Acura’s best-seller undergoes a transformation for the 2017 model year, featuring the brand’s new diamond pentagon grille and most importantly, an available Sport Hybrid powertrain – the same one that makes Acura’s flagship RLX sedan such a great drive.
The top trim MDX Sport Hybrid is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 with Variable Cylinder Management mated to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission with an integrated electric motor powering the front wheels and a Twin Motor Unit with 2 electric motors providing power to the rear wheels. This allows for torque vectoring which gets the MDX through the twisty roads with greater cornering precision as well as improving straight line performance. And because it’s a gas-electric hybrid, this model earns an estimated 7mpg fuel economy rating increase over the non-hybrid MDX with SH-AWD putting it at 26mpg in combined driving.
This new model is also available with Technology and Advance Packages adding a new Active Sport Suspension as part of the Integrated Dynamics System, with Comfort, Normal, Sport and the new Sport+ driving mode. On the safety front, AcuraWatch is now standard on all MDX grades. It includes Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow plus other camera- and radar-based technologies. Inside, increased standard luxury and technology features have been added including 4 USB ports in the front. Advance models can also be equipped with 2nd row captain’s chairs.
The best-selling 3-row luxury SUV of all time, the 2017 MDX is available in Base, SH-AWD and Sport Hybrid.
By TestDriveNow Auto Critic Steve Hammes for SouthFloridaReporter.com. April 11, 2016
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