Acura MDX – First Drive: Stylish Moms and Driver Dads are unlikely to ever find themselves barrel-assing the 2007 Acura MDX down the highway at 90 mph in an intense thunderstorm, but can rest assured that this new luxury SUV is up to that task, and more, based on our first-hand experience. But before we get to that part of the story, let’s talk about Acura’s excellent European vacation, taken during the redesigned Acura MDX’s gestation period.

Someone at Acura gets it: “If you design your car to be confident at Nurburgring then everyday emergencies normal drivers see can be handled easily.” Evidently, they also understand that convincing the boss to let them run development mules around Germany’s most famous road racing course: 1.) is a great way to see Europe on the company dime, 2.) creates a chance to take a break from the spouse and kids due to “work” and 3.) beats the hell out of playing Gran Turismo 4 from the living room couch. Thus, we’ll let that quote go uncredited, but mainly because we forgot to write down which Acura engineer or product expert said it and not because we don’t want anyone at Acura to get an expense report denied.

Suffice it to say that, thanks to multiple laps of the Nurburgring, the new Acura MDX is designed to handle much more like a car than a traditional SUV. The MDX is agile, responsive, and fun to drive – things that the old MDX wasn’t, and just what Acura needs to capture the interest of more male buyers, known as Driver Dads in dull, stuffy marketing meetings. However, Acura hasn’t set out to build the equivalent of a Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG. Oh no, such a rough-riding brute would definitely turn off Stylish Moms buzzing around gated subdivisions everywhere, from Hunter’s Ridge and The Enclave at the Bluff to Creekside Farms and Hidden Valley Ranch. Wait, that’s salad dressing.

Back to Stylish Mom, and you know you had one. Acura needed to keep Stylish Moms happy, because that’s who is currently gaga over the original MDX. So the Acura folks also spent some time hanging out in St. Moritz, soaking up the culture, the architecture, the lifestyle – y’know, so they could make something appealing for Stylish Mom back in Dallas, not because they just wanted Acura to pay for a trip to the Swiss Alps. Such a cynic, aren’t you? Just because you expensed an extra Maker’s neat on that last trip to San Jose, don’t think everyone is out to get a freebie. Sheesh.

Be thankful Acura spent so much time in Europe, because the new MDX is a terrific luxury crossover SUV that pushes all the right buttons, male or female, young or old. It looks great inside and out, drives capably on dry and wet pavement, and can even handle a little bit of mild off-roading. It’s powerful, comfortable, technologically advanced, designed to achieve top safety scores, and costs less than $50,000 when fully equipped. Whether you’re a Stylish Mom or a Driver Dad, the 2007 Acura MDX demands a test drive.