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We’re 19 miles from nowhere, deep in the jungles of Belize, smoke from countless wildfires swirling into the skies from almost every direction.
When Acura was ready to introduce its new MDX, it chose to skip the familiar review routes through the deserts of Arizona or the mountains of California. Instead, it flew a small cadre of writers into the middle of Central America for a four-day tour pitting the new MDX against a tough list of competitive products. It isn’t unfair to say that Acura’s original SUV, the SLX. would have been embarrassed by such a comparison. A rebadged Isuzu, it simply wasn’t up to the standards one would expect from a luxury sport-utility vehicle. But as we headed out for our first morning’s drive, we wondered whether the MDX would do much better.
The MDX is, after all, a first for Honda, a sport-ute designed in-house. And it’s taking on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz ML320, the hot-selling Lexus RX 300, and BMW’s hip new X5, all tough competition. But after a few days running down deeply rutted roads and overgrown jungle trails, Acura’s new entry shone as bright as the Belize sun. Roomy, powerful, comfortable yet sporty, the MDX should finally position Honda as a serious contender in one of the industry’s fastest-growing product segments.
The Blancaneaux Lodge isn’t something you’re likely to discover on your own, even if you’ve somehow found yourself in the middle of this dot of a country. It’s actually the private hideaway of director Francis Ford Coppola, who stumbled across the hidden retreat during a tour of the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve back in 1981. We spent our nights in thatched roof huts, listening to the gurgle of a fast-moving mountain stream.
