2007 Acura MDX Review

Acura MDX – Review: Picture in your mind a sport sedan. One with all-wheel drive, an active damper system, and responsive steering and brakes. Give it a powerful V6 engine and a quick-shifting automatic transmission with a seamless shift-for-yourself mode. Imagine its sharp chassis reflexes were tuned on Germany’s famous Nürburgring race track, alongside BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, Porsches and all manner of performance cars. Now give it seven-passenger seating and a big, hulking crossover SUV body. Fantasy, you say? No, it’s the 2007 Acura MDX. Acura claimed that its MDX would be a sport sedan in SUV clothing, and it wasn’t kidding. For people who like to drive, it’s definitely on the short list.

What We Drove

The basic MDX starts at $40,665 with the $670 destination charge, and boasts leather seats and the V6 all-wheel drive powertrain. The Technology package brings the price up to $44,165 and adds a navigation system, surround-sound audio system and Bluetooth wireless phone connectivity. The Sport package adds an active damper system and sport seats with perforated leather to the Technology package, bringing the price up to $46,265. An Entertainment package adds the second-row DVD video system, heated second row seats and remote power liftgate to either the Sport or Technology packages for an additional $2,200. All told, our loaded Formal Black MDX with the Sport and Entertainment packages came to $48,465, including destination.

Performance

With its 3.7-liter 300-horsepower V6 engine and five-speed automatic with manual shift control, the MDX scoots off the line and keeps accelerating hard. Power goes to all four wheels through the Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, and the transmission snaps off shifts smoothly and effortlessly. Shift for yourself and you’re rewarded with quick upshifts and mostly smooth downshifts from the responsive console-mounted lever. It even managed a respectable 19.5 mpg in mixed driving. While the linear power delivery was praised, some of us miss Acura’s hallmark power surge when the VTEC variable-valve timing kicks in. Also, some of the MDX’s competitors have transmissions with more gears. This is primarily a marketing advantage, and we see no need for extra gears.

Handling

For sport sedan lovers who dread needing a bigger vehicle in which to carry their kids or antiques or whatever it is that MDX buyers haul, this is one crossover that has no qualms about hauling ass, too. The Super Handling All-Wheel Drive actively overdrives the outside wheels up to 1.7 percent in corners, giving the MDX excellent stability in hard maneuvers. The active damper system provides very good body control without a punishing ride. It does err on the stiff side though, so a comfort setting is available to take the edge off sharp bumps if you have a sensitive tush. The MDX also has a 5,000 lb. tow rating, and a stability program helps prevent trailers from fishtailing.

Visibility

From the outside, the MDX sports thick D (rearmost) pillars that you’d think would hamper visibility. You’d be right, too. The rear window glass is small, and those big rearmost pillars create enormous blind spots. Acura compensates with a backup camera that displays a wide-angle version of the world on the large centrally-located navigation screen, but it’s only active in reverse. At least the second-row headrests are low, and the middle one disappears completely when not in use. Otherwise, like in most large suvs you sit well above traffic, and with the narrow front pillars forward vision is excellent.

Fun to Drive

Normally, the phrase “fun to drive” isn’t associated with a 4500-lb. SUV, but man, this thing is a blast. The engine makes great sounds, somewhere between Acura’s usual V6 rip and the throatiness of a V8. The steering is sharp and responsive, the brakes and throttle linear and progressive and the overall driving experience is one that invites – and rewards – a driver who loves to drive. We were impressed that such a large and heavy vehicle could feel tossable, but with plenty of track time under our belts, we can say that this is a big boy that loves to be driven hard. That it’s such an unlikely vehicle for those antics is icing on the cake.

Front Comfort

Front seat comfort in the MDX is excellent. The seats are firm and supportive, and power adjustable eight ways for both front passengers – the driver also gets adjustable lumbar – with two memory settings for the driver’s seat. Our test car’s seats were covered in chocolate brown perforated leather as part of the sport package, and the front seats were heated. Almost everything within reach is nice to touch; the leather steering wheel and shift knob, the padded door armrests and sills, and the padded center console armrest. About the only tactile letdown was the plastic wood used throughout the cockpit. Its dark wood-grain pattern looks good, but the obvious plasticness contrasted sharply with the otherwise luxurious surroundings.

Rear Comfort

The second row in the MDX is quite comfortable, with plenty of leg, head and foot room, even for tall passengers. Second row passengers also get their own set of climate controls, as well as a ceiling-mounted flip-down video screen with a pop-out remote to control the front console-mounted DVD player. There are also auxiliary video inputs for junior’s PS3. Outboard seating positions are heated, the seatbacks recline, and the center armrest features two cupholders, augmenting those in the door pockets. The passenger side of the second row slides forward, opening a narrow space to squeeze into the cramped third row. Too small for adults, kids will like it, and won’t mind that amenities are limited to the cupholders.

Interior Noise

The MDX is a silent runner. The engine is virtually noiseless at idle and cruise, and only makes the right kinds of sounds at full throttle. There is a little bit of wind noise around the top of the A-pillar and outside mirror, but you’d have to be going jail-time fast for it to be intrusive in any way. You get some occasional thumps from the road, but it’s just reinforcing the sporty nature of the MDX rather than intruding on your personal space. Overall, there is very little noise that you don’t want to hear, and if the remainder bothers you it can easily be covered by the excellent sound system, even at low volumes.

Loading Cargo

With an emphasis on driving, it’s easy to forget that the MDX is also a big box that can haul up to 83.5 cu. ft. of cargo with all the seats folded. The liftover isn’t too bad by SUV standards, and the power hatch is handy when your arms are full. The seats are all easy to fold down, but curiously, they don't create a flat cargo floor. Instead, the load floor slopes downward to the rear hatch. If you stuff a lot of groceries or Christmas shopping or other bags back there, remember what they say in the airlines: Open the hatch with caution, as items may have shifted in transit.

Build Quality

Our first test car showed some odd interior fit problems, uncharacteristically bad for Acura. We called to inquire, and Acura informed us that we had accidentally gotten a so-called “pilot” vehicle that wasn’t up to production specs. We swapped it out for a similar production model, and sure enough, the fit problems were solved. A quick stop at an Acura dealership confirmed that our second car was up to proper specs, so that's the vehicle on which we based our build quality impressions. Enough full disclosure: Fit and finish are very good on the MDX, with tight fits, pretty much zero gaps, and no rattles or squeaks. About the only nit is a largish gap between the dash and door panel.