Page: 2/2 SYNCHRONIZED CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM
After analyzing competitive SUVs, it was clear to MDX engineers thatsignificant
strides could be achieved by offering climate controlcomparable to a luxury
sedan instead of merely matching existingtruck comfort standards. The resulting
climate control system becamea primary attribute of the MDX.The patented dual
Synchronized ClimateControl systems are normally linked in operation to improve
heatingand cooling performance by a full five minutes (17-percent) over useof
the front system alone. The result is that comfortable conditionsare achieved in
every seating position in the shortest possible timeafter start up in hot or
cold weather.
The ventilation control panel is positioned centrally on theinstrument panel
above the trip computer and navigation systemdisplay screen. It consists of
eight buttons that operate the frontand rear heating and cooling units. One
button controls fullautomatic operation in conjunction with up and
downtemperature-select buttons and a set-temperature display
window.Alternatively, the "Rear A/C Manual" button can be pressed to givethe
second-row passengers control of the ventilation system in theirarea. Rear
controls include a temperature-set knob, upper or lowerair flow select buttons,
and another knob to adjust fan speed.
Cooling and heating equipment for the rear seat is neatly packagedin the
lower part of the center console. There's a blower capable ofmoving up to
392-cubic yards of temperature-controlled air per hour,a 2500-watt
air-conditioning evaporator, and a 2800-watt water heatercore. Concealed
ductwork provides heated air to both second and thirdrow passengers, and cool
air to second-row occupants.
Total capacity of the linked front and rear systems is 19,000 BTUswhich
slightly exceeds the heating and cooling capacity found in theaverage American
home. Unlike some rear-, or roof-mounted climatecontrol systems, MDX's equipment
doesn't intrude on cargo or headroom or interfere with the sunroof.
FLEXIBLE CENTER CONSOLE DESIGN
As a focal point of the interior design, MDX's center console is
anextraordinarily versatile design. It is neatly integrated with theinstrument
panel design, it houses heating and air conditioningequipment for the benefit of
rear-passenger comfort, and it providesa long list of storage and convenience
features.
Additional details include a storage area for small objects aheadof the shift
lever area occupied by the DVD player in models equippedwith the Rear
Entertainment System, two covered cup holders for frontpassenger use, and a
climate-control vent and switch panel on therear-most surface. For a luxury
appearance, lower side surfaces arecarpeted and wood-patterned panels trim the
forward horizontalsurfaces. A mat in the bottom of the forward bin is removable
forcleaning.The main storage compartment lid is padded to provide acomfortable
armrest surface. This lid opens either to a 95-degreeposition for access to the
interior compartment or to a 180-degreeposition to act as a second-row serving
tray. Two cupholders and awide depression to hold snacks are molded into the
lid's innersurface.
Inside the storage compartment, a hinged top tray offers aconvenient storage
location for tissues, writing materials, or acellular telephone. An access hole
located in the rear corner of thistray provides a path for the phone's power
cord to plug into a12-volt power outlet below. Clearance is also provided to
permitclosing the top tray while the phone is in use. Below the top tray isa
second large-volume storage compartment. A mid-level shelf, linedwith soft
materials to prevent damage to small objects, is an ideallocation for credit
card or magnetic access (key) card stowage. Theremaining volume is large enough
to accommodate either a home-sizetissue box or up to 13 compact discs inside
their jewel cases.
INSTRUMENT PANEL LAYOUT
As in other Acura vehicles, the driver's cockpit is organizedergonomically to
avoid distractions from the task of driving.Exterior lighting and turn signals,
cruise control, and moonroofcontrols are positioned to the left of the steering
wheel to preventoperation by passengers, while wiper controls are mounted on
aright-side column stalk. Radio and cruise control switches arepositioned just
below the horizontal steering wheel spokes for easyuse. Secondary switches are
spotted near the instrument cluster.
A three-dial instrument cluster conveys vehicle system informationto the
driver: engine rpm, vehicle speed, fuel level, coolanttemperature, and
shift-lever position. The three-dial clusterprevents glare and provides an
attractive appearance. An array ofindicator lights is positioned at the bottom
of the tachometer and atthe top and bottom of the combination temperature gauge
and fuellevel display. The speedometer is marked in both mph and kph to afull
scale reading of 140 mph/225 kph.
CENTER DISPLAY SCREEN
The centerpiece of the instrument panel is a large multi-functiondisplay screen.
MDX models not equipped with the Acura NavigationSystem feature trip computer,
compass and climate control informationin this highly visible location. The
seven-inch (diagonal) LCD screenis flat with a curved bezel. It displays current
and average fueleconomy, range remaining, compass heading, outside temperature,
timeof day, climate control mode, air-conditioning on/off, and fan speed.A trip
button to the left of the display cycles between trip andmileage information. A
separate button resets fuel economy, tripmileage, and elapsed time registers.
There's also a slide switch toadjust the brightness of the display screen.
Pressing an on-screen mode button varies the direction of air flowthrough the
front climate-control system. Pressing an A/C buttonswitches the A/C compressor
on and off. The fan button selects fromfive speeds.
Adjacent to the central display screen are two adjustable ventregisters, a
master light switch, a hazard switch, a "passengerairbag off" indicator and a
small control panel for managing thesynchronized front and rear climate control
systems.
ACURA NAVIGATION SYSTEM WITH VOICE RECOGNITION
The 2003 MDX features the third generation DVD-based,satellite-linked Acura
Navigation System with Voice Recognition as anoption on the model with Touring
Package. This system has beenenhanced over the previous generation with a wide
variety of newfeatures. These enhancements include:
Voice recognition
Rearview camera
Faster route calculation and search speed (up to three timesfaster than
the previous generation)
A more comprehensive destination guide with 7 million pointsof interest
(previously 3.7 million).
Enhanced graphics
New, enhanced split screen mode for displaying additionalroute information
Day/night visualization modes with user-selectable screenbackground
appearance
Enhanced menus and improved surface street mapping
Turn by turn voice guidance in either male or femalevoice
Similar in function to systems offered in Acura RL, TL, and CLmodels, this
equipment receives Global Positioning System (GPS) data.That information is
combined with signals from an onboard inertialguidance system and information
from a DVD database to pinpoint thevehicle's location and help guide the driver
to selecteddestinations.
The Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition includescontinuous
coverage of 48 states, which for 2003 covers virtually allU.S. roads and 7
million points of interest (compared to 3.7 millionin the 2002 model).
This coverage is conveyed to the driver by both audio and visualcues designed
to aid navigation without causing distraction. A maleor female voice can be
selected for the audio cues and this voice canbe shut off at any time. A moving
map in combination with directionarrows, detailed street names, turning
instructions and drivingdistances are provided on the LCD touch control screen.
A new splitscreen design enhances on-screen information with a "map view"
and"3-D" route visualization of freeway on ramps or off rampssimultaneously-a
major step forward in making navigation informationeven easier to understand.
This new generation Acura Navigation System can be controlled bythe driver
through either the touch screen display or by the newvoice recognition system.
The voice recognition system works when the"talk" button, located on the
steering wheel is depressed. Whenspoken to (the microphone is located on the
roof console), the systemrecognizes commands such as "find nearest gas station,"
"find nearestATM," or "find nearest Italian restaurant."
The voice recognition system has a vocabulary of 130 commands andcan
recognize virtually any English-spoken accent.Search speed inthis improved
system is more than three times faster than in thesystem's previous generation.
A picture-in-picture capability permits simultaneous display of alarge-scale
map with detailed turning instructions. The driver alwaysknows the vehicle's
current position and a balloon function instantlyreveals the address of any
selected location on the map. Points ofinterest can be searched by inputting
that destination's telephonenumber. The volume of voice guidance instructions
can be adjustedthrough eleven settings and the audio system's speakers
areautomatically muted when direction commands are issued.
In addition to using the voice recognition feature to operate thesystem,
manual operation is also available, quickly and easily viathe touch screen. Only
a few entries are needed to enter destinationsand route calculations are made
expeditiously.
A matte finish is used on the display screen to enhance legibilitywhile
resisting fingerprints. The same screen used for navigationalso displays trip
distance, average fuel mileage, remaining range(miles to empty), elapsed time,
outside temperature, and climatecontrol setting information.
If desired, a route with up to five destinations can bepre-programmed. The
Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognitionhas the ability to track vehicle
position by means of dots on thescreen for those areas not covered by DVD map
data - especiallyhelpful when driving off-road.
Another notable enhancement is the addition of a rearview camera.This camera,
located on the liftgate sends a picture of the areadirectly behind the MDX to
the navigation system screen when thetransmission is moved to the "reverse"
position. The view shownextends to over 13 feet behind the bumper with a view
width that iswider than the MDX itself.
ACURA DVD ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
New for 2003, the MDX can be equipped with an availablefactory-installed Acura
DVD Entertainment System. This multi-facetedsystem features a 7-inch widescreen
LCD display (for optimumvisibility) that flips down from the ceiling at the push
of a buttonfor easy viewing by rear seat passengers. The extended capabilitiesof
the DVD system allow for either DVD, CD, radio, cassette tapes andauxiliary
accessories (such as video games, VCRs or cameras) to beplayed in the rear
seating areas while the front passengers listen toa different audio source. The
DVD player can be convenientlycontrolled from three locations - the front audio
system controls,the rear seat controls near the LCD screen, or a wireless
remotecontrol. Additional audio and video input jacks allow for a widevariety of
additional equipment - ranging from camcorders to VCRs togame consoles - to be
attached to the system. The system comescomplete with two infrared (IR) wireless
headphones and a wirelessremote control as standard equipment.
HIGHLY ENGINEERED CUP HOLDERS
MDX engineers conducted a major cupholder R&D program to make theMDX extremely
occupant-friendly. The first thing they learned was thedaunting array of
beverage containers in daily use - rectangularjuice boxes, 12-ounce cans,
20-ounce bottles, various-sized papercups from fast-food outlets, insulated
coffee cups, and bottled watervessels galore. Ten beverage holders were designed
into the MDX'sinterior to accommodate a variety of passenger needs.
Real innovation was necessary to accommodate as many differentsizes and types
of containers as possible and to securely hold themduring stopping and cornering
maneuvers. For example, pockets builtinto the bottom portion of the rear door
trim are purposely deep tohold either a 20-ounce soda bottle or larger bottled
watercontainers. Cup holders molded into the armrest areas adjacent to thethird-row
seat feature notches necessary to accommodate juice boxes.Cup holders positioned
near the center of the vehicle (two ahead ofthe storage console, two built into
the console lid's inside surface,and two more integrated with the fold-down,
second-row armrest) havestepped bottom surfaces to grab and hold different-diametercontainers.
Front-seat cup holders are a three-tier design with arubber lip to help restrain
a teetering container. Third row cupholders are also a three-tier design, but
without a rubber lip, whilesecond-seat cup holders are a slightly shallower,
two-tier design.
STANDARD MUSIC SYSTEM
MDX sound systems are engineered for optimum performance and tunedspecifically
for this vehicle's acoustical characteristics. Thestandard system provides
premium sound quality and clarity,especially in the first and second seating
rows. A head unitintegrated into the center-dash features AM/FM stereo,
cassette, anda single-disc CD player. A micro antenna positioned at a
discreetcenter-rear location on the roof receives radio broadcasts.
Switchesmounted below a left-side steering wheel spoke allow the driver toadjust
play volume, choose another radio station, or select adifferent CD track without
shifting attention from the road.
Four integrated, 30-watt amplifiers and one 35-watt amplifierdrive a total of
seven speakers. A 16 cm midrange speaker is mountedin each door. There's also a
2-inch tweeter in each front door and a10-inch sub-woofer in the right-rear
interior trim panel.
ACURA/BOSE(R) MUSIC SYSTEM
The MDX with Touring Package is equipped with an Acura/Bose" MusicSystem that
provides superb entertainment in all seating positionsthanks to a more complete
speaker array and extra amplifier power.The head unit is curved in two
directions to coordinate with thecenter-dash design. This system offers AM/FM,
cassette, and a 6-CDin-dash changer. The steering wheel mounted controls
described abovealso command the system.
A special six-CD changer function allows the unit to convenientlystore extra
discs ready for playing without a separate magazine.Touching a load button once
opens the changer's door to allow theinsertion of one CD. Holding that button
down facilitates loading upto six CDs. Since the door opens only during loading
and ejectoperations, there's less likelihood that foreign objects will jam
themechanism. This sound system can select any desired CD track orshuffle
through stored material at random to provide hours of audioentertainment.
The Acura/Bose, Music System features eight speakers including arear-mounted
2.5-inch twiddler speaker. Four integrated 25-wattamplifiers drive the
mid-range, tweeter, and twiddler units while aseparate 100-watt amplifier is
provided for the 10-inch sub-woofer.
INTERIOR ILLUMINATION
Overhead lamps are provided for all three rows of seating. Anadditional cargo
light mounted to the tailgate provides ampleillumination both inside the vehicle
and on the ground for convenientloading at night. When the lamps are switched
off by closing thedoors or inserting a key in the ignition switch, they fade out
over asix-second period. All power window switches are illuminated forconvenient
night-time operation.
KEYLESS SECURITY SYSTEM
To avoid interference from cellular telephone and pagertransmissions, MDX's
keyless security system communicates via FM(instead of AM) signals. In models
with the Touring Package, whendoors are unlocked remotely, outside mirrors and
the driver's seatautomatically move to pre-selected memory positions. Two fobs
areprovided to distinguish one driver in the family from another.
The fob itself has three buttons. At the top, there's a largetriangular-shaped
button to command the lock function. A smallerround button with a raised nib for
tactile identification commandsthe vehicle to unlock all doors. Operation of the
locks is confirmedby an audible chirp. The third button at the bottom of the fob
isrecessed; pressing this "panic" button activates dual loud trumpethorns to
signal distress.
