Another Look

2006 Acura MDX: Queen of suburbia

A quick look around the parking lot of any suburban mall reveals the obvious: the Acura MDX has replaced the Lexus RX as the new Jeep, that is, the transportation of choice for a certain type of attractive suburban mother too restrained for a Suburban, for whom a car is just too little, and a minivan, too…too.

It’s easy to see why. Like most Hondas and Acuras, the 2005 Acura MDX 5-Door Touring R&N is exquisitely tasteful, both in looks and in handling. My test model with its steel blue metallic exterior and ebony interior merited no second look, a plus for a certain segment of the population. At the supermarket or at the country club, you will fit in almost unnoticed in the MDX.

If you detect a certain barely-disguised edge in these remarks, you’d be half right. The MDX evokes emotions varying between grudging admiration and overwhelming ennui. Like the Acura RL, this is a superbly designed vehicle that is a standout in its class, but somehow never manages to inspire what its incredibly exciting stablemate, the TL, does so easily: sheer joy in driving.

Still, having just clocked hours of driving each day for the past few days ferrying the princess back and forth to visit various colleges – hated Williams, loved Amherst, on the fence about Connecticut College – the MDX’s forte – an overwhelming competence – is not so easily overlooked. Again like most Hondas and Acuras, this is a vehicle on which you can depend, day and night, in all kinds of weather. You may not feel the urge to throw it into corners, but neither do you dread pulling out of the garage, nor are you ever concerned that you won’t make it back.

In between, the journey most resembles an extended vacation taken at a string of big chain hotels. Nothing surprises, but that is why we stay at chains. We know the rooms won’t be too small, the bed too lumpy, the décor too garish. We know the phones will work, we’ll have Internet access and the front desk clerk will smile. There’s an awful lot to be said for that. Excitement and astonishment may be good on that special vacation, but no weary road warrior wants an exploding volcano in her living room.

That’s kind of what it’s like with the Acura MDX: you know what you came for and that’s what you’ll get. At $44,345 for my fully equipped test car, the MDX may be a little rich for the Motel 6 crowd, and not exclusive enough for those who prefer the Ritz, but for the vast majority in the middle, it’s priced and it performs just right. Just check the parking lots and see the votes for the MDX.

Since we’re stretching the hotel analogy way past any reasonable limits, let’s touch on that price again. Remember those days when you’d go to a hotel, your room bill would be x dollars, but make a phone call, look at the minibar, or even take too deep a breath of the hotel’s air and suddenly your bill had ballooned way past any resemblance to what you’d originally expected? Buying a car has been like that for too long.

You’d go to the lot, test-drive the car, look at the sticker, figured what you could afford and decide to buy. But then came the extras. There’d be so much for a radio you could actually hear, non-plastic seats cost extra, the windshield would be a slight add-on charge and an engine was an extra-cost option. You’d leave the dealership, whether or not you’d bought the car, feeling used, abused and distrusting of the entire experience. No wonder you put off buying the next car.

One hopes the automakers’ experiment with fixed pricing (the employee discount program) has opened their eyes. We don’t go haggling at Costco, and we don’t have to triple check our bills at Tiffany. We shouldn’t have to do that when we buy a car. A pleasant buying experience means more repeat buyers.

But until we’re sure Detroit gets the message, we’ll sing Acura’s praises. The only extra on the MDX’s invoice was the $570 destination charge (Why do we need a destination charge anyway? We’re already there!). Anyway, that $570 brought the price up to the previously mentioned $44,345. That includes everything from the all-wheel-drive system, to three rows of seats (the third row for very little people), multiple safety systems, a navigation system with excellent voice recognition and a rearview camera, a DVD rear entertainment system with a 7” display and wireless headsets, moonroof, super sound system, auto headlights, fogs, 17” wheels, rain-sensing wipers, power everything, OnStar and XM. All this is included in standard equipment, giving you one number to be concerned with and probably lowering the cost overall.

Now I know some people will say I should have a choice, I should be able to pick what I want and leave the rest. Well, you’re entitled to be misguided, and you can do that if you want to, but I love Acura’s all-in-one pricing.

As for the MDX itself, how does it rate as a vehicle? To repeat myself, competence, not excitement is the key here. Probably the only obvious downside to the MDX is that it only comes with a 3.5-liter, 24-valve V6. There is no 8-cylinder engine available as with others in its class. But at a time when gas prices are hovering around $3 per gallon and our brave servicepeople are dying daily in the Middle East to ensure the continued availability of oil, we should probably be happy about that. Fuel economy is a relatively good for its class 17 city/23 highway according to the EPA, and the engine is, like many Honda engines, peppy and satisfying if not overwhelmingly powerful.

The engine, like the smooth 5-speed automatic transmission, is Japanese. The MDX is assembled in Ontario, Canada, and 65% of its parts are U.S. or Canadian. The size is all North American. This is a vehicle designed for the expansive American market, and by expansive, I mean fat.

Sitting in the MDX brings back no memories of early Civics. These seats are well-engineered to accommodate the American rear, providing comfort and support to a variety of physiques. Again, as with most Honda-designed cars, controls are so intuitive, you get behind the wheel and can figure out almost anything without ever having to refer to the manual. Visibility is top of the line, though after a little practice, you’ll enjoy using the rear view camera as you back up to see how close you can come to the car behind you without touching. The front two rows of seats are easily accessible, though the third row should be considered for emergencies and small children. Cargo space, helped by easily folded seats, is plentiful. Passenger safety is tops as rated by crash test results.

Handling and ride comfort are very good for an SUV. The MDX is, after all, a car-based vehicle and largely handles like one. It is not an off-roader, but its 8-inch ground clearance allows it to handle most obstacles.

We do hope Acura does a major design refresh soon. The MDX did supplant the RX as the RX supplanted the Jeep after Lexus and Jeep stayed too long with a design that then grew long in the tooth. The MDX’s design seems much less fresh than it used to, but overall, unless you need offroad capability or Porsche-like excitement, the MDX still gets a strong yes.

posted by Andy Mais @ 2:48 PM