Acura’s redesigned MDX SUV returns to the brand’s roots

It must be an interesting time – in the sense of Pratchettian – to be a car manufacturer. All you want to do is sell vehicles, but there are economic downturns and the occasional pandemic to take into account. Around the world, climate change policies are in favor of electrically powered machines, at least in Europe and China, and an emerging one in California has embarrassed them. all the regular players in the process. And on top of that, all your customers are bored with the cars they bought earlier – everything has to be a crossover or an SUV, preferably with Wi-Fi.

In the case of Acura, the company had to deal with all of the above while going through something like a middle-aged crisis. After decades of selling Lexus and Infiniti for sales, Honda’s North American spinoff decided to be psychological to see if this was really where its efforts should be spent. And Acura decides that instead of concentrating on luxury, it should return to its roots as a performance brand.

In the past, the Japanese luxury brands were seen as a stepping stone among their German competitors, especially in terms of dynamics, mostly due to the predominance of front-wheel drive platforms. But if Acura’s plan was to oust BMW as the driver’s choice, the MDX is the SUV to do so. In particular, the version it sent us for 48 hours – a $ 20,000 MDX A-Spec from 2022. A-Spec, in addition to having something to do with Great tourism, is also Acura code for ‘this is the one that handles really well’, a bit like the BMWs you see with M Sport badges.

This redesign makes the 2022 the fourth generation SUV bearing the MDX badge, and our test sample looked beautiful in its Performance Red Pearl paint. (It’s a similar shade to Mazda’s Soul Red, but maybe a little deeper.) The new MDX is a less picky shape from the front than the model it replaces, with the front dominated by a larger Acura. grille and license plate bearing some of the SUV’s forward-looking sensors. However, the black intakes on either side of the grille are actually wiped off, even on this variant – apparently the tests have shown that it is better if the ventilation openings are permanently closed. (The main grille also has active shutters that close to reduce resistance when needed.)

A staff car for an emerging imperial officer?

Returning to the performance for Acura does not mean that a luxury interior is traded for something Spartan. Darth Vader would probably be a fan of the inside of the MDX A-Spec, with its black-on-black ultrasuede and leather, red stitching and shiny black panels. Acura says that 30 percent of the polyester that is converted to ultrasound comes from molasses that is produced as a by-product of sugar refining, which is a kind of nasty fact that could one day come in handy.

Behind Acura’s latest multifunctional steering wheel, a 12.3-inch digital screen replaces the physical chips you find in a TLX sedan. This changes depending on the ride mode, and in the center of the screen is an informative graphical representation of what the sensors around the MDX see.

The infotainment system is the latest version of Acura’s True Touchpad Interface, first seen on the RDX crossover. It uses an interface on the center console that has a 1: 1 aspect ratio with the screen – if (for example) an icon or UI element is at the top right of the screen, tap at the top right of the touchpad to touch It. There is a little more learning curve than using a normal touchscreen or trackpad based user interface, but with a few hours of familiarity you will quickly realize how easy it is to operate without keeping your eyes off the road .

There are plenty of USB ports (five or seven if you opt for the MDX Advance instead, which also comes with a 10.2-inch full-color headset) and a wireless charging pad, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto both work . wireless (although, as always, you can use a cable for a more flawless experience).

The middle row seats slide 150mm front and rear, and it comes with a party trick – you can remove the middle seat. If you remove the seat, you can only take six on board, and you want to leave the middle seat at home. But it makes access to the third row much more practical.

Stay on target

The new MDX has gained a great deal of chassis stiffness in search of better handling, mostly through the use of high-strength steel in strategic locations. The dual portable front suspension is new and it suggests this SUV means business; there is also a new multilink rear suspension design at the rear. And I have to say, the engineers have succeeded – it’s a SUV with good handling, which bodes well for the more powerful MDX Type-S in the offing.

Its own weight of 2,056 kg is standard for the class, but MDX’s balance and body control is a smart kid sitting in front. There is no delay between input and response that hits many SUVs (or even the Acura TLX sedan I tested recently), and the SH-AWD system vectors torque effectively from front to rear, and to the rear axle, from side to side side, everything helps you change direction faster.

Unfortunately, there is only a single choice of drivetrain for the new MDX, a 290 hp (217 kW), 262 lb-ft (362 Nm) variant of the 3.5 L 60-degree V6, coupled to a 10- gear automatic gearbox. . It combined 21.2 mpg (11.2 l / 100 km), which slightly exceeded it (I have 21.8), but it is nonetheless disappointing to report that there is no hybrid MDX for this generation. When I checked this failure with Acura, the company said that it still likes electrification, which is not only good for the planet but also performance, and referred me to the very capable NSX supercar as proof of that.

List by Acura

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