{"id":801430,"date":"2019-11-15T16:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-11-15T23:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=374559"},"modified":"2019-11-15T16:00:56","modified_gmt":"2019-11-15T23:00:56","slug":"mountain-wheels-acuras-mdx-gains-low-key-flash-in-the-awd-a-spec-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/mountain-wheels-acuras-mdx-gains-low-key-flash-in-the-awd-a-spec-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Wheels: Acura\u2019s MDX gains low-key flash in the AWD A-Spec edition"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The popular Acura MDX continues to provide stylish and capable three-row comfort, enhanced by the A-Spec package. <\/strong>
Courtesy photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Over the years, Acura\u2019s MDX has been a favorite of the mid-upscale SUV set. But I had forgotten that it\u2019s still one of the more pleasant and even vaguely sporty examples of a now-overcrowded category, even more so in the A-Spec edition, which I drove a week or so back.<\/p>\n

That slightly flashier model receives red leather and black suede sport seats, a lot of stylish dark chrome exterior trim and a full console of carbon-fiber-look trim to sex up the interior \u2014 all for $56,295. For 2020 models, MDX begins at $45,395, and a hybrid version begins at $53,895.<\/p>\n

In a back-to-back test with the Honda Pilot, I have to say that I really liked the MDX\u2019s lower, wider stance and much wider tires, providing a more stable, early-winter ride.<\/p>\n

I also realized I totally underestimated MDX\u2019s size, parking it about a micron from a somewhat older Hyundai Santa Fe that I mentally envisioned being about the same size.<\/p>\n

Lo and behold, MDX is much longer and capacious than its height would suggest, with a full set of third-row seats hidden in the back. But it does not drive or feel like a standard three-row monster, and the 290-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 \u2014 an engine that\u2019s becoming a bit of a rarity in a world of 2.0-liter turbo motors \u2014 also gave it enough spunk to make me feel like I was driving a smaller machine while still generating about 25 mpg.<\/p>\n

Put it to the test, and the engine is capable of careening power or confident uphill blasts, and the addition of Acura\u2019s Super-Handling AWD system also made it feel entirely grounded during a run up and over Loveland Pass. Braking, too, is right on the money, and the nine-speed transmission could be paddle shifted to help slow the action on the ride down.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen lots of variations on Acura\u2019s style calendar over the years, but the current MDX achieves a pretty balanced blend of striking but not overly showy design. A-Spec gets a darkly outlined version of the new Superman logo-styled grille emblem, with starburst lines flowing out to the sides, bookended by five-lens LED headlamps with daytime running lamp surrounds. That all sits on top of a black-outlined mesh grille and three-lens fog lamps; a gently curved and creased hood makes it all very appealing.<\/p>\n

Mine rode on black smoked 20-inch chrome wheels, shaped like propeller blades; all around the vehicle, the dark trim is a nice effect, including a blacked-out air dam above the rear glass and under-bumper aerodynamic effects \u2013 plus giant, boastful exhaust ports.<\/p>\n

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\"Andy
Andy Stonehouse<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Minus the audacity of those red seats, they end up being broad and supportive, though I got some sort of odd mid-back wiggle sensation each time I came to a stop. Side mirrors are in a low position, and side and forward visibility is pretty good despite fairly large A-pillars.<\/p>\n

To reach the second or third rows, both sides of the second row seating flip and slide forward with the press of a button; second-row seating is taller but offers the same stiffly sporty sensation.<\/p>\n

Overall cabin design and interior style remains top of the class here with a smooth and elegantly angled dash, vibrant arches across the doors and some brilliant instruments \u2014 sharp looks and layout. Acura (and Honda) are still playing with a double-stacked set of monitors, which still borders on overkill, but the controls are easy to access and for the first time, I got the hang of a largely digitized bank of heat, fan and seat-heat controls contained in one of those screens \u2014 plus a big navigation control knob for the rest.<\/p>\n

The pushbutton transmission, all laid out in one vertical strip, also makes sense after you\u2019ve used it for a week. And other than on-screen warnings saying you have to absolutely floor the brake pedal for the engine auto-stop function to engage (which is not a bad idea, really), it was all pretty intuitive.<\/p>\n

A sliding lid with rubber strips does a good job of holding your phone and slides and tilts, revealing an unusually large under-the-elbow storage space.<\/p>\n

If you decide to go the hybrid route, it\u2019s probably an even sportier experience, as the 3.0-liter engine and a three-motor electric AWD system provide 321 overall horsepower, notching mileage up to 27 mpg, highway and city combined. <\/p>\n

Andy Stonehouse\u2019s column \u201cMountain Wheels\u201d publishes Saturdays in the Summit Daily News. Stonehouse has worked as an editor and writer in Colorado since 1998, focusing on automotive coverage since 2004. He lives in Greeley. Contact him at rossandrewstonehouse@gmail.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The popular Acura MDX continues to provide stylish and capable three-row comfort, enhanced by the A-Spec package. Courtesy photo Over the years, Acura\u2019s MDX has been a favorite of the mid-upscale SUV set. But I had forgotten that it\u2019s still one of the more pleasant and even vaguely sporty examples of a now-overcrowded category, even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-801430","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-26 20:11:37","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=801430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/801430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=801430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=801430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=801430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}