The 2022 Acura MDX SUV’s Top Safety Pick (TSP) from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety runs counter to all the racing around done in Acura’s commercials. The MDX is the automaker’s third vehicle to receive the IIHS’s highest safety rating, along with the RDX and TLX.
Rated tops for crashworthiness, the MDX was superior in collision-mitigating braking systems, and standard for headlights. MDX has the same safety and driver-assistive technology found on all Acura sedans and SUVs.
Adaptive cruise control is paired with road-departure alleviation, for those ever-so-brief moments when you nod off behind the wheel.
In the event you do go off-roading unintentionally, the Acura MDX SUV’s advanced body structure has the nod from the IIHS for its occupant protection and ability to spread the crash energy. Having had the misfortune of paying for a 5-mile-per-hour frontal collision a few years ago, the ability to spread crash energy has nothing to do with the cost of replacing the front fascia.
Acura’s LED headlights received best-in-class ratings to go along with the TSP designation. Crashworthiness is the big deal, as the vehicle needs to hold up in every test thrown at it, including crashing into the passenger side. The IIHS should consider repair costs, as in what it takes to fix the damage.
TSP front crash protection must be up to advanced or superior standards, for both SUV-to-SUV, or vehicle-to-pedestrian. Thinking about this last test, do they use a crash test dummy? Running into a pedestrian, the MDX’s condition would not be a concern.
MullenLowe, the ad agency who coined Acura’s current tagline, “Less talk. More drive.” must find the IIHS’s endorsement somewhat amusing as it goes against the high-performing imagery they’re putting out there. Seems the agency thought the public had forgotten about Acura, and it was important to wake them up.
[Images: Acura]
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