The Comeback Kid: The 2020 Acura MDX SH-AWD A-Spec

The 2020 Acura MDX SH-AWD A-Spec.

We all have our ups and downs. That goes for car companies too. Take Acura---the hotter-than-hot upscale performance arm of Honda in the 90s, which, as the new millennium wore on, saw its luster wear off.

Well, Acura is back and the best example I can think of is the 2020 Acura MDX SH-AWD A-Spec.

Sweetening The Deal: The 2019 Acura MDX AWD A-SPEC

The 2019 Acura MDX AWD A-SPEC.

The overall goodness of the Acura MDX gets a significant sweetening for 2019.  When we wrote about the refreshed 2017 model in late '16, we pointed out the need for a new interior.  Acura has delivered that plus a first-for-the-MDX A-SPEC model.

More MPG And More: The 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid AWD Advance

The 2017 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid AWD Advance.

Seven months ago, we reviewed the new, better-looking Acura MDX.  The one with a regular gasoline engine.  Everything we said about that MDX stands for this one, so follow the link.

So what's this one about?  A different engine, a different transmission and very different city fuel economy.  All the while providing more...yes, more...power.

Hello, Handsome: The 2017 Acura MDX AWD Advance

The 2017 Acura MDX AWD Advance.

All it needed was a shave.

For years, the Acura MDX has been wearing an awkward chrome mustache across the top of its grille...the last vestige of an ill-conceived beak that it sprouted for the 2010 model year.  Well, that's gone for 2017...the grille (actually a new stretched pentagon design) now nicely opened up, with a rather large....okay, gargantuan...Acura emblem in the middle.  The headlights, hood and fenders have gotten tweaks to accomodate the grille change. And it's all a major improvement.

Pioneer Wagon: The 2016 Acura MDX

The 2016 Acura MDX.

There was a time, fifteen years ago, when there was no such thing as a luxury crossover SUV with three rows of seating.  One vehicle changed that and created a market all by itself.  It was the 2001 Acura MDX.

2016 Acura RDX Advance: Freshness Date Extended

The 2016 Acura RDX Advance.

The pace of technology is such that mid-cycle refreshes, when an automaker makes substantial changes to a vehicle without creating an all-new, next-generation model, are more important than ever. A clean-sheet is too expensive to do every three years, but you'll get killed  by the competition if you're waiting for the next go-round to bring the goodies that were too expensive, not available yet or no one in the segment had been offering when you launched the current generation.

Where The Acura MDX Is Taking Luxury Crossovers

The 2014 Acura MDX.

There is one car Acura makes that has set the standard for its segment and this is it: The MDX.  It was one of the earliest upscale crossovers---this is its 14th year on sale---and some say if it weren't for its continued success, Acura would have a difficult time making the business case for continuing.