2005 Acura MDX Test Drive

Killer Deal

Acura's SUV may not be cheap, but given its fit, finish, gas mileage and power, it's one of the best deals in its class.

For the past three years, automakers have begun to make a concerted effort at merging the look of the minivan, the SUV and the wagon. In the process, defining the difference between these new models, dubbed crossovers, has come down more to semantics than to objective features.

For instance, Chrysler's Pacifica has a roof nearly as tall as that of the carmaker's current minivans, but Chrysler refuses to call the Pacifica a van -- or a wagon for that matter.

Meanwhile, the latest crop of luxury crossovers is already making the old divisions between wagon and SUV superfluous. Volvo's  XC90, Infiniti's FX45 and Cadillac's SRX, sit higher than the average wagon, but are based on car chassis and have flexible interiors designed for carrying families and their belongings. However, none of these is designed for all-day off-roading, and most will never see more grit than a gravel driveway.

For any of the new crossovers to succeed, however, each will have to match up successfully against a very tough adversary, the Acura MDX. True, the MDX isn't the latest flavor (it arrived on the scene in late 2000 as a 2001 model), but in many ways it is the most versatile crossover ever devised. And because it's an Acura -- made by Honda -- it has impervious quality rankings that appeal to parents who don't want their kids (and, perhaps, their neighbor's kids, too) stranded on the roadside after soccer practice while they wait for assistance.

Another bonus: Honda just upped the horsepower of the vehicle's 3.5-liter V-6 from 240hp to 260hp, and torque is up from 242 foot pounds to 250. Still, the MDX maintains decent mileage (17 city/23 highway), and, perhaps as important in these days of SUV backlash, it's an ultra-low-emissions vehicle (ULEV), so tree huggers can't (or at least shouldn't) whine at you when you roll by.

Further improvements include revisions to the all-wheel-drive system, to make on-snow performance better, and -- at long last -- the addition of stability control, to make emergency maneuvers that much safer.

The MDX is also very spacious inside, with tops-in-class cargo capacity for a car-based, seven-passenger SUV. (Volvo claims more interior cargo room, but only if you flip the right-front passenger seat forward; allowing for two front-seat passengers gives Acura the narrow edge.)

By now you can tell that we think the $36,900 MDX is pretty darned splendid, but how does it stack up versus the great new Volvo XC90? Tough question. Answers follow.