Newberg, Oregon – There’s no doubt about it – the Acura MDX is an important vehicle for the Acura brand. For the past six years, the MDX has been the best-selling vehicle for Acura accounting for a third of their total sales. 

However, over the past few years, Acura’s brand as a whole has seen their sales numbers decrease in North America. With the onset of the third-generation seven-seat performance MDX, they were going to attempt to make no mistakes with this one. So what could Acura do to the MDX for a refresh? 

Well the answer is a lot. 

Acura is calling the MDX – The Driver’s SUV for its superb handling, sportier feel, luxurious interior and enhanced connectivity. It’s built on a larger, but lighter platform with an all-new body, chassis, and engine. 

For this first drive, Acura brought us Canadian journalists to the greener pastures of Newberg, Oregon just 25 minutes from Portland. This area was surrounded by forests and farmland, but the best part about it was that it was filled with windy roads. A perfect location to test out Acura’s new and improved MDX and its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD).

Initial Glance

The first thing that stares at you are the MDX’s new LED exterior signature headlight design called “Jewel Eye”. It’s always nice to have a signature look that helps identify your brand to others and the Jewel Eye design definitely does that. The Jewel Eye LEDs showcase five circular LED bulbs horizontally displayed giving the MDX a sleek and modern look. While driving in the dark, these LEDs provide 25-metres more of down road visibility. 

Outside of the LEDs, I noticed a few body lines and typical sculpted shape, but there’s not much detail to go into it. Acura has stuck with a conservative approach with their seven-seater to hopefully appeal to a broader segment. 

It’s hard to tell, but the MDX is 50mm longer after extending its wheelbase and adding more cargo space – a much needed improvement for those large families actually seating seven. Even though the MDX is longer, Acura looked into narrowing it to allow for easier parking and for it to look less like a van. 

A Look Inside

First thing I can say is what a big all-around improvement! Acura listened to other’s comments and made the MDX more technologically functional and simplistic at the same time. 

Inside you will find a new touchscreen, new steering controls and a new instrument cluster that’s shaped like a wristwatch if you’re not a fan of touch. It might seem confusing by looking at two screens at times, but it beats looking at 41 buttons in the outgoing model. That number has been reduced to nine – a welcomed improvement. 

There’s definitely more functionality with the new MDX, but they could have done a better job in the way it looks. It almost seems as if they were catering to an older generation with large icons and boxy and boring fonts. Not sure why they would invest all this time in modernizing their system without looking at it from a style perspective.

A stand-out feature in the front is its versatile centre console. It has many different compartments as you can open several and shift others. The main feature is a very convenient and safe deep storage that can fit an iPad or purse. It also has a slide out wood tray with rubberized strips to hold and keep objects from sliding off during travel. While driving, we tested an iPhone on the tray and it impressively didn’t shift at all. Now at least somebody is thinking practically, I couldn’t tell you how many times my iPhone has been flung to the ground while driving.

A major attraction for families is interior space and roominess. Overall, passenger volume has decreased, but with the help of a second-row slide and fold function (similar to the one its rival the Infiniti JX35 showed off last year), access to the third-row seating only takes a few touches. The second row can slide up 100mm and can slide back 50mm if no one is seated back there. I tested out the third row seating which was easy enough to get into, but truly not meant for adults. The headroom is there, but the legroom can be challenging and good luck getting out. The slide and fold function on the MDX is not as remarkable as the JX35, but at least it’s a step in the right direction. 

On the bright side, the MDX shows off its luxurious appeal with an automatic side step that greets you when you enter and exit the vehicle. 

As you sit back in the third row, you can treat yourself to a movie or the kids can play some video games on the 16.2” rear display screen only found with the top-of-the-line Elite model. The cool part about the screen is that it can split into two screens to appease most kids and avoid many of those National Lampoon’s Vacation arguments in the back seat. 

Under the Hood

The 2014 Acura MDX has an all-new 3.5L i-VTEC V-6 engine with direct injection that produces 290 hp and 267 lb.-ft. of torque. All MDX’s are fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and with their SH-AWD drivetrain. 

The engine is smaller and it produces less hp than its outgoing model (3.7L and 300 hp in previous 2013 model), but it’s part of their new Earth Dreams technology that features a smaller engine, a direct injection system and a weight loss of 131 kgs that delivers low-end torque along with a faster ride and better fuel economy. 

Acura’s goal was to make the new MDX a sportier SUV and calm their potential customer fears of lower horsepower, so they took it to the Nürburgring race track in Germany to test out their new engine. After several laps of testing, the 2014 MDX averaged eight seconds quicker than the 2013 model – an accomplishment that can silence even their best critics.

As for fuel economy, Acura’s figures of 9.6L/100km combined and 11.2L and 7.7L in the city and on the highway respectively are class leaders. This is a large improvement from 2013 that saw a reduction of 2.0L/100 km in the city and 1.9L/100 km on the highway. Focus on fuel economy is paramount and the MDX really struts its stuff over the JX35, the Audi Q7 and the BMW X5. 

On The Road

Many complaints in the outgoing model centered on engine noise, vibration and steering. Acura aimed at correcting those concerns with an all-new rear and front suspensions. Jim Keller, the MDX Large Project Leader pointed out that the new multi-link and damper technology cut noise transmission from reducing five input valves to three.  Furthermore, the damper loads now pass through the side frame as opposed to the wheelhouse. The front suspension has amplitude reactive dampers allowing damping force to be reduced and other technologies that try their best to cancel vibration.

I’m not too big on exact details, but Keller really took his time at explaining this, so Acura was very proud of these accomplishments. All that you need to know is that whatever they did – they did it well! In my four hours behind the wheel, I hardly noticed any road noise and it was a smooth ride throughout. In a luxury SUV, the most important features outside of luxury are comfort and quietness and Acura exceeded their goals with the new MDX. 

When driving the 2014 Acura MDX you can really tell that it’s not your typical three-row SUV. Its SH-AWD allows for greater traction, while its Agile Handling Assist (AHA) minimizes response delay by providing smooth vehicle action through turns. As you accelerate, the MDX power stays consistent throughout for a smooth ride even when you want to be a bit more aggressive.

Steering is direct and can turn into corners quicker and with accuracy. That might be from the AWD system’s torque vectoring that takes over and makes cornering smoother. This system can be very useful in Canada especially during Canadian winters.

The MDX has three different driving modes (comfort, normal and sport) that are catered to your driving style or preference for that day. In most cases, family members have different driving styles which can be annoying to change the settings on a constant basis. No need to worry though, Acura’s Integrated Dynamics System (IDS) eliminates all that fuss by allowing you to program your individual settings to the key fob. In the Elite trim, your key fob gets even more exciting as it can remote start from 100 metres away. It also customizes the restart based on the current climate. If the temperature dips below 7 Celsius the heated features within the vehicle start functioning such as the heated steering wheel and seats, as well as defrosting the outside mirrors and rear windshield. A great service to have on those cold winter days.

If you’re into that technology, you will love the other techy driving features found in the MDX Elite trim. You will be provided with a Surround View Camera System that offers six different camera views for help with parking, as well as an exclusive to Canada camera button for instant access to the system whenever you need it. In addition, you will receive Adaptive Cruise Control with low-speed follow, Lane Keeping Assist system, as well as Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning that are both found starting in the second-level Navi trim.

I tested out the Lane Keeping Assist system for a bit and the MDX steers itself on the highway when you need that extra stretch during a long drive. Just a few notes on this one, in order for this to be activated you need to press the menu steering switch found on the steering wheel plus the lane keep assist button below it and be driving over 70 km/h. This took a little practice, but after some instruction I figured it out and it steered the ship for me for at least a kilometer. I wouldn’t recommend doing this, as it’s more of a safety feature, but you never know when you might need it during some tiring long drives.

The true test of a driver SUV is to not feel like you’re driving an SUV - it’s as simple as that. With its quicker acceleration and better steering feel, the 2014 MDX at times makes you forget about the kids in the back. Not that you want that to happen, but at least if you want to take a break from the kids – you have that option.

In Summary

The MDX starts at a reasonable $49,990 and works its way up three other trim levels to the Elite which can be had for $65,990. Acura is estimating their 2014 model to sell 6,000 units per year with the second-level Navi package at $54,690 selling the most. The Navi trim comes with 19” wheels, navigation, a 10-speaker ELS premium audio system, blind spot information system, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning and AcuraLink (a digital service offering a broad range of convenience, media and emergency services including an optional premium concierge service). 

Acura is taking no chances on improving their MDX, which they call, the pride of their fleet. They have listened to many concerns and upgraded their engine, body, chassis and suspension and loaded it with technology.

The MDX will appeal to many for its sporty and smooth drive with added comfort for the family. Throw in a luxurious cabin, safety technology and class-leading fuel economy numbers and you’re going to have a winner. That combination is hard to find in a vehicle with three rows. There is stiff competition in this segment with the Infiniti JX35, Audi Q7, BMW X5 and many more, but I believe Acura has done enough for the MDX to stand tall and reach its goals amongst its rivals. 

The 2014 Acura MDX will be produced at its manufacturing plant in Lincoln, Alabama and will go on sale to Canadians in mid-July.