Acura seems to be the underrated competitor in the luxury car market. Far less popular than BMW and Audi, the prices of Acura cars seems like it should entice more buyers. In fact, among the Acura lineup is a very popular yet underrated style of car: an SUV with third-row seating. The latest prototype for what could be the new Acura MDX model shows an affectionately updated car that seems like it should sit amongst the top competitors for SUVs of its class, but there might be one thing holding it back.

What the Acura MDX has to offer

The Acura MDX is far from a new vehicle in the brand’s lineup, but that doesn’t necessarily work to its advantage. In fact, a quick bit of research onto pages like Consumer Reports will show that people have pretty low expectations for the car’s reliability. Since the car hasn’t officially been released, we can only make guesses based on the history of the model itself.

A history of unreliability

There is no current evidence that suggests that the new Acura MDX will definitely be unreliable, but past generations don’t give the capable SUV a great reputation. There haven’t been any recalls or overwhelming concerns with the 2020 model year as of yet, which bodes well for the car itself. Earlier in the generation, buyers weren’t as lucky, and recalls weren’t the only concerns drivers voiced.

Every model year between 2016 and 2018 has been a victim of more than a few recalls, and it is understandable why that could leave a bitter taste in Acura-fan’s mouths. However, the 2019 and 2020 models have proven to be more reliable, giving us hope for the latest year preparing for release.

Hope for the future

With all of the new updates to safety features and technology, we have high expectations that the 2021 Acura MDX will be turning a new leaf. Since the options for third-row seat SUVs are already slim, Acura has a solid chance to turn things around and become a popular option for full-sized family SUVs.

Only time will truly tell if the latest model year will live up to our high expectations for reliability, and for all the car has to offer we sure hope that it does.

The new 2021 Acura MDX has a lot of potential for being one of the best luxury-oriented full-sized SUVs on the market next year, and we can’t help but hope it lives up to those expectations. While a history of unreliability might be working against the car’s reputation, the past year has proven to be more reliable than expected, and hopefully, the 2021 model will be also.