MDX Prototype Preview: Most Premium & Performance-Focused SUV from Acura

The Acura MDX Prototype is a preview of the fourth-generation of the MDX, America’s all-time best-selling three-row luxury SUV.* The new MDX will assume the flagship role in the Acura lineup as the most premium, performance-focused, and technologically sophisticated SUV in the brand’s history.

Twenty years after the launch of the first-generation model, the bold new design and lavish interior of the new MDX will be accompanied by a set of new Acura technologies, an all-new performance-focused platform with MDX’s first-ever double wishbone front suspension, and the first application of the Type S high performance moniker to an Acura SUV.

“The new MDX marks a turning point for Acura as our new flagship and the most far-reaching effort yet to deliver on our Precision Crafted Performance brand promise,” said Jon Ikeda, vice president and Acura brand officer. “We knew we needed to deliver something more emotional and premium with performance at its core. This new MDX builds on the past 20 years of success and elevates the model to an even stronger position in the market.”

Exterior Design

The new MDX will be available in Liquid Carbon and Performance Red each with a matte finish. The upright grille and long sculpted hood embody the power and presence of the MDX. The signature three-dimensional diamond grille is accompanied by the signature Acura JewelEye LED headlights.

From the side, the 21-inch wheels have been pushed to the corners giving the Prototype a 3-inch longer wheelbase which improves ride quality, increases seating space in all three rows, and makes more versatile cargo hold.

Next Level Interior

The MDX prototype interior has a cleaner, more upright instrument panel with a wider structure. High-grade authentic materials trim the interior including open-pore wood with infused metallic flake, polished aluminum and soft-touch Milano leather.

A mix of Ebony and Light Orchid leather occupies the instrument panel and steering wheel with French stitched detailing. Next-generation Acura sport seats offer a more sculpted form with curved quilting in all three rows, gradient perforation, and high-contrast stitching and piping.

Advanced Technology

The MDX Prototype will debut Acura’s all-digital Precision Cockpit which replaces physical gauges with a customizable 12.3-inch driver’s meter. The new MDX also gains the latest generation of Acura’s intuitive and driver focused Tru Touchpad Interface.

All of this technology is featured on a 12.3-inch, full-HD center display controlled by an Acura-exclusive touchpad with “absolute positioning” and new CPU for improved performance.

The “Signature Edition” ELS STUDIO 3D® premium audio system in the MDX Prototype sets a new standard for concert-quality in-vehicle audio with more than 1000 watts of power, 22 discrete channels and 25 speakers.

This elevated tier of ELS system features six ceiling-mounted Highline™ speakers and six carbon fiber coned mid-range woofers including two positioned in the front console to create a “Center of the Studio” experience with perfect left to right balance.

Tuned and perfected by eight-time Grammy® award-winning music producer and sound engineer, Elliot Scheiner, this is the most advanced and powerful audio system ever offered in an Acura vehicle.

Performance at its Core

The fourth-generation MDX debuts an all-new light truck platform built for athletic handling, refined ride comfort and exceptional cabin quietness. The most rigid Acura SUV body to date, the new MDX is engineered to support Type S-levels of performance as well as advanced collision and pedestrian safety.

Anchored to the ultra-rigid new body is a new performance-focused chassis featuring MDX’s first-ever double wishbone front suspension, delivering sharp and sporty handling with improved road holding and ride comfort.

Further aiding handling and all-weather performance is Acura’s available fourth-generation Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®), the only dynamic torque vectoring technology in MDX’s competitive class, extracting maximum grip and cornering precision from the all-new chassis. Superior stopping performance is enabled with Brembo® four-piston brake calipers, finished in a striking Ivory paint, at all four corners.

Drivers can customize the ride, handling, steering, suspension and powertrain performance characteristics using the MDX’s Intelligent Dynamics System (IDS). The IDS unlocks a wider range of personalized driving experiences through pre-set modes as well as giving drivers the ability to customize an Individual dynamic driving mode via the NSX-inspired Drive Mode dial, positioned prominently on the center console.

Powering the fourth-generation MDX will be one of two new powertrains. Standard power will come from Acura’s 3.5-liter V6 with i-VTEC® valvetrain, connected to an incredibly responsive and refined 10-speed automatic transmission. The upcoming MDX Type S will feature a Type S-exclusive 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 producing an estimated 355 horsepower and 354 lb.-ft. of torque, the most powerful engine ever offered in an Acura SUV. All MDX Type S models will put power to the ground through Acura’s fourth-generation SH-AWD® system.

Twenty Years of MDX

Debuting in 2000 as the North American Truck of the Year, the original 2001 Acura MDX was the industry’s first three-row crossover SUV, defining an entirely new category of vehicles that now dominate the segment.

Over the past 20 years, across three generations of development, MDX has established itself as America’s all-time best-selling three-row luxury SUV and one of only a handful of luxury models to earn more than 1 million U.S. customers in the past two decades**. MDX also recently surpassed the TL as the best-selling Acura model of all-time.

The fourth-generation MDX will join its three predecessors as designed, developed and produced in North America. The all-new MDX will be built at the company’s East Liberty, Ohio, auto plant, while both the 3.5-liter V6 and new Type S-exclusive 3.0-liter Turbo V6 engines will be produced at the company’s Anna, Ohio, engine plant, which also manufactures the NSX supercar’s twin-turbocharged hybrid V6 power unit. Acura’s 10-speed automatic transmission is built exclusively at the company’s Tallapoosa, Georgia, transmission plant.

*1. Based MotorIntelligence cumulative total sales among all 3-row luxury SUVs and CUVs, Jan. 1980 – Aug. 2020.

**2. Based on MotorIntelligence cumulative total sales of all luxury models, Jan. 2000 – Aug. 2020