MDX flagship SUV now available with Two-Wheel Drive and features direct-injected powertrain, Jewel Eye™ LED headlights, more versatile interior and the AcuraLink™ Next Generation services

06/19/2013 – TORRANCE, Calif.

The all-new 2014 MDX, the third generation of Acura’s acclaimed 7-passenger luxury performance SUV, goes on sale at Acura dealerships nationwide tomorrow, offering comfort, connectivity and performance every luxury customer wants at a price that no other luxury brand can match. Available for the first time in a new two-wheel drive model, pricing for the 2014 MDX begins with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $42,290*, a substantial $990 reduction in starting price versus the outgoing 2013 model.

The 2014 MDX adds a bevy of new standard features – including Smart Entry with Push Button Start, Jewel Eye™ LED headlights, exterior and interior LED lighting, Extended Slide second-row seating with One-Touch Walk-In for third-row access, an 8-inch On-Demand Multi-Information Display touchscreen, Expanded View Driver’s Mirror, a powerful 432-watt Acura sound system, and an acoustic glass front windows and windshield.

The range-topping MDX with Advance Package boasts a wide range of new technologies and features, including Lane Keeping Assist System, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, remote engine start with an extended range of at least 300 feet, a new Ultra-Wide DVD Rear Entertainment System with HDMI connectivity, and front and rear parking sensors.

Optional Acura Genuine Accessories for the 2014 MDX includes standalone features such as a heated steering wheel, LED fog lights and a Trailer Hitch ATF Cooler Kit (allowing for up to 5,000 lbs. of towing).

The all-new 2014 MDX offers even higher levels of luxury comfort and quietness, together with exhilarating dynamic performance, class-leading fuel economy ratings, and advanced safety features, and an even more luxurious, technology-packed and versatile passenger cabin.

Developed on an all-new platform that is optimized in every respect for the needs of today’s luxury SUV buyers, the 2014 Acura MDX is powered by a new 290-horsepower direct-injected i-VTEC V-6 powertrain with fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management technology. The new MDX, similar to its flagship sedan counterpart, the 2014 RLX, harnesses a host of Acura signature technologies including AcuraLink® Next Generation services and Agile Handling Assist to deliver on Acura’s “Synergy between Man and Machine” product direction, and the idea of creating vehicles that truly respond to the will of the driver.

The 2014 MDX is the third generation of Acura’s top-of-the-line SUV to be designed, developed and engineered in North America. Production of the new MDX and its powertrain will take place at the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Lincoln, Alabama.¹

In designing the new MDX, Acura engineers built on the foundation of its excellent dynamic performance with a focus on three core values: class-leading fuel efficiency, new levels of luxury comfort, and top-level safety performance. At the same time, they sought to further enhance dynamic performance while maintaining the MDX’s core appeal – the family-friendly, 7-passenger cabin in a nimble exterior size and appearance.

ALL-NEW PLATFORM
New from the ground up, the 2014 MDX has a 2.8-inch longer wheelbase, and is lower and narrower for reduced frontal area and enhanced fuel efficiency. With high-strength steel, aluminum and magnesium comprising 64-percent of its body structure, the 2014 MDX is 275 pounds lighter than the previous model with the lightest published weight in its segment, which directly contributes to improved acceleration, nimble handling, and class-leading fuel economy ratings. A redesigned MacPherson strut front suspension and new multilink rear suspension, along with new Electric Power Steering (EPS) give the MDX even greater agility and confidence-inspiring dynamic performance. The standard Integrated Dynamics System (IDS) lets drivers select their preferred driving mode (Comfort, Normal or Sport) to suit their mood and the driving conditions. Standard on the MDX, a signature Acura technology called Agile Handling Assist selectively uses the vehicle’s brakes to improve corner traceability and impart confident handling feel.

POWERTRAIN
Power comes from an all-new direct-injected 3.5-liter i-VTEC V-6 rated at 290 peak horsepower and 267 lb.-ft. of peak torque (both SAE net). Closely related to the powerplant in the new 2014 Acura RLX luxury sedan, this 24-valve V-6 engine is Acura’s second Earth Dreams™ Technology engine, which features a next-generation set of advancements that greatly enhance both driving performance and fuel efficiency. For the first time, the MDX has standard Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), which switches seamlessly between 3- and 6-cylinder modes, depending on engine load, effectively varying engine displacement to match driving conditions for improved fuel efficiency.

Compared to the 3.7-liter engine it replaces, the 3.5-liter V-6 in the 2014 MDX offers an 8-percent increase in torque at engine speeds below 2,750 rpm for greater overall responsiveness. Due to improved operating efficiency, horsepower output per liter is up two percent and torque output per liter is up 4.4 percent compared to the previous model’s engine. Together with the 2014 MDX’s substantial reduction in curb weight, overall performance is enhanced, including quicker 0-60 mph times and 8-second quicker lap times on Germany’s Nürburgring Nordschliefe (North Loop), where both the new and outgoing model were extensively tuned and tested.

The efficient new engine is paired with a standard 6-speed automatic transmission with Sequential Sport Shift, and available Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). For the first time ever, the MDX is available with front-wheel drive, which saves weight and enhances fuel economy ratings. This new 2-wheel-drive MDX is EPA rated at 20/28/23 mpg² (city/highway/combined), a 28-percent increase in the EPA combined rating versus the previous SH-AWD model (the only drivetrain configuration previously available). The 2014 MDX with SH-AWD has a remarkable 17-percent increase in its EPA combined fuel economy rating versus the previous model, reaching class-leading ratings of 18/27/21 mpg² (city/highway/combined).

INTERIOR
Perfect for kids or clients, the MDX interior is a luxurious and accommodating passenger compartment with roomy seating and a second-row seat with reclining seatbacks and a new Extended Slide feature that offers a total of 6-inches of fore-and-aft travel. Additionally, a new kid-friendly One-Touch Walk-In feature greatly improves access to the third row of seating, and a wider, lower step-in enhances convenience and usability. Cabin quietness and overall refinement have been dramatically improved, with hundreds of measures aimed at reducing noise, vibration and harshness, including thicker, 3-layer acoustic glass for the windshield and front side windows, thicker rear door glass, new triple side-sill door seals and Active Noise Control technology.

Repackaging of the rear-seat climate control system allows for a large center console storage space, concealed beneath the sliding, leather-trimmed center armrest. About 2 inches deeper and wider, and almost 5 inches longer, the main compartment offers 2.5 times more volume than the previous model and is large enough to accommodate a moderately sized purse, tablet computers and more. This is a key MDX advantage in the class, where many competing models offer little center-console storage.

AUDIO AND CONNECTIVITY
Acura customers have high expectations for state-of-the-art connectivity and entertainment. Enhanced connectivity in the 2014 MDX is made possible by the next-generation AcuraLink™ system, which offers thousands of media channels via Aha® mobile, all delivered via the owner’s internet-linked smartphone and data plan. There is also a host of new available assistive and convenience features, including collision notification, remote unlocking, stolen-vehicle tracking and surface-street traffic information, all delivered via built-in cellular technology (subscription fees are applicable).

The new MDX will also thrill audiophiles with its available music entertainment features. Four audio systems are available, starting out with the standard 8-speaker, 432-watt (up from 253 watts) Acura Sound System, and topping out with the Advance Package, which features an Acura/ELS® Studio 12-Speaker Audio System with new ceiling-mounted speakers, a 546-watt amplifier and 5.1-channel surround sound.

The available Technology and Entertainment package adds a DVD Rear Entertainment System with a ceiling-mounted 9-inch full VGA screen, while the MDX with Advance Package features a Rear Entertainment System with an all-new ultra-wide 16.2-inch full WVGA screen – the largest and highest resolution screen ever offered in an Acura vehicle. The system also includes a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port to allow the attachment of high definition players and compatible gaming consoles, along with standard composite video and audio inputs. A 115-volt power outlet is rated for devices up to 150 watts.

Both the AcuraLink™ and Acura/ELS Studio® systems take advantage of a 2014 MDX’s new 7-inch color On Demand Multi-Use Display™ (ODMD™) touchscreen with haptic feedback. The addition of the ODMD, along with other interior changes, allowed engineers to reduce the number of hard buttons in the center stack from 41 in the previous generation MDX to just nine in the all-new 2014 model.

The MDX with Technology Package and above grades feature the latest generation Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition™ (now available in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico). The MDX navigation system features an 8-inch high-resolution WVGA backlit color display and now also includes surface street traffic data, allowing the driver to choose faster, less-congested routes. The system offers a new level of convenience with AcuraLink, allowing users to send destination information to the MDX via the AcuraLink Connect phone app (with the available Connect Package).

SAFETY AND DRIVER’S ASSISTIVE
Utilizing Acura’s next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, along with seven airbags, including a new driver’s knee airbag, the MDX is anticipated to earn the highest possible safety ratings – a 5-Star NCAP Overall Vehicle Score from the federal government and a “TOP SAFETY PICK+” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), including a GOOD rating in the IIHS’ new rigorous small overlap frontal collision test.

Available safety systems include available Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW), and an available Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS).

The new MDX offers an impressive array of advanced driver-assistive, and information and media technologies. These include the standard next-generation AcuraLink™ connected car system with collision notification (Connect package required), a standard Multi-Angle Rearview Camera and Expanded View Driver’s side mirror, along with available Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow and Blind Spot Information (BSI) system.

MDX MODEL RANGE
There are four MDX grades, each available with front-wheel drive or Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD).

• The well-equipped MDX has standard leather trimmed first- and second-row seats with heating on the front row, Smart Entry with Push Button Start (front doors and rear hatch access), a 432-watt audio system with 8-speakers, 18-inch alloy wheels, Jewel Eye™ LED headlights, and more.
• The MDX with Technology Package adds 19-inch alloy wheels, Smart Entry for all four doors, the Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition™, a 501-watt Acura/ELS® Studio audio system with 10-speakers, Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Blind Spot Information (BSI) System and more.
• The MDX with Technology and Rear Entertainment Package adds a 529-watt Acura/ELS® Studio audio system with 11-speakers and HD Radio™, a DVD rear entertainment system with 9-inch display, rear-passenger window sunshades, and other features.
• The top-of-the-line MDX with Advance Package includes unique 7-spoke 19-inch alloy wheels, a 605-watt Acura/ELS® Studio audio system with 12-speakers, the Acura DVD Ultra-Wide Rear Entertainment System with 16.2-inch display, perforated Milano leather first- and second-row seating and ventilated front seats, front and rear parking sensors and remote engine start, along with Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Collision Mitigation Brake System, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow, and additional luxury features.

[Source: Acura]