Acura MDX Significantly Enhanced for 2010
TORONTO7/29/2009
TORONTO (July 29, 2009) – The Canadian-built Acura MDX luxury SUV features a fresh new exterior look for the 2010 model year, along with a revised powertrain that includes a new 6-speed automatic transmission, refined V-6 engine, chassis refinements, more comfort and advanced technologies.
"The Acura MDX has been a leader in the Intermediate Luxury SUV segment, with sales up this year, and the new 2010 MDX is designed to strengthen its place in this segment," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president, Honda Canada Inc. "The enhanced appearance and new powertrain, along with new customer-relevant technologies, make MDX a leading-edge vehicle choice for Canadians."
The 2010 MDX exterior gets a fresh new look as a result of Acura's signature design front grille, a new front fascia, revised hood, new side sills, a new rear fascia matched with rolled edge polished stainless-steel exhaust finishers, revised taillights with brighter LED lights, many new trim pieces, and standard 19-inch diameter 7-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels on the MDX Elite Package.
Ride and handling have been enhanced as a result of a revised power steering system, stiffer rear trailing arm mounting, body rigidity improvements and reduced overall NVH (noise, vibration and harshness). Acura's exclusive Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®) system provides confident on- and off-road handling in addition to excellent winter weather performance.
Inside, the 2010 MDX benefits from the expanded use of Milano leather, a new thicker sport steering wheel with racing-inspired paddle shifters, new gauges, easier-to-understand button placement for centre stack functions, power tailgate and upgraded interior trim.
Other available features include ventilated front seats, a new full VGA 8-inch navigation screen, a new rear view camera with three view choices, upgraded rear entertainment system, an enhanced audio system with a dedicated 15-GB hard disk drive (HDD) and USB port connectivity, and more.
Advanced technologies that are standard items on the 2010 MDX Elite Package include an all-new Blind Spot Information System for accident avoidance by alerting the driver of adjacent vehicles when changing lanes, and an Active Damper System with “Comfort” and “Sport” modes for elevated levels of handling precision while maintaining a smooth ride.
Additional advanced technologies standard on the 2010 MDX Elite Package include Adaptive Cruise Control which uses radar installed behind the grill to detect the speed and distance of the vehicle ahead of it and automatically adjust speed in order to maintain a proper distance between vehicles in the same lane, and Acura's unique Collision Mitigation Braking System™ which is designed to reduce the likelihood of a collision by alerting the driver to potential collision situations and activating the brakes if the system determines a likely collision is unavoidable.
Acura’s Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA®) on the MDX Elite Package has been re-tuned for enhanced safety to deliver a 10-per cent improvement in performance during hard acceleration on slippery surfaces.
For 2010 the MDX receives a new 3.7-litre VTEC® V-6. The engine continues Acura's longstanding mission to provide V-8 level horsepower and torque while retaining the size and fuel efficiency of a V-6. Based on the previous MDX's powerplant, the newly refined 3.7L V-6 develops 300 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque to provide immediate throttle response, outstanding low- and mid-range torque, and excellent high-rpm power.
The 3.7L V-6 is coupled with an all-new Sequential SportShift 6-speed automatic transmission along with a new multi-clutch torque converter for enhanced acceleration and optimized fuel efficiency and quiet cruising. The transmission offers two automatic shift modes, or can be operated manually via steering wheel paddle shifters. Grade Logic Control, Shift Hold Control, Cornering G Shift Control and Hill Start Assist make the new 6-speed the most advanced automatic transmission ever offered by Acura.
The North American-designed and engineered MDX will go on sale across Canada at the beginning of December. Pricing will be announced in late October. Acura is the luxury-performance division of Honda Canada Inc. Seven distinct vehicles (CSX, TSX, TL, RL, RDX, ZDX and MDX) are marketed under the Acura brand. The Acura ZDX, MDX and CSX are produced, along with Canada’s best-selling passenger car – Honda Civic – at the Honda of Canada Mfg. facility in Alliston, Ontario.
