Welcome to sunny San Diego
(Credit: CNET Networks)You just don't expect snow in San Diego, but that's what we got last week at a launch event for the 2009 Acura TSX. Due to the terms of an embargo, we have to hold off on giving you any information on our driving experiences from the event, but we can tell you that, thanks to a freak snowstorm, we ended up stuck on a mountainside for the better part of three hours, much of it waiting for a snowplow to come and clear us a path to safety. Usually, this would have been a tedious wait, but by a great stroke of good fortune, your correspondent found himself in a car with Dan Bonawitz, vice president of corporate planning and logistics at American Honda. Bonawitz had some interesting things to say about some of the technologies on forthcoming Acura and Honda vehicles (aside from the top-secret 2009 TSX in which we were driving).
First, he mentioned that Acura's Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), currently exclusive to the flagship RL sedan, would likely make its way to other models in the U.S. lineup in the future. While we're not expecting to see the radar-based system in the redesigned TL sedan, due to be unveiled later this year, we wouldn't be surprised to see it on future iterations of the MDX or RDX SUVs. The second tech-related tidbit was that Honda is not intending to bring the Internavi Premium Club to the United States. Internavi is a subscription-based service currently available in Japan that provides weather and user-submitted geotags on points of interest to drivers via an Internet connection. Instead, Bonawitz said that Acura vehicles in the United States would continue to use the AcuraLink architecture to stream data such as traffic and weather to their GPS navigation systems. Asked when Honda would be bringing out a successor to the Honda S2000, Bonawitz said that we can expect to see the current-generation model "for at least another year," which suggests to us that there might be something in the works for 2010. According to Bonawitz, 2010 is also the prospective date for introduction of Acura's delayed "NSX-replacement" V-10-powered supercar, which is expected to be based on Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept.
The Acura MDX is a full-size SUV.
(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)With amenities such as navigation with live traffic reporting and a phenomenal stereo system, Acura led the way in car technology with its RL and RDX models. Now it has taken the tech from those cars and loaded it into the full-size MDX SUV. We just got the 2007 Acura MDX in at CNET Car Tech, and this car gives us a lot to chew on. As with many SUVs these days, the MDX gets a third row of seats. With its relatively short body, the third row occupies most of the cargo area, so you can either haul six people or four people and luggage.
Steering wheel controls are cleaner than in the RDX.
(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)In our initial cruising, we found the MDX's acceleration to be adequate but not spectacular. There's no rush as you jam down the accelerator, largely due to the 3.7-liter V-6. Honda/Acura doesn't do V-8s, not even in its Ridgeline pickup truck. While we appreciate that the company doesn't overpower its cars, fuel economy isn't completely wonderful here, with an EPA rated 17mpg city/22mpg highway for the MDX. One culprit for the relatively low highway number is the five-speed transmission--we're surprised Acura hasn't gone to a six-speed in the MDX. By comparison, the Chrysler Pacifica we reviewed recently has a 4-liter V-6 mated to a six-speed automatic, and it posts 24mpg on the highway.
The phone system is operated by voice commands.
(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)Power train issues aside, the cabin of the MDX is a very satisfying place to be. It has a big, 9-inch LCD which shows navigation, music, and other car information. The navigation system shows live traffic through XM radio's traffic data channel. The stereo is the top-grade ELS Surround Sound System, which came very close to winning our 2006 Best Audio System award. As befits an SUV, there is also a rear-seat DVD system to keep the kids entertained on long drives, complete with wireless headphones and three headphone jacks. There is also a Bluetooth cell phone system.
One thing we particularly like about Acuras is the voice-command system, which is present in the MDX. The commands are pretty intuitive, and the voice recognition is superb. There is also a voice-command system for controlling the phone system. We weren't particularly impressed that the car has two disparate systems like this, with two different buttons for issuing navigation or phone commands. But at least the control interface, which we complained about in the Acura RDX, has been cleaned up in the MDX.
Look for our full review of the 2007 Acura MDX on CNET Car Tech next week.
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