Video: 2017 Acura MDX Review

Acura has a new pentagon shaped grill it's been trying out, and the MDX gets it for the 2017 model year. It's inspired by the Acura Precision Concept car, and though the look is different than what was there before, it's not necessarily better. Will it bring over shoppers from BMW or Audi? I don't think so just on that alone. Unlike some multimedia systems that make you perform tasks certain ways, whether you like it or not, Acura has gone to the other extreme, but this has its own shortcomings too. The MDX has two screens, one of which is a touch screen, a knob controller, and physical buttons, and it gives you a lot of different ways to interact with your media, but it can be confusing at times. And I kinda like a simpler setup, like Chrysler's UConnect touchscreen to keep things more manageable. One big feature that's missing is Apple CarPlay, and Android auto smartphone connectivity, and the helpful LaneWatch camera system that seen on cars from parent company Honda is strangely not available in the MDX. The MDX adopts a push button gear selector in place of a conventional shifter for its nine speed automatic transmission. There are different shape buttons for park, reverse, neutral, and drive. And I've been driving the MDX now for a couple of days, and I find it harder to use overall than a conventional transmission, mainly because even though there are these different shaped buttons, you really have to confirm what you're doing when you're changing gears by looking down at it. Another theoretical advantage of this type of shifter is that it can free up more space on the center console for things like cup holders, or more storage space. But in this case, it takes up the same amount of room as a conventional shifter, so you don't get that benefit. Our MDX seats up to seven with its standard split bench, second row seat, but there's a six seat version available with optional captain's chairs in a center console, and that's new for this year. The bench slides forward and backward, letting you take some leg room from the third row when it's not in use, and the seat's comfortable to fit adult passengers. Pressing a button slides the seat out of the way to access the third row, which is a neat trick, and another button does the same thing when you need to get out of the third row. That third row though is quite small and clearly meant for young kids, or shorter passengers. Rear seat video systems are increasingly being supplanted by smartphones and tablets for in-car entertainment, but that hasn't stopped automakers from coming out with unique systems like the MDX's available Ultra wide screen setup, featuring a 16.2 inch screen. The system can show two sources at once like a movie and a video game, and it comes with a number of connectivity ports. The MDX delivers that kind of quiet, comfortable driving experience you'd expect, and it's three rows of seats makes it great for families. What it needs though, is a redo of its interfaces to make them easier to use.