WOW. What a wonderful SUV Acura engineered. I got the chance to drive the Sport and non Sport model. (Its long so bare with me)
When I walk up to the dealership's front door, the first thing I notice looking through glass is that big bold chrome and metal grill. In my opinion its not attractive at all, but I have seen worse. The model on display was a dark grey on grey interior with a bunch of Acura accessories which really set it off (roof rack, running boards etc). The overall design of the SUV is very nice. Gone is the raised minivan looking 1st gen MDX in exchange for a sharp edge designed SUV. Every design aspect seemed to come to a point or triangular in shape. The headlights, tailights, mirror turn signals, the character line running down the side and down the middle of the SUV (its going to be wierd to see license plates on the front of this truck with that pointy front end). It is very aggressive with muscular fender flairs and meaty tires and wheels. What I particularly don't care for is the plastic lower body cladding on the front and rear of the car (and of course the grill), however if I am not mistaken Acura offers body colored or silver painted accessories that fit right over this area.
The salesman (which happens to be one of my best friends) gives me the keys to a black on black MDX with Technology, Entertainment, and Sport packages (about 48K). When you open the doors all the lights come on as do the trick guages. Only the blue rings light up, followed by the needles and numbers upon start up. Between the speedometer and tachometer there is a small digital readout which is very similar to the one used in the new LS460. A nice welcome sign comes on when you start the engine and it also doubles as the multi information display (MPG, SH-AWD readout etc). I then notice how wierd the steering wheel is shaped. It is a heavily padded and sporty feeling three spoke wheel that contains many buttons on the face of the wheel and behind it. It feels very nice and portrays confidence, but it is also very cluttered looking.
The center console is very nice, though the mass of buttons throws me off a little bit. A large expanse of wood flanks both sides of the main controls and runs down to around the gear selector as well. The Navigation screen is very high up on the dashboard (really reminded me of the Navi position in the Volvo XC90) and covered by a large hood to reduce screen washout from the sun. However, once again, the dashboard is way to cluttered with a sea of buttons. It reminded me of an early 90's Alfa Romeo with all the identical buttons. The buttons will definitely take some getting used to. But here is the killer. With all of these buttons on the dashboard you also have a iDrive like mouse on the center console as well. Talk about getting the &)%* end of the stick. This is where the 06 MDX has it beat. Everything was easy to use and it didnt take long to find out where everything was. However if you really study it and look at how they organized the buttons, you have a small screen for the Tri-Zone climate control, right below it are the most used radio buttons, followed by the CD/DVD inputs, then the big Navi wheel. In the center console under the armrest is a huge box with a 115v outlet. So you now you can make your coffee, put a hot iron to your hair ladies, or in a more sensible way, you can bring your home cell phone charger with you and store it inside the box.
The front seats are very supportive and has a tremendous range of adjustments. I actually couldnt believe how well bolstered the seats were. They seemed to be taken right out of a TL Type-S or IS350. Plus the leather quality has rising a bit too. So to match the sporty feeling steering wheel, you have the sporty yet comfortable seats.
Moving to the second row seats I was also pleasantly surprised. The outboard seats are pretty much contoured like the front seats. :eek2: Sporty, hugs you, nice lower back support. Its great that they did this instead of adding your usual flat park bench rear seat. The two outside seats are also heated as well and rear passengers have their own climate controls. Plus there is plenty of rear seat leg room. Despite the extra room that SUV's offer over sedans, I never found the rear seat leg room enough in midsize SUV's for me. This is perfect. With the entertainment package comes a huge 9 or 10in flip down rear screen. It blends in nicely with the roof and the screen looks crystal clear. There are audio and video inputs with the Red, Yellow, and White jacks as well. So hooking up any video game would be cake. However, what didnt make sense to me is that the Rear lift gate only comes with this entertainment package. I don't find much entertainment with a power rear lift gate. Thats a convience feature and should have came standard or bundled with the tech package.
Now for the fun part.
I started up the engine, reved it up a little bit as this new 3.7L engine comes to life. I put it in reverse to back out of the parking spot guided by the wonderful backup camera system and headed out to the highway. Driving along I noticed that the blind spots are STUPID HUGE!! You end up not seeing a big chunk over your shoulders. But once you can get past that under normal acceleration this truck is quiet and the shifts are butter smooth. At around 3500rpm, the engine makes a distinct snarl and you can start to hear the exhaust note a little more. Above this rpm range, the engine and exhaust sounds wonderful!! It is sporty, yet it is not overbearing. The first thing I said to my friend was "I love the way this truck sounds". The engine is much more responsive and in typical Honda/Acura fashion, loves the upper power band. On the open highway I was able to get the truck up to exactly 105 mph. From zero all the way to about 95 it pulls very nicely, but after that it seems like it hits a wall and doesnt pull nearly as strong. After this high speed run, I tested out the brakes by doing a nice moderate slow down where the brakes exhibited well controlled and grabby pedal feel. In a quick panick stop, the brakes did a good job as well.
But in my opinion the main attraction or biggest improvement on this SUV was not the nice features, the competitive price point, or the 300hp engine...it was the balanced and well controlled handling for such a big SUV!! So now to tie in the thick feeling wheel and the sporty seats we actually have a sporty driving SUV.
Acura claims that they tested the SUV on the Nürburgring (heh, seems like the in thing to do these days) and they probably did because this SUV can dance. Those early reviews that we read did not exaggerate this one bit. Seems like they were gunning for the Cayenne and X5 this time around. The SUV is incredibly rigid. Its a solid strong truck that displays minimal body flex. When you hit a big pothole, all you hear is "thump". The MDX laughs at potholes!! I want to drive this on the streets of NYC. It doesnt ride overly stiff either. In my opinion it is well calibrated and well controlled. The sport model includes an Acura first electromagnetic adjustable suspension. Its system I think (and correct me if I am wrong) is very much like the system used in certain Cadilalcs and even the Volvo S60R models. It uses some special fluid to firm up the suspension in corners yet smooth out the ride for comfort and to maintain good ride quality. The difference between Comfort and Sport settings while not night and day in my opinion are still a good variation. Coupled with the SH-AWD this truck seems to love running through turns. I noticed that most of the time the front wheels power the truck, but when the turns come or when you gun the acclerator it switches more power to the rear and to whatever wheel needs it most. The great thing about it is that it is always on.
There is a long high speed S-turn near the dealership that I took on my testdrive and I must say that this truck went through those turns rather quickly. Of course it rolled, its a truck, but the amount that it did roll was not as much as one would expect. It felt composed and you actually feel confident taking those turns at faster speeds. I had the VSA off the entire time and with the suspension in sport and the SH-AWD working its magic felt great!!
Well how does it compare to the RX400h that I drove the following day at TOL?? Pshh. Whats a RX400h?? The MDX does everything the RX does but better(minus the MPG thing). It has more room, nice features, better handling, more power, and its more comfortable. Right now, IMO it would be HARD to consider a RX over the new MDX. Acura did a GREAT job on the MDX and this thing is going to sell.
When I walk up to the dealership's front door, the first thing I notice looking through glass is that big bold chrome and metal grill. In my opinion its not attractive at all, but I have seen worse. The model on display was a dark grey on grey interior with a bunch of Acura accessories which really set it off (roof rack, running boards etc). The overall design of the SUV is very nice. Gone is the raised minivan looking 1st gen MDX in exchange for a sharp edge designed SUV. Every design aspect seemed to come to a point or triangular in shape. The headlights, tailights, mirror turn signals, the character line running down the side and down the middle of the SUV (its going to be wierd to see license plates on the front of this truck with that pointy front end). It is very aggressive with muscular fender flairs and meaty tires and wheels. What I particularly don't care for is the plastic lower body cladding on the front and rear of the car (and of course the grill), however if I am not mistaken Acura offers body colored or silver painted accessories that fit right over this area.
The salesman (which happens to be one of my best friends) gives me the keys to a black on black MDX with Technology, Entertainment, and Sport packages (about 48K). When you open the doors all the lights come on as do the trick guages. Only the blue rings light up, followed by the needles and numbers upon start up. Between the speedometer and tachometer there is a small digital readout which is very similar to the one used in the new LS460. A nice welcome sign comes on when you start the engine and it also doubles as the multi information display (MPG, SH-AWD readout etc). I then notice how wierd the steering wheel is shaped. It is a heavily padded and sporty feeling three spoke wheel that contains many buttons on the face of the wheel and behind it. It feels very nice and portrays confidence, but it is also very cluttered looking.
The center console is very nice, though the mass of buttons throws me off a little bit. A large expanse of wood flanks both sides of the main controls and runs down to around the gear selector as well. The Navigation screen is very high up on the dashboard (really reminded me of the Navi position in the Volvo XC90) and covered by a large hood to reduce screen washout from the sun. However, once again, the dashboard is way to cluttered with a sea of buttons. It reminded me of an early 90's Alfa Romeo with all the identical buttons. The buttons will definitely take some getting used to. But here is the killer. With all of these buttons on the dashboard you also have a iDrive like mouse on the center console as well. Talk about getting the &)%* end of the stick. This is where the 06 MDX has it beat. Everything was easy to use and it didnt take long to find out where everything was. However if you really study it and look at how they organized the buttons, you have a small screen for the Tri-Zone climate control, right below it are the most used radio buttons, followed by the CD/DVD inputs, then the big Navi wheel. In the center console under the armrest is a huge box with a 115v outlet. So you now you can make your coffee, put a hot iron to your hair ladies, or in a more sensible way, you can bring your home cell phone charger with you and store it inside the box.
The front seats are very supportive and has a tremendous range of adjustments. I actually couldnt believe how well bolstered the seats were. They seemed to be taken right out of a TL Type-S or IS350. Plus the leather quality has rising a bit too. So to match the sporty feeling steering wheel, you have the sporty yet comfortable seats.
Moving to the second row seats I was also pleasantly surprised. The outboard seats are pretty much contoured like the front seats. :eek2: Sporty, hugs you, nice lower back support. Its great that they did this instead of adding your usual flat park bench rear seat. The two outside seats are also heated as well and rear passengers have their own climate controls. Plus there is plenty of rear seat leg room. Despite the extra room that SUV's offer over sedans, I never found the rear seat leg room enough in midsize SUV's for me. This is perfect. With the entertainment package comes a huge 9 or 10in flip down rear screen. It blends in nicely with the roof and the screen looks crystal clear. There are audio and video inputs with the Red, Yellow, and White jacks as well. So hooking up any video game would be cake. However, what didnt make sense to me is that the Rear lift gate only comes with this entertainment package. I don't find much entertainment with a power rear lift gate. Thats a convience feature and should have came standard or bundled with the tech package.
Now for the fun part.
I started up the engine, reved it up a little bit as this new 3.7L engine comes to life. I put it in reverse to back out of the parking spot guided by the wonderful backup camera system and headed out to the highway. Driving along I noticed that the blind spots are STUPID HUGE!! You end up not seeing a big chunk over your shoulders. But once you can get past that under normal acceleration this truck is quiet and the shifts are butter smooth. At around 3500rpm, the engine makes a distinct snarl and you can start to hear the exhaust note a little more. Above this rpm range, the engine and exhaust sounds wonderful!! It is sporty, yet it is not overbearing. The first thing I said to my friend was "I love the way this truck sounds". The engine is much more responsive and in typical Honda/Acura fashion, loves the upper power band. On the open highway I was able to get the truck up to exactly 105 mph. From zero all the way to about 95 it pulls very nicely, but after that it seems like it hits a wall and doesnt pull nearly as strong. After this high speed run, I tested out the brakes by doing a nice moderate slow down where the brakes exhibited well controlled and grabby pedal feel. In a quick panick stop, the brakes did a good job as well. But in my opinion the main attraction or biggest improvement on this SUV was not the nice features, the competitive price point, or the 300hp engine...it was the balanced and well controlled handling for such a big SUV!! So now to tie in the thick feeling wheel and the sporty seats we actually have a sporty driving SUV.
Acura claims that they tested the SUV on the Nürburgring (heh, seems like the in thing to do these days) and they probably did because this SUV can dance. Those early reviews that we read did not exaggerate this one bit. Seems like they were gunning for the Cayenne and X5 this time around. The SUV is incredibly rigid. Its a solid strong truck that displays minimal body flex. When you hit a big pothole, all you hear is "thump". The MDX laughs at potholes!! I want to drive this on the streets of NYC. It doesnt ride overly stiff either. In my opinion it is well calibrated and well controlled. The sport model includes an Acura first electromagnetic adjustable suspension. Its system I think (and correct me if I am wrong) is very much like the system used in certain Cadilalcs and even the Volvo S60R models. It uses some special fluid to firm up the suspension in corners yet smooth out the ride for comfort and to maintain good ride quality. The difference between Comfort and Sport settings while not night and day in my opinion are still a good variation. Coupled with the SH-AWD this truck seems to love running through turns. I noticed that most of the time the front wheels power the truck, but when the turns come or when you gun the acclerator it switches more power to the rear and to whatever wheel needs it most. The great thing about it is that it is always on.
There is a long high speed S-turn near the dealership that I took on my testdrive and I must say that this truck went through those turns rather quickly. Of course it rolled, its a truck, but the amount that it did roll was not as much as one would expect. It felt composed and you actually feel confident taking those turns at faster speeds. I had the VSA off the entire time and with the suspension in sport and the SH-AWD working its magic felt great!!
Well how does it compare to the RX400h that I drove the following day at TOL?? Pshh. Whats a RX400h?? The MDX does everything the RX does but better(minus the MPG thing). It has more room, nice features, better handling, more power, and its more comfortable. Right now, IMO it would be HARD to consider a RX over the new MDX. Acura did a GREAT job on the MDX and this thing is going to sell.
