Compare the2023 Volvo XC90VS 2023 Acura MDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The XC90’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The MDX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC90 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Acura MDX doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

Both the XC90 and MDX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC90 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The MDX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Volvo XC90 offers an optional built in child booster seat. It’s more crash worthy than an added child seat because of its direct attachment to the seat. Acura doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the MDX. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC90 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC90 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC90’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The MDX’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The XC90 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The MDX doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC90 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The MDX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the XC90. But it costs extra on the MDX.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the XC90’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The MDX doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the XC90 and the MDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC90 is safer than the Acura MDX:

	XC90	MDX
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	137	244
Neck Injury Risk	27%	29%
Neck Stress	252 lbs.	304 lbs.
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	59 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	217	288
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Compression	25 lbs.	75 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	383/334 lbs.	392/458 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo XC90 is safer than the Acura MDX:

	XC90	MDX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	51	107
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	94	142
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	41 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	209	549
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	383 lbs.	424 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The XC90’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the MDX’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC90 for 1 year and 12000 miles longer than Acura pays for maintenance for the MDX (3/36,000 vs. 2/24,000).

Reliability

The battery on the XC90 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the XC90’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The MDX’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

Engine

The XC90 has more powerful engines than the MDX:

	Horsepower	Torque
XC90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	295 HP	310 lbs.-ft.
XC90 T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	455 HP	523 lbs.-ft.
MDX 3.5 SOHC V6	290 HP	267 lbs.-ft.
MDX Type S 3.0 turbo V6	355 HP	354 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the XC90 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder is faster than the Acura MDX V6:

	XC90	MDX
Zero to 60 MPH	6.7 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.1 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.4 MPH	88.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC90 running on electricity gets better mileage than the MDX:

			MPGe
XC90
	AWD	Extended Range Electric Motor	64 city/68 hwy
		T8 Electric Motor	58 city/53 hwy
MDX
			MPG
	FWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/25 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6	17 city/21 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the XC90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the MDX:

			MPG
XC90
	AWD	2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/28 hwy
		Extended Range 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
MDX
	FWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/25 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6	17 city/21 hwy

The XC90 can travel with zero emissions for 18 to 36 miles (dependent on model). The MDX can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the XC90’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The MDX doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Brakes and Stopping

The XC90’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the MDX are solid, not vented.

The XC90 stops much shorter than the MDX:

	XC90	MDX
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	184 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The XC90’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the MDX Type S’ 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC90 offers optional 22-inch wheels. The MDX’s largest wheels are only 21-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC90’s wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than on the MDX (117.5 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

The XC90’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51.7% to 48.3%) than the MDX’s (57.4% to 42.6%). This gives the XC90 more stable handling and braking.

The XC90 B6 Core handles at .85 G’s, while the MDX SH-AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The XC90 B6 Core executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the MDX SH-AWD (26.8 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC90’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the MDX’s (39.7 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC90 has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the MDX (8.8 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the XC90 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The XC90 w/Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the MDX Type S (9.9 vs. 9.4 inches).

Chassis

The XC90 is 3.4 inches shorter than the MDX, making the XC90 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the XC90 B6 Core is quieter than the MDX Type S (71 vs. 76 dB).

Passenger Space

The XC90 has .4 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more third row headroom, 2.8 inches more third row legroom and 4.3 inches more third row hip room than the MDX.

Cargo Capacity

The XC90 has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The MDX doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers or raises the XC90’s optional third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The MDX doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The XC90’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the MDX’s (4000 vs. 3500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the XC90 and the MDX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the XC90 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The MDX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The XC90’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The MDX’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC90 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The MDX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC90 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The MDX doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC90 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The MDX doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC90 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The XC90’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The MDX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Recommendations

The Car Book by Jack Gillis recommends the Volvo XC90, based on economy, maintenance, safety and complaint levels.

Motor Trend selected the XC90 as their 2016 Sport Utility of the Year. The MDX has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC90 as the 2016 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The MDX has never been chosen.