2010 Acura MDX

• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability

Interior - What the Auto Press Says

The Acura MDX's interior receives praise for its luxurious feel and comfortable seats. However, even despite improvements in the dash layout, there still complaints about the cabin design.

• "MDX's hi-tech interior design incorporates an attractive blend of rich-looking materials, with especially pleasing switchgear feel and movement." -- Consumer Guide
• "Bizarrely, Acura has slathered the dash and console in an ugly wood trim that isn't in keeping with the otherwise tech-focused nature of the interior." -- Jalopnik
• "My biggest concern remains the center stack. It's the worst of all possible worlds. There's a cockpit controller mounted a third of the way up the center stack with meager wrist support (use the gearshift lever or plunk your elbow on the padded center console)." -- Gear Log
• "The interior is attractively designed and solidly constructed." -- Edmunds
• "Inside you have the fit, finish and feel of a quality vehicle." -- MarketWatch

Seating

The 2010 MDX seats seven in three rows. Reviewers find the first and second rows comfortable but say the third row is cramped for adults.

• "The plush leather front buckets -- and the second row as well -- have enveloping shapes with plenty of side support." -- Car and Driver
• "The leather quality, armrests, firmness, and slight reclining ability were admired by all, and the two-way heaters on all outboard seats were a winter windfall." -- Automotive.com
• "The MDX is one of the more spacious three-row midsize luxury crossover SUVs on the market. An adult could fit in the third row for a short journey, although the rearmost seats are better suited for kids." -- Edmunds
• "Outboard 2nd-row seat sections are shaped like comfortable buckets and afford fine head and leg room unless the front seats are far back. The middle position is for kids, as is the cramped 3rd row." -- Consumer Guide

Interior Features

The 2010 Acura MDX's interior stands out for its luxury features and high-tech options. However, there are still complaints about the dashboard layout and placement of controls - which one reviewer says is even more complicated than BMW's iDrive system. On the plus side, the MDX comes newly standard with Bluetooth connectivity, an iPod adapter and satellite radio. New options include a hard disk drive and Song By Voice, a music system similar to Ford's Sync.

• "Control wheels are supposed to mean fewer buttons and less complexity. Instead, the MDX center stack on navigation-equipped models has 49 knobs and similarly shaped buttons, by my count (I may have missed one or two) and three separate displays. I've counted as many as 63 on other Acuras, so it appears they're trying. Still: Try to find the moving map button if you're in a hurry." -- Gear Log
• "Thankfully, the navigation system doesn't absorb any audio or climate controls. Its screen is mounted high on the dashboard but isn't distracting. The controller knob, however, is mounted low, near the center console, which forces eyes off the road until all functions are mastered." -- Consumer Guide
• "Option up for the technology package and the MDX benefits from an enhanced multi-mode rear camera that, in addition to the regular 90-degree view, includes a 180-degree wide-angle camera allowing you to see vehicles approaching from the sides -- particularly handy while navigating parking lots." -- Autoblog
• "The MDX's cabin is a high-tech parent's dream. Even the base model has its fair share of electronic toys, and the Technology and Sport Packages add even more goodies. The Panasonic/ELS surround-sound system is quite simply one of the best in the business, as is the navigation system. With all these items to control, however, the MDX's dash is cluttered with buttons." -- Edmunds

Cargo

The Acura MDX offers ample cargo space, especially with the third row folded down.

• "Switch it from 7-seater to 5-seater and cargo capacity leaps from 15 to 42.9 cubic feet; folding down the middle row brings that to 83.5." -- Automotive.com
• "With the third row seats up, cargo space is virtually nonexistent." -- CNET
• "Split 2nd-row seatbacks fold easily. Split 3rd-row seats fold forward from rear of vehicle, and all but shorter folks can raise them from there. With all seats folded, the cargo floor is nearly flat, and Acura says it can hold 4-ft-wide panels." -- Consumer Guide
• "A total of 83.5 cubic feet of cargo space is available with the second and third rows folded, which is also above average for a midsize luxury crossover." -- Edmunds