Acura MDX vs Honda HR-V

The Acura MDX is a mainstay of the luxury SUV segment, and it covers the bases remarkably well. Its well-rounded nature is perhaps because it shares a platform with the Honda Pilot (another fantastic family hauler) but for that same reason, it doesn’t offer the same cachet as a BMW X5 or Mercedes-Benz GLE. Whether you are on a road trip or heading to work, the MDX is comfortable, refined, and has space for the family and their gear. For 2024, there’s a new Type-S trim level, bringing a new level of performance to the three-row, seven-passenger midsize luxury SUV. But as we’ll get into in a bit, the MDX is held back by a maddening infotainment system that could truly be a sticking point to overshadow all other positive attributes.

Verdict: The MDX is a beautiful, safe, and cost-effective luxury SUV, and the new Type-S trim level delivers a higher level of performance. However, it doesn’t offer as much space as some of its competitors, and we wouldn’t recommend it to anyone easily frustrated by finnicky tech interfaces.

Honda’s subcompact SUV gets a makeover inside and out. Previously based on the Fit, the new HR-V shares the global architecture that also underpins the Civic.

Honda continues to narrow trim options: There were once as many as five, but the Touring trim level got the axe for the 2022 model year, and the EX has now left the lineup as well. The three remaining trims for 2023 are LX, Sport, and EX-L. We drove the top trim, EX-L, through the mountains of Washington's Columbia River Gorge.

New styling plus the newly standard Honda Sensing suite of safety features put this latest HR-V back at the front of the pack it led when it debuted in 2016.