Acura redesigned the three-row MDX SUV for 2022, and in my review of the Advanced Package trim, the people mover won me over with its smooth, refined powertrain and classy cabin — but exciting, it was not.
Related: 2022 Acura MDX Review: Tech Pains Curb Family, Luxury Gains
Three-row SUVs can sometimes be a drag to drive, but they don’t have to be; Acura’s answer is the sporty MDX Type S, which joined the lineup slightly after the redesigned model debuted. I loaded the seven-seat MDX Type S with my family of five plus two extra adults for a holiday-dinner jaunt over the river and through the woods of Northwest Indiana. It delighted, it accommodated and it frustrated (the infotainment system didn’t get any easier to navigate with the passage of time.).
What Do You Get With the Type S?
The biggest upgrade is in power. The Type S uses a turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 good for an estimated 355 horsepower and 354 pounds-feet of torque; it’s paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive is standard. Other MDX models use a 3.5-liter V-6 good for 290 hp with the 10-speed; front-wheel drive is standard and AWD is available.
In addition to its more powerful engine, the Type S adds an adaptive air suspension with three damping profiles, Brembo front brake calipers behind 21-inch wheels and high-performance all-season tires. It also adds a unique grille design and Type S-signature quad exhaust finishers with active exhaust valves.
Inside, there’s a sport steering wheel along with sport pedals and specific ambient cabin lighting. What hasn’t changed is the MDX’s confounding infotainment system. It’s back for 2024, and on the Type S, it’s just as overwrought and overthought as I remembered.
While the large 12.3-inch screen sits high on the dash for easy viewing and would make for an easy reach, alas, it’s not a touchscreen. Rather, the system is controlled via a pair of console-area touchpads that take a lot of getting used to. Even after changing the sensitivity of the touchpad, I struggled to complete tasks in one try as I normally would be able to do with a touchscreen system. In general, this setup steals focus from the road and feels inherently more complicated (and frustrating) to use than a touchscreen. It’s one of the few things holding this SUV back from excellence.
How Does the Type S Drive?
The Type S takes a competent, comfortable wallflower and engages its wild side, turning it into the life of the party with brisker acceleration, more dialed-in handling and a throatier exhaust note.
As with the regular MDX, Acura’s Integrated Dynamics System is again standard and features driver-selectable Snow, Comfort, Normal and Sport modes. The Type S adds the Sport+ mode as well as ride-height-increasing and -lowering Lift modes.
In Normal mode, power pours on smooth and easy thanks to a responsive and quick-shifting 10-speed. Sport+ mode unleashes a different animal by adjusting acceleration responsiveness, transmission tuning and suspension damping. A turn of the dial delivers punchier power, firmer steering feedback, sharper handling and a throaty, threatening engine note.
Ride quality is noticeably firmer, however, especially in Sport+ mode. Where the regular MDX was able to capably absorb most bumps with little drama, the Type S feels more brittle and less forgiving over joints and cracks. It could be worse — the adaptive air suspension likely helps mitigate some of the effects of the large 21-inch wheels and firmer suspension tuning in ways that a spring suspension couldn’t.
The MDX is the first Acura SUV to wear the Type S badge, but according to Cars.com Managing Editor Joe Bruzek, the three-row SUV doesn’t quite live up to other Type S variants.
“The performance leap of the Type S doesn’t feel as large of a jump over the regular MDX as the TLX Type S sedan does to the regular TLX, but I still found it a unique and enjoyable performance package,” he said. “The engine and transmission pairing are the biggest improvement, and it’s a combo that I’m especially fond of the more time I spend with it, though it begins to feel a little less responsive in the MDX versus the TLX, perhaps from it working a little extra harder in a heavier vehicle.”
Added weight isn’t the only penalty; the Type S is not great in terms of fuel economy. On my trip, I drove 105 miles of city and highway driving mostly in Comfort mode and saw an average of 20.2 mpg. The Type S is EPA-rated 17/21/19 city/highway/combined mpg. AWD versions of the regular MDX are rated 19/25/21 mpg.
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Who Is It Good For?
If you’re like me, you’re in for a bit of sticker shock when it comes to the Type S’s price — the premium is steep. The base MDX starts at $51,500 (all prices include $1,350 destination fee), while the Type S rings up at $69,800. My test model was the Type S with the Advance Package, which had a lovely, luxurious interior and started at $75,150.
The Acura MDX is a competent, comfortable family hauler, and the Type S trim makes an already impressive vehicle more engaging and exciting — as long as you’re willing to make some trade-offs in price, fuel economy and ride.
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