WELL-TRAVELED CROSSOVER; HIGH PRAISE FOR MDX'S UTILITY, COMFORTS AND RELIABILITY.(NEWS)

Byline: JONATHAN WONG

Requests for the SUVs and crossovers in our long-term garage come early and often because few things better fulfill families' needs. So when a vehicle such as the seven-passenger Acura MDX spends a year with us, it stays busy. How busy? Try 30,056 miles of traveled pavement, putting it third among the most active long-term vehicles in recent history.

The year saw our MDX haul kids and stuff to college and softball tournaments, tow boats and campers and serve as the centerpiece for tailgates. We made trips to Florida, Indi-anapolis, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Iowa and Calif-ornia and back, packed with passengers and luggage, and not once did we come back disappointed with the Acura.

Among the features making the MDX stellar for long hauls were the rear entertainment system, satellite radio, intuitive navigation interface and comfortable interior.

"The seats in the MDX got rave reviews from all aboard, and the vehicle's entertainment system was put to good use. The two in the back seat watched videos for much of the ride home, while the front-seat passengers took advantage of the numerous entertainment options available through XM, an editor wrote after logging 2,000 miles at the wheel.

The MDX's handling prow-ess garnered lots of praise, with its adjustable suspension and Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive. "Toggle the comfort button off, and this vehicle performs like a BMW X5. There's little dive or roll, steering stays on-center for cruising but is instantly responsive when pushing corners, and overall ride is compliant enough to live with. ...