2004 Acura Mdx Awd Touring W/ Navigation & Reverse Camera 3.5l V6 24v Suv on 2040-cars

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Honda HR-V could spawn Acura variant

We've been saying it for months now, but the compact CUV is the next big thing. Everyone, and we mean everyone, is at least considering getting in on the action, if they aren't already actively designing or selling, and that's true whether they're a premium or mainstream automaker. That, of course, includes Acura, whose parent company, Honda, has a compact CUV of its own coming to market very, very soon. With the arrival of the Fit-based HR-V, that begs the question of whether the near-premium marque will join this burgeoning segment. The idea of building a car below the company's entry level CUV, the RDX, is an appealing one to Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel, who called it "potentially the only place you could go," and would occupy the "white space" the company is looking to fill. While we might chuckle about the idea of a luxurious, Fit-based CUV, it's fair to say it could do well for Acura. It could certainly provide a foil to the very hot selling Buick Encore, and may even capture some sales from the luxuriously outfitted Jeep Renegade Limited/Fiat 500X Lounge. It remains to be seen, though, if Acura could build an HR-V capable of tangling with the new entries from Lexus, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

Acura MDX Prototype reveals slick new looks, with Type S close behind

The next-generation Acura MDX is here, almost. This three-row crossover you’re looking at is technically being called the MDX Prototype by Acura, but itÂ’s about as close to production as any prototype can get. And what a looker it is. Acura has followed up the slick TLX sedan with another attractive design. With the MDX now the best-selling Acura nameplate of all time, this one was even more important for Acura to get right. Just like the TLX, it benefits from a much longer dash-to-axle dimension, measuring in six inches longer than the outgoing MDX. The pentagon grille, and Chicane-shaped DRLs in the headlights now grace a much wider car. Acura gave this MDX a wider track and a three-inch longer wheelbase, both aiding in making it appear far more graceful and sporty. Acura clearly isnÂ’t holding much of anything back with this MDX Prototype versus the final production car, and weÂ’re liking what we can see so far. Many of the design elements we liked so much on the TLX are transferred over to this crossover body style, and Acura has done so with class. The MDXs you see here are riding on new 21-inch wheels that are bolted up to a new light truck platform and chassis specifically tailored for the MDX. Acura says it provides for more athletic handling, greater ride comfort and a quieter cabin versus the outgoing MDX. ItÂ’s even more rigid than the RDXÂ’s body. Just like the new TLX, Acura has gone with a double wishbone front suspension design to make the MDX an even sportier driver. ThereÂ’s more excitement in the powertrain options for the new MDX, too. Acura promises a Type S version of the MDX is coming with the same 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 youÂ’ll find under the hood of the TLX Type S. It will make 355 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque (same as the TLX) in this application. The standard engine will continue to be AcuraÂ’s 3.5-liter V6 that makes 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. Both engines will be mated to AcuraÂ’s 10-speed automatic transmission and send power to all four wheels using the latest fourth-generation SH-AWD system. Not all of the performance details are available yet, but Acura says the MDX can be had with four-piston Brembo brake calipers and comes with a drive mode selector that allows you to adjust ride, handling, steering, suspension and powertrain characteristics. More Type S-specific details will need to wait. The interior matches the exterior for flair and elegance.

Daily Driver: 2015 Acura TLX

Daily Driver videos are micro-reviews of vehicles in the Autoblog press fleet, reviewed by the staffers who drive them every day. Today's Daily Driver features the 2015 Acura TLX, reviewed by Seyth Miersma. You can watch the video above or read a transcript below. Watch more Autoblog videos at /videos. Show full video transcript text Hey all, this is Seyth with Autoblog and I'm here in the 2015 Acura TLX. Right off the bat I can tell that the TLX doesn't feel anything like as sporting a sedan as the TL it replaced, at least not in the versions that I last drove, which admittedly were TL's with V6 power and the SH all wheel drive. This TLX has got a 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine, it's making 206 horsepower, and 182 pound-feet of torque, and it is connected up to a eight-speed, dual-clutch transmission. As you can tell by the power output this isn't an impressively fast car. It weighs about 3,500 pounds so it's lugging around some weight. At the same time the eight-speed transmission is really responsive especially as you go through the selectable gear programs, you can make the throttle response pretty good. It is a throttle by wire as well and I haven't noticed any weirdness there, it feels very linear, and like I said, when I turned the system into the sport plus mode the gas pedal becomes really responsive. The exhaust note is muted, you really have to get up over 5,000 rpm before you start feeling like the engine is really pushing you. One of the things that struck me first about this Acura when I got in it was how quiet it was at speed. I feel like in the luxury segment, Acuras have historically done a little bit better for being sportier versions of cars in their segment and not necessarily more refined, but that seems to have been changing a lot on the last few generations of Acura. What it lacks in athletic ability it makes up for in composure. I'm on a pretty good right now, there are plenty of bad ones around where I live so this suspension soaks up a lot of the impacts and it dampens the sound of them as well too. Acura is clearly going after a much more mainstream customer these days and I think a car like this could be very attractive, more attractive than ever for a shopper of something like a Lexus ES. One feature I did play around with was Acura's active lane keep assist which works actually by moving the steering wheel to a degree to keep you centered in your lane if your hands are off the wheel.