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Junkyard Gem: 2001 Acura MDX

The point of the Junkyard Gems series is to share automotive history, and the period of the middle 1990s through early 2000s is a very interesting one for U.S.-market new vehicles. The SUV revolution went into high gear with the introduction of the 1991 Ford Explorer and 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and sales of sedans, hatchbacks, and minivans began their steady decline. The Detroit companies were in good shape to cash in on the commuter-truck craze, with plenty of additional models ready for a quick slathering of luxury features. Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Isuzu were ready as well … but Honda was completely unprepared for the Next Big Thing at that point. With American sales absolutely critical to Honda (which has never held much market share for four-wheeled vehicles in its home country), a deal was made to rebadge the Isuzu Trooper as the Acura SLX and the Isuzu Rodeo as the Honda Passport while an all-Honda big SUV could be developed. That SUV was the Acura MDX, which debuted for the 2001 model year. Here's one of those first-year MDXs, a huge turning point in Honda history, found in a Denver-area self-service boneyard recently. Oh, sure, Honda began selling the CR-V over here in 1997 and so wasn't completely out of the SUV game during the 1990s, but that little Civic-based machine was never going to lure away many Explorer or even Montero shoppers. The MDX was a proper three-row crossover SUV, despite being based on the same platform as the not-so-imposing Accord, and a Honda-badged version (the Pilot) followed two years later. Here's that third row, which looks quite cramped, but so what? MDX sales started out respectable and stayed that way. Every 2001-2013 MDX ever sold here came with a VTEC-equipped V6, automatic transmission, and all-wheel-drive (some later MDXs could be bought with front-wheel-drive). This engine is a 3.5-liter DOHC plant rated at 240 horsepower and 245 pound-feet, decent enough for a truck that tipped the scales at well beyond two tons. The MSRP on this truck was $34,370, which amounts to around $58,260 in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars. The base '01 Ford Explorer started at just $25,210, but the swankified Eddie Bauer Edition was better-suited to the Acura-shopper demographic and listed at $32,025. You could buy a new Montero XLS and do some serious off-roading for $31,397 that year, but it had warlord-grade ride to go with its warlord-grade abilities in the bundoks.

Honda issues bizarre non-recall on Odyssey over badge placement

Without looking under the hood or at a vehicle history report, one of the easiest way to tell if a car has had body work done is to check the location and placement of the exterior badges. A crooked, misplaced or missing badge can be a telltale sign that there has been some sort of body or paint work. For this reason, Honda is suggesting that some owners of the 2014 Odyssey take their vans into the dealership for a little rebadging.
The topic was brought to light after Consumer Reports received a notice from Honda saying that the "Odyssey" badge on its test vehicle was incorrectly installed at the factory. The badge is supposed to go on the driver's side of the liftgate (as shown above), but the customer vehicles had it placed on the passenger side of the car. Not a huge deal unless an owner is trying to sell the vehicle and the improperly installed badge leads potential owners into believing the vehicle may have been damaged in some way. Here's what Honda said in its letter:
On some 2013 Odyssey vehicles, the Odyssey emblem was incorrectly installed on the passenger's side of the rear tailgate. The emblem should be installed on the drivers' side of the rear tailgate. American Honda Motor Company highly recommends that you participate in this Product Update. The placement of the emblem may indicate that the vehicle has had repairs performed that are consistent with it being in a crash. This could affect the resale value of the vehicle.

Honda, Hyundai top car residual value / depreciation awards list

J.D. Power announced its 2022 U.S. ALG Residual Value awards Thursday, with Honda and Hyundai topping the charts at three models apiece in the industry-standard study. The term "residual" is an industry projection of how well a car will hold its resale value three years from the original purchase date – a key metric in calculating lease costs and projecting new-car depreciation.  Award winners included several enthusiast-friendly options, including the BMW 2 Series, Dodge Charger, Subaru WRX, Mercedes-AMG GT and Toyota Tacoma. Even the Ford Bronco was recognized, beating out the Jeep Wrangler in the Off-Road Utility segment. That may seem odd given the car's issue-plagued launch, but scarcity apparently trumps quality control issues over the longer term. Here's a scrolling complete list of winners broken down by segment: “Accurately forecasting residual values in the auto industry is a key factor in assessing an estimated $225 billion lease portfolio of vehicles in the United States,” said ALG VP Eric Lyman in the company's announcement. "The brands and vehicle models that rise to the top demonstrate that they score well across the award programÂ’s criteria, including manufacturersÂ’ superior design and quality." ALG looks at several factors to determine future value, which is especially tricky with new models. For 2022, 16 different brands were recognized across 29 segments. Behind Honda and Hyundai, Audi, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Subaru all managed to chart with two different models. Here's the rundown of those who won in more than one category: Honda Civic Honda Passport Honda Odyssey Hyundai Accent Hyundai Kona Hyundai Kona EV Audi A6 Allroad Audi Q3 Kia K5 Kia Telluride Land Rover Range Rover Velar Land Rover Discovery Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Mercedes-Benz Metris:  Subaru  WRX and  Subaru Forester Toyota Tacoma  Toyota Tundra "The award process consists of evaluating 284 models through analysis of used-vehicle performance, brand outlook and product competitiveness," the announcement said. "Eligibility for a brand award requires a manufacturer to have model entries in at least four different segments. To account for differences across trim levels, model averages are weighted based on percentage share relative to the entire model line."   Audi Honda Hyundai Kia Land Rover Mercedes-Benz Subaru Toyota