Acura's Excellent MDX

A good price, great handling, and plenty of seating makes Acura's redesigned midsize SUV a smart alternative to the BMW X5

by Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Price, BMW-style handling, seats up to seven

The Bad: Fuel economy isn’t great, ugly front grill

The Bottom Line: Competes head-to-head with BMW’s X5 3.0si but costs a lot less

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

I recently had the pleasure of test-driving, over the course of a week, two hot, midsize SUVs that have been completely redesigned and improved for the 2007 model year: the Acura MDX and BMW X5.

Tough job, but someone has to do it.

At first, I usually left the Acura in the driveway and drove the Bimmer. Then one cold evening, I took both vehicles out back-to-back and drove them around the same circuit of hilly, curvy highways and pothole-filled backroads near my home in northeast Pennsylvania. Much to the surprise of someone who lived in Germany for two years and loves BMWs, the Honda-built (HMC) MDX became my preferred ride.

I thought it was just hype when Acura publicists bragged that the MDX—a family vehicle with three rows of seats that allow it to hold up to seven people—was "benchmarked against some of the best performance SUVs in the world and tuned on the world famous Nurburging racetrack in Germany." Sure it was, I thought. Just long enough to get some nice television commercial shots.

But the MDX's performance and handling really are competitive with German vehicles such as the $45,900 BMW X5 (see BusinessWeek.com, 2/6/07, "BMW's Exceptional X5")—and at a considerably lower price.

The base-model 2007 MDX starts out at $40,665, which is far from outrageous when you consider what you're getting for your money. Standard gear includes a powerful 300-horsepower V6 engine; fancy, electronically controlled all-wheel drive; a five-speed automatic transmission with a sequential-shift manual mode; Xenon headlights; power and heated front seats; a moonroof; 18-inch wheels; cruise control; and an eight-speaker, six-CD MP3-compatible audio system with an auxiliary jack for your iPod. Standard safety features include braking assist, stability control, side airbags, and full-length side curtain airbags.

Other than the base model, there are really only two trim levels, one that adds a technology package, raising the price to $44,165, and another that adds a sport package, raising the price to $46,265. The tech package includes a backup camera, surround sound, a voice activated navigation system with rear-time traffic alerts, and a solar sensing climate-control system that automatically adapts to outside weather conditions. The sport package includes all of the above plus perforated leather trim, special alloy wheels, and a German-style, sport-tuned suspension with an active damping system.

The only other major option is a $2,200 entertainment package that includes a rear-seat DVD player and heated second-row seats. So a loaded up MDX—with both the sports package and the entertainment package—tops out at $48,465.

Now, consider that the base price of the BMW X5 3.0si—which has a smaller, three-liter, 260-horsepower engine—is just two grand less. The optional third-row seats alone cost an extra $1,700 in an X5, and the Bimmer tops $60,000 when you add all the features and technology that come on a fully loaded MDX. That makes this new Acura quite a bargain.

Will the MDX be a hit, though? The answer isn't clear. In a down year for SUVs, MDX sales were off 6.3%, to 54,121 for all of 2006, but got a nice bump after the '07 MDX came out in mid-October. MDX sales were up 66.8% in November and 17.1% in December. But the early enthusiasm for the new model may not last; sales were only up 3.8% in January.

Behind the Wheel

The MDX was obviously benchmarked against the BMW X5, both in appearance and performance. It's about the same length and slightly wider, but the Bimmer is four inches taller, a difference that's noticeable when you look at the two side-by-side or end-to-end.