Car Review: All-New Acura MDX Has All the Bells and Whistles

by Ian Harwood on Thursday, May 8th, 2014

It is a powerful and very luxurious vehicle; a real treat to drive…

 

 

The 2014 Acura MDX is a perfect example of how technology can change your driving experience.

There is no mistaking an Acura – be it a car, cross-over or an SUV, the front end gives it away. The front air dam coming to a point, the large grille featuring the Acura logo and the swept back sweeping lines set it apart. The available 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels on the MDX fills the wheel well very nicely.

When you first open the door of the Acura MDX Elite you immediately notice the refinements and how everything flows together very well. The driver’s seat is an eight-way power adjustable with a two-way way power lumbar support, and the passenger front seat is an eight-way power adjustable. The second row is a 60/40 split folding and the third row is a 50/50 split flat folding. With the third row, folded flat there is plenty of room for cargo. The available Navigation system has voice recognition and a rear back up camera built in. The stereo is a 546-watt ELS surround sound system with DVD/AM/FM/SiriusXM/MP3/WMA tuner with your choice of 10 to 12 speakers including a subwoofer. The available DVD entertainment system features a 16.2 inch split screen display with HDMI compatibility, no more kids fighting over the remote.

There is an available Collision Mitigation Braking system (CBMS), standard equipment on the Elite, which is constantly monitoring the road for you. If it detects you are approaching another vehicle too quickly it will warn you with a flashing “brake” sign on the instrument panel and if the accident is unavoidable it will tighten up the seatbelts and apply the brakes for you to reduce the severity of the impact. Another safety feature is the blind spot information system. This warns when a vehicle is in your blind spot and flashes an amber light on the inside of each side mirror warning you. Dual stage, dual threshold front airbags, front side airbags, three row side curtain airbags with roll over sensor, engine immobilizer theft deterrent system are some of the many safety features in this vehicle. I like the power folding, body colored side mirrors with intergraded turn signals.

Power is delivered by a 290 hp, 3.5 Litre, i-VTEC V6 engine with a 6 speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. The super handling all wheel drive (SH-AWD) suspension gives you the best ride while maintaining just enough control to keep you safely on the road.

My tester was the MDX Elite that comes fully loaded. After driving around in this vehicle for a week, I started to get used to the technology and how the safety features start to perform, it became natural and helped me relax and enjoy the drive. It is a powerful and very luxurious vehicle, a real treat to drive. I would like to see a little more headroom and the six-speed transmission seemed to have a mind of its own.

Lots of competition in this segment, from Lincoln MKT, Volvo XC90, Buick Enclave, and the Infiniti JX, so if Acura wants to win you over, they have to keep delivering a great product with as many standard features as they can while keeping the price in check.

Fast Facts:

11.2/7.7 L/100 km (City/ Highway)

5 Year/100,000km no small print warranty.

Price as tested $70,227.60

Contat: ian [dot] harwood [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca