2007 Acura MDX
Powering the 2007 MDX is a 3.7-liter VTEC V-6 punching out 300 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 275 pound-feet of torque at 5000 rpm — that’s 47 more horses and 25 more pound-feet of torque over the previous SUV. This increased output goes to the ground via a five-speed automatic with Acura’s SportShift manual-override system and SH-AWD, which allows variable fore-and-aft torque distribution plus side-to-side apportioning at the rear axle via a computer-controlled planetary gearset.
The latter mechanism is the real kicker on the track. Unlike in any other vehicle we’ve driven, you can get back on the power before the apex to most corners — even at the limit of adhesion — and have the system drive you inward to the apex and onward out of the corner. Here’s why: SH-AWD transfers most of the torque to the rear axle when you hit the gas, then to the outside rear wheel, which is heavily loaded by the cornering weight transfer. It’s like having F1-style downforce helping you.
That’s something the extensive Nordschleife development brought to the new MDX, but it’s the thing least likely to be noticed by the legions of soccer moms currently behind the wheel of MDXs. Luckily for them, the rest of the vehicle is much improved, with a handsome new interior that features what Acura calls four-plus-three seating, which is simply a second row that converts to, and favors, two occupants, but will seat three if necessary, plus occasional third-row use for two.
There’s trizone climate control, which means HVAC switches for those cosseted second-row occupants, too, and a 253-watt standard stereo. The Entertainment package includes a nine-inch color screen in the overhead console. An Elliot Scheiner 410-watt, 10-speaker DVD surround system, a navigation system with traffic updates and voice-recognition control, and a GPS-modulated climate control (it knows where the sun is) are included in the optional Technology package. To get the active-damper system, you need to check the Sport-package option, which gives you the Technology-package features as well.
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