Acura announced today that the all-new MDX luxury sport-utility vehicle will makes its debut at Acura dealers nationwide on October 5 as a 2001 model. The MDX will be priced in the mid-$30,000 range with a first year sales plan of 35,000 to 40,000 units. The MDX is Acura's first designed-from-the-ground-up sport-utility vehicle -- a fully-featured luxury SUV that delivers exhilarating performance and a versatile seven-passenger interior in combination with outstanding all-weather handling, class-leading fuel economy, ultra-low emissions and an expected five-star level safety rating.
"The MDX is a no-compromise SUV," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president, Acura division. "It is the first luxury sport-utility vehicle to deliver both the sport and the utility consumers desire in one thoroughly refined package."
Powered by an advanced, all-aluminum, 3.5-liter, 24-valve VTEC V6 engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission, the MDX produces 240 horsepower and 245 pound-feet of torque. Driving power to all four wheels is Acura's innovative new VTM-4 (Variable Torque Management 4WD) system. The VTM-4 system employs advanced electronic sensing and control mechanisms to monitor the vehicle's dynamic condition and to pro-actively apportion engine torque between the front and rear wheels before wheel spin occurs for outstanding driveability and control in dry, wet, snowy and icy road conditions. A unique locking feature, activated by a button on the instrument panel, sends maximum torque to the rear wheels for use is low-speed/low-traction and "stuck" conditions. All MDX models sold nationwide will meet California's stringent Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) standards with estimated city/highway ratings of 17/23 MPG, the best overall fuel economy performance of any vehicle in its class -- making the MDX one of the cleanest and most efficient SUVs on the road today.
The MDX also features a highly versatile seven-passenger interior with second- and third-row seats that split and fold flat into the floor to accommodate a wide-variety of passenger- and cargo-carrying configurations. All seven seats are equipped with headrests and three-point seatbelts. The MDX also provides the highest levels of safety for all passengers and is equipped with a comprehensive list of advanced safety features including dual-threshold front airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and an advanced passenger side airbag system with occupant sensing capabilities. Internal crash test data confirms an expected NHTSA five-star rating in safety performance for all passengers in frontal and side collisions. Like all Acura products, the MDX comes equipped with a comprehensive list of standard luxury features including leather seating surfaces* and door inserts; power windows, door locks and mirrors; power tilt and sliding moonroof; cruise control; seven-speaker AM/FM/Cassette stereo with in-dash CD player; power adjustable heated front seats; alloy wheels and a multi-function digital trip computer. *First and second row seats only. The MDX is offered with an optional Touring package, which adds a two- position driver's seat and mirror memory system; 8-way power adjustable passenger seat; roof rack; reverse-mode tilting passenger mirror, exclusive alloy wheel design and an upgraded 200-watt, eight speaker Acura/Bose music system with in-dash, 6-disc CD changer.
Available as a stand alone factory option is the Acura Navigation System with DVD (digital versatile disc), which contains mapping of the entire continental U.S. and features a nationwide directory of 3.7-million points of interest, restaurants, hotels, ATMs and a number of other categories.
The MDX was designed and developed by the company's Los Angeles and Ohio R&D centers and will be assembled by Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Ontario, Canada.