The 2011 Acura MDX has a bit more edge and athleticism to its look than most traditional family cars. It stands out among the sea of competitors and has curb appeal.
While practical as a family car — it's a midsize SUV with a third row — it doesn't scream, "I'm driving carpool!" If you hadn't seen me loading my kids in and out of it, you might have mistaken me for just another cool, sporty single chick with a penchant for sporty luxury that cruises around certain Colorado towns.
The MDX got me a lot of male attention in my neighborhood. None of these men told me I looked good, but they certainly told me I had a car that looked good. This response intrigued me since I'd had what I thought was a lovely 2011 Infiniti QX56 recently that received no neighbor notice whatsoever.
I happily shared with my neighbors that the seven-seater doesn't just look good, it also drives like a dream. Especially if your dream is to have a car that not only fits your family but that also handles the road like an athletic sedan. The MDX's V-6 offers smooth acceleration and braking. It has plenty of zip and is lots of fun. Additions like the steering-wheel-mounted shift panels, Sport and Comfort modes and Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive enhance the MDX driving experience.
No test drive is perfect, and there were a couple of small issues I had with the MDX. Most notably, the center stack resembled an airplane's cockpit; it might as well have been since it wasn't intuitive. Although operational instructions appeared on the navigation screen, the system was quite sensitive and seemed to take a few pushes of any button to get things to work. I had to pull over and refer to the owner's manual several times while one or two of my children screamed in the back because they were hungry/thirsty/tired/insert-whatever-you-like-here. The only other issue worth sharing is space in the third row is tight, even for kids. This isn't necessarily something unique to the MDX as many midsize SUVs with a third row offer only cramped space, but it is something to consider if like me, you have three small children.
The base MDX has a starting MSRP of $42,580. My test car, which was the top-of-the-line 3.7L Advance Package, had the optional rear entertainment system and cost $54,965.
