Technology, safety

The Acura excels in the safety arena, but could use some work when it comes to the infotainment system.

First, let’s look at some of what you will get on the safety and tech side of things: Full set of airbags; Vehicle Stability Assist, ABS, Tire pressure monitoring; Multi-view rear camera with dynamic guidelines; Satellite radio (free for first three months, but you’ll want to keep it); Pandora interface; Bluetooth; SMS functionality; Push button shifter; HomeLink system; Power tailgate; Power moonroof with tilt; Jewel-eye LED headlights.

The tech package adds the Acura Navigation system with voice recognition; AcuraLink Communication system with Real-Time traffic with street and freeway conditions; Tri-zone auto climate control; Remote start; Blind spot information; Rain-sensing wipers; LED Puddle lights; Rear crosstraffic monitor.

One thing that’s standard is AcuraWatch, which includes: adaptive cruise control; collision mitigation braking; road departure mitigation; forward collision warning; lane departurewarning and lane-keeping assist system.

An Acura ELS Studio Premium Audio system with 12 speakers is offered, too.

That’s all gravy, but the biggest concern I had inside was the generally not userfriendly setup of the con- trols.

There’s what I’ll call a “unique” setup on the shifter (or more accurately, buttons that replace the shifter) that doesn’t seem necessary to me. I’m sure automakers have their reasons when these radical changes are made to vehicle operation, but I’m not sure how often they consult with potential buyers in theprocess of making these changes.

Also on the disappointing side, controlling everything from climate to radio seems more complicated than it should be on the dualscreen control interface in the MDX.

The rear-seat DVD entertainment system(withwireless headphones) worked well andwithout trouble. It’s great for families who want to keep kids occupied on longer rides, though I don’t like the 16.2-inch monitor screen hanging in middle (I prefer when it’s on back of seats).

MPG

Official numbers are 19 city/26 highway/22 combined. These are on par with most of the luxury SUV competitors it faces off against, slightly behind in some cases.

Price, bottom line

My test vehicle was a top trim level model and costs just over $58,000; base price for the MDX starts about $44K, and you get a 50,000 mile (or 4 year) overall warranty; and 70,000 mile (or 6 year) warranty on powertrain.

Pricing is competitive in some cases vs. competitors (it’s about on par with the Infiniti QX60 and the LincolnMKX), and a downright steal in some cases (BMW’s X5 and Audi’s Q7 have their lowest price in the mid 50K range, and go way up from there).

Overall, I enjoyedmy time in the MDX and it’s a quality luxury ride that is smooth on the road and features an attractive exterior. The back rowis a bit tight, and the biggest issue inside is the nonuser-friendliness of the controls. WIthout these tech issues muddying the waters, the MDX would easily be in the running for best in class; But with them, it bunches things up quite a bit and the MDX — while very solid overall — has some tough competition fromsome other big names..