Overview & Reviews

The Acura MDX is a midsize luxury SUV with a carlike unibody platform and three rows of seats. The original MDX bowed in 2001, at a time when most competitors still featured body-on-frame construction and the term "crossover" was but a glimmer in some marketer's eye. Since then, Acura has maintained the MDX's family-friendly packaging, including standard seven-passenger seating, while spicing up the recipe with various styling, performance and handling enhancements. In typical Acura fashion, every MDX comes well equipped, with options generally limited to a few choice features bundled into packages.

New or used, the Acura MDX stands out for its comfort, versatility and refinement. It's one of our top recommendations for a family-oriented luxury crossover SUV. In reviews, we've found the MDX to be a polished performer, as it remains one of the more engaging luxury crossovers to drive and also provides a commendably supple ride. Weak points include cramped third-row accommodations for adults and less sumptuous interior appointments than in some rivals, though the MDX's strong resale value offers ample compensation.

User Reviews:

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  ACURA ROCKS!!!!! - 2003 Acura MDX
  By ACURA ROCKS - December 12 - 2:18 pm

  We love our Acura MDX. If you have children and do a lot of traveling this is the perfect SUV for you. The MDX rides so smooth you barley realize youre moving.

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  My Review - 2003 Acura MDX
  By stsweetser - December 8 - 2:00 am

  I have owned the Acura MDX for one week and I love this vehicle. The ride is smooth, the noise level is minimal and the style and luxury compares to my luxury sedan.

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  Borrow some minivan features - 2005 Acura MDX
  By Ed - December 7 - 5:26 pm

  Not bad for driver, but third row passengers are very limited. Need more leg room and easy to get in/off. How about power sliding rear doors instead of traditional wings and power lift gate would be a good features to borrow from minivans. Automatic doors locking feature at the speed greater than 20 mph.

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  The vehicle thats gone from great to a total dud - 2016 Acura MDX
  By Peter K. - December 6 - 1:48 am

  I hardly ever write any reviews but figured I just had to do one on this vehicle. I owned a 2010 MDX Tech, which was a great car, that unfortunately got flooded during Hurricane Sandy. Then, I got an ML350 and when the lease was up, we decided that we needed another 7-seat vehicle. So, as wed already had an MDX before, we figured we couldnt go wrong with that one, right? Wrong! The first thing I noticed on my drive home from the dealership is that the car becomes ridiculously jerky while in traffic. The new 9-speed transmission just doesnt work well for daily city driving or when youre stuck in traffic on a highway. If you live in a rural area, chances are youll never experience this. But if youre in traffic every day, well... youve been warned. Ive adjusted my driving style since then and learned that switching IDS to "Comfort" makes it a little better. The problem, however, never went away and the dealer refused to acknowledge its existence despite the fact that Acura message boards are filled with similar complaints (I should have read those before I got the car). Then, theres the touch screen. Its very slow with a non-intuitive interface. Ive had it lock up several times while selecting a route. Ive always played my music from a USB flash drive and this is another area where this car is a total disaster. Once music is on, you cant switch tracks until the cars MP3 system is done reading the whole drive. So, it takes about 2-3 minutes in my case before I can switch songs or select another album/artist. It could be my flash drive but its the same one I used on the 2010 and ML350 - worked flawlessly there. We have two car seats installed in the second row (one behind the drivers seat and another in the middle). Its impossible to pull down the remaining second row seat and access the third row when theres a car seat in the middle. I had no problem doing that in the ML (needed the remaining seat pulled down sometimes to transport my bicycle). Finally, theres the cargo net or lack thereof. I kept the cargo net from the 2010 and was able to easily install it on the ML. I figured it would also fit on the 2016 MDX. Wrong again! Acura has changed that as well.

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  Great Handling Balance - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Burt - December 2 - 7:43 pm

  A great car for those that need the third row but love to drive. What really sets the 07 apart for us is the handling on the Sport model. Power is good enough, interior is beautiful, exterior is nice in black. But this thing has fantastically controlled body motion, very little lean, good steering. And the SH-AWD really works, rotating the car even at moderate throttle. None of the ponderous SUV feel, understeer, etc. We are coming from a BMW 528i wagon with a sport suspension, and the MDX is very pleasant surprise.

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  Excellent Upgrade - 2007 Acura MDX
  By jrt - November 26 - 4:12 pm

  I upgraded from an original 2001 MDX to this one and am very impressed by the quality and features theyve added to the car. Makes my old one feel very bare bones. We did a 1,400 mile road trip over Thanksgiving with the new MDX and loved every moment. Powerful engine, feels wide and stable on the road, tracks well through corners, good sight lines. Very nice. The seats are very comfortable. The front seating areas are a little confining by design. Navi and entertainment systems are both very well done. Cargo space could be a little larger but larger space = larger body = more weight = fewer MPG. So its not a bad balance as is. Overall Im very pleased with this SUV.

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  Very Happy - 2002 Acura MDX
  By WeTwo - November 26 - 1:38 pm

  After five years we still love this car. It has been totally reliable, handles well, has sufficient power for freeway driving and has a surprisingly tight turning radius for its size. Last, but not least, this MDX has extremely comfortable seating in the front and second row (we have never used the 3rd row). We would recommend it highly. We expect ours to be carrying us around for many years to come.

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  MDX Rules - 2003 Acura MDX
  By psaracco - November 26 - 10:00 am

  Very comfortable and smooth ride with a lot of power. All amenities at your figertips.

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  Second and last MDX - 2007 Acura MDX
  By Dan McMahon - November 25 - 1:31 pm

  Nothing but problems with all of the new electronics. Nav works when it wants to and always when it is at the dealer. Air bags misfunction... messages pop up dealer tells me to just ignore it. Rear camera works MOST of the time. Entertainment system not working for 5 months. Dealer wants to fix it but doesnt have a clue. I guess service personel will eventually be trained on the new model. I owned and still have a 2005, I didnt test drive before purchasing... what a mistake!

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  Great SUV - 2003 Acura MDX
  By posted1 - November 25 - 2:32 am

  Great vehicle. It does everything very, very well while doing almost nothing flashy. If this sounds like you, this is your SUV. Safety is top-notch. GPS is excellent safety / convenience feature. Rear entertainment option is beyond value if you have kids. Rear backup camera is now a requirement on any future vehicle after experiencing it in this MDX. This is a must. We test-drove all competitors multiple times and this car won, hands down, in almost every measurable regard. The Lexus RX was quite nice but did not offer the convenience and functionality of this vehicle. BMW was OK at best. Infiniti was "so-what?". Great vehicle with minor opportunities for improvement.