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Acura‘s showroom has been substantially revised for the 2010MY. Along with a new coupe-SUV flagship in the ZDX, several other models take midcycle improvements. We recently brought you up to speed on TSX and RDX, but the MDX also takes a laundry list of updates this year.

Several of the updates to MDX are thanks to advancements developed with the ZDX, but no less appreciated. Sheetmetal changes were not extensive, most every aspect of the SUV saw improvement.
Thanks to the ZDX, there is a new six-speed automatic transmission. A short suburban Michigan drive revealed a refined powertrain and comfortable transmission setup. MDX’s engine still delivers 300HP from a 3.7L, Acura has heavily revised the powerplant. Among the beefed elements are a more rigid cylinder block, high-strength crankshaft, heavy-duty connecting rods, high compression ratio pistons, new intake valve springs, new EGR system, a larger throttle body, and revised cylinder heads.

The MDX’s equipment list takes a big boost, as does the interior materials list. Features launched on the related ZDX installed on the 2010MY MDX include a blind-spot detection system, revised active damping system, adaptive cruise control, vented seats, and collision mitigation braking. A standard rear-view-mirror-mounted reverse camera joins the list, but when the Technology package is ordered, the uplevel rear parking is included; as well as displaying through the navigation screen, it allow several views (normal, wide, and top). MDX switches to the hard-drive navigation system, which includes music storage but also enables a crisper, full-screen image, faster calculation, and helps enable real-time weather display. iPod connectivity is standard, and the MDX does allow a voice search by song, though the system is not as robust as Ford’s Sync. The hands-free system has improved phonebook capability, for faster downloads and the ability to hold call history, phonebook, and voicetags for different users. The rear-seat entertainment system stays with one screen, but it is now motorized and has a simpler remote control function.

In our short time with the MDX, we didn’t fully explore the wonders of the new motorized rear-seat DVD screen or try downloading multiple users’ phonebooks, but the placement of the blind-spot detectors seemed unusual compared with other systems we’ve seen. Instead of the alert appearing in the side-view mirror, where you are theoretically looking when you check blind spots, it is high on the dash/door panel, very near the mirrors. Along this particular short route, there wasn’t any cause for the system to indicate something was in our blind spot, but the alert seems slightly out of view. We did try the iPod search by song, however, and it worked like a champ.

The cosmetic changes are the least successful. While the RDX facelift, no more extensive than those on the MDX, produced a more satisfying presence, the changes to the MDX led to a busier, overdone look. There’s too much chrome, something painfully obvious with darker exterior paint. Exterior changes add more chrome all around, making the MDX look busy rather than refined. The rear fascia takes additional chrome, a skid garnish, and revised exhaust finishers while the nose takes one of our least favorite executions of the Acura beak, a new finish on the headlights, and chrome-surrounded large bumper air intakes. The result is a beady-eyed, big nose look, unfortunate since the package upgrades make for an improved overall package.

Interior updates were well executed, but didn’t make it feel like a much more luxurious place to be than before. Acura upgraded the interior with LED ambient lighting, new wood trim, new stitching, a black matte center stack, metal plated door handles, revised tach design, a thicker steering wheel, and paddle shifters.
This updated MDX, then, is a mixed bag. Exterior updates aren’t, in our view, much an improvement. Buyers will appreciate the improved convenience features, but for a company using the Advance tagline, they still seem to be playing catch-up. In fact, the Advance trim level is the one that bundles the blind-spot system, updated active damping, collision braking, and vented seats. All good additions, but none particularly advanced within the luxury landscape.