First Drive Review
The first driving impression we gained at Acura's press launch of its brand-new 2007 MDX in western Pennsylvania wasn't on the road. It was on a track. And so confident was Acura in the dynamic talents of its new 7-passenger crossover ute, it brought along a trio of competitors, including the Porsche Cayenne V-6, the BMW X5 4.4i and the Volvo XC90 V-8.
How did it do? Beautifully, honestly, trouncing the Volvo, out-gunning the fat Cayenne and nearly matching the X5 in the fun-to-drive arena. Most telling was its behavior in transitory moves under full throttle. That's when Acura's sophisticated, full-time Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system—which varies torque distribution not only from front to rear, but from one rear wheel to the other, depending on traction conditions—showed off its talents most clearly. With the MDX's optional active dampers calming body motions, it felt as if the hand of God was cupped on the rear bumper, scooting the car through every curve. There was never any sort of compromise of stability or traction. Just confident, high-speed, high-thrill curve carving. Brilliant.
Smooth New Motor
Of course, it wasn't actually the hand of God per se, but a great new 3.7-liter V6 engine providing the motivation. With 300 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, the new powerplant is up 47 hp and 25 lb-ft from last year's 3.5-liter V-6. Acceleration is smooth and quiet up to 4500 rpm, at which point the VTEC system frees up some air space and allows a more sporty intake sound to come through. One surprise involves the automatic transmission, which has only five forward speeds, in a segment where six is becoming the norm. Thankfully, however, manual shift controls help drivers so inclined to keep the engine in the sweet spot during spirited driving or towing. Speaking of towing, the MDX' stability control has a specific setting for trailering.
Style and Substance
The edgy front-end styling of the new MDX represents a surprisingly bold departure for typically conservative Acura, but the simple shapes of the body effectively mask its significant increases in size compared with the 2006 model. 18-inch wheels are standard.
The interior of the MDX is styled in the same techno-classy vein as the RL, with a cascading center stack flanked by swaths of "wood" trim. There are plenty of high-zoot features available, from surround sound DVD audio to Navigation (with real-time traffic reporting) to rear cameras and more. The front buckets are comfortable and supportive, but perhaps more interesting is the rear seat, which provides outboard rear occupants with bucket-style seat shapes joined by a narrow center section for the occasional extra passenger. The third row, not surprisingly, is a place for pre-teen kids, or very short adults.
With SUV fatigue setting in, we didn't know whether or not to look forward to a new MDX—or any new SUV, crossover or otherwise. Happily, in this case anyway, it appears that this new vehicle is something even ardent car-lovers like us could enjoy.
