MTEAZY

George Knighton

The way that the safety standards have developed, it is very hard to have a sharp nosed big car.

This is how the Acura "beak" started in the first place. In 2008 they got ahead of the standards with which everyone else complied much later.

getakey

I was hoping it would be pluggable like the X5 hybrid

kurtatx

Seems superfluous in the current climate.

George Knighton

Back when they sent a team out to interview owners of the KC2, the subject of plugin hybrids came up.

They were surprised that I was not interested in that, so they spent a couple of minutes zeroing in on what would make me buy a plugin hybrid.

I got the feeling that there are more Honda plugin hybrids in the works and they are waiting to find a way to have more range.

fsttyms1

Unless it has a + 400 mile range NO THANK YOU

getakey

a non-pluggable hybrid gets 100% of energy from gas
what's wrong with getting a few miles off electricity?

fsttyms1

Because i dont have 8 hours to waste between charges. Ill happily keep spending money on gas.

getakey

8 hours? but in any case, you can plug it in at night.
Also, you don't have to plug it in at all. Works like every other hybrid if you don't plug it in

TacoBello

Wait, are you trying to imply that a pentagonal shape looks the same as a hexagonal one?

Or are you implying that Acura copied Ford and Audi by incorporating a grill at the front of their SUVs?

Or are you implying that Acura copied the previously two mentioned brands by building an SUV?

I'm confused.

kurtatx

Same here. They all look like grills. That's about it. They all look like faces, but a different in pretty obvious ways.

TacoBello

*whew*

I thought I was going crazy!

kurtatx

My agreeing with you does not rule out that possibility, I'm afraid.

FallenTSX

If you really want to go about it in geometric terms, the Acura only has 5 sides versus the Ford and Audi with its 6 sides which is more hexagonal compared to Acura's pentagonal shape, at least how Micah described it in their KBB channel.

kurtatx

I don't think anyone cares about the geometry of it as long as it looks good. It looks good, overall, but the rest of the car is super soft.

FallenTSX

I agree, I'm Asian and I hate math, just trying to stir up whatever! Lolz

But I do like the new look, don't really care what other people say, to each their own type of thing.

Yes, the other bits may still be a little soft, but it is a little more aggressive, and also it's only a MMC refresh. If they changed too much on the refresh, what will they have for the actual redesign? That's just marketing strategy. As many people know and believe, the MDX is their top seller and still selling well, so why change it if it still sells so much before the redesign?

So, for a refresh and adding a new powertrain option with interior and exterior changes, I think they did a lot, not just with color options and wheel options like someone else has mentioned.

-DeL

TacoBello

I wish the chromed bits were available in black chrome, as on option. Would be gangster.

Black Tire

TSX69

Refreshed 2017 Acura MDX Launches with Bold New Styling, Premium Features and Standard AcuraWatch™ Technology

Jun 21, 2016 - TORRANCE, Calif.

2017 MDX showcases next evolution of the Acura Precision Concept-inspired new Acura Diamond Pentagon grille and exterior styling
Most premium and technologically advanced MDX in history now available with 20-inch wheels, 2nd row captain's chairs, HD traffic, SiriusXM Radio® 2.0, heated steering wheel and Surround View Camera
Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) variant launching later this year
MDX is America's best-selling 3-row luxury SUV of all time

The restyled and refreshed 2017 Acura MDX, the best-selling 3-row luxury SUV of all time, goes on sale tomorrow at Acura dealerships nationwide with a starting MSRP of $43,950. The 2017 Acura MDX raises its game with bold new exterior styling, larger wheel and tire options and an expanded complement of premium features and technologies, including the AcuraWatch™ suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies, now offered as standard equipment on all 2017 MDX models, a 1st in the luxury SUV segment.

Featuring refreshed exterior styling inspired by the Acura Precision Concept, the 2017 MDX is highlighted by the new face of Acura, the bold and distinctive Diamond Pentagon grille. Integrated with a more sculpted hood, front fascia, front fenders and revised Jewel Eye™ headlights, the result is a more "executive athletic" appearance for Acura's class-leading luxury SUV. Additional styling updates include new chrome rocker panel trim, a revised rear bumper and skid garnish, and the return of visible dual exhausts with bright finishers.

"We're raising the Acura MDX's game for 2017 with premium new features and technologies that luxury SUV buyers want, complemented by bold, new styling we know they're going to love," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager, Acura Division. "Backed by its high-performance credentials, the 2017 MDX has advanced its competitiveness and will continue its legacy of leadership as the best-selling 3-row luxury SUV in America."

Premium Content

All 2017 MDX models benefit from increased standard luxury and technology features, including an Electric Parking Brake with Automatic Brake Hold, Auto High Beam headlights, SiriusXM Radio 2.0, 4 2.5-amp USB charging ports and capless fuel filler. Technology and Advance packages add Bi-Directional Keyless Remote Engine Start, 2 new 20-inch wheel and tire options, power folding side mirrors, and HD Traffic.

In addition, Advance grades add LED fog lights, genuine Olive Ash Burl or Black Limba wood interior trim, a heated steering wheel and Surround-View Camera System with 6 selectable viewing angles. Advance models can also be equipped with 2 2nd-row captain's chairs and a center console with 2 additional USB ports for 3rd-row passengers. An ultra-widescreen Rear Entertainment System is also available on models with the Advance ENT Package.

Safety

All 2017 Acura MDX models come equipped with the AcuraWatch suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies: Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow (LSF) and Road Departure Mitigation (RDM). All models also come equipped with a multi-angle rearview camera, and upper grades add blind spot information (BSI), front and rear parking sensors, Rear Cross Traffic Monitor and new Auto High Beam.

Combining AcuraWatch with Acura's next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, the 2017 MDX delivers intelligent safety and confident driving performance at the top of the competitive segment and targets top safety ratings; a 5-star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has already been achieved, and a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is anticipated.

Powertrain

The 2017 MDX leads its class with its combination of refined and responsive power and outstanding fuel efficiency. The 3.5-liter direct-injected i-VTEC® 24-valve V-6 engine is rated at 290 peak horsepower and 267 lb.-ft. peak torque. The 2017 MDX with front-wheel drive and Idle Stop has an EPA fuel economy rating of 20 mpg city/27 highway/23 combined, and MDX with Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) and Idle Stop is EPA rated at 19 mpg city/26 highway/22 combined. The MDX also meets the stringent EPA Tier 3/Bin 125 and CARB LEVIII ULEV-125 emissions standards.

An available Sport Hybrid Super Handling-All Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®) powertrain variant will be available later in the year, making MDX the 3rd model in Acura's lineup to utilize its revolutionary 3 -motor Sport Hybrid powertrain with electric torque vectoring.

For More Information

Additional media information including pricing, features and high-resolution photography is available at Honda News. Consumer information is available at Luxury Sedans and SUVs | Acura.com. To join the Acura community on Facebook, visit facebook.com/Acura.

About Acura

Acura is a leading automotive luxury nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance, an original approach to technology and design that creates a new driving experience. On March 27, 2016, Acura celebrated the 30th anniversary of its launch as the 1st luxury nameplate from a Japanese automaker.

The Acura lineup features 5 distinctive models – the RLX luxury flagship sedan, the TLX performance luxury sedan, the ILX sport sedan, the 5-passenger RDX luxury crossover SUV, and the 7-passenger Acura MDX, America's all-time best-selling 3-row luxury SUV. This spring, Acura launched its next-generation, electrified NSX supercar as a new and pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance.

George Knighton

For many of us, we'd just be carrying around technology that we would never use.

It's different if your car is all electric.

But I just don't want to bother with having a partial-electric car that requires me to plug it in to go 30 miles extra.

It's a stop gap technology that I just don't want to bother with.

Honda employees pushed me until I said yes to them, that I would do it in certain circumstances for certain advantages.

But they really pushed...I don't think that in real life I would do it. They wanted me to say they'd gone down the right road, but they really have not, IMHO.

csmeance

Plug in hybrids make some sense but not much in the current automotive marketplace. Most hybrids don't have the ability to run purely on electric, or they don't have a method to use ONLY electric for propulsion and use gas for power generation. If the MDX was able to travel on electric say 30 miles in city traffic, most folks could get to work and back home and never have to use the gas engine. Forget to plug it in one night, you still have gas to get you to work and keep the batteries happy.

Downside would be having the customer buy an AC to DC Converter to plug their car into and the lack of power plugs for folks that don't park in garages.

George Knighton

And that's why they don't make sense to this particular old man. :-)

I drive an average of 117 miles/day and sometimes it's quite a bit more.

I do believe in and look forward to all-electric.

csmeance

Depending on where I have to go, it can be a 225 mile commute for me for the day and about 4-5 hours of driving. An EV would certainly be great for that distance but sadly a Tesla is a bit unreliable for my taste!

George Knighton

A rumor showed up a couple of days ago suggesting that the KC2's replacement will be a four-motor electric.

Seems doubtful to me, but if they stretch the rollout to 2020, then it could happen.

I agree about Tesla. It's not just the reliability. They're just not car people, and you can tell, sometimes.

Head room in the back. Quality of materials. Integral headrests making it hard for tall people. Seats don't adjust enough.

If you went for a test, did those door handles run out smoothly or did they stop and stutter?

0_o

Such a brilliant idea behind it all. If Apple had helped them, or they'd allied with a car manufacturer, it might've been different.

AZuser

Someone should make a video where the person says

"It's like WOW. WTF were you thinking with that grille?"

George Knighton

LOL.... They look a little better in person, if that helps at all. :-)

FallenTSX

^^ I agree, they do look a lot better in person. It gives it a more aggressive and distinctive look.

-DeL

Fibonacci

Interior is pretty much unchanged except for the push button transmission, not a great feature in my book. And the ZF 9AT is crap, crap CRAP. Acura won't be getting any more of my money with that shitty transmission. It's also a joke that you can get a panoramic roof in the Pilot but not the MDX. Dumb.

oonowindoo

he said a little, not a lot.

It does look a little better in person.... than the pictures online but it looks worse than the old one. IMO.

George Knighton

I am driving a loaner TLX with the 9 speed and it seems very good to me.

What do you not like about it?

Fibonacci

I own a '14 MDX Tech/Ent SH-AWD with the proven Honda 6AT bought new going on 25k miles and a '15 TLX Tech SH-AWD bought new going on 35k miles and have plenty of seat time in both. The 6AT is simply much more responsive and better matched to the 3.5 V6. It downshift quicker and is accelerates better on overtake maneuvers.

Where you really notice the shitty feel of the 9AT is in slow creeps through intersections and the need to suddenly accelerate. Even in sport mode, there is an annoying lag because if you are going, say 10 mph and need to giddy up, the gearing will already be in say 5th gear and the transmission logic slumps before finding 2nd. The well documented 5 to 4th dog leg downshift is still annoying too.
Also, at freeway speeds when you are in 9th gear and need to downshift quickly to pass or merge, the transmission is too slow to manually paddle down to say 4th gear to really grunt and go. I should have test driven the TLX longer before I bought it. There are a few things I like about it: it is quiet, gets great gas mileage and is a nice looking car. But that is not enough to make me want to keep it much longer. I will probably trade it in for a Focus RS or a 6MT 340xdrive and buy a longer factory warranty.

Granted I came from 5 years and 80k very satisfied miles in a 6MT 4G TL, so perhaps any comparison to a slush box is unfair, but the 9AT is simply crap compared to the proven 6AT. Without a doubt in my mind. Perhaps in the family hauler MDX which is driven more leisurely, I wouldn't mind the sleepy characteristics of the ZF, but in the TLX which is supposedly a "thrill", it is far from thrilling.

Fibonacci

Forgot to mention I drive it 90% of the time in sport mode and 10% of the time in sport+. My TLX has never seen Eco or Normal. There are just enough annoyances about the TLX for me to grow a strong ambivalence about the car. For example, my drivers seat has developed an annoying creaking sound (I'm not fat). I hate having to always turn off the auto/start stop EVERY time I enter the vehicle. The suspension is 10-15% underdamped, the brakes are 10% too soft compared to the 4G 6MT. The Ent head unit is slow/laggy/glitchy. In the MDX which my wife hauls the kids around, I'm willing to overlook the faults of the crappy nav/ent, but in my commuter I'm ready to dump it.

RPhilMan1

Focus RS is calling your name!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the heck would you buy a TLX for?

Right out of the gate, we knew it was going to be super toned down for the masses, ie; not a fun car.

George Knighton

I understand. I'd attributed that to the tuning, not the transmission, but I understand what you mean.

I put about 120K miles on my 2010 4G TL 6-6 before moving to the RLX Sport Hybrid, so I definitely understand your feeling there.

They were hitting on all cylinders with the 4G TL, an American car designed by Americans for Americans.

I wish it had sold better, as a sign to Honda what they needed to be doing.

The TLX I'm driving is a loaner while they decide what to do with the VCM rocker arms on my Sport Hybrid.

The TLX is okay but I think I've just moved beyond this kind of vehicle for my everyday needs. P-AWS is better than it was in 2014, being quicker acting and better turned.

But it's sort of like driving a 300 HP Civic with no LSD and no power on the rear wheels. Very hard to put the power down sometimes.

But I'd considered the 9 speed auto as one of the high points, shifting smoothly and quietly most of the time.

Can't wait to get back into the Sport Hybrid. :-)

George Knighton

0_o

I swear, I've driven a few hundred miles, now, and never even noticed that this car has start/stop.

Do some TLX not have it? The one I'm driving is a V6 Tech P-AWS car.

AZuser

You mean mechanically, right? Or do you mean Americans like ugly cars?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Have you seen the Pontiac Aztec?

George Knighton

It's too bad that it was sort of ugly, because it was a fantastic car.

TSX69