My wife wants to replace her 2002 Honda Odyssey with an Acura MDX. She is
tired of portraying the minivan mystique. I like the idea of the new
Odyssey's variable cylinder management. The Accord hybrid really tickles my
fancy given the improved performance accompanied by improved fuel economy in
some situations. I would love to see that improvement added to my 2004 TL
6MT Navi (What am I saying!.. the TL is already perfect.). Even if only VCM
went into an MDX, I'd consider it a plus that might sway me to purchase.

I'd rather not have her get an SUV based on 3 main concerns: high center of
gravity, bumper height, and generally bad fuel economy. I even offered to
buy an RL instead. She insists on needing a vehicle capable of seating up
to 7 people for the occasional "Soccer Mom" events. This vehicle would
likely never go off-road, because she is really pretty good at driving
between the lines on the street! It has to look better than a minivan,
though. At least one of the 3 issues would be improved if a hybrid system
were added to the MDX. The proposed compact SUV based on the Acura RD-X
concept is interesting to me, but probably will not satisfy the seating
requirements. I think I'm stuck because she needs a minivan, but wants an
SUV.

Is there any speculation or announcement of something like a hybrid Acura
SUV happening anytime soon? I can hold off the purchase until next
year....maybe (the pressure is intensifying!).

Thanks for your comments.