2022 Acura MDX Type S SUVOTY Review: Sounds Better, But Is It?

A year ago, the Acura MDX went home from our SUV of the Year competition empty handed as it felt a touch underpowered, unrefined, and claustrophobic in the third row. The updated 2022 Acura MDX Type S—a new high(er)-performance MDX variant—aims to right those wrongs and have its vengeance.

Acura made three major changes to the MDX in creating the new Type S version. The standard MDX's aging 290-hp 3.5-liter V-6 (shared with Honda stablemates like the Ridgeline pickup, Odyssey minivan, and Pilot and Passport SUVs) is replaced with an Acura-exclusive 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 that produces a healthy 355 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque. As in the standard MDX, that power is sent through a 10-speed automatic to a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system. Not content to stop there, Acura also fits the sportier MDX Type S with adaptive dampers, uprated front Brembo brakes, and its first-ever air suspension.

The upgrades make the MDX Type S reasonably fun to drive. Its steering is nicely weighted and quick, and Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system helps virtually shrink the wheelbase to make the SUV more maneuverable than its size would suggest. The new engine, as associate editor Alex Leanse put it, "sounds better than it goes," though. The 10-speed automatic is likely owed some of that blame. It does a good job of getting out of the way when tooling about, but when driven harder, it upshifts early and downshifts late. The shift paddles are also of little use, as the transmission will still continue to do its own thing when in manual mode.

Brake feel was lacking, too. Despite the Brembo calipers up front, the brake-by-wire system felt squishy and proved difficult to modulate smoothly. The end result is a sport performance crossover that doesn't feel particularly sporty or fun.

Inside, the results are similarly mixed. The new ELS Studio 3D Signature Edition audio system—only available on the Type S with the Advance package ($73,245)—is stellar. The 25-speaker system gets crisper, clearer, and just plain better the louder you crank it. However, judges were mixed on the touchpad-operated infotainment system. "The system needs to go in the trash can," Leanse said. "It's not anywhere near as good as a touchscreen; even dial-based systems work better. It's confusing, unpredictable, and fussy." Associate editor Duncan Brady was in the opposite camp. "I don't hate this infotainment controller the way some people do," he said. "The touchpad offers more flexibility than a rotary dial, and not having a touchscreen means the display can be mounted high on the dash in the driver's eyeline."

While Mom and Dad are arguing up front about the Acura's infotainment suite, junior will find the second-row bench to be roomy if a bit hard and flat, though the third row—accessed by pressing a button that tumbles the second row out of the way—is cramped. But hey, who's making the payments, anyway?

Ultimately, the Acura MDX Type S is a marked improvement on the core MDX product, yet it lacks the special joie de vivre of rivals such as the Audi SQ7 and Dodge Durango SRT 392, to say nothing of the most special cars in Acura's past.