2007 Acura MDX

Personality-Transplant Hyde vanquishes Jekyll
By Frank Markus

With strong sales and a sterling quality rep in the bank, Acura is looking for street cred by infusing its mainstream products with more heart, soul, and verve. So the old minivan-based MDX has been revamped in the image of BMW's X5--for better and for worse.

First the good news: Acura's new 3.7-liter, 300-horse V-6 delivers a better weight-to-power ratio than does BMW's entry V-8 at a price that undercuts the six-cylinder Bimmer. By overdriving the outside rear wheel when powering out of corners, the Super-Handling AWD system mimics rear drive darned convincingly. Magneto-rheological fluid allows the shocks to vary damping rates widely within milliseconds to check untoward body motions when driving briskly. And longer, wider bodywork capped by a more swooping roofline backs up this athletic hardware with a sporting aesthetic.

Out in the real world, the MDX's promise doesn't entirely translate to reality. The 4643-pound truck launches gently, en route to a 7.5-second 0-to-60-mph time--0.3 second quicker than the X5 3.0, but six-tenths off the V-8 BMW's pace. Its 129-foot stop from that speed was considerably longer than most X5s, Infiniti FXs, and other sporting 'utes have managed. Even the slalom and figure-eight numbers fell short of the class average, at 60.3 mph, and 27.7 seconds at 0.61 g, respectively.

At least the MDX offers a third-row seat, right? Well, sort of. Most found the new way-back bench less accommodating than before. Ditto the middle row. Maybe the seat cushions are fatter, but rear-seat riders will feel more confined than in the minivan-y MDX. Finally, in "comfort" mode, the ride quality feels a busy and jiggly, yet wallowy on undulations. It's downright harsh on potholes traversed in "sport" mode.

The MDX marks a significant move for Acura and delivers reasonable value, but it lacks the segment superiority required to grab the trophy here.