 Acura MDX. Click image to enlarge |
Mechanically, the most meaningful improvement is the replacement of last year’s five-speed automatic transmission with a six-speed, which the MDX shares with the flashier, new-for-2010 ZDX. That makes these models the only two in the Honda/Acura portfolio to move up to a six-speed auto; this, in a segment – nay, an entire industry – that began embracing six- (and seven-, and eight-) cog gearboxes years ago.
I’ve been of the opinion all along that five gears is enough, but the bigger-better-faster-more demands of the market dictate otherwise. In any event, suffice it to say that the new transmission works well enough that I didn’t notice the extra gear until I got the car home and looked at the specs.
The 3.7-litre engine is the same as the MDX has used since that 2007 redesign. Like Honda/Acura’s other V6s, it’s a gem, with good power and a great soundtrack when under the pressure of a heavy right foot. If the new transmission’s extra gear brings any direct benefit, it’s in lower rated fuel consumption. The 2010 MDX’s Natural Resources Canada numbers are 13.2/9.6 L/100 km (city/highway), compared to 13.8/10.0 in 2009. My tester returned an average of 15.3 in mostly city driving, just about matching a 2007 model I tested.
  2010 Acura MDX. Click image to enlarge |
Other updates to the MDX’s dirty bits include a new power steering system, stiffer rear trailing arm mounting, and a stiffer body, some of which likely contribute to a claimed reduction in noise, vibration and harshness. The MDX is a surprisingly good handler, thanks in part to Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system, which can apportion torque front-to-back and left-to-right, depending on conditions and what the driver asks the car to do. SH-AWD will also supply more power to the outside rear wheel in turns, which helps make for more balanced handling, particularly when accelerating through a corner.
Not many MDX drivers will push their cars enough to feel the system at work, but when subjected to the vagaries of city schlepping, the MDX is quiet, comfortable and composed, and feels well worth its $51,990 asking price, which, for 2010, includes a power tailgate and rear-view camera as standard kit. Last year, these two items were only offered as part of the $4,500 Tech Package.
The 2007 MDX I tested was fitted with the Active Damper System that’s included with the top-end Elite package. While I found that neither of the system’s two modes (comfort and sport) were “just right,” the base MDX’s suspension is pretty close, lending the car a firm ride that never gets harsh, even on some of the roughest patches of road I travel regularly. And while active suspension’s sport was more than window dressing – it actually does make the MDX feel like a sportier drive – the base setup is actually quite capable when the going gets twisty.
 2010 Acura MDX. Click image to enlarge |
If you do want the ultimate in handling, the Active Damper System and the Elite Package it’s bundled in (which also includes adaptive cruise control, auto-levelling headlights, blind spot information system, collision mitigation braking, unique 19-inch wheels, heated and cooled front seats and roof rails), adds $10,000 to the MDX’s MSRP, for $61,990. The mid-range Technology Package adds navigation, rear-seat entertainment system, upgraded stereo with 15GB of media storage, premium leather upholstery, Bluetooth capability and a 115-volt outlet in the rear console; a so-equipped MDX will set you back $57,290. The only convenience feature I found lacking in a $50,000-plus vehicle was rain-sensing wipers, which are standard in many of the MDX’s key competitors. Both option packages add a multi-view backup camera that displays in the navigation screen in place of the standard camera, which relays what it sees via the rear-view mirror.
     2010 Acura MDX. Click image to enlarge |
Regardless of options, the MDX’s interior is a comfortable place to be, with great front seats. Long legs have lots of room in the front and second-row seats, and headroom is good, if a little tighter up front than it should be in a vehicle of this size. Second-row passengers get treated to an adjustable backrest angle, but making the adjustment means reaching over one’s outboard shoulder for the same lever used to fold the seats flat. The MDX is a seven-seater, with a pair of third-row seats best suited for use by kids. Also, only the passenger side second-row seat slides forward to allow access to the rearmost seats.
The MDX’s cargo hold would benefit from a lower load floor to make loading heavy items easier; poking around the back of the car, it seems that the third-row seat is the only thing that stands in the way of a lower liftover height. With the third row seats upright, cargo space is reduced to little more than a third (425 litres) of the 1,215 litres available when they’re folded away. Fold both the second and third rows, and cargo space swells to 2,363 litres. Note, too, that third-row occupants’ heads will obscure much of the view through the back window, adding to the blind spot created by the thick D-pillar.
Acura says the MDX’s interior has been updated for 2010 with a thicker steering wheel rim, more leather, new gauges, improved centre stack buttons and upgraded interior trim. Even knowing the specifics, spotting the differences was impossible, mostly thanks to the three years since my last MDX tester. No matter: you’re treated to clean, legible instruments and, thanks to my tester’s basic spec, a refreshingly simple centre stack, free from the hot mess of buttons found in so many Acura and Honda products. The materials look and feel like quality, my favourite bits being the centre stack’s black metal bezel and the wood trim, which, if it’s fake, at least tries to look real.
I freely admit to not really understanding the rampant popularity of luxury crossovers and SUVs, but the MDX has a lot in its favour: it’s one of the more attractive of its kind (even with the new love-it-or-hate-it front end) and it’s the best-executed vehicle in the brand’s line-up right now. For the price, the MDX is also a decent value in terms of its combination of standard kit and overall utility, though many of its key competitors are, more sensibly for their size, strictly five-seaters. If you like crossovers, it’s hard not to like this one. No wonder Acura sells so many of ’em.
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Pricing: 2010 Acura MDX
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