Motorweek 2001 Acura MDX Road Test

Motorweek 2001 Acura MDX Road Test. I don’t own this video.

With the unstoppable popularity of suvs it’s no surprise that nearly every automaker on the planet wants to sell one now some like acura forms partnerships to rebadge an existing suv to quickly establish a presence but in an increasingly crowded and fickle market they learned that buyers are looking for something unique and it’s hard to call something your own

When it’s running around under two or three different names so for acura the answer was to hit the drawing boards with one goal in mind to create an accurate suv that would set new benchmarks in luxury suv performance and they call it the mdx foreign acura mdx one of the smoothest running and handling suvs on the planet as acura designers and engineers have struck

A near perfect balance between their sophisticated sedan and capable sport utility and it’s evident the instant you open the door and slide into the wide roomy interior once behind the wheel you’ll appreciate the comfort and support offered by the eight-way power perforated leather bucket seat choose the mdx touring package in the front passenger seat gains power

Adjustments too seed heat for both as standard the center stacked to the right provides a home for the automatic climate controls acura’s dvd satellite navigation system and a cassette cd stereo move to the back and again you’ll immediately notice how easy it is to enter and exit and while the seat bottoms are rather flat and firm the seat backs are reclinable and

There’s plenty of leg room should you decide to take on a couple of extra passengers the mdx can handle them 2 with these clever third row seats that pull up out of the floor when needed fold both the third and second row seats and the mdx will accommodate 81.5 cubic feet of your most treasured stuff and with this smooth 3.5 liter single overhead cam 24 valve vtec

V6 under the hood move them just about anywhere you want in a civilized manner this 50-state ultra low emissions engine is deceptively powerful too with 240 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque on tap the mdx took us to 60 and only 7.6 seconds and on through the quarter mile and 15.9 seconds at 87 miles per hour the wide ratio 5-speed automatic transmission

Delivers seamless shifts although a more aggressive downshift would inspire more confidence when passing but there’s no lack of confidence when it comes to the mdx’s lightweight variable torque management four-wheel drive system vtm-4 uses an open front differential and electronically controlled clutch packs to deliver power to the rear wheels when needed but

Unlike some systems that are activated only when wheel slippage is detected the vtm-4 system anticipates the need for all-wheel drive and engages the rear wheels before wheels slip occurs the system seems perfect for all-weather on-road applications and modest off-road work the driver can also temporarily lock the front and rear axles together to help extract

The mdx if it gets stuck the gear shift must be in first second or reverse and the system unlocks at 18 miles per hour once unstuck and up to speed with four wheel disc 4 channel abs brakes the mdx is fully capable of bringing you quickly to a halt but it’s not without a little drama with average stops from 60 of 132 feet our drivers noticed a tendency for the

Rear end to step out slightly causing the need for a bit of correction the same stepping out characteristic was noticed in runs through our low speed slalom as well due most likely to the soft springs of the fully independent suspension and the mdx’s healthy 4 328 pound curb weight but out on the road that softly sprung suspension pays big dividends as the mdx

Offers a ride that rivals the best midsize sedan acura is expecting the mdx to pay big dividends in the showroom as well and with a well-equipped model priced in an estimated 35 thousand dollars their sales goal of 35 000 to 40 000 units in the first year should be no problem with an increasingly selective but still suv thirsty public enjoying the ride of a robust

Economy the 2001 acura mdx is another tantalizing choice at the burgeoning sport youth buffet and while acura may be a bit late to the suv party at least this time they’re coming in their own ride foreign i hope you’ll join us next week for more motorweek well we’ll test the latest and hottest edition of america’s premier sports car the chevrolet corvette z06

And toyota’s latest open air offering the solar convertible i’m john davis we’ll see you then to learn more about motorweek television’s original automotive magazine visit us online at pbs.org or america online keyword pbs motorweek has been brought to you by priceline.com with priceline.com you name your own price for new cars all makes and models of cars trucks

Sport utility vehicles minivans and more when you log on to priceline.com you name your own price and buy equal to performance in cars light trucks and suvs equal reduces tire vibrations so your tires can meet the road more evenly equal for added safety stability and handling for the life of your tires and by pep boys no matter what you drive pepboys has over 27

000 items in stock virtually any part for any car with all the name brands you know plus service base staffed with asc certified technicians pep boys parts tires accessories service foreign

Transcribed from video
Motorweek 2001 Acura MDX Road Test By Hondata97