Acura revealed the new face of the brand today at the 2016 New York Auto Show with the introduction of the 2017 MDX crossover.
The mid-life refresh of Acura’s most popular model also adds an optional hybrid variant to the mix for the first time in the history of the MDX. It also makes standard across the model range a suite of semi-autonomous safety technologies.
The updates “represent a major injection of Acura’s Precision Crafted Performance DNA,” John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor, said in a statement ahead of the debut. “These changes will continue to advance the competitiveness and its legacy as the best-selling three-row luxury SUV of all time.”
The new face of the MDX throws out the brand’s trademark -- and much maligned -- chrome beak grille in favor of a more traditional “diamond pentagon” design. Designers in Acura’s Torrance, Calif., studio tweaked Acura’s signature jeweled-eye headlights, and added a newly-sculpted hood and front bumper.
While Acura says the new look is inspired by the dramatic Precision Concept sedan the company showed at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the tweaks to the MDX are mild in comparison. A more substantial brand overhaul is expected -- and necessary -- on future models.
“The segment and the entire luxury market has gotten more aggressive with styling,” Eric Lyman, vice president of industry insights, told Automotive News. “A line in the sand has been drawn, especially by Lexus and Acura clearly recognizes they need to keep up.”
Underneath the revised sheet metal, Acura will offer a new all-wheel-drive Sport Hybrid drivetrain as an option.
Powertrain details
Borrowed heavily from the RLX hybrid, this powertrain uses a 3.0-liter V-6 engine paired with three electric motors -- one powering the front wheels and a twin-motor unit powering the rear wheels.
The setup gives the MDX a 35-horsepower bump over the regular MDX for a total of 325 horsepower. The hybrid reaps its biggest dividends in city fuel economy, promising a seven-mpg increase over the regular gas model.
Power is pushed through a seven-speed dual-clutch unit and torque-vectoring will be standard.
Electrification
The MDX Sport Hybrid joins a growing list of luxury crossovers dipping their toes into electrification to save some money at the gas pump. Volvo, BMW and Mercedes-Benz already offer plug-in hybrid crossovers, Lexus has a pair of regular hybrid crossovers and Audi will bring a PHEV version of its new Q7 in the near future.
But their rise in popularity isn’t necessarily because consumers are screaming for them.
“What we see here, and what we’ve actually been projecting for a while, is automakers are having to push hybrids to the marketplace not because people are begging for them but because of CAFÉ regulations,” Ed Kim, vice president of industry analysis at AutoPacific told Automotive News. “They’ve got to sell these things, not just here but around the world, so it’s incumbent upon automakers to get people to see the value here.”
Yet Acura -- and any luxury brand peddling hybrid crossovers -- have their work cut out for them.
“Acura’s challenge here will be to adequately communicate what this car is about,” Kim said. “There’s still a disconnect in the minds of consumers as to what ‘hybrid’ really means. Almost everyone equates it with fuel economy, very few equate it with performance.”
Pricing
While Acura hasn’t announced pricing of the MDX Sport Hybrid, it won’t be cheap. The RLX hybrid starts at $60,890, a $5,500 premium over the regular RLX.
All MDX models will now come with a suite of safety technologies as standard gear. Dubbed AcuraWatch, the system includes pre-collision braking, lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control. The package was previously a $1,500 option.
The MDX has been one of Acura’s most popular models since its introduction in 2001. The current generation -- introduced for the 2014 model year -- has dominated the sales charts for Acura, making up a third of the brand’s entire sales volume in 2015. MDX U.S. sales dropped 11 percent last year to 58,208 deliveries.
The 2017 MDX goes on sale this summer while the Sport Hybrid rolls into dealerships in the fourth quarter of this year.
