Acura Mdx Awd 4dr Advance/entertainment Pkg Low Miles Suv Automatic Gasoline 3.7 on 2040-cars

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Acura is livestreaming an augmented reality race on Facebook

Honda's luxury car brand Acura is set to livestream an augmented reality race featuring its 2018 TLX A-Spec sedan. The event will see four drivers hit a real track while wearing AR helmets that will create new virtual environments for each lap. Aside from spectating, viewers will also be able to interact with the racers on Facebook Live. The race will see each driver attempt to clock the fastest overall time during a three-lap time trial. That sounds simple enough, until the AR environments come online and really begin altering what the drivers see. As a result, each lap will trigger a new mixed-reality environment, visible to both the drivers and viewers. Central to the virtual experience will be the computer-connected helmets worn by the racers. Within each helmet is a HD screen with a two-way mirror that allows the driver to see the AR overlaid onto the real track. A computer rig in the backseat, powered by the Acura's battery, will generate the environments. To ensure the experience runs smoothly, Acura will have to track the objects on the tarmac and the movement of the car itself. Of course, this isn't Forza, so you can't just rewind the action should something go wrong, so Acura will use custom-made tracking gear to ensure the drivers don't plough into a wall because their eyes deceive them. You can tune into the race on Monday at 8pm ET on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Viewers will be shown the action courtesy of cameras placed on the drivers' helmets and around the track. Facebook Live audience members will also be able to offer hints and tips. Acura claims the interactions will transform viewers into a virtual pit crew. But all you'll really be doing is smashing a Facebook reaction at a given time to reveal a shortcut to the driver -- which isn't quite the same, is it?This article by Saqib Shah originally appeared on Engadget, your source for this connected life.Related Video: Marketing/Advertising Motorsports Acura Racing Vehicles Sedan augmented reality acura tlx

Acura Infotainment Review | Just give it some time

Acura’s True Touchpad infotainment system is a hot topic at Autoblog HQ. Some of us utterly detest its functionality. Others, myself included, will plead its case as a worthy alternative to normal infotainment systems. “ItÂ’s not that bad,” IÂ’ll say over and over. I had to eat my words to a certain extent when our long term 2021 Acura TLXÂ’s infotainment system broke recently due to bad wire connectors, but now that itÂ’s up and running again, itÂ’s time to give it a proper shake. The screen in this TLX is a high-resolution, 10.2-inch monitor that sits far from the driver on the carÂ’s dash top. ItÂ’s oriented horizontally in a widescreen format. The controversial bit I mentioned at the beginning is all to do with how you navigate the user interface using AcuraÂ’s unique touchpad. It uses something Acura calls absolute positioning technology, meaning that where your finger is on the touchpad corresponds to the same spot on the screen, allowing you to select whatever is in that location. Press down on the top right corner of the touchpad, and the square located in the top right corner of the screen is selected — no need to “swipe” over to it. This takes a considerable amount of time to adapt to. I didnÂ’t master it or get used to it overnight. In fact, itÂ’s really rather frustrating out of the gate. Virtually all touchpads in cars before this one are more intuitive at first. Just swipe around the pad, and your “cursor” swipes around with you. After a couple road trips, plenty of takeout runs and everything in between, IÂ’ve become a believer in AcuraÂ’s technology, though, with one major caveat IÂ’ll address later on. 2021 Acura TLX infotainment View 7 Photos Once you have enough time and practice to become fluent with AcuraÂ’s way of doing things (something our long-term Acura TLX has allowed us the rare opportunity to do), the absolute positioning strategy starts to make more sense. You can select an app like FM radio or Apple CarPlay in an instant — faster than any regular touchpad or scroll wheel will allow. ItÂ’s no wild speed demon, but you can navigate the main menu structure faster here than you can in most cars.  AcuraÂ’s user interface is tailored to fit its operation with big squares that are easily findable in your touchpad to press. It gets a little tougher once you get into an app like Navigation or Sirius XM, as it requires more precise positioning of your finger to get to the right spot.

2014 Acura MDX shows up exactly as expected

Acura (and parent company Honda, for that matter) doesn't always leave a lot to be left to the imagination when they unveil prototypes at auto shows. Case in point: Take a gander at the Acura MDX Prototype that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show this past January, and then look at the production-spec 2014 MDX pictured above. See what we mean?
Design-wise, there frankly isn't a whole lot to get excited about with this MDX. Sure, a lot of the chiseled, sharp lines from the previous-generation model have been smoothed out in favor of something that will likely have more mass-market appeal, but to our eyes, the MDX has simply lost a lot of its visual flair in the process. To quote Autoblog senior editor Seyth Miersma, this new one just looks like the old one after melting by 10 percent. The end result is something that more closely resembles the company's smaller RDX crossover than anything else, with other subtle design elements mimicking what we've seen on the ILX and RLX sedans. It's all fine, but again, not exciting. The good news, however, is that thanks to the use of new lightweight materials, the 2014 MDX is 275 pounds lighter than the outgoing model.
Updates to what's underneath the MDX's new skin are hardly surprising, but still welcome. Power comes from a direct-injected 3.5-liter V6 making 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with both front-wheel drive and Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive on offer. Acura estimates that front-drive models will achieve 20/28/23 miles per gallon (city/highway/combined), and says that adding the SH-AWD drops those numbers to 18/27/21. Acura will offer a new Integrated Dynamic System that allows the driver to choose between normal, sport and comfort settings, and the new MDX will ride on a choice of either 18- or 19-inch alloy wheels.