Houston TX 2008 Acura MDX

Reader’s Question:

What makes the 2008 Acura MDX competitive with BMW X5 and the Porsche Cayenne?

Dianne

Houston, TX

The first repetition of the Acura MDX–an SUV equally utilitarian and reliable–competed with the Mercedes-Benz ML and the Lexus RX300, but the latest generation of the MDX is aiming straight at the BMW X5 and the Porsche Cayenne. Its Cargo capacity and off-road capability are no longer the key metrics when debating market share with those lithe Germans. To keep the same level of driving excitement in the MDX as found in its new competitors, Acura’s creators headed to Germany’s Nurburgring, which is hailed for its ability to expose chinks in a car’s driving dynamics.

The exterior styling of the new MDX, underwent a similarly rigid workout. According to Frank Paluch, chief engineer of the original and second-generation MDX models, the objective was to provide a “stealth family package,” which the design team accomplished by lowering the visual center of the vehicle, which what they call the C-line, and the D-pillar angled sharply forward to cover the third-row seating. Paluch adds, “The vehicle looks a bit smaller, but it’s wider, longer, and lower. Although it wears all the right clothes, you still can’t say that the MDX can hang with the fast crowd not until you stay behind the steering wheel.. Acura is being sly about powertrain performance, but Paluch says they are aiming for best-in-class V-6 performance. When asked if that translates to 300 hp, he said, “that’s a difficult goal.”