My 2008 Acura MDX

The first iteration of the Acura MDX--as SUV equally utilitarian and reliable--competed with the Mercedez-Benz ML and the Lexus RX300, but the newest generation of the MDX aims straight at the BMW X5 and the Porsche Cayenne. To instill the same level driving excitement in the MDX as is found in its new competitors, Acura's engineers headed to Germany's Nurburgring, which is prized for its ability to expose chinks in a car's driving dynamics.

The new MDX's exterior styling underwent a similarly rigorous workout. According to Frank Paluch, the chief engineer of both the original and second-generation MDX models, the goal was to provide a "stealth family package," which the design team accomplished by lowering the visual center of the vehicle, what they call the C-line, and angling the D-pillar sharply forward to camouflage the third-row seating. Paluch adds, "The vehicle looks smaller, but it's wider, longer, and lower."

With the contoured, hi-tech cabin and tons of creature features, you have to work hard to be uncomfortable in the MDX. We're not trying to scare you, but any time you have you car heated on, you have scalding hot water traveling through the heater core in your passenger compartment only inches away from your feet. The water that travels through the heater core is actually engine coolant—the same green or orange stuff that runs through your radiator. Since your engine produces so much heat that has to be expelled anyway, the engineers decided to send it through a heater core to warm the passenger compartment instead of using an electric or gas-fired heater. It’s a great idea—as long as the system, Acura MDX heater core included, works correctly, which it usually does.

One thing about this grade of SUV--the height is perfect, whether you're a little old lady or a strapping cowboy. Although the Vehicle is only a concept and in fact has no interior or power train, the Acura will retain 99 percent of its exterior for the production model.