Acura took the wraps off its 2014 MDX at the same time the new Superman film opened in theatres.
While Superman may be the Man of Steel, the MDX is a premium SUV on a steel diet, incorporating lighter materials to shave off pounds.
Nor is the MDX’s story as glamorous as that of our fictional superhero. It was conceived in Japan in 2001, and initially referred to as Multi-Dimensional Luxury, or MDX. It was adopted by Acura, Honda’s premium brand, in North America and found its way into the driveways of suburban homes with growing families.
While it had no super powers, it did have an advantage over its competitors at the time — third-row seats. This gave the young SUV the same carrying abilities as a seven-passenger minivan, allowing citizens from Metropolis to Victoria to ditch their minivans.
Fast-forward to the present. Over the past few years, the MDX has been weakened, its flaws now well-known and exploited by competitors. Nine-passenger seating with a DVD player in the back is now common fare — nothing super here anymore. Other vehicles also have radar, to warn drivers of oncoming obstacles. They, too, have the ability to see behind the vehicle. Ho-hum.
So what’s in store for the MDX? Can it fight off the never-ending stream of villains?
We drove a 2014 MDX with the top-of-the-line Elite package (which adds $16,000 to the $49,990 base price) to find out.
Acura hopes the 2014 MDX will be like a summertime blockbuster. The storyline is familiar: The 2014 MDX is stronger, lighter and more fuel-efficient. Thanks to an all-new platform, the interior is more spacious. There is now more room behind the third-row seats, so you can still carry a bit of cargo with every seat occupied.
It’s easier to get back there as well, with seats that slide and fold with one touch. Rear passengers can thank the 2014’s extra 70 mm in its wheelbase for the added legroom if the rearmost seats aren’t occupied.
While it did grow longer, it shrunk in width by 32 mm in response to owners in urban centres who found it hard to open doors when boxed in on either side. The MDX also loses 17 mm in overall height, again in response to ever-shrinking heights in underground garages — as well as those at homes.
Between the reduction in mass and use of lighter materials, the 2014 is 131 kilograms lighter. Even the engine loses 200 mm in displacement and 10 horses. Add an 18 per cent improvement in aerodynamics and the net benefit is evident at the pump, with a rated 7.7 litres per 100 km on the highway and 11.2 in the city.
The 2014 MDX also strives to appeal to a larger audience. The vehicle now offers a comfort setting along with normal and sport. Vehicles with more than one driver will find each key remembers minor details, such as radio presets and climate preferences, along with more common seat memory and side-mirror settings.
Noise and vibration are kept in place by generous helpings of sound insulation between the panels. Acoustical glass covers the rest. All of the materials make the cabin a serene environment to listen to Zen music on the 546-watt premium audio system with 12 speakers (including a subwoofer).
See MDX, page E2
As a premium brand, the MDX is stuffed to the brim with cutting-edge technology. Slip behind the wheel of the flagship RLX and you immediately recognize many of the same luxury features as are in the less-expensive MDX.
The only change that puzzles me is Acura’s choice of wood for the dash. Gone is the high-gloss veneer look that has been in cars for ages. Instead, they have opted for rough-textured olive ash that, frankly, looks fake. A caveat: This wood is found only in the Elite package. As this was the only 2014 available, I have not seen the wood in the base model.
Perhaps to redeem itself, Acura now offers climate control that automatically controls the temperature of the seats — heating or cooling them — in tandem with regulating the air.
While the list of features is extensive, the number of buttons is not. Stung by criticism over the abundance of buttons in the last-generation MDX, engineers have simplified the centre stack considerably. The appearance is more elegant. Unlike in a few premium luxury cars I have driven lately, the main controller — some refer to it as a rotary joystick — is on the dash and not on the space between the front seats.
While the front-row occupants are treated very well, you need only step into the second-row seats to see where a lot of time and effort has been lavished.
To start, there is plenty of head and legroom. The back seat shares the opulence of the front, with climate control with adjustable vents. The seats recline and can slide fore and aft.
An extra-wide 16.2-inch screen drops from the ceiling. The extra real estate means split screens are possible. The rear entertainment system not only includes a DVD player but also HDMI input in case movies are coming from an external source. The controller can be detached from the unit to be used as a wireless remote. Two wireless headphones are included, so kids’ shows don’t disturb their parents’ quiet ride.
While Superman has X-ray vision, the MDX has something just as handy — a surround-view camera system that uses front, side and rear cameras to give a bird’s-eye view of a driver’s surroundings when parking. A button on the dash activates the front camera at low speeds.
While it can’t fly, travel as fast as a speeding bullet or do other nifty tricks, the new MDX proves it can still impress a demanding crowd.