Driving Impressions

SUVs are the offspring of cars and trucks. Which side of the family they most resemble is a design choice. And how you use your SUV should determine whether you opt to favor Auntie Car or Uncle Truck. If you are serious about your off-road adventures you are, firstly, rare. (Surveys say only 5 percent use their SUVs for off-road travel.) If, however, you do need to navigate over fallen logs, dried ruts and rocks of Plymouth size, then you need a suspension with long travel to maintain adequate contact with the trail's surface. You need a low, low "creeper" gear to take you down extremely steep inclines without having to touch your brakes (and thus maybe skid sideways.) Unfortunately, all of that Uncle Truck stuff makes for poor highway going. High ride height and long suspension travel can lead to excessive lean in corners and a greater possibility of rollover should a curb or pothole get in the way. And the ride can be rough and lurchy. Now Auntie Car is far smoother on paved surfaces, taking to corners with a quick turn-in and a secure grip. But she can scare you in the serious outback. Even strand you. Every SUV is a compromise. Some have chosen to forego off-road competence with a more comfortable - and comforting - ride on city streets and highways. Their higher seating position and their four-wheel-drive capability makes them neutralizers of bad weather, which is what most SUV buyers really want. Acura sees the MDX competition as the BMW X5, the Lexus RX300 and the Mercedes-Benz ML320. These are SUVs that tend to favor Auntie Car. (The Mercedes M-class does have a transfer case and a low range, however. The others, including the MDX, don't.) Of all the SUVs in our experience the Acura MDX seems to balance Auntie Car and Uncle Truck traits the best. Its highway manners are excellent with secure cornering, though perhaps without the keen turn-in of the BMW X5. The MDX feels extremely stable and as untippable as a rhino. It comes with a 3.5-liter VTEC V6 engine generates 240 horsepower and 245 pounds-feet of torque happily available from 3000 to 5000 rpm. A five-speed automatic transmission features gear ratios spaced to match the requirements unique to an SUV. Acceleration is better than any of those Auntie Car machines (and all of the Uncle Trucks). The MDX will get to 60 mph from a stop in 9 seconds, a full second faster than the nearest competitor. The mesa-shaped torque curve gives comforting acceleration (for merging and passing) at any speed. And the brakes are absolute standouts, responsive and secure. MDX is capable of towing 4500 pounds, capability normally considered an Uncle Truck trait. As for off-road, the MDX makes up for the absence of a transfer-case and a granny gear with a regular low gear that is extra low. Venturing onto badly rutted forest service roads or trails leading to fishing sites and trailheads will not overtax the MDX. It comes with a unique new four-wheel-drive system. The MDX is normally in front-wheel drive for reasons of economy. Some all-wheel-drive systems normally cruise in front-wheel drive, but when their sensors detect slippage the rear wheels are engaged. Not so the MDX. Slippage, the Acura engineers reason, can only occur under acceleration. And so the MDX engages the rear wheels as well as the front wheels whenever under acceleration without waiting for slippage to occur. Acura has always been good at taming and avoiding torque steer, the curse of powerful front-wheel-drive vehicles, and this system cuts it off before it can start. Acura provides an "unstuck" button on the dash (that's what it says) that locks the differential progressively to get out of really tough situations. Though safety and clean emissions do not figure in how a car drives they do figure in how you feel about driving it. Two safety points: Acura expects a five-star federal crash rating (the best) on the MDX. And Acura claims the MDX can be hit from behind by a vehicle g

Final Word

The 2002 Acura MDX combines most of the virtues of the SUV genre and diminishes or eliminates most of its vices. Anyone seeking comfort, performance, spaciousness, flexibility, proven safety features, environmental awareness and driving pleasure in a value-loaded package must have a look at the MDX. Availability of the MDX is limited as the plant that builds it (Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Ontario, Canada) is struggling to meet the demand. A new plant is coming on line, but don't look for too many deals as demand for the MDX is strong. Fred Vang contributed to this review.