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2005 Acura MDX Review

Read a comprehensive review of the 2005 Acura MDX by one of the automobile experts at Automotive.com. Find an analysis of the test drive, the interior and exterior of the vehicle, specs, options, features and more. Learn how the industry leaders rated ... read more

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2005 Acura MDX Review

Acura goes it alone.

Ever been stuck with too much to do but no time to do it? Acura has. Back when the SUV party was just getting started, it occurred to them that no mainstream automaker had yet brought a luxury SUV to life. Faster than you can say "first-mover advantage," Acura jumped to action. But instead of taking the time to masterfully plan out the usual ground-up design, execs struck a deal gaining permission to dress up Isuzu Troopers into what became known as the Acura SLX.

So Acura took a shortcut, and got shortchanged. An unconvincing disguise, clumsy road manners, and a Consumer Reports report of Troopers tending to land on their heads when changing direction pretty much sealed the SLX's fate. After annual sales plummeted to 694, Acura made sure to kill, bury, and disassociate itself from the SLX by the millennium crossover.

But before the end, Acura set forth on building a proper replacement that was to bear the moniker MDX. Its 2001 arrival date may have come years after Infiniti, Mercedes, Lexus, and BMW made their marks, but much more importantly, this entirely self-made SUV was a real Acura.

Review Sections

•Introduction

•Road Test

•Inside and Out

•Other Thoughts

•Last Word

Get Your Free Quote on an Acura MDX

The MDX ascended from the platform of the Honda Odyssey, with which it shares space on the same Ontario assembly line. Just to name a few of the marked differences over the SLX, the MDX has lots more room, two more seats, replaced the full frame with one-piece unibody construction, replaced Isuzu's low-output V6 with a high-horsepower Honda mill, and runs around on a different 4WD system - one that's now front-wheel-based. Next Page