Acura: What's New for 2010

2010 Acura MDX: Essentially unchanged since its last redesign in 2007, the seven-passenger MDX was due for a freshening and 2010 is the time. This year Acura's largest crossover gets updated front and rear bodywork, more power, a new six-speed automatic transmission, chassis revisions and additional content.

For 2010 the MDX receives a new 3.7-liter VTEC V6. It still develops 300 horsepower, while torque dips slightly to 270 pound-feet but comes in at 4,500 rpm (instead of 5,000). In addition, the new V6 earns an EPA estimated city/highway fuel mileage of 16/21 mpg (an improvement of 1 mpg city and 1 mpg highway over the 2009 model).

The V6 is coupled with Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system through a brand-new Sequential SportShift six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission offers two automatic shift modes or can be operated manually with steering wheel paddle shifters that are also new for 2010. To support the MDX's 5,000-pound towing capacity, a special front-mount transmission fluid cooler is employed.

Chassis changes for 2010 are limited to stiffer rear trailing arm mounts for reduced overall NVH and a retuning of the MDX's Active Damper System so it's more comfortable in Comfort mode and sportier in Sport mode. They work with new (lighter) 18-inch five-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels, which are standard, or new 19-inch seven-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels, which are part of the Advance package.

Inside Acura has expanded the use of Milano premium leather to the available Technology package, improved the look and feel of interior trim materials, relocated the front-seat headrests for improved comfort, added more detailed leather stitching (such as the Lancia-style stitching on the steering wheel and shift knob), thickened the steering wheel grip and increased use of LED interior lighting.

Acura has also made an auto-dimming rearview mirror with integrated rearview camera screen and backlit LED instrumentation standard on all models, as well as its AcuraLink Real-Time Weather that includes weather radar image maps.

2010 Acura RDX: For 2010, the big news is that for the first time the RDX is available in two-wheel-drive form. The 2WD design offers a vehicle weight reduction, improved fuel economy and a lower price.

Inside, all models get a larger navigation screen, an improved voice-recognition system and technologies such as AcuraLink real-time weather and Traffic Rerouting. Also new for 2010, the RDX now comes standard with a rearview camera, electronic compass, a pull handle for the rear hatch, auto-function headlights, ambient footwell lighting, a center console storage tray, better-grip cupholders, USB port connectivity, note function for XM Radio and revised interior colors.

Externally, all 2010 RDXs get a revised braking system for improved durability, new 18-inch aluminum wheels, new front and rear fascias, Acura's signature grille (love it or hate it), revised headlights and taillights, new exhaust tips and satin trim accents.

2010 Acura RL: After a long list of improvements last year, including a larger, more powerful 3.7-liter V6 engine rated at 300 hp, Acura's slow-selling flagship remains mostly unchanged for 2010. There are now six exterior colors available and a special pearl pigment process that Acura says improves paint luster and shine.

2010 Acura TL: Completely redesigned for 2009 from the wheels up, the fourth generation of Acura's most popular sedan enters its second model year with only minor tweaks, including the availability of a six-speed manual transmission in the 2010 TL SH-AWD.

This is the first time Acura has paired its SH-AWD system with a manual gearbox. The all-new stronger close-ratio six-speed manual is approximately 110 pounds lighter than the Sequential SportShift automatic transmission to further benefit the sedan's dynamics.

The weight reduction also generates a more favorable front/rear weight bias. Compared to an automatic-transmission-equipped TL SH-AWD, the six-speed manual version improves weight distribution by 1 percent, generating a 58/42 ratio versus the five-speed automatic's 59/41 ratio.

Acura engineers also designed an entirely new clutch system and added special heavy-duty front driveshafts and CV joints to withstand the power of the TL's 3.7-liter V6. The 2010 TL SH-AWD 6MT also gets sportier suspension tuning and a specially calibrated Hill Start Assist system that helps prevent it from rolling backward when the driver switches from the brake to the accelerator while stopped on a hill. The model also gets a retune of the sedan's electronic power steering.

The addition of a manual transmission, an all-new clutch system and suspension changes yield an 88-pound reduction in overall vehicle weight.

2010 Acura TSX: Like the larger Acura TL sedan, the Acura TSX was completely redesigned for 2009. But Acura saved something big for 2010: the first V6-powered TSX.

Basically Acura has taken the 280-hp 3.5-liter, VTEC V6 and six-speed automatic from the TL and dropped it in the TSX, giving buyers a serious performance choice over the 201-hp four-cylinder, which also remains available. The TL's SH-AWD system isn't offered...yet.

Dual exhaust tips, a V6 emblem on the trunk lid and split five-spoke 18-by-8-inch aluminum wheels tell the world you got the big motor, but in the Acura tradition all-season tires are fitted: in this case, Michelin Pilots sized P235/45R18.

Acura also retuned the suspension and upgraded the brakes to deal with the V6's additional power, and the engineers revised the sedan's front fascia openings for improved engine cooling.

2010 Acura ZDX: What is the new ZDX? Well, Acura says it's a "personal sport coupe that defies categorization." Um, OK. But if we were going to describe it to our mother-in-law we would probably say something like, "It's an MDX with a swoopier body and only five seats."

Much how the BMW X5 and swoopier X6 share almost everything except profiles, the MDX and ZDX share their chassis, including SH-AWD, their 300-hp 3.7-liter V6 and their six-speed automatic transmissions. They even share Acura's Alliston, Ontario, Canada, assembly plant.

When the ZDX goes on sale this winter, customers will have a choice of three trim levels: ZDX, ZDX with Technology package and ZDX with Advance package.

All three models come standard with leather seats, a rearview camera, a panoramic glass roof, an LED-illuminated center console, standard 10-way-adjustable power driver seat and eight-way-adjustable power front passenger seat, front-seat heaters, Bluetooth, power tailgate, XM Radio and a USB audio interface with iPod integration.

A choice of wheels includes standard 19-inch aluminum alloy units and available 20-inch aluminum wheels. Both wheels carry ZDX-specific Michelin Latitude M+S tires. Acura also offers its Integrated Dynamics System (IDS) as an option on the ZDX. It allows the driver to switch the vehicle's ride between separate Comfort and Sport settings.

The ZDX has a tow rating of just 1,500 pounds.