2005 Honda MDX Reviews

At the wheel of the big, big, big seven-seater Honda MDX sports utility behemoth, I feel like lighting up a big, fat cigar as I gun the big V6 engine and guzzle more of the planet's precious natural resources.I am surrounded by plush black leather, forests of walnut trim and an old-style cockpit.It doesn't need to be this way. Honda makes modern and attractive cabins. Just look at the impressive Accord Euro.But perhaps the MDX is directed to an older, more successful professional buyer who would be inclined to buy the comparable BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen or Volvo, more than a tricked-up Ford Territory.And the Honda fits neatly in the middle, price-wise, performance-wise and handling-wise.And now Honda has "up-specced" the MDX to give it an edge in this competitive category.Most important for the long trips with kids is the addition of a rear ceiling-mounted DVD player with two wireless headphones.For safety's sake, there are now SRS curtain airbags for all three rows. A lot of so-called family cars forget about passengers.If it does go all pear-shaped, you can rest assured that this vehicle has a host of secondary safety devices which have earned it a full five stars in the latest US NCAP frontal crash tests.Standard safety features also include Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), and roll-over sensors designed to trigger the side curtain airbags in a roll over.Other new features are automatic headlights, security alarm, rain sensor wipers that actually work and ambient interior light.Under the bonnet there is an extra 4kW that no one will really notice.Outside, there are flash new bumpers and twin exhausts with square finishers and a chrome grille.And you can have it in three new colours: Desert Rock Metallic, Billet Silver Metallic and Steel Blue Metallic. There is also a new ivory interior available with Nighthawk Black and Desert Rock paint.Best news is the price has been kept to $69,990.That places it well under the 3-litre BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML350 and on par with the less powerful VW Touareg 3.2-litre and 2.5-litre Volvo XC90.Around town the MDX feels as nimble as the X5.Despite its size, the refined high-revving 3.5-litre Honda power plant hurtles the almost two-tonne mass into holes in the traffic with relative ease.Some of the pot-holed roads around town can make the sophisticated suspension a little nervous, despite the expensive set-up of independent strut front and multilink rear.Yet this doesn't translate to the country road where the bumps are harder. In fact, it tears along slippery slopes and gravel roads quite well.It now comes with a full-size alloy spare wheel, so you don't need to cross your fingers on trips outside the metropolis.

Although 4WDs have come under a lot of scrutiny in recent times for their use around the city and suburbs, the only way to appreciate a vehicle of this class is to get it out on – and off – the open road.As a novice four-wheel driver it took no time at all to familiarise myself with the controls from the comfort of the heated-leather seats.The four-speed automatic transmission was smooth and the ride even smoother as the outside noise was almost completely non-existent with the windows up and the automatic climate control set on a comfortable 22C.And with the windscreen wipers also set on automatic I was assured of complete clear vision in any rain.A rainfall sensor is located in the windscreen behind the rear-view mirror and turns on the wipers, varying their speed in line with the intensity of the rain. It was a real bonus as we struck some heavy falls heading out of Sydney.When the speed limit lifted to 100km/h you could almost hear the Honda purr in anticipation of giving its 3.5-litre V6 engine a workout.As we neared Goulburn the outside temperature dropped to about 9C but we were cocooned in a warm comfort zone courtesy of the automatic climate control system, which can be adjusted on the Honda's dashboard trip computer.Aside from the temperature, the computer also records fuel consumption, the range you can travel on what's in the tank, total distance travelled and the elapsed time the ignition has been on. There's also a digital clock and a compass.It was time to stop and revive at Goulburn and after putting some petrol in our engines in the form of a big breakfast, we were back on the road heading to Cooma.But this time there was another driver behind the wheel – my wife Margaret.Reluctantly I had handed over the keys in a moment of weakness, not knowing what to expect from a driver with no experience in a motor vehicle of this size.But once she worked out the automatic seat adjustment, my wife took to the road like a veteran and I could see from the glee in her eye I would have a hard time wrestling the keys back.By the time we reached Cooma Margaret was completely at ease in the driver's seat. "I didn't feel intimidated driving a four-wheel drive for the first time," she says. "It only took me a couple of kilometres to feel at ease and after that I felt completely comfortable and more than impressed with car's performance and ease of handling."When we picked up our ski gear it was no problem fitting it in the back with our luggage.It was a simple exercise of folding down the back seats and we had more than ample room.I was hoping the mountain road through the Kosciuszko National Park to Guthega was going to be icy so I could try my hand at a bit of four-wheel driving.But the road was open all the way through to the Guthega car park and not even chains for the family sedan were needed.When it came time to leave the snow I was still itching to put the four-wheel-drive switch on and my chance came halfway back down the mountain.I spotted a small trail leading into the scrub and after carefully summing up the situation decided to go for it.The incline was not too steep as the Honda went through a personality change in automatic four-wheel-drive mode and attacked the trail with gusto.With the 4WD adventure over it was time to drop our gear back in Cooma and head for Narooma on the far south coast.This was another adventure as we travelled through some amazing country and the next challenge was the winding decline of Brown Mountain (1241m), which leads from the high country to the beautiful Bega Valley.The Snowy Mountain Highway leading to the mountain was easily driven with speed limits varying between 60km/h, 80km/h and 100km/h. But the mountain was different altogether with some hairpin corners restricting speed to 25km/h. Dropping the Honda's transmission back to D3 allowed for perfect control and the brakes didn't need much pressure to safely negotiate the bends.When we reached the bottom it was an easy drive to Narooma and from then on it was back to cruising on the highway.After a few days in Narooma it was back to the big smoke and when we arrived back in Sydney it didn't seem like we'd been driving for more than five hours.I'm sure I saw the hint of a tear in my wife's eye as we had to put the Honda to bed in its garage.It was truly a first-class holiday in a first-class vehicle.

Particularly as smaller cars and vans seem to be nipping at your heels switching between lanes around you.It is this paradox that makes 4WDs a question mark to drive on busy city streets. For all the safety sensations you still feel like you are in the way, like a truck rather than one of the car brigade.Honda's big 4WD, the seven-seater MDX, is one of the better-looking cars of this size on the market. Likened to a rhinoceros by its designers, it sits squarer on the road than some of its taller SUV compatriots.For 2005 the one-spec MDX has undergone an upgrade but retained the same price of $69,990. The key additions are more equipment and altered styling. It adds SRS curtain airbags to all three rows. The car gains a full-size alloy spare wheel, which should really be mandatory on all large 4WDs. Extra touches include automatic headlights, security alarm and rain sensor wipers. This adds to the standard features which include an electric adjustable driver's seat, heated front seats and a six-stacker CD player.You have to look closely to find the exterior improvements but essentially the redesigned bumper bars, twin exhaust with square finishers and chrome grille give the car a "squarer" look.On the earlier models there were two round exhaust pipes on the right-hand side of the car. Now the pipes have been separated to each side of the car with the square finishers.The MDX's engine has been noted for its power and now a further 4kW has been squeezed out of the 3.5-litre V6, taking it to 195kW at 5800rpm.There's a few new exterior colours and a more serviceable ivory interior colour.Although we did not test the car's off-road capabilities on this test, it boasts as standard Grade Logic, Vehicle Stability Assist and the Variable Torque Management-4 4WD system. Instead this test was around town, where fuel usage, fitting into parking spots and battling traffic are important. The sort of things that most MDX owners will tackle.While there is no doubting the comfort of the ride, the power of the engine and the plush interior, this is still a big car and extra caution must be taken in traffic.The MDX used up a tank of fuel (73 litres) in 400km around town.And the on-board fuel economy meter, measuring in km per litre rather than the Australian system of litres per 100km showed averages of about 5.8km for every litre of fuel.The actual usage amounts to 18.2 litres/100km which is thirsty work.Honda's official figures quote a combined highway/city cycle figure of a much better 12.9 litres/100km.And one other niggly feature about the fuel was that when fuel was added to the car the onboard readout indicating how many kilometres were left to be travelled before the tank ran dry did not automatically reset itself. Pressing a button marked reset on the dash didn't achieve anything either.So while the needle showed there was a quarter of a tank of fuel in the car, the readout indicated it had just 17km to go until it was empty.Just under 700 MDXs (677) were sold in Australia last year giving it 4.9 per cent of the luxury SUV market. That market is led by the BMW X5 which is dearer and only seats five.The MDX's seven seats are a definite bonus in this market, particularly for large families.Each seat importantly has a three-point seatbelt, something Honda's Odyssey people mover still lacks. And the DVD player and screen that are standard are a proven winner on long trips.So would I buy an MDX?Yes, based on looks, interior luxury and engine power, but not if it was only intended to drive around the suburbs.