2. Roomy, classy interior
Moving inside the 2024 MDX, you’ll immediately notice the high-quality look and feel of all materials. While not the most luxurious vehicle available, it definitely holds its own and will satisfy the tastes of most people.
The MDX features excellent quality, well-stitched and comfortable leather seating. It also offers heated front seats, plus reclining and sliding second-row seats. The massaging seats are a nice feature, with lots of massage options to choose from and multiple intensity levels
The 2022 redesign provided additional legroom in all three rows, which is welcome. Both the front and middle rows are quite comfortable, but realistically the third row is best for children or smaller adults. On the plus side, accessing the third row is a simple process. Cargo space is also a strong element on the MDX, with a massive amount of space available behind the front seat with both rear rows down.
3. Muscular driving character
I tested the sporty 2024 Acura MDX Type S, which featured a 3.0-liter twin-scroll turbo V6 that’s responsible for a healthy 355 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque, and included all-wheel drive.
You can also opt for an MDX with the standard engine — 3.5-liter V6 that offers 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet, and comes with front-wheel drive.
All models come with a 10-speed automatic transmission, plus paddle shifters if you want to take over.
These are two strong engine offerings, and deliver a sporty, athletic ride that makes your time behind the wheel quite enjoyable. Opting for the turbo engine will be the best choice for true driving enthusiasts, but those who just want a strong ride quality and want to save significant money should still be happy with the base.
The MDX provides a smooth ride overall, corners and handles great and responses immediately to driver input, and can be aggressive when you need it to be.
The Type S also offers a sport-tuned adaptive air suspension, which adjusts to boost handling and ride comfort. My test vehicle also achieved a solid 0-60 in the mid 5-second range.
The drive mode you select will also determine how the ride feels. Opting for the Sport and Sport+ modes will let you truly test the vehicle’s limits.
The big takeaway is that for a larger vehicle, you won’t feel its size when driving the MDX, with an almost car-like feel.
4. Tricky tech system, strong on safety
One area of concern on the 2024 MDX is the frustrating design of the infotainment system, which includes a 12.3-inch central display plus additional touch controls.
The setup of the touch controls is very busy, and takes a while to master. The MDX also features a touchpad controller, which is a bit outdated in modern vehicles and not ideal, though it works well enough most of the time.
Voice commands were a mixed bag, working well for radio station changes, but struggling when I gave navigation directions.
Among standard features on the tech side are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, a nine-speaker audio system, wireless charging pad, and USB ports in the first and second rows.
On the safety end, you get a strong list of standard advanced driving aids, which all did their jobs quite well.
These systems included:
— Forward collision warning with automatic braking (I got warnings on the screen in front of me when I got too close to another vehicle).
— Blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning
— Lane keeping assistance
— Adaptive cruise control
An optional feature that was helpful was the Surround-View Camera System, which uses four exterior cameras to create a 360-degree view surrounding the MDX.
5. Affordable compared to other luxury rides
The price range of the 2024 Acura MDX runs from just over $50K to around $75K. While that’s no small chunk of change, it’s less than what you’ll pay for rivals that offer the same amount of features, and Acura also includes two years of complimentary maintenance. Six trims are offered (Base, Technology, A-Spec, Advance, Type S, Type S Advance).
To illustrate the price difference, the Volvo XC90 starts at $57K, BMW X5 starts at $65K, Genesis GV90 starts at $58K, and Audi Q7 starts at $59K.
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