Acura TLX Update: A Hit and Run, and a look at the 2017 MDX

It's never a pretty picture. In fact it's something of a nightmare. You can only look on with an acute sense of hopelessness as you feel your heart gain 1000 pounds and sink into your lower abdomen. That's just what happened a couple weeks back when I came out to the car only to find that someone decided to leave a large paint scuff mark on the front bumper. The once clean and less than one-year-old paint finish was now scarred with the smear of neglectful driving just below my headlight. Or so I thought.

 

Upon closer inspection it had appeared that the unidentified driver in question also just scraped the headlight. That meant that if Acura couldn't get the scratch off the light, that this repair was going to become much more expensive. Luckily, the damage was minor, and most of the paint came off with a good rag wiping, leaving shallow scratches and marks in their place.

I took it to the dealership for them to have a closer look. Insurance card in hand, I prepared for the worst; but the news I got instead from the tech was something of a relief. A mere $240 was the price, labor and all, that it would take to fix the gash on the bumper. I should add that to some luck, this was just below my deductible for my insurance, which meant I wouldn't have to deal with rising rates.

2 weeks later, I was able to drop off the car for repairs. For that, there were a couple bonuses that I could look forward to. One, Acura told me that the car would be ready for pick up by the end of the day, and two, Acura gave me a 2017 Acura MDX as a loaner. And, as I do have a certain pre-disposition to crossovers, I decided to give them a chance. I wanted to see if there was one mall-crawler out there that would persuade me to think that they weren't all just a bunch of lumbery soccer barges with no concept of "fun".

On looks alone, the MDX definitely makes the impression that, rather than the Ford Edges, Honda CRVs and the Chevy Traverses of the crossover scale, that you'd more likely find the MDXs with the Mercedes GLs, Range Rover Evoques and Audi Q7s of the spectrum. The chrome was tastefully appointed and the grille, while it didn't initially win me over, provided a better impression in person. But it wasn't just the looks of the MDX that really made me smile; putting my foot down behind the wheel was enough to generate some positive response as well.

Normally, in a crossover, you don't expect the acceleration to be aggressive or in any way enough to make you let off slightly out of surprise. However, with Acura's V6 power plant and their Super-Handling AWD system, that was the case when I drove the MDX. Despite being a larger crossover, it was surprisingly nimble, and the acceleration made it feel much smaller than it actually was.

The interior was pretty well sorted as well. It's similar to the TLX, so I didn't have too much trouble integrating my phone or navigating the infotainment system. The seats were plushy and there was enough storage space in the front alone to fit at least two soccer balls. In fact, if there was one thing I didn't really like about the MDX, it was the transmission system.

The transmission itself performs well, but it's just the selector that I think looks a little out of sorts. Acura's intention with this layout was to make the driving selections more "intuitive" by sort of letting the driver push the buttons in the various directions of travel. For example, you push forward on the "D" to put it into drive, the button for the Reverse gear is mounted so that you push it backward, and the parking button is straight up and down. This is the standard system you're given in any Acura equipped with a V6, and, I can't say personally that I was a fan, partly because it wasn't the prettiest layout in the world and partly because, having a proper gear shifter in my TLX, I found myself reaching for a gear selector that wasn't actually there. All in all, though, I was rather impressed with the MDX as a crossover, and that's not something you'll frequently, if ever hear me say.

Upon returning the MDX to pick up the TLX, I was expecting to have a clean bumper and a scuffed headlight, but what I got was better than I expected. Acura had somehow managed to get the scratch off of my headlight, leaving it with the same shine it had when it was new. In fact, the entire thing looked brand new. They'd gotten the marks off completely, and left no trace of the scuff. To add to that, Acura also performed a standard service (oil change, tire rotation) as well at no expense thanks to my lease terms. With the TLX back in my hands now scratch free, I was able to even get the first hand-car-wash of the season in today! Now it sits in the drive way with a mirror-shine, prepared for summer driving!

Summary:
Bodywork and paint: $240
Acura Service: $0
Milage: 10,543
Total parts and service: $240