Revised styling and added safety features headline 2004 changes to Acura's hot-selling SUV. MDX shares its basic design with Honda's Pilot. MDX has three rows of seats; the 2nd and 3rd rows fold flat to the floor. But it holds seven passengers vs. Pilot's eight, and has slightly less cargo room. The two share a V6 engine, which makes 265 hp in MDX vs. 240 in Pilot. They also share a 5-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive system without low-range gearing.

Standard on MDX are ABS, antiskid system, and side airbags. New for '04 are a tire-pressure monitor and head-protecting curtain side airbags that cover all three rows and are designed to deploy in both side impacts and rollovers. Also available are rear DVD entertainment and a navigation system. The navigation system includes voice control and 3-D graphics; its dashboard screen also serves a rearview camera, which shows what's behind when the transmission is shifted into reverse. Other changes for '04 include revised front and rear styling, a rear spoiler, and brushed-metal-look interior and exterior trim.