With the plethora of SUVs roaming the planet, it's hard to remember a time when something like a high-end luxury SUV was a unique sighting. Beyond that, now that there are insanely extravagant and extreme versions of some of these trucks like the ungodly fast Lamborghini Urus, or the unconscionably opulent Rolls-Royce Cullinan, it is easy for even something as exciting as the 2022 Acura MDX Type-S to fly under the radar and go almost unnoticed. Almost.
But even before the proliferation of high-riding family haulers, since its introduction back in 2001, the MDX has quietly become the world's best-selling three row luxury SUV of all time. Now in its fourth-generation, the MDX has finally addressed one of the very few complaints owners have had about they beloved SUV over the years, and that is the slight lack of power and sportiness we see in competitors like the BMW X5M and Audi SQ7. The 2023 MDX Type-S is Acura's way of letting their customers know their voices have not gone unheard.
acura-mdx type-s
- Sporty Quad Exhaust Tips
- Lift Mode For Increased Off-Roading Capability
- Optional Massaging Front Seats
- Trim: Type-S
- Model: MDX
- Engine/Motor: 3.0-Liter Turbocharged V6
- Horsepower: 355 @ 5,500 RPM
- Torque: 354 Pound-Feet @ 1,400 RPM
- Drivetrain: All-Wheel Drive
- Transmission: 10-Speed Automatic
- 355-Horsepower Turbocharged V6
- Much More Aggressive Styling Compared To Base Model
- 0-60 MPH In 5.6 Seconds
- Almost 20K Premium Over Base Model
- Disappointing Fuel Economy
- Counterintuitive Infotainment Controls
2022 Acura MDX Type-S Powertrain
In 2019, Acura offered up its sporty-looking A-Spec package, which was really just an upgraded appearance package, and nothing more. But, with that, Acura gave the MDX a lot more attitude, and took away some of the softer, minivan-ish looks of its beloved, best-selling SUV. But while the new good looks were nice, the MDX was still powered by the same 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6 that produced the same 290-horsepower it has had since the Obama administration.
The Type-S badge is Acura's sport badge, and as such, entitles the new MDX to the same engine the TLX Type-S uses, which is a smaller but more powerful 3.0-liter turbocharged and intercooled DOHC V6 that produces an impressive 355-horsepower at 5,500 RPM and an almost-equal 354 pound-feet of torque at 1,400 RPM. That power is then routed through a slick-shifting 10-speed automatic and then on to all four corners via Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) torque-vectoring system that uses a more rearward bias to allow the Type-S cars a sportier driving experience.
You can choose one of six driving modes depending on road conditions and your driving preference: Normal, Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Snow, and Lift. Most of those will look familiar to anyone who's driven a car made in the last five years, except for Lift. A first for Acura, this is a mode exclusive to the Type-S that allows the air suspension to raise the body and ground clearance by a full 2.1-inches if you want to take it off-roading. Granted, the Type-S won't ever get confused for one of the best off-roading trucks of all time, but then, it doesn't need to be. For contrast, Sport and Sport+ can lower the truck by 0.6-inches to help maximize fuel economy and drop the truck's center of gravity to help navigate those twists and turns at speed.
You can't have a performance-based vehicle that is all 'go' and no 'slow.' While that slogan may sound counterintuitive, braking and tire contact patch matters quite a bit, especially when we're talking about a three-row SUV that weighs 4,741 pounds and is just about as fast as a new Subaru WRX. That is why Acura optioned the Type-S with larger Brembo 14.3-inch front and 13.0-inch rear rotors replete with four-piston calipers. Those big brakes are shod in also-larger 21-inch trim-specific rims as well as bigger Continental CrossContact 275/40R-21 rubber.
2022 Acura MDX Type-S Performance & Handling Ability
Until the return of the Type-R, the Type-S badge is Acura's sportiest offering on each of the cars that bears it. Those include the TLX Type-S and the limited-release NSX Type-S. While the Type-S mark definitely signifies an uptick in performance, it is not quite as drastic a change as say, a BMW 3- or 4-Series goes through to become an M-car. That being said, the MDX Type-S is plenty quick for anyone except the most speed-obsessed fanatics. Capable of running from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, which is a full second faster than the base-engined MDX. That 0-60 mph sprint translates to a quarter-mile run of about 14.0 seconds for a truck this big, which is impressive, if not mind-blowingly fast.
The Type-S is still an SUV, and as such, has a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds, which should be more than enough for most folks. What might dissuade some potential buyers from upgrading to the Type-S is the hit at the gas pump their going to take as compared to the standard model. Where the base MDX nets a respectable 19/26 city/highway mpg rating, the thirsty Type-S drops those numbers to 17/21 city/highway, which may not seem like a huge gap, but over time, can add up to a lot of money considering these trucks demand premium-level octane.
2022 Acura MDX Type-S Interior Space, Quality, And Technology
Although mechanically identical, there is an option to upgrade to the Advance trim, which helps the MDX's interior go from good to great, for a price of course ($5,350 to be exact). With that upgrade, you're entitled to heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats (a first for Acura), quilted leather interior, open-pore wood, and a very engaging 25-speaker ELS audio system that is both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible. The one downside to that stereo, and the MDX in general, is that its touchpad-based infotainment system isn't the most intuitive to use and cause some frustration in what is otherwise an incredibly serene environment.
The MDX can also boast about its perfect five-star crash rating as well as having a myriad of safety features to help avoid those crashes. Things like collision mitigation braking, pedestrian detection, traffic jam assist, traffic sign recognition, rear cross traffic monitoring, lane-keeping assist, and blind spot monitoring just to name a few.
2022 Acura MDX Type-S Pricing
The Acura MDX Type-S carries a pretty hefty premium over the base MDX, which comes in at a very reasonable $49,050 for a luxury SUV. The Type-S however, tacks on almost twenty grand more with an MSRP of $67,350 for the base model, while the Type-S Advance brings things beyond the $70,000 mark to $72,700. Both of these prices do not include taxes, fees, or the ever-infuriating dealer markups.
So while the MDX Type-S is not going to be intimidating too many Porsche 718 Cayman owners at traffic lights like a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk or Lamborghini Urus might, it doesn't have to. The MDX has sold over a million units since its inception back at the turn of the century, so Acura has been doing something right. The MDX has been the benchmark of three-row SUVs for more than two decades, and the Type-S represents the biggest change they've made yet, and it is a positive change. The base MDX still exists for those that want a comfortable, reliable, practical, family-hauling SUV. But now with the Type-S, you can do all of those things, but haul a little faster and with a bit more attitude.