Long Term Test: 2014 Acura MDX FWD Tech post #2

Second update
Current mileage: 4,963

Lately, most of my time with the MDX has been as a passenger. From the passenger seat, the MDX is still extremely comfortable, but it offers a lot more time to examine the material quality of the cabin. While most surfaces live up to the touch test, a few pieces that would be less noticeable when one is focused on the task of driving are under far more scrutiny from the right side of the cabin. Take the controller for the upper screen, which hardly gets much attention since I tend to rely on a combination of the touchscreen and voice control from behind the wheel, but playing with it from the passenger seat makes it feel slightly less premium. The motions and actions are all well-damped, but the controller itself begins to feel slightly plasticky after extended use. If Acura were to craft this from real metal, or at the very least, surround it with a veneer of real metal, it would go a long way towards making if feel much nicer.

Of course, the backseat is quite comfy. Spending several hour-long car rides back there does not feel at all like being a second-class traveler, unlike flying economy-class these days. In fact, leg room is more than plentiful and the ability to adjust the seat fore and aft offers even more flexibility to stretch out. While there are not a ton of amenities without the Rear Seat Entertainment Package, it is still a plenty enjoyable place to be and even full-size adults should have no problems spending a couple of hours back there, watching the scenery go by.

As a beast of burden, the MDX is excellent, with a huge amount of available cargo space. The airport pickup or Goodwill donation run is absolutely no contest for the MDX's rather cavernous rear hatch. With the third row seats folded, I was able to easily fit several suitcases and folding the second row seats offered up room to fit 6 large boxes and several odd sized objects. Hopefully by the next update, I'll have had a chance to throw our bikes in the back to see how easy they are to carry and transport, ideally in conjunction with a longer road trip for a little more time behind the wheel.