Acura added the MDX to its lineup in 2001 and has evolved the popular crossover SUV each year in both design and engine performance. But which model year offers the best engine reliability?
Acura introduced the MDX in 2001 as market demand for midsize crossovers increased. The MDX represents the first crossover SUV to offer three-row seating, allowing for up to seven passengers with two seating positions in the third row.
Today, the Acura MDX is in its fourth generation and has advanced well beyond where it started, offering tons of technology and luxurious cabin features that rival any other vehicle in the midsize SUV class.
The fourth-generation MDX has a more robust engine producing great gas mileage figures in both the front-wheel-drive (FWD) and all-wheel-drive (AWD) drivetrain variations.
The fourth-generation MDX also offers one of the safest midsize SUVs on the market, scoring a “Top Safety Pick Plus” rating through the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and five out of five stars in crash test rating through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Acura has come a long way through the generations with the MDX, gradually increasing engine reliability and performance. This article will evaluate closely each generation of the MDX and how Acura has improved performance over the years. Plus, we’ll reveal why the fourth-generation MDX has proven to be the most reliable.
First-generation MDX Engine (2001-2006)
The Acura MDX was introduced to the American market in 2001 and offered a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 240 horsepower and 245 lb.-ft. of torque paired with a five-speed automatic transmission.
From the model year 2003-2006, Acura increased the horsepower of each model year’s engine slightly, hoping to entice more buyers.
The 3.5L V6 engine equipped for the first generation achieves an EPA fuel economy rating of 17 miles-per-gallon in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. The first-generation MDX had many issues and ultimately received a poor reliability rating through the J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS).
The first-generation MDX received 11 recalls through the National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration (NHTSA); six of which involved the airbag system (NHTSA No. 19V501000), two including equipment (NHTSA No. 08E013000), one for a faulty electric system (NHTSA No. 12V573000), another for the braking system (NHTSA No. 13V092000), and one for vehicle speed control (NHTSA No. 19E068000).
The first-generation MDX scored a perfect five-star crash test rating through NHTSA but lacks dependability with multiple transmission and engine concerns. The most powerful engine for the first generation was a tuned variant of 3.5-liter V6 in 2004 with a top speed of 137 miles per hour and a 0-60 time of 7.1 seconds.
Second-generation MDX Engine (2007-2013)
The second-generation Acura MDX is powered by a 3.7-liter V6 producing 300 horsepower and 275 lb.-ft. of torque, offering 0.2 more liters of power than the first-generation MDX.
The 3.7-liter V6 accelerates the MDX from zero to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and remains one of the most powerful engines Honda has produced. The MDX’s V6 engine achieves an EPA fuel economy rating of 16 mpg city and 21 mpg highway.
The second-generation MDX was manufactured exclusively by Honda of Canada in Ontario, Canada, where the previous generation was also manufactured. The NHTSA gives the second-generation MDX a crash test rating of five stars in both front and side-impact testing.
The second-generation MDX improves on recalls through the model years and has only one recall in the 2007 model year involving an aftermarket hitch-style bike rack which was recalled in 2008 (NHTSA No. 08E013000).
The MDX scores well in reliability in the second generation, scoring 82 out of 100 in the VDS quality and reliability rating. The second generation showed great improvement over the first-generation MDX in consideration of both the engine and transmission issues it had in the previous generation.
Third-generation MDX Engine (2014-2020)
The third-generation MDX brings a totally redesigned SUV offering a choice of an AWD or front-wheel-drive FWD transmission, paired with a 3.5-liter direct-injected “Earth Dreams” V6 with variable cylinder management offering 290 horsepower and 267 lb.-ft. of torque.
The third-generation MDX is also the first generation to offer a Hybrid variation of the MDX, which is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 engine and three electric motors that make a combined 321 horsepower and 289 lb.-ft. of torque.
The Hybrid MDX offers a seven-speed transmission generating an EPA fuel economy rating of 26 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.
The standard model MDX achieves an EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 20 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway, matching the Hybrid in highway mpg while also beating the previous generation around the Nürburgring in testing by eight seconds.
The third-generation MDX does not improve drastically in reliability ratings through VDS, however, scoring two and a half out of five for the Hybrid MDX and three out of five for the standard MDX over the second-generation score of two out of five.
Both the standard MDX and the Hybrid score well in both safety and reliability scoring five out of five stars through evaluations by both the IIHS and NHTSA. The third-generation MDX shares a universal recall–this generation’s only recall–for a faulty fuel pump recalled in 2021 (NHTSA No. 21V215000).
Fourth-generation MDX Engine (2021-Present)
Acura changes things up for the fourth-generation MDX and offers two different engine options; a base engine offering a 3.5-liter V6 producing 290 horsepower and 267 lb.-ft. of torque and an optional turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 producing 355 horsepower and 354 lb.-ft. of torque available in the 2022 model year MDX Type S.
Either engine option is paired with a ten-speed automatic transmission and are offered with either FWD or AWD drivetrains.
The fourth-generation MDX is the first generation in which Acura utilizes a turbo to increase power to their standard V6 engine, offering a sport trim level to their MDX lineup for 2022.
The standard engine achieves an EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 19 mpg city and 26 mpg on the highway, remaining competitive among the luxury midsize SUV class.
The 2022 model year MDX received the Top Safety Pick Plus award from IIHS and a perfect 10 out of 10 safety rating through NHTSA.
Acura has claimed the MDX as their flagship model following the discontinuation of the RLX in June of 2020. There has been no official recalls for the fourth-generation MDX as of July 2021 with some recorded complaints in June 2021 of powertrain issues (NHTSA No. 11422259) and one of issues with the braking system in July of 2021 (NHTSA No. 11424283).
There is not yet data for the reliability of the fourth-generation MDX but as Acura’s new flagship model we hope to see a much-improved reliability rating as the MDX has suffered in this area in every generation past.
Which MDX Generation is Most Reliable?
The fourth-generation MDX has proven to be the most reliable, safe, and most promising generation ever. Acura has shown that they learn and improve in each generation of the MDX offered, and 2022 looks to be the most promising model year yet.
With the addition of turbocharged engines and sport-based performance trim levels, Acura truly has come a long way from the MDX’s of the past.
Acura has gradually improved on decreasing the number of recalls in each model year and has addressed the transmission and engine issues found in the first generation.
Photos: Acura
