Rx for big SUVs: Make them look like crossovers, add tech, boost mpg
Autor: carlos eduardo | Publicado: 2013-04-13T18:59:00-07:00




Take a look at the 2014 Acura MDX at the New York International Show. It appears more like a crossover or tall station wagon. Ditto the new Toyota Highlander. With $4 gasoline looking more permanent, larger SUVs are getting sleeker and they’re beefing up technology features for safety and infotainment. The Acura will get just under 30 mpg in highway driving with a new front-drive version. The driver has access to virtually every manner of assistance, including lane departure warning that keeps the car centered in lane on highways.

The Acura MDX is best thought of as a BMW X5 or Mercedes-Benz ML minus $5,000 in sticker price and with no diesel options. The 2014 model MDX gets lower to look sleeker, then makes efficient front-drive an option for the V6 “Earth Dreams” (high-efficiency, low emissions) gasoline engine. Add in cylinder deactivation (and add noise canceling to deal with any unsoothing V6 engine sounds), subtract 275 pounds of weight, and the front-drive gets 20 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, 23 mpg overall. The all-wheel-drive version is 18/27/21, still a big jump from the 2013 MDX’s 16/21/18. Trade your old MDX (that was all-wheel drive-only) for a front-drive MDX and highway economy improves by 33%.



Fewer buttons in favor of haptic touchscreen

Acuras have always had fewer cylinders (stopping wisely at six) and more buttons than the competition: some were pushing 60 in the center stack. The button count is way down now and there are three color LCDs: 8 inches with haptic feedback atop the center stack for navigation, 7 inches below for infotainment, and 4.2 inches in the instrument cluster&nbsp;that repeats some of the center stack info. The center stack screens use touch; the Acura controller of years past handles only a handful of functions now. Acura&nbsp;like other automakers is getting pushback from buyers who want tech but not tech complexity. It remains to be seen if drivers will appreciate the long stretch to the upper right corner of the top LCD display.&nbsp;

Speaking of tech, the MDX will have just about everything: lane keep assist with self-centering, stop and go adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, and collision mitigation braking. The center console holds two iPads. A rear camera is standard. Rear seat infotainment screens can be as big as 16.2 inches. The AcuraLink infotainment system now offers upgradeable cloud-based services, meaning you can connect to online services through your cellphone and control them from the center stack.

It’s not high tech but the coolest family feature is a push button on the sides of the center seats: Push the round button and the seat glides forward for access to the third row. Acura made the button round so you aren’t confused with the seat-recline lever on the side.

Price hasn’t been set but it’s likely to start in the mid-forties when it arrives in summer. Current Acura MDXs cost $45,000-$56,000. A front-drive vehicle sells for $1,500-$2,000 less than all-wheel-drive.



Toyota Highlander: more tech, more detailing inside

Like the Acura MDX, the 2014 Toyota Highlander grows lower as well as longer. And it’s adding more tech features as well. Standard features now include a 6.1-inch touchscreen and the Entune multimedia system, backup camera, and Bluetooth with voice assist. Upmarket and navigation-equipped models get an enhanced Entune system with an 8-inch touchscreen. There’s a 4.2-inch MID in the instrument panel as well. You’ll see a lot more of the MIDs in upcoming cars.

Highlander options now include rear sonar, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and forward collision warning. Unlike Acura, Toyota will offer multiple engine options: four-cylinder and six-cylinder gasoline with a likely hybrid, too. The V6 transmission steps up to six speeds. Toyota says mpg will be improved but won’t say how much until closer to launch.

Toyota is more a mid-market brand than Acura, but it’s taking the models upmarket with better interior trim, ventilated seats, much as it did previously with the full-size Avalon sedan. The Highlander will also offer quick access to the third row of seats. One version with two rows of benches will seat, Toyota says, eight people. Current Highlanders cost $30,000 to almost $50,000 (for a loaded Highlander hybrid).

Acura and Toyota are in the sweet spot of the nearly-full-size SUV/crossover market. The market for full-size SUVs has shrunk from a half-million to around 100,000 now, led by the&nbsp;Mercedes-Benz GL&nbsp;and Cadillac Escalade with about 25,000 sales each.