Stylish Moms and Driver Dads are unlikely to ever find themselves barrel-assing the 2007 Acura MDX down the highway at 90 mph in an intense thunderstorm, but can rest assured that this new luxury SUV is up to that task, and more, based on our first-hand experience. But before we get to that part of the story, let’s talk about Acura’s excellent European vacation, taken during the redesigned Acura MDX’s gestation period.
Someone at Acura gets it: “If you design your car to be confident at Nurburgring then everyday emergencies normal drivers see can be handled easily.” Evidently, they also understand that convincing the boss to let them run development mules around Germany’s most famous road racing course: 1.) is a great way to see Europe on the company dime, 2.) creates a chance to take a break from the spouse and kids due to “work” and 3.) beats the hell out of playing Gran Turismo 4 from the living room couch. Thus, we’ll let that quote go uncredited, but mainly because we forgot to write down which Acura engineer or product expert said it and not because we don’t want anyone at Acura to get an expense report denied.
Suffice it to say that, thanks to multiple laps of the Nurburgring, the new Acura MDX is designed to handle much more like a car than a traditional SUV. The MDX is agile, responsive, and fun to drive – things that the old MDX wasn’t, and just what Acura needs to capture the interest of more male buyers, known as Driver Dads in dull, stuffy marketing meetings. However, Acura hasn’t set out to build the equivalent of a Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG. Oh no, such a rough-riding brute would definitely turn off Stylish Moms buzzing around gated subdivisions everywhere, from Hunter’s Ridge and The Enclave at the Bluff to Creekside Farms and Hidden Valley Ranch. Wait, that’s salad dressing.
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