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2014 Acura MDX SH-AWD

There are certain vehicles on sale today that are affected by what I call 'Camry Syndrome.' Named after Toyota's ubiquitous family hauler, Camry Syndrome affects a fair number of cars and trucks, many of which are exceedingly popular with consumers.
The issue I have with these vehicles is that while they're adequate, they lack ambition. Their looks are clean and reasonably attractive, but they're not particularly stylish, let alone adventuresome or - heaven forbid - polarizing. Their interiors are comfortable and well screwed together, with the sort of popular features that consumers expect at a given price point. Their engines are decently powerful and vocal enough to set the heart very slightly aflutter, yet they're not too thirsty. Their transmissions are invisible and their rides are best described with whatever buzzword synonym Joe Consumer might come up with for "sporty" or "luxurious." In short, they're boring.
In reality, provided they sell well, there's really nothing wrong with automakers building Camry Syndrome vehicles - they're reasonably competent at everything and clearly meet a need. The problem is that I want some aspects of my vehicle to be better than others, because contrast breeds character. I wish someone at Acura felt the way I did when it redesigned this MDX for 2014, because for me, there's so much of this premium crossover that's merely middle of the road.

2019 Acura ILX first drive | New looks, same lackluster performance

Acura knows what it takes to make a fun, compact car that enthusiasts desire. It did so for three decades with the Integra, which eventually morphed into the still fun RSX. Then the ILX came around for the 2013 model year, and the world collectively yawned. It's actually still yawning, and the 2019 redesign isn't doing a whole lot to change that. One might expect more wholesale changes from a car entering its seventh year on the market, but we're still staring down the barrel of the same 201 horsepower 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder and trick dual-clutch automatic transmission (which also features a torque converter for low-speed smoothness) from before. These pieces aren't necessarily the problem though. It's enjoyable to thrash the engine out to 7,000 rpm, and the dual-clutch snaps off surprisingly quick shifts when using the paddles in manual mode. It's a bit of a throwback to before all of Honda's performance engines switched to turbocharging for power. It pulls harder the more you wring it out, and begs to be paired with a slick-shifting six-speed manual like it was in the ninth-gen Civic Si. Sadly, everything else outside the powertrain (still) just misses the mark. The greatest part of Acura's old performance compacts was how they made you feel when you were driving them. There was an intimate connection between the driver and road at all times that is sorely lacking from the ILX. Turn in feel is soft and doesn't offer satisfying quick changes of direction. The old chassis feels its age in controlling body movements too. It all culminates in making the ILX feel like a larger car than it actually is. That's not to say the ILX handles poorly, though; it simply does so without any eagerness or feel — just like it has from the beginning. This is unfortunate because the ILX looks better than it ever has. Acura re-did the whole front nose from the A-pillar forward, and it attacked the rear fascia too. We got to check out and drive A-Spec trimmed cars, which add even more aggression to the styling but no performance upgrades. Sure there's three-too-many fake air vents, but the car finally grew some teeth compared to the ultra-bland looks from before. Props for not following the terrible industry trend of totally unreasonably-sized fake exhaust outlets too. The interior isn't as exciting.

UPDATE: 2003 Acura NSX-T in Long Beach Blue hammers at Cars & Bids

UPDATE: This NSX-T sold today (Wednesday) for $72,500. Previous story appears below.   OK, we get it: There's really no such thing as "reasonable" Acura NSX ownership anymore, but around here, we're fans of cars that can be appreciated, and this 66K-mile automatic NSX-T finished in Long Beach Blue Pearl with a week to go at Cars & Bids has "driver" written all over it.  "But Byron, how can you call it a 'driver' when it has an automatic?" Honestly, we can't defend that particular choice on the original buyer's behalf, but what we mean is that this car isn't begging to be garaged for eternity. Between the visible signs of use on both the interior and exterior and the grunge present on the underbody, it's clear this car has spent its life being driven, meaning you won't have to feel guilty about doing the same.  This NSX is almost entirely original (the factory radio is included in case you want to eliminate the "almost") and its interior shows very little wear considering its mileage. The tan seat leather looks excellent, even on the bolsters, and all of the plastic and metal bits appear to be where they should. Outside, the paint shows signs of normal wear and tear, but certainly nothing that couldn't easily be corrected.  It may not be the best NSX to drive – or the one with the lowest miles or the least exposure to the elements – but that's why it might also be the right NSX for you. Why, you ask? Because it probably won't break the bank. But we'll see what a week of bidding says about that. Related video: