Acura MDX Prototype: A Glimpse Into the Near Future

The fourth-generation Acura MDX is here. Sort of.

Acura hasn’t actually launched the next MDX, but it has taken the cover off a prototype that previews the upcoming re-done crossover. There is a lot new, as we teased before, but the looks remain relatively familiar.

The MDX will go on sale early next year, and the changes include a shift to a lower, wider stance, digital instrumentation in the cabin, the addition of a Type S trim, and a new front suspension.

Let’s start with the exterior styling. It doesn’t appear like a radical departure in photos – the Acura grille that we’ve gotten used to remains, for example. The biggest difference is the lower, wider stance and the greenhouse moving further back, which adds six more inches between the dash and axle.

The front lights are LED – both DRLs and headlamps – and there are integrated fog lamps.

Acura has lengthened the wheelbase by almost 3 inches, and the prototype sports 21-inch wheels. There are LED taillamps in back.

Inside, the prototype has more legroom in all three rows than the outgoing model, along with more headroom in the first and third rows. There’s a panoramic sunroof. There’s LED ambient lighting that is meant to evoke famous roads and race tracks, and the front seats have a massage function. The gauges go full digital, in a 12.3-inch screen, and 12.3 inches is also the size of the updated infotainment touchscreen that occupies the center stack. That infotainment system also has a touchpad controller.

There’s a premium audio system with 1,000 watts and 25 speakers, and safety goodies include road-departure mitigation, traffic-jam assist, and low-speed braking control. The last two are new, while the first of those three is “enhanced”.

A double-wishbone front suspension is meant to improve performance, as are Brembo brakes. All-wheel-drive with torque vectoring remains available. Multiple drive modes, including a driver-customizable one, are available.

A 3.5-liter V6 and 10-speed automatic transmission is the main powertrain choice, but the Type S trim will offer a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 making an estimated 355 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque and have AWD standard.

The next MDX will be built in Ohio, though final assembly won’t be in the same exact town in the Buckeye State as the production of the engine. The engine will be built in Anna, Ohio, and final assembly will be about 40 miles away in East Liberty. Mostly built in Ohio, we should say, since the transmission will be built in Georgia – the American state, not the country. Type S versions won’t ship until summer 2021.

Expect more details to come forth before the launch early next year.

[Images: Acura]