2007 Acura MDX Tech

Luxury Sitting

The Good

Nice standard features
Fit and finish (except for steering wheel)
Awesomely comfortable front seats
Standard rear a/c controls
Peppy engine
5.1 surround sound system sounds killer in the front row (not so much in the 2nd and 3rd)

The Bad

Power liftgate only available with rear DVD entertainment package
Black is the only wood choice
Bordeaux interior is bad 70s flashback
Warranty doesn’t include routine service
Five speed transmission
2nd row center seat LATCH is not centered, putting child seat at odd angle leaning into the seat next to it
Can only access 3rd row from driver's side
The Bluetooth sucks, plain and simple
Seat heater in front passenger seat only heats seat bottom, not back

I wasn’t very excited about driving this because of Motor Trend’s brief not-so-happy review of it in their 2007 SUV of the Year contest, but I’m glad I went anyway. It deserved a test drive.

Ho Hum Exterior Paint Choices

My very first impression on the Acura lot was that the color selection is blah. What can I say, I’m a Cherry Red kind of gal. There was a light blue that was intriguing, but with that color the MDX has grey bumpers instead of black and I really didn’t like they way they looked with the steel blue paint.

The grill is some sort of textured silver metal and looks like it will be a bear to keep clean. The cars on the lot had streaks and discolorations just sitting there.

The MDX is redesigned for 2007 and features a slightly more angular body than the previous model. The rear reminds me of a Tribeca, but other than that I like the exterior styling. It’s a little bit edgy but curved enough to satisfy my jelly bean cravings.

Behind the Wheel

The MDX sits high enough that I have to grab a hold of the steering wheel to climb in, but once inside I like the commanding view, not to mention the quality interior. The dash waterfalls into the center stack and then flows continuously to the armrests. The result is a dash that’s very integrated with both the center stack and the console. Buttons are small and there are a lot of them, but they blend well into the interior design. The one odd note is the gigantic navigation control, which protrudes about two inches near the bottom of the center stack. It is too big and looks out of place with all the small buttons. I also kept adjusting the a/c temperature instead of the radio volume, but that’s just a matter of getting used to button placement.

There are two cupholders in the console that can be covered with a segmented plastic door and a bottle holder built into each door bin. The center armrest is split in half and can be opened on either the driver or passenger side and is quite deep, but only houses an auxiliary adapter. A power outlet there would be handy for cell phone charging (a 115-volt outlet is provided with the Entertainment package).

The steering wheel rim is a bit thin and the leather feels on the cheap side. There were also two sharp plastic edges where the airbag cover attaches to the wheel that looked left over from the plastic mold that formed the cover. The wheel has controls for just about everything you could want while driving: Radio volume and channel, cruise control, Bluetooth, voice recognition (for navigation and stereo controls), a button that scrolls through the computer settings like trip computer, and a few other buttons I’m unclear on the function of.

The Technology package supposedly features a premium sound system, but I’m not impressed, at least not with how FM stations sound on it. Set at the factory defaults, it sounds flat and lacks bass. It also sounds like it’s coming from behind the driver – so much so that I looked around to see where the speakers up front are. I only found three – one in each front door in the foot well and one behind the navigation screen. However, I didn't play with the sound system myself because I had one of those salesman who likes to do everything for you. Perhaps some tone tweaking would have adjusted it to my liking.

The navigation screen is inset into the top of the dash. It can be voice controlled and also features real time traffic reports in certain cities (as long as you keep your satellite radio subscription current). The salesman asked it for the nearest Chinese food restaurants and it promptly responded with a list.

Also integrated into the navigation screen is a backup camera. I only used it once, but it was disconcerting to look in the rear view mirror and see the car I was backing towards looked MUCH closer than on the screen.

I'm Putting the Driver’s Chair in my Living Room

I’m in love with the driver’s seat – it might be one of the most comfortable car seats I’ve ever sat in. It adjusts up, down, back and forth in ten ways and has power lumbar, although the lumbar can’t be raised or lowered. The lumbar hit me in about the right spot, which makes me wonder how it feels for taller drivers (which is almost everyone). The seat has a lot of bolstering. I usually find bolsters confining, but these were about perfect for me – not too wide and not too big. I felt supported without being squished. I didn’t sit in the passenger seat, but it also has bolsters, ten-way power and power lumbar.

The heated seats only have two settings: Too Hot and Not Hot Enough. The salesman (and the manual) suggests setting them on hot until they get too hot and then switching to the lower setting. I'd much prefer at least one more setting in between them.

The middle seats are a nice surprise. The outer two in the middle row are captain’s style instead of a plain bench. That makes the middle seat a bit confined, but the outer two are pretty comfortable. Legroom is decent in the second row, especially when I’m driving.

The third row, which seats two, can only be accessed from the passenger side of the car by moving the second row seat forward. Climbing back there is awkward to say the least thanks to a very small entry, but once back there I have slightly more legroom than in the BMW X5. The seats themselves aren’t too bad, but I wouldn’t want to ride long distances in them. Climbing out is another story – I couldn’t find anything to hang on to and stumbled from the vehicle rather than sauntered out.

The second row folds down, although I wouldn’t call it flat. It’s very easy to fold by grabbing a lever on top of the seat, but once folded sits at an angle that takes away from storage space in the MDX. The third row also sits at a slight angle while the area behind the third row is completely flat.

One feature the Technology package is missing is a power liftgate. That features is available only with the Entertainment package: A $2200 option that includes heated second row seats and a rear DVD entertainment system.

Going For a Drive

Driving the MDX is a pleasant, although unexciting experience. An extra 50 horsepower or so wouldn’t be a bad thing, although the 300 horsepower V6 isn’t exactly slow. It’s just not exactly fast, either. Supposedly 0-60 can be obtained in 7.3 seconds, so maybe I just need to get on the pedal a little more aggressively. The brakes are easy to use smoothly and the steering doesn’t twitch at center like some of the Hondas I’ve tested.

On the highway the MDX is very quiet, probably one of the quietest cars I’ve driven in this year’s test drives. There is no wind noise and even with the sunroof all the way open the cabin remains fairly quiet.

Video: Folding Down the Second Row

It's laughably easy in the MDX.

Overall Impression

A great value in the midsize luxury SUV pack. The MDX has standard features that I expect in this class, and some extras I don’t like rear a/c controls.

I left the test drive very impressed with the MDX.