Michael Taylor begins his review by noting how Honda / Acura’s design approach has changed over the years from being simple and elegant to the current aggressive and bold. While the current MDX design is in its third model year, it still comes across as crisp, aggressive and bold. Taylor says,  ”It has a thrust-forward bulldog snout of a grill. It has gracefully flared but substantial fenders. The whole design is one that says, “I’m a strong, tough car, but at the same time don’t mistake me for a Suburban or Explorer. I’m more refined.”

The MDX is not only refined on the outside, but the interior coddles you with plush leather and practically every amenity you can expect. The plethora of controls further illustrates Taylor’s point that Acura has shifted from simple to complex; with the steering wheel alone housing 16 buttons. Under the skin is Acura’s 3.7L V6 producing 300 hp, mated to the 5 speed auto.

Overall, while Taylor likes the MDX, he feels it is counter to Acura’s design philosophy. Jump over to TheDay.com to read his review in full.

[Source: TheDay.com]

Perhaps the most anticipated Consumer Reports issue each year is the one that comes out every April and outlines the best and worst, new and used cars.  We’re happy to report that Acura had several positive mentions.

New car recommendations are defined by Consumer Reports “Bucks per bang” scoring system. Within categories, the bucks per bang is determined by dividing each vehicle’s five-year owner cost by its overall road-test score. All listed models have above average reliability Ratings.

• Upscale Cars – Acura TL was third on the list with a $505 bucks per bang
• Luxury Cars – Acura RL was third on the list with a $725 bucks per bang
• Luxury SUVs – Acura RDX was second on the list with $645 bucks per bang and the Acura MDX was fourth on the list with $670 bucks per bang.

According to Consumer Reports, “On average, Honda continues to make better all-around vehicles than any other automaker. The reliability of all Honda and Acura models is still the best of any automaker, although Toyota follows closely behind. Last year, Honda was the only automaker that had excellent reliability overall; this year it has dropped slightly.”

In the used car category, Consumer Reports focused on model years 1999 – 2008 and of course separated their recommendations into categories. Practically every category included a recommendation for Acura:

• Upscale Cars – Acura TL and Acura TSX
• Luxury Cars – Acura RL
• Sports & Sporty Cars – Acura RSX and Acura Integra
• Midsized and Large SUVs – Acura MDX

Consumer Reports also reported on several categories that fell under the heading of “The best used cars for under $20,000”. As expected, Acura had a lot of representation here.

• $4,000 – $6,000 – Acura CL ’99; Integra ’99-00; TL ‘99-00
• $6,000 – $8,000 – Acura CL ’01-02; Integra ’01; RL ’99-00; RSX ’02; TL ‘01
• $8,000 – $10,000 – Acura CL ’03; MDX ’01; RL ’02; RSX ’03; TL ‘02-03
• $10,000 – $12,000 – Acura MDX ’02-03; RSX ‘04
• $12,000 – $14,000 – Acura MDX ’04; RL ’04; RSX ‘05
• $14,000 – $16,000 – Acura TL ’04; TSX ‘04-05
• $16,000 – $18,000 – Acura MDX ’05; RSX ’06; TL ’05; TSX ‘06
• $18,000 – $20,000 – Acura MDX ’06; RL ’05; TSX ‘07

For full insight, details and ratings, we encourage you to subscribe to Consumer Reports to ensure you make the best purchasing decision possible for your next car.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Having performed a full review of the 2007 MDX, the intro of the new body style, Car & Driver is very familiar with the 4+3 people mover from Acura.  In their May 2007 comparison test of eight luxury SUVs, the MDX took top honors after owning the skidpad, lane change speed, driving position and the quickest 0-60 sprint…all while having the lowest sticker. Not much has changed for the 2009 model year MDX and overall, Car & Driver still considers the MDX “an excellent all-around vehicle”. With that, C & D has gripes that seem to be common during the 2009 Acura model year. On the outside, its the controversial power-plenum grille, and on the inside, its button an overload of buttons on the center stack. In the end, Car & Driver says the 2009 Acura MDX is a vehicle for people who know what they want: everything, and a gaudy chrome beak, to boot. [Source: Car and Driver]

SANTA BARBARA, CA, November 20, 2008 – Automotive Lease Guide (ALG) has announced its 10th annual Residual Value Awards, honoring the vehicles in each segment that are predicted to retain the highest percentage of their original price after a conventional three-year lease term.

The awards are based on 2009 model year vehicles.  For the seventh year, ALG has also included awards for the brands that have the highest overall predicted resale values among all industry and all luxury vehicles.  The awards are derived after carefully studying segment competition, historical vehicle performance and industry trends.  The list of winners can be found on www.alg.com.

For the sixth consecutive year, American Honda Motor Company, Inc. has won the Industry Brand Residual Value Award.  Honda also received individual segment awards for the Accord in the Midsize Car category, and the Honda Fit in the Compact Car category.

In addition, Acura, Honda’s luxury division, has won the overall Luxury Brand Residual Value Award for the first time.  Although Acura does not have any segment winners, all of its vehicles’ residual values are relatively strong, with the new TL and TSX ranking among the highest in their segments.

Toyota Motor Sales, USA again received the most segment Residual Value Awards.  The Toyota brand received four awards, for the Sequoia (Large Utility Vehicle); the Tacoma (Compact/Midsize Pickup); the Sienna (Minivan); and the Prius (Hybrid/Alternative Powertrain – in the first year for that category).  In addition, Toyota’s Lexus LS460 received the Luxury Car award, while the Scion XB won in the Mid-Compact Car category.

Nissan received three segment awards, for the Maxima (Fullsize Car); the GT-R (Luxury Sports Car); and the Murano (Midsize Utility Vehicle).  BMW won two awards, for the Mini Cooper (Sporty Car) and the BMW 1 Series (Near Luxury Car).  Land Rover also received two segment awards, for the Range Rover Sport (Luxury Utility Vehicle) and the LR2 (Near Luxury Utility Vehicle).
Among domestic manufacturers, the Jeep Wrangler won the segment award for Compact Utility Vehicles for the third consecutive year, although it is sharing the award this year with the Subaru Forester, a first time winner.  The Ford F-150 received the award for Fullsize Light Duty Pickups, while the Dodge Sprinter won in the Commercial – Specialty segment, a new category this year.

“In these unprecedented times – between volatile gas prices and the turmoil in the credit and financial markets – consistently achieving strong Residual Values has become a monumental challenge for auto manufacturers,” said John Blair, Chief Executive Officer of Automotive Lease Guide.  “While a number of companies again performed well, Honda clearly set itself apart this year by winning both the overall Industry and the Luxury Brand Awards, as its Acura division jumped to the top spot from fourth place a year ago.  The Honda and Acura brands both benefit from an extremely disciplined approach to vehicle production, combined with consistent high quality and effective pricing strategies.  Residual Value remains the best metric for evaluating the overall strength of an automotive brand, and we congratulate all of this year’s winners for their successful products and marketing strategies.”

Summary of 2009 Residual Value Award Winners
Brand Award    Brand
Industry Brand Residual Value Award    American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
Luxury Brand Residual Value Award    Acura, a division of American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
Segment Award    Vehicle
Compact Car    Honda Fit
Mid-Compact Car    Scion XB
Midsize Car    Honda Accord
Fullsize Car    Nissan Maxima
Sporty Car    Mini Cooper
Near Luxury Car    BMW 1 Series
Luxury Car    Lexus LS460
Luxury Sports Car     Nissan GT-R
Compact Utility Vehicle    (TIE) Jeep Wrangler/Subaru Forester
Midsize Utility Vehicle    Nissan Murano
Large Utility Vehicle    Toyota Sequoia
Near Luxury Utility Vehicle    Land Rover LR2
Luxury Utility Vehicle    Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Compact/Midsize Pickup    Toyota Tacoma
Minivan    Toyota Sienna
Hybrid/Alternative Powertrain    Toyota Prius
Fullsize Pickup Light Duty    Ford F-150
Commercial – Specialty     Dodge Sprinter

Industry Brand Residual Value Rankings
Rank Brand
1  HONDA
2  SUBARU
3  VOLKSWAGEN
4  TOYOTA
5  NISSAN
6  MAZDA
7  SUZUKI
8  SATURN
9  PONTIAC

Only brands above the industry average were ranked.  Below industry average were the following brands (listed in alphabetical order):  Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Jeep, Kia, Mercury and Mitsubishi.

Luxury Brand Residual Value Rankings
Rank Brand
1  ACURA
2  LEXUS
3  AUDI
4  INFINITI
5  LAND ROVER
6  BMW
7  PORSCHE
8  MERCEDES BENZ

Only brands above the luxury average were ranked.  Below luxury average were the following brands (listed in alphabetical order):  Cadillac, Jaguar, Lincoln, Saab and Volvo.

Note: All brands with vehicles in at least three segments were included.  As a result of this requirement, MINI and Scion were excluded from the above rankings.

About ALG (www.alg.com)
Based in Santa Barbara, California, Automotive Lease Guide (alg), Inc. is a leading provider of data and consulting services to the automotive industry. ALG publishes the “Automotive Lease Guide” – the standard for Residual Value projections in North America, and has been forecasting automotive residual values for over 37 years in both the U.S. and Canadian markets. ALG is a company of DealerTrack Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRAK)

[Source: Automotive Lease Guide]