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Redesigned and Reengineered 2017 Acura MDX to Debut at 2016 New York International Auto Show
America’s best-selling three-row luxury SUV to receive substantial design changes, new features and new powertrain technology
Feb 24, 2016 - TORRANCE, Calif.
Acura will unveil the redesigned and reengineered 2017 MDX luxury SUV at the 2016 New York International Auto Show on March 23. The 2017 MDX will boast substantial design enhancements, added luxury comfort and convenience features, and advanced new powertrain technology, in concert with the Acura brand's focus on Precision Crafted Performance.
"We are sharpening our focus on the Precision Crafted Performance DNA of the Acura brand and the 2017 MDX will integrate new styling elements and powertrain technology that takes us another step in that direction," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
The Acura MDX is the best-selling three-row luxury SUV of all time and Acura's best-selling SUV, with sales topping 50,000 units in each of the past three years. The 2017 MDX was designed by the Acura Design Studio in Torrance, Calif. and will continue be produced at the company's Lincoln, Ala. auto plant. In early 2017, an additional production source for MDX will be added at the East Liberty, Ohio auto plant. Both plants will use domestic and globally sourced parts.
^There's a new black debadged Sorrento out here. It looks great. Not sure how I feel about the red calipers on an SUV though..it definitely looks upscale though
they need to stick that twin turbo into everything like BMW does with their twin turbo i6
I believe we will see the new 10AT. No more crappy ZF-sourced 9AT.
Or perhaps it's the introduction of the new Acura-only engine (i.e not related to existing Honda engines).
haha don't think we will ever see a tuned-down version of the NSX TT V6 in other vehicles that are below $100k. It's a street legal race car engine pretty much.
Originally Posted by jwong77
Lol, based on previous MMC's I think we all know what to expect. New grille, bumpers, and maybe headlights and taillights.
lol I don't know man. Usually don't use terms like "redesigned" and "reengineered" for just small and/or cosmetic changes.
Like the 2016 Accord facelift, they just call that a refresh with major upgrades.
The same thing goes for the 2016 RDX facelift, Acura just called it a refresh with "significant upgrades."
For these cars, we know that they got some noticeable design changes along with added features, and some engine changes.
So, to say "redesigned and "reengineered" for the MDX, it seems like the changes are even more extensive.
I can't identify the BMW but the Mercedes is a GLE Coupe I think. You'd be hard-pressed to stuff seven seats into something with a sloping rear like the GLE Coupe.
I can't identify the BMW but the Mercedes is a GLE Coupe I think. You'd be hard-pressed to stuff seven seats into something with a sloping rear like the GLE Coupe.
The BMW is the X6M, and it would have the same problem as the GLE.
I'm just making a guess. My understanding is that Honda isn't happy about the 9AT.
hahaha possible!
Originally Posted by Edward'TLS
^^^^^
Better not to fuck around with the best-selling, bread-and-butter SUV, unless the 10AT is proven to be butter smooth with ZERO hiccup.
Originally Posted by AZuser
It was a mistake going with a 9 speed trans. They should have done a 7 speed instead. 7 is perfect. I mean, who needs more than 7?
Originally Posted by Fibonacci
I will never purchase another car equipped with the ZF 9 speed ever again.
9AT has been a mess from the replacements in the TLX and MDX to all the shifting issues and engineering going into resolving them. Honda stuck with it as it fit into the same 6spd packaging that was originally going to be used. Honda/Acura had 6 months to integrate the ZF trans with the TLX and pray that it worked perfectly. Same trans went to chrysler who has also had issues mating the engine and software and trans perfectly.
Seems like ZF dropped the ball here along with the auto-makers. BMW spent ample time with the 8-spd before they released it, it was released a few years prior in the Active Hybrid 7 series and 760 to help work out the kinks.
A few journalists who drove the 10spd found it to be wonderful unlike the ZF9spd.
The issue isn't more gears, the issue is the computer picking the right gear for the right scenario. Drop to many gears and the car will jerk, to little and the car will be sluggish. Screw the timing up between the shifts along with design limitations (dog clutches) and it creates an even bigger mess. Newer transmissions don't have to go through gears sequentially and can skip shift down 2-3 gears.
Having a 10 spd would be great. 1st gear would be a "launch" gear with 9 and 10th as overdrive gears that'd be active at 70+ MPH. That gives 7 gears to spread out between 5 and 70MPH. Normally honda spreads all it's gears until 55MPH causing lower gas mileage on the highway past 70.
With the new TLX, with VCM and 9spd I was able to get 38MPG going 72MPH. Imagine VCM and a 10spd, it'll probably get upto 40MPG.
Some 3 years after it was introduced, the 3rd generation of the Acura MDX is already heading towards its mid-cycle facelift, which may go as far as premiere an all-new engine.
While the new engine is not officially confirmed, nor very likely, we are positive that the refreshed MDX will be the 1st modern Acura to lose the controversial “shield” engine grille. Almost always referred to as the “beak” by those who aren't fans of the brand, and as a “dynamic power plenum” by Acura's weird marketing magicians, the current grille will go the way of the Dodo.
Apart from previewing a 4-door coupe/sporty sedan, the Acura Precision Concept unveiled at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show also offered a sneak peek to the grille shape that will replace the “shield” on all upcoming production Acuras.
As it happens, it's the 2017 Acura MDX facelift that gets the new grille 1st, along with a slightly revised front end and a more modestly reshaped rear bumper.
What's even more interesting in the adjacent spy photos is that 2-wheeled thingamajig towed by the camouflaged pre-production prototype. It's not uncommon for carmakers to fit their testing gear in small trailers that are towed by the testing prototypes, but this one is a bit different.
If you look closely, the trailer is actually connected and seems to be harnessing the gasses coming out of the MDX's exhaust pipe. This is intriguing because it might mean that the facelifted model will either suffer some modifications to its naturally aspirated, 3.5-liter V6 or switch to a new engine altogether.
Fitted with direct injection and variable cylinder management, the Earth Dreams 6-cylinder engine is still modern enough to deliver good MPG, though, especially in collaboration with the ZF-sourced 9-speed automatic transmission on the MDX. In other words, the possibility of a new engine to replace it, such a turbocharged 4-cylinder, is next to none.
If it does happen, it will make the 2017 MDX the 1st turbocharged Acura ever, but don't hold your breath for something like that to happen. At least not until Honda unveils its new family of turbocharged 4-cylinders on the Civic, engines that will be derived in larger ones in a couple of years.
we are positive that the refreshed MDX will be the 1st modern Acura to lose the controversial “shield” engine grille. Almost always referred to as the “beak” by those who aren't fans of the brand, and as a “dynamic power plenum” by Acura's weird marketing magicians, the current grille will go the way of the Dodo.
Soooooooo They are changing the grille AGAIN and this, NOT their new flagship NSX, is going to get it???? This should have been introduced on the NSX. Now every car going forward will get it in their MMC/New model which should all come before the NSX MMC.
I like the rims. Any idea what the thing on the back does?
The article thinks it's for emission testing - that leads to speculation that there's a new engine, or the 3.5L engine received some changes (RLX engine?), or new 10AT.
Seems like ZF dropped the ball here along with the auto-makers. BMW spent ample time with the 8-spd before they released it, it was released a few years prior in the Active Hybrid 7 series and 760 to help work out the kinks.
Why the ZF 9AT is terrible on Chrysler and Honda models, I do not know why. But BMW's ZF 8AT is one of the best automatic transmissions I've ever had the pleasure of driving. There isn't a single automatic transmission that Honda has ever made that comes close to it.
I put about 2500 miles on a 2016 5-series loaner. I was surprised to find out that it was only a 4-cyl (528i = turbo-4) and it had an 8AT from ZF. The transmission reads your mind. It never seems to be in the wrong gear after I punch it, even with varying levels of throttle. In sport mode, it holds gears longer and everything. In comfort mode, the shifts are so smooth that I rarely notice them, especially during constant acceleration.
02-24-2016, 08:17 AM
I will never purchase another car equipped with the ZF 9 speed ever again.
AutoEvolution
This should have been introduced on the NSX. Now every car going forward will get it in their MMC/New model which should all come before the NSX MMC. 
