MDX ($36,400) comes standard with a long list of luxury and convenience features, including many that are extra-cost options on its competitors: leather seating surfaces and leather door inserts; keyless remote entry; power windows, door locks and mirrors; power tilt-and-slide moonroof; cruise control; seven-speaker AM/FM/cassette stereo with in-dash CD player; power adjustable front seats; alloy wheels and a multi-function digital trip computer. For 2004, there's also a standard tire pressure monitoring system that uses sensors in the valve stem of each wheel to alert the driver when tire pressure drops significantly below the recommended level.

Even with a host of improvements, 2004 MDX prices reflect a modest price increase of $700, or less than 2 percent compared to 2003. Prices for the three options offered have not changed.

The Touring package ($2600) adds a killer 200-watt, eight-speaker Acura/Bose music system with in-dash six-disc CD changer; a keyless remote linked to the two-position driver's seat and mirror memory system; eight-way adjustable passenger seat; roof rack; an outside mirror that tilts to track progress while backing up; rain-sensing windshield wipers and special alloy wheels.

Acura's DVD Entertainment System ($1500) for rear-seat passengers adds a seven-inch widescreen display that flips down from the ceiling at the push of a button. The system comes complete with two infrared (IR) wireless headphones and a wireless remote control. Kids dig it.

The DVD-based Navigation System ($2200) needs only one disc to cover the entire continental U.S. Recent enhancements include voice recognition and upgraded graphics. The system includes a rearview camera that transmits pictures from behind the vehicle onto the navigation screen when the MDX is in reverse gear, but it can only be ordered with the Touring package.