Car_and_Driver_USA_July_2017

Halo Bender
Acura’s MDX Sport Hybrid finds the
NSX supercar’s tech stash. _by Bengt Halvorson
HYBRID TECHNOLOGY PROMISES to advance our vehicles’ effciency,
performance, and gratification, even if it saddles them
with more mass. But that hybrid halo is often illusory. In many luxury
hybrids, off-the-rack gasoline-electric technology yields an
underwhelming, slow-witted driving experience, even if the cars
are occasionally quicker than their less expensive nonhybrid
counterparts.
The Acura MDX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD is a rare exception, and
one that lives up to its potential—at least in our first drive, without
the instruments attached. Credit goes to the hybrid-electric hardware
from the NSX supercar paired with a less potent six-cylinder
engine. The technology that makes the NSX both highly capable
and approachably benign improves the driving experience and effciency
of this high-riding six- or seven-passenger family wagon.
The nonhybrid MDX SH-AWD is itself
stellar. It’s among the best-handling threerow
crossovers, with precise, nicely
weighted steering and well-controlled vertical
body motions. The Sport Hybrid ramps
up the tractive teamwork in corners, applying
resistance (and recovering energy) at
one rear wheel while delivering forward
drive to the other, achieving a more nuanced
and more effective form of torque vectoring
than the nonhybrid version can deliver. The
hybrid system also does away with a
mechanical connection between the engine
and the rear axle. Instead, a 3.0-liter V-6 up
front is paired with two 36-hp motor/generators
at the rear. A third electric motor, rated
at 47 horsepower, is geared to the input shaft
of the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
transmission and has three roles: delivering
supplemental torque, smoothing shifts, and
acting as a generator. The entire system
makes 321 horsepower and 289 pound-feet
of torque, or 31 horses and 22 pound-feet
more than the nonhybrid models.
Vivid
powertrain
response, great
city mpg, no
packaging
compromises.
Infotainment
remains
an ergonomic
disaster, token
third row, forget
about towing.
The seven-speed transmission and hybrid motors are all business,
ripping through the gears with quickness and grace. You hear
shifts more than feel them, and the rush of passing power starts
even before the transmission has downshifted. Moving along with
city traffc, it’s clear that Acura’s hybrid know-how extends beyond
mountain-road esses. The hybrid system brings the V-6 seamlessly
into the mix with a wet multiplate clutch, finessing the low-speed
drivability issues that can plague such a setup. Accelerate gently and
the MDX hybrid launches silently in electric-drive mode. The V-6
comes on shortly thereafter, although it often switches off when
coasting at speeds up to 56 mph.
Most of the standard MDX’s driving
experience remains. There’s a fair amount
of body lean, but the adaptive dampers do
filter out harshness. Push hard into tight
corners and you might find yourself dialing
in too much steering input, as the outside
rear motor nudges the vehicle’s rotation,
preempting understeer. Four driving modes
vary throttle response, steering effort, and
damper behavior. Sport-plus mode keeps
the engine running all the time.
Acura says the hybrid kit adds 227
pounds to the standard all-wheel-drive
model, but the addition of the 1.3-kWh lithium-ion
battery pack has minimal effect on
packaging. The ground clearance is the
same as that of the standard MDX, seating
is comfortable in the first two rows and
good enough for kids in the third, and cargo
space is uncompromised.
Given the boost of 8 mpg in the city and 1
mpg on the highway versus the standard allwheel-drive
MDX, and the extra cost of just
$1500, the only reason to avoid the hybrid
might be that trailering isn’t recommended
due to transmission durability concerns.
DOUBLE DOUBLE
Two 36-hp electric motor/
generators on the rear axle
provide propulsion as well
as torque vectoring.
2017 ACURA MDX
SPORT HYBRID
SH-AWD
VEHICLE TYPE: frontengine,
front- and rearmotor,
all-wheel-drive,
6- or 7-passenger,
4-door hatchback
BASE PRICE: $52,935
POWERTRAIN: SOHC
24-valve 3.0-liter V-6,
257 hp, 218 lb-ft; 1 front
permanent-magnet
synchronous AC electric
motor, 47 hp, 109 lb-ft; 2
rear permanent-magnet
synchronous AC electric
motors, 36 hp (each),
54 lb-ft (each); combined
system, 321 hp, 289 lb-ft
BATTERY: air-cooled
lithium-ion, 1.3 kWh
TRANSMISSION:
7-speed dual-clutch
automatic with manual
shifting mode
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE: 111.0 in
LENGTH: 196.2 in
WIDTH: 77.7 in
HEIGHT: 67.4 in
PASSENGER VOLUME:
132 cu ft
CARGO VOLUME:
15 cu ft
CURB WEIGHT: 4500 lb
PERFORMANCE
(C/D EST)
ZERO TO 60 MPH:
5.8 sec
ZERO TO 100 MPH:
16.3 sec
1/4-MILE: 14.5 sec
TOP SPEED: 110 mph
FUEL ECONOMY
EPA COMBINED/CITY/
HWY: 27/26/27 mpg
108 . CAR AND DRIVER . JUL/2017