lex

gotta agree

I8ABMR

I actually mentioned that earlier in the post. I am looking for them as well on side but they are not easy to find and I will not buy anything off the internet without seeing it personally. The rebates on the MDX don't seem like they are going anywhere and considering my lease is up in a couple of months I am going to look for a good price on the MDX and look for a decent deal on a low mileage GX. I still haven't come across one in AZ.

The G Man

Since the new GX460 is coming out next year, you might be able to get a great deal on a new GX470 at the end of the year. My guess is that it will be a few thousand more than the MDX, but well worth it. The problem with year end left over stock is that, it will be very hard to find one with the sport package or the KDSS option.

pvmike1

Here's a pretty cool video/SH-AWD plug:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yidka...layer_embedded

They took several AWD vehicles and sent them up a 30% grade with a solid sheet of ice under the left wheels. (note: the sign in the video shows 20% grade, but that is for the track to the left of what they are showing here)

TRDFantasy

Were all the vehicles using the same type of tires? Tires can make a big difference in these sorts of comparisons.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Very cool video. The SH-AWD really does wonder for torque vectoring. Probably the best AWD available today. Too bad Acura is marketing it wrong.

Och

iTrader: (3)

The test in this video isn't affected by tires at all in fact. You can see that only two left tires are on a patch of ice, the two right tires are on dry pavement.

This test demonstrates the superiority of Acura's SH-AWD system, and it is why I've been screaming off the top of my lung how great this vehicle is.

You see there are several types of classic AWD/4WD systems. They all have three differentials - front, center, and rear. The design of these differentials is what separates these AWD/4WD systems.

First, there's your classic open differential. An open differential equally distributes torque between wheels/axles and allows for slippage between them. So lets say if you have an RWD car with open rear differential, and one of your rear wheels is on a patch of ice and slipping, your car wont move, because the differential isn't able to send enough torque to the wheel thats on dry pavement. If you have an AWD car, and your center differential is open, and your rear wheels are on the ice, your front wheels wont get enough torque to pull you out either. So an AWD car that is equipped with three open differentials (a case with some cute-utes) is nearly as useless as RWD/FWD.

Then you have the classic locking differentials. These are usually present on part time 4WD systems, mostly trucks or truck based SUVs. They are basically open differentials when you're driving normally, but if you are stuck, you can lock them, and they will spin all wheels at the same speed despite whether opposite wheels are slipping or not. These are the most capable systems when it comes to getting un-stuck, but they are only part time and cannot be used while driving on dry or even wet pavement. They are strictly for slow speed offroad/snow driving. Also, not many of these 4WD systems actually have three locking differentials, most usually have open front differential and locking center and rear. Very few vehicles have three locking differentials, I believe some of them are Jeep Rubicon, Mercedes G class, and old Range Rovers. Also, many of these 4WD systems require you to physically get out of your vehicles and lock the front hubs to engage front wheels.

Then you have LSD - limited slip differentials. These are most common in todays AWD systems. There are several different types of LSD's, but basically all of them are stand alone mechanical devices, not requiring any sort of electronic control. They all work different in a way, but their purpose is to limit amount of slip between opposing wheels/axles by allowing more torque to be sent to the wheels with traction. Under most circumstances they are sufficient, but they fall flat on their face when one wheel is on the ice or in the air (basically no torque is being sent to that wheel) and opposing wheel is on an incline or against an obstacle such as a rock. If I'm not mistaken, most LSD's can send about 5-7 times more torque to the wheel with grip than what the slipping wheel is getting, but if the slipping wheel is in the air or on ice, and getting practically zero toque, 0 * 7 is still 0.

This is where Acura's SH-AWD shines. It is completely different from the classic AWD/4WD systems. It uses electronically controlled electromagnetic clutches to distribute torque between wheels, and if I'm not mistaken, the latest implementation of this system is able to send up to 100% of torque to any rear wheel and up to 90% of torque to any front wheel, regardless of whats happening with the other three wheels. This system is essentially as efficient as a good old part time 4WD with all three locking diffs, but it is full time. Of course it lacks the road clearance and strong frame of these trucks, so I wouldn't take it rock climbing. But for someone that needs value, luxury, sportiness, utility, space, and ability to drive through a snowstorm without problems, theres simply nothing that even comes close.

LexFather

I think most of us here have said the system is fantastic and was the best around back in 2005. It is 2010 and Porsche, BMW, Audi and now Volvo have similar systems in their newer offerings.

This video should have been made YEARS ago. And damn they look ugly in the snow.

It was funny seeing the other vehicles struggle up that incline.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Yes, I agree that they should've made this video years ago. The morons at Acura's marketing department marketed SH-AWD as performance system instead of marketing it for what it is.

I believe the AWD system in the Nissan GTR works on the same principle. It is of course tuned for performance, as it should be in such car.

LexFather

Yup. Putting it in 300hp slow cars is NOT for performance. FOr the snow, it clearly has an advantage here.

Forgot about Nissan and they executed it brilliantly, in an overpowered car that needs such a system to beat physics.

The name is also classless and really silly. Super Handling AWD? I mean really? "Super"

Och

iTrader: (3)

I wouldn't call 300hp cars/suvs slow, but you're right, when Acura markets them as some sort of super performing, super handling machines, and they drive rather like your average cars, it throws people off.

With that being said, the OP made a good choice by going with the MDX. Its a very good vehicle, even without SH-AWD it would have a lot going for it. Right now its single handedly keeping the whole Acura division afloat. Without the MDX Acura would now be dead.

pvmike1

Naw man, don't forget about the ZDX. Introducing Next.

I'd like to see the monkeys that work at Acura marketing. I don't know how they come up with these weak catch phrases.

Thanks Och for the Awd/4wd breakdown.

bad co

mehh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwT79fmwOjY

The video posted by pvmike1 is nothing impressive. I could have done the samething in my old audi

I dont care how many gadgets or computers it has its far from the best. That track was made by Acura to show where Acura's shine.

here are a few quattro vids
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rNvXGc79aY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXi_oxvM0J4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAHPMUkhj5Q

UDel

Here is a different longer review from the same course I saw on AOL. I never really thought the SH-AWD system would be so good in snow/ice, when it first came out I actually thought it would probably not do well in the snow and ice and just was mostly performance based. Acura really should try to market SH-AWD how good it performs in snow/ice especially with all the snow we have been getting lately.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/18/a...blog+(Autoblog)

LexFather

The videos are a hoax and Honda propoganda. The systems in the rx and Q5 were disabled and where is the fx and 335?

We talked about this in the rx forum.