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.
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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