Acura MDX

The MDX is a midsize luxury crossover SUV with three rows of seating and room for up to seven passengers. It’s the larger of two sport-utes from Acura, measuring about a foot longer than the compact RDX. The MDX shares a platform and some components with the Honda Pilot, which is built by Acura’s parent company. Properly equipped, the MDX can tow up to 5,000 pounds.

Since 2014, the MDX has come standard with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, which makes 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. It pairs with an automatic transmission, which was revised from six to nine speeds in 2016 and again to a 10-speed unit in 2022. Power routes to the front wheels unless the model is equipped with optional all-wheel drive, which the automaker labels SH-AWD (short for Super Handling All-Wheel Drive). A hybrid-powered variant called the MDX Sport Hybrid was offered from 2017 through 2020 and is reviewed separately. In 2022, Acura added the high-performance Type-S variant, which boasts a 355-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 and a sport-tuned adaptive air suspension (among other upgrades).

Acura builds the MDX in a wide range of trims (sometimes referred to as equipment packages), including the base model, the mid-range Technology, the sporty-looking A-Spec (which is equipped similarly to the Technology), the high-performance Type-S (introduced in 2022), the upscale Advance, and the range-topping Type-S Advance (also new for 2022). An Entertainment package is available with the Technology and Advance trims and adds a rear-seat entertainment system. In 2017, the MDX gained a standard suite of active safety features and driving aids, which includes forward collision mitigation, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control; blind-spot monitoring followed in 2022 (and was previously optional). Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration became standard starting in 2018.