MOTOR TREND magazine today announced the selection of the Acura MDX as this year's 2001 Sport/Utility of the Year (issue dated, December, 2000). Nine editors of Motor Trend conducted the biggest sport/utility test ever with 12 vehicles withstanding the rigors of 10 tough tests. In competition were the following: the BMW X5, the Ford Escape, the Ford Explorer Sport, the GMC Denali XL, the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Infiniti QX4, the Mazda Tribute, the Mitsubishi Montero, the Pontiac Aztek, the Toyota RAV4 and the Toyota Sequoia.
"We pushed each SUV contender to the limit," said C. Van Tune, editor in chief of Motor Trend. In the combined editors' judgment "no other new or substantially revised sport/utility vehicle offers the Acura's mix of seven-passenger convenience, large-load capacity, crisp on-road dynamics, impressive off-and all-road capability, excellent build quality, a strong and efficient powertrain, high feature content, and exceptional value." Now, in its third year, the annual Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year has become the most important and prestigious award in the SUV category. "We are honored to receive this distinguished award," said Acura executive vice president Dick Colliver. "The MDX is the first SUV to deliver the sport and utility with no compromise and this award validates this achievement." The complete report on the 2001 Sport/ Utility of the Year can be found in the December issue of Motor Trend, on sale October 31, and additional coverage will be posted at http://www.motortrend.com. Television coverage of the editors' testing will be aired on the Speedvision network in November (consult your local listings).
Motor Trend, founded in 1949, has a circulation of 1.25 million with a readership of 6.4 million. Internationally recognized as the world's #1 automotive authority, Motor Trend is one of the leading brands in the emapUSA group of publications. The Motor Trend brand is comprised of Motor Trend En Espanol, Motor Trend Television (a nation wide program on Speedvision); Motor Trend online (http://www.motortrend.com), the more than 16 world-renowned Motor Trend international auto shows and the much coveted "of the year" awards program (SUV, Car and Truck).