WASHINGTON – If you’re looking for a luxury crossover that can seat seven, tow 5,000 pounds and has some great safety features, you might want to check the 2014 Acura MDX.
The 2014 Acura MDX is redesigned, taking it from a really good midsize luxury crossover to an excellent one.
Acura went back to the drawing board and took out some weight giving it better fuel mileage. I drove it 438 miles and averaged 24.5 mpg, which seemed pretty good for a mix of city and highway driving. For the first time, you can now get the MDX in front wheel drive which should make for even better fuel economy gains.
They also smoothed out and updated the styling with new wider LED headlights which gives the MDX that luxury crossover look while still pleasing the MDX faithful. It seats seven comfortably, but if you’re taller than 5 feet, 8 inches, you might find the rear headroom lacking on longer trips.
The FWD version is priced around $42,000. The fully-loaded All Wheel Drive MDX is $56,505.
How does the 2014 MDX drive?
␎ 
The 2014 Acura MDX has room for seven people. (WTOP/Mike Parris)
It’s a great ride. I spent a week with the top-of-the-line SH-AWD with the advanced and entertainment packages. The seats on my tester were heated, ventilated Milano leather — excellent for long trips or sitting on the Beltway.
The advanced and entertainment packages also include adaptive cruise control with low speed follow, lane departure warning and forward collision warning (it works), a blind spot information system and navigation with 3D view. This next perk is only on a few cars today: It’s called Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS). It keeps the MDX in the lane and it will steer. It’s eerie and very cool at the same time. But you should still always keep your hands on the wheel.
The entertainment package has a nice-sounding 12-speaker sound system with HD radio, USB and Bluetooth. There is an eight-inch display upfront but the back seat gets a DVD system with 16.2 inch wide screen and HDMI compatibility.
I think Acura hit a homerun.
Editor’s Note: Mike Parris is a member of the Washington Automotive Press Association. The vehicles are provided by STI, FMI or Event Solutions for the purpose of this review.
Follow @WTOP on Twitter.
