2014 Acura MDX SH-AWD - Spring Updatehttp://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1404-2014-acura-mdx-april-update/“This is a really good crossover because it toes the line between enthusiast desires and mainstream consumer appeal.”
No matter the season, our 2014 Acura MDX remains in nearly constant motion. As many staffers’ road trip vehicle of choice, the three-row crossover once again loaded up the miles last month.
The first to take the reins was staff photographer Patrick Hoey. Hoey has driven the 2014 Acura MDX thousands of miles of several photo shoots, visiting states as distant and South Carolina, Kentucky, and Indiana. On his most recent journey, Hoey loaded the MDX with camera gear to shoot our comparison test of a 2015 Chrysler 200 and a Honda Accord.
All that time behind the wheel has left Hoey lukewarm about our blue crossover. “The MDX is a really competent road-trip car, and it’s very comfortable,” he reports. “Even so, it’s inoffensive to the extreme. I don’t really get excited about driving it.”
Once the snow finally melted, we took the 2014 Acura MDX to our local Discount Tire to swap the winter rubber for the factory Michelin Latitude Tour HP all-season tires. The operation took less than an hour and cost us just $100.
Close inspection revealed that our 2014 Acura MDX had suffered during the winter. Road grime sullied the 19-inch wheels and dirtied the paint, and the carpets were encrusted with road salt. To make our luxury crossover shine again, we washed, waxed, vacuumed, polished, shined, and cleaned out the car during an office-wide spring-cleaning session. At the end of the day, the MDX was spotless, but given how often it’s used for long-haul trips, during which occupants regularly eat and drink while on the move, it’s only a matter of time before the Acura MDX needs another freshening.
In fact, the day after we hosed it down, the 2014 Acura MDX rushed off to Greensboro, North Carolina. Associate web editor Joey Capparella and his family drove there to attend a wedding and squeezed as many as seven people inside for short stints. He reports that the rear-seat DVD player had no problem blasting Disney’s Frozen and that the navigation system never gave a bum direction during more than 1200 miles of driving. Overall, he was far more impressed by the MDX than was Hoey.
“This is a really good crossover because it toes the line between enthusiast desires and mainstream consumer appeal,” Capparella said. “It stayed planted and responsive on twisting mountain roads in West Virginia, yet the ride was still comfortable and quiet.”
On the other hand, he doesn’t recommend regularly carrying seven passengers. "The third row is not a nice place to be for an extended period of time. You don’t get much air conditioning from the vents (which are located at the back of the center console), the floor is too high to get your legs in a comfortable position, and the backrest forces you to sit at a very upright angle," Capparella said.
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http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1404-2014-acura-mdx-april-update/#ixzz30RsAwAIa Body style 4-door crossover
Accommodation 7-passenger
Construction Steel unibody
Base price (with dest.)$57,400
As tested $57,400
Engine 24-valve SOHC V-6
Displacement 3.5 liters (212 cu in)
Power 290hp @ 6200 rpm
Torque 267lb-ft @ 4500 rpm
Transmission 6-speed automatic
Drive 4-wheel
EPA Fuel Economy 18/27/21 (city/hwy/combined)
Steering Electrically assisted
Lock-to-lock 3.1 turns
Turning circle 37.6 ft
Suspension, Front Strut-type, coil springs
Suspension, Rear Multilink, coil springs
Brakes F/R Vented discs/discs
Wheels 19-inch aluminum
Tires Michelin Latitude Tour HP
Tire size 245/55R-19 103H
Headroom F/R 38.1/38.3/35.6 in
Legroom F/R 41.4/36.6/28.1 in
Shoulder room F/R 61.1/59.1/54.7 in
Wheelbase 111.0 in
Track F/R 66.3/66.3 in
L x W x H 193.6 x 77.2 x 66.7 in
Passenger capacity 132.3 cu ft
Cargo capacity (behind r/m/f row)15.8/45.1/90.9 cu ft
Weight 4318 lb
Weight dist. F/R 57.9/42.1%
Fuel capacity 19.5 gal
Est. fuel range 410 miles
Fuel grade 91 octane (premium)
Standard Equipment
Milano leather-trimmed interior
Heated and ventilated front seats
Heated second-row outboard seats
115-volt power outlet
Adaptive cruise control
Forward collision prevention
Lane keeping assist
Keyless entry and ignition
Remote start
Rearview camera
Bluetooth
10-way power driver’s seat
Power tailgate
Power sunroof
LED headlights
Automatic tri-zone climate control
Rear seat entertainment w/16.2-inch display
Auto-dimming rearview and exterior mirrors
Front and rear parking assist
Navigation w/real-time traffic updates
Blind spot monitoring system
SiriusXM satellite radio
ELS Studio 12-speaker audio system
Roof rails
Rear sunshades
Read more:
http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/12_month_car_reviews/1404-2014-acura-mdx-april-update/#ixzz30RsP4Quy