The exterior and interior of the Acura MDX were designed in America, at Honda's facilities in Los Angeles and Ohio, with input from design centers in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Milan, Italy.The grille is a metal-filled hole that looks like a battering ram, and the side window arrangement is designed to suggest more sportiness than the original, with converging sheetmetal lines built into the design. The head lights and taillights are heavily sculpted. The sides are clean, with no cladding or side trim. The wheel openings, especially the fronts, are pronounced, for a more sporty stance.
This second-generation MDX is more than two inches longer in length and wheelbase than the first-generation MDX (2001-2006), but it doesn't look like it from the outside, with a wider track and a lower stance.
Acura's power tailgate system is available on the MDX with the entertainment package. It can be operated either from the remote key fob, from a button on the driver's door panel, or from a button located inside the tailgate. The location of the tailgate's motor is the D pillar, not the roof, which yields more headroom for the third-row occupants.