[lindros2]

Finally Acura has wised up... Took long enough.

Hands-on with Acura's novel touchpad infotainment interface - Autoblog

 

[Dan Berezowski]

The concept is good... but I don't care for all the displays looking like TV screens at home sitting on a stand. I doubt the driver dash screen will end up that way... and the current MDX hump looks like a great fit to have a display screen put into. As for the center display screen... a good start, but be nicer to have it also in some sort of hump as it does somewhat help with glare. The one thing I didn't like about my X5 test drive was the way the screen sat on the dashboard. I also don't like that look when it comes to the MB cars. I actually quite liked the center display in the XC90... but I do see great reasons to move that display up more in the line of sight.

 

[lindros2]

The concept is good... but I don't care for all the displays looking like TV screens at home sitting on a stand. I doubt the driver dash screen will end up that way... and the current MDX hump looks like a great fit to have a display screen put into. As for the center display screen... a good start, but be nicer to have it also in some sort of hump as it does somewhat help with glare. The one thing I didn't like about my X5 test drive was the way the screen sat on the dashboard. I also don't like that look when it comes to the MB cars. I actually quite liked the center display in the XC90... but I do see great reasons to move that display up more in the line of sight.

I dunno man - the gauge cluster is similar to Audi, Mercedes... even the Chevy Volt.

 

[mrgold35]

As long as you can select items without going 2-4 menu items deep to find them is a step in the right direction. It would be cool if could put 'favorites" on the main screen in any order like you can on a smartphone. They might offer different "virtual" gauge cluster looks if you want something more sporty. I can see Acura eventually adding a forward facing night vision and/or IR camera in the gauge cluster as an additional safety feature.

 

[kareshi]

They better intro HD rear cam too

 

[lindros2]

They better intro HD rear cam too

Doubtful unless it's linked to some safety system (while moving fast, not safety like not hitting cars while backing up).

Cost cutting abounds in Acuras...

 

[mdxstang]

It's hard to say how this setup would be without actually 'driving' it and experiencing it. A lot of these features sound great in marketing presentations but when one actually uses them they start to find the issues - like being slower reacting that it s/b, not really being intuitive, requiring inane procedures to get through (any of this sound familiar?). Hopefully this'll be a good progression.

They better intro HD rear cam too

I have a couple of views on this - one the one hand an HD camera isn't necessary for a backup cam function but on the other hand it would add a negligible cost to the feature. HD cams are pretty much the norm now in things like webcams, dashcams, smart phones, home security cams, etc. They're not expensive anymore.

Here's a feature I'd like to see that plays into all this - a built-in dashcam. These 'smart' vehicles are already loaded with various cams already built into housings and already powered. It'd be quite simple to either multi-purpose one of the cams to also act as a dashcam or to place another cam in there if really needed. The dashcam can be viewed in the similar category as door locks and a car alarm in the protection it adds in the event some dufus does something to cause a crash and invariably states it wasn't their fault.

I bought and used a dashcam in the MDX just before a recent 6,000 mile coast to coast road trip. It ended up catching 3 times of people running me off the road by cutting into the side of me where I literally needed to move to the shoulder, 1 very obvious drunk driver that unbelievably a cop actually passed me and caught up with and pulled over, and a meteorite falling from the sky at night. On the most egregious run off the road I was able to zoom in when reviewing the clip and clearly make out the license plate. If he'd have actually clipped me I would have had some evidence and a way to go after to guy.

I've heard the new Corvettes have this built-in dashcam feature so it wouldn't be new ground and would be appropriate in a vehicle in the segment of any Acura. I actually think they'd sell more vehicles if they had this feature due to the coolness and desirability of a feature like this both from a tech perspective appealing to the tech inclined (and the younger buyers) and the practical perspective appealing to all segments and especially more experienced drivers who wished they would have had one due to some past experiences.

 

[mrgold35]

I added a front and rear dash cam to my 11 MDX before a cross country trip also a few years back. I feel so much better having it there capturing audio and video. I would love for this to be a future tech option for the MDX (360 degree external cameras + one camera for cabin).

 

[lindros2]

I have a couple of views on this - one the one hand an HD camera isn't necessary for a backup cam function but on the other hand it would add a negligible cost to the feature. HD cams are pretty much the norm now in things like webcams, dashcams, smart phones, home security cams, etc. They're not expensive anymore.

It's more than just the camera. As nonsensical as it sounds, the screen has to support it, the cabling (!!) has to support it, and the system has to be able to support it (CPU-wise).

The MDX - and other Acuras - are woefully underpowered compared to other manufacturers. This is why voice recognition sucks, navigation is laggy, and generally speaking the system is crap.