2002 Acura MDX
Among the best of the on-road SUVs.
Introduced last year, the Acura MDX was quickly named 2001 North American Truck of the Year by a group of 50 independent automotive journalists.
It's not hard to see why. The Acura MDX offers an outstanding V6 powertrain, seven-passenger seating, and a four-wheel-drive system that prevents skids almost before they occur. These benefits come wrapped in a neat though not flashy package packed with the calm attention to detail expected of Honda's luxury brand. It's also a package that provides excellent crash protection.
For 2002, the MDX has been further refined for a quieter ride with new side mirrors, a sound-absorbing roof liner, thicker windshield glass, and a layer of Thinsulate insulation in key areas throughout the interior. The 2002 MDX also gets an intermittent rear windshield wiper and the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) child-seat securing system for the second row of seats.
Model Lineup
MDX powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission.
MDX ($34,700) comes standard with a long list of luxury and convenience features: leather seating surfaces and leather door inserts; wood-patterned trim; keyless remote entry; power windows, door locks and mirrors; power tilt and sliding moonroof; cruise control; seven-speaker AM/FM/cassette stereo with in-dash CD player; power adjustable front seats; alloy wheels and a multi-function digital trip computer.
An optional Touring package ($2600) adds a killer 200-watt, eight-speaker Acura/Bose music system with in-dash six-disc CD changer; a keyless remote linked to the two-position driver's seat and mirror memory system; eight-way adjustable passenger seat; roof rack; an outside mirror that tilts to track progress while backing up; and special alloy wheels.
The optional Acura Navigation System with DVD ($2000) needs only one disc to cover the entire continental US. My favorite among navigation systems for its intuitive simplicity, the Acura system holds some 3.7 million points of interest ranging from ATM machines to restaurants and hospitals. If you want to pick up some cash, make a stop at the nearest Chinese take-out and then locate an emergency room for your over-indulgence, it is all at your beck. A novel addition to the nav system, uniquely appropriate for a vehicle equipped to seek out the uncharted outbacks, is a feature that leaves electronic bread crumbs on screen. No road visible under the little wedge-shaped marker that represents your vehicle? Not to worry. This nav system leaves a line that you can easily retrace back to where there be no more dragons.
Walkaround
The Acura people speak of the MDX's athletic appearance. True enough if you have in mind a linebacker rather than a 100-meter sprinter. A casual look reveals a sturdy, stable-appearing machine with a wider, firmer stance than its competitors. Limited overhang gives it a denser, compact air. Large taillights also add to the straightforward sense of a strong presence.
The MDX does not draw a gasp for unique design or beauty of line. Rather it is like Emily in "Our Town" who asked her mother if she were pretty. Remember the scene? The motherly answer: pretty enough for all "normal purposes."
What isn't obvious except in a body-off view is the duality of the construction of the MDX. It is both unibody and body on frame! This Centaur-like approach gives uncommon rigidity and strength gained from the longitudinal rails with eight box-section cross members. This is the thinking engineers' path to making a car/truck both a car AND a truck whichever is appropriate to the occasion.
Oh yes, something else evident when the chassis is "naked": there's a vent tube for the differential so that water won't get into it when you are bumper deep (actually up to 18 inches) in a creek. So they have given thought to either rugged use or flooded roads. That goes beyond the usual "neutralize bad weather" approach of SUVs.
Interior Features
The airy perforated leather on the seat is echoed in the side panels, the steering wheel and the shift knob. There is nothing swoopy or eye-popping about the instrument panel, just easily read instruments with an unobstructed view. Honda's simple large knobs fall easily to hand and are easy to operate whether that hand is wearing mittens or has long fingernails. The overall sense is the serenity of simplicity.
The air bag fits flat into the fascia of fake animal hide, which looks better than it sounds. The sun visors have extensions for those sharp shafts of sun angling low at dawn and dusk. And then there's the added touch of elegance makes you say to yourself, "If they thought of this they must have thought of everything": That's the roof-mounted grab handles that don't go CLUNK against the ceiling when released; they whisper their dampened way back into place.
Oh yes, another thing they thought of: that muddy back-of-the-legs syndrome when getting out of an SUV after driving in sloppy slush or a rainy road. Acura has enclosed that offending dirty-maker in bodywork so you can dismount cleanly.
The third row of seats is easier to get into than those, say, of the Volvo Cross Country wagon. They are a dandy bonus for kids who seem to like far-away places. Every seat in the house has a shoulder harness as well as a lap belt. (Many SUVs do not come with a shoulder belt in the rear center position.) And there are anchors for child seats seemingly everywhere. Lots of cup holders, too.
But maybe the most impressive feature is the split air-conditioning system. Not only can those in back have a different temperature than the front-seat riders, but one zone can get heat while another gets air conditioning. That ought to cut down on whining.
When not in use, the third row of seats folds to disappear completely into the floor, leaving a flat surface with no protrusions to scratch your luggage. They split as well for a varied mix of people and stuff.
Space and cargo flexibility are superior to the class.
Among the best of the on-road SUVs.
Introduced last year, the Acura MDX was quickly named 2001 North American Truck of the Year by a group of 50 independent automotive journalists.
It's not hard to see why. The Acura MDX offers an outstanding V6 powertrain, seven-passenger seating, and a four-wheel-drive system that prevents skids almost before they occur. These benefits come wrapped in a neat though not flashy package packed with the calm attention to detail expected of Honda's luxury brand. It's also a package that provides excellent crash protection.
For 2002, the MDX has been further refined for a quieter ride with new side mirrors, a sound-absorbing roof liner, thicker windshield glass, and a layer of Thinsulate insulation in key areas throughout the interior. The 2002 MDX also gets an intermittent rear windshield wiper and the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) child-seat securing system for the second row of seats.
Model Lineup
MDX powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission.
MDX ($34,700) comes standard with a long list of luxury and convenience features: leather seating surfaces and leather door inserts; wood-patterned trim; keyless remote entry; power windows, door locks and mirrors; power tilt and sliding moonroof; cruise control; seven-speaker AM/FM/cassette stereo with in-dash CD player; power adjustable front seats; alloy wheels and a multi-function digital trip computer.
An optional Touring package ($2600) adds a killer 200-watt, eight-speaker Acura/Bose music system with in-dash six-disc CD changer; a keyless remote linked to the two-position driver's seat and mirror memory system; eight-way adjustable passenger seat; roof rack; an outside mirror that tilts to track progress while backing up; and special alloy wheels.
The optional Acura Navigation System with DVD ($2000) needs only one disc to cover the entire continental US. My favorite among navigation systems for its intuitive simplicity, the Acura system holds some 3.7 million points of interest ranging from ATM machines to restaurants and hospitals. If you want to pick up some cash, make a stop at the nearest Chinese take-out and then locate an emergency room for your over-indulgence, it is all at your beck. A novel addition to the nav system, uniquely appropriate for a vehicle equipped to seek out the uncharted outbacks, is a feature that leaves electronic bread crumbs on screen. No road visible under the little wedge-shaped marker that represents your vehicle? Not to worry. This nav system leaves a line that you can easily retrace back to where there be no more dragons.
Walkaround
The Acura people speak of the MDX's athletic appearance. True enough if you have in mind a linebacker rather than a 100-meter sprinter. A casual look reveals a sturdy, stable-appearing machine with a wider, firmer stance than its competitors. Limited overhang gives it a denser, compact air. Large taillights also add to the straightforward sense of a strong presence.
The MDX does not draw a gasp for unique design or beauty of line. Rather it is like Emily in "Our Town" who asked her mother if she were pretty. Remember the scene? The motherly answer: pretty enough for all "normal purposes."
What isn't obvious except in a body-off view is the duality of the construction of the MDX. It is both unibody and body on frame! This Centaur-like approach gives uncommon rigidity and strength gained from the longitudinal rails with eight box-section cross members. This is the thinking engineers' path to making a car/truck both a car AND a truck whichever is appropriate to the occasion.
Oh yes, something else evident when the chassis is "naked": there's a vent tube for the differential so that water won't get into it when you are bumper deep (actually up to 18 inches) in a creek. So they have given thought to either rugged use or flooded roads. That goes beyond the usual "neutralize bad weather" approach of SUVs.
Interior Features
The airy perforated leather on the seat is echoed in the side panels, the steering wheel and the shift knob. There is nothing swoopy or eye-popping about the instrument panel, just easily read instruments with an unobstructed view. Honda's simple large knobs fall easily to hand and are easy to operate whether that hand is wearing mittens or has long fingernails. The overall sense is the serenity of simplicity.
The air bag fits flat into the fascia of fake animal hide, which looks better than it sounds. The sun visors have extensions for those sharp shafts of sun angling low at dawn and dusk. And then there's the added touch of elegance makes you say to yourself, "If they thought of this they must have thought of everything": That's the roof-mounted grab handles that don't go CLUNK against the ceiling when released; they whisper their dampened way back into place.
Oh yes, another thing they thought of: that muddy back-of-the-legs syndrome when getting out of an SUV after driving in sloppy slush or a rainy road. Acura has enclosed that offending dirty-maker in bodywork so you can dismount cleanly.
The third row of seats is easier to get into than those, say, of the Volvo Cross Country wagon. They are a dandy bonus for kids who seem to like far-away places. Every seat in the house has a shoulder harness as well as a lap belt. (Many SUVs do not come with a shoulder belt in the rear center position.) And there are anchors for child seats seemingly everywhere. Lots of cup holders, too.
But maybe the most impressive feature is the split air-conditioning system. Not only can those in back have a different temperature than the front-seat riders, but one zone can get heat while another gets air conditioning. That ought to cut down on whining.
When not in use, the third row of seats folds to disappear completely into the floor, leaving a flat surface with no protrusions to scratch your luggage. They split as well for a varied mix of people and stuff.
Space and cargo flexibility are superior to the class.
