Acura have kindly flown Roman out to the lovely Pacific Northwest in order to drive the brand new 2017 Acura MDX Hybrid. Roman tells us that this is the most technically advanced MDX around. A statement he attributes to the car’s staggering total of four different powerplants. First up is the 3.0L 6-cylinder gasoline motor that sits under the hood. This is paired with three other electric motors, one located in the 7-speed dual clutch transmission, and one for each of the rear wheels. In total, this setup makes 321 horsepower and 289 lb-ft of torque. Due to this unique setup, the car is also all wheel drive, which was probably helpful for the massive amounts of rain that Roman found in Seattle.
Clearly this is a very sophisticated hybrid system, but how does that help with gas mileage? Acura claims 26 MPG city and 27 MPG highway for a combined 27 MPG. Roman is keen to point out that these are impressive figures when you consider that this car carries seven whole people. Acura has clearly made an effort to use hybrid technology as an aid to performance. Todd Hemmert, chief engineer on the 2017 Acura MDX Hybrid, points out that the car is able to use the electric motors in the rear just like a car with torque vectoring. Each wheel has independent freedom to speed up or slow down using regenerative braking, which should really help in the corners.
Unfortunately, driving impressions are under embargo for a couple more days, but be sure to stay tuned to find out what the 2017 Acura MDX Hybrid is like to drive. Until then, why not watch the full video above to find out some more interesting technical details about this surprisingly sporty hybrid.
