Halfway through the life of a specific car model, the manufacturers will perform a mid-cycle refresh. Often called a “facelift” by the press, the basic car including powertrain and engines stay generally the same, but subtle changes are added to freshen up the image of the car, introduce some new features that would draw in new buyers, or keep leasers that have their cars being turned in.

The Acura crossovers have been really popular in my circle – it’s by far the most popular car owned by my friends. If you are in the market for one, try to get a great deal on the existing 2009 model, or wait and benefit from the upgrades in the 2010s.

For 2010, both the Acura RDX and MDX are getting a refresh. For the RDX (pictured above), it’s primarily just a facelift, with the front and rear fascia’s changing, with new vents, new light housings and adopting the “shield” grill that started permeating the line with the Acura TL. There will be an addition of a front-wheel drive model in the USA, but it’s undetermined if it will make it into Canada. If it does, this will be a fuel-friendly car since the car will be lighter and already had a direct-injection turbocharged engine.

The MDX (pictured below) also gets new front and rear fascias. It also gets and updated rear-view camera and navigation system. Also included is a radar-based cruise control system and the addition of a six-speed automatic transmission. It is the same transmission coming on the new ZDX and adds a gear which will improve fuel economy on highway driving. The final major change is the addition of an active damping system for the suspension. Adopting the same magnetic-fluid system found on Corvettes and Ferraris, this system will instantaneously adapt to changing road conditions and allow the user to control how comfortable or sporty the ride will be.