It’s a little-known fact that the stork often brings wheels. Not just those that come on a stroller, either, but four all-weather tires slapped onto a vehicle that takes that stroller to and from the mall.
With the recent addition of a daughter to my family, my wife and I found ourselves in the market for a new car. This didn’t bode well for yours truly at first. The word “family” automatically conjures up visions of mini-vans in my head… or station wagons. The very thought of soccer ball stickers and stick family decals can send a shiver down my spin more than any knife-wielding, hockey mask aficionado ever could.
And yet it was time to move on to some new wheels. My nice luxury car had long ago become my old luxury car, the word “luxurious” only applying to the cost of the maintenance fees. My wife, comfortable in her spacious sedan made it clear that it was I who would be needing the new “family car”, so I’d better find one that was practical for all three of us. Whether or not it suited my luxury needs came second.
As luck would have it, I managed to find a vehicle that offered me the luxury I’ve become accustomed to while also offering the size, safety, comfort and reliability that would make my soccer-mom-to-be plenty happy. I tried your German SUVs and your Australian-sounding wagons. Eventually, I came around to the Acura MDX.
Acura, the luxury division of reliability king Honda, is no stranger when it comes to the SUV market. The MDX has been around for the better part of fifteen years, and the compact SUV, the RDX, for almost a decade. Both come with everything for which Acura is known, safety and reliability, and everything this family needs in a luxury car that isn’t so luxurious we have to reuse our disposable diapers.
On the outside, the MDX is just as sleek and stylish as you’ve come to expect from Acura. Inside, of course, is all about being pampered. There’s the cushy interior seats and gorgeous interface. There’s the rearview camera (for backing out of soccer practice), the heated seats, and the touchscreen system with everything from navigation to SiriusXM satellite radio. The cabin is designed in a way that significantly cuts down on interior drive noise. That quiet drive is important when you have an infant you’re trying to lull to sleep while cruising around in circles at four in the morning, believe me.
Needless to say, The AWD is a welcome addition after years of braving Canadian winters in my old front-wheel sedan. The fuel economy is above average for SUVs, as well, and the 3.5 liter V6 engine gives the MDX all the power you need when driving uphill in the snow to ski lessons or mountain climbing or whatever expensive outdoor activity the kids will be doing for the next eighteen years of my life.
To keep me away from any minivan dealerships in the near future, the MDX comes with plenty of features that make it an excellent family car. Plenty of space, plenty of leg room, plenty of storage. There’s room for several kids and not just the one that my wife keeps suggesting needs a sibling. Reliability is high for all Acura’s so—at the very least—this dad’s new family car will be around long enough for a slightly bigger family.
All of this, by the way, costs far less than other “luxury” brands you see the hockey dads in the neighborhoods driving… And—thank God—it’s not a station wagon!
