If you were to guess what the most successful three-row crossover is off the top of your head, the Acura MDX likely wouldn't cross your mind. Yet, the crossover is a massive success for Honda's luxury arm, and the Japanese automaker is looking to capitalize with a new performance-focused family member: the Acura MDX Type S. Part of the fourth-generation MDX, it enters the fray against the likes of the Audi SQ7 and BMW X5 M50i. To do so, it needs to step up from the standard 290-horsepower V6, which is why the Type S adds turbochargers to develop 355 hp.
The MDX is an ideal platform, partly because of the Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive (SH-AWD) system and partly because it already has double-wishbone front suspension and a taught chassis. However, the Type S badge here doesn't mean it's been hardened into a track monster. It takes its place at the top of the MDX hierarchy for both comfort and performance; exploiting the turbocharged V6 for raucous back-road fun or dialing things back for smoothness by taking full advantage of the air suspension's adaptability, all while seating up to seven. We drove ourselves up to Napa's wine country in Northern California to give the most lavish and performance-based MDX a complete workout. Before tasting any wine, of course.
Exterior: Full Bodied Flavor
A Type S performance version means the MDX gets a more purposeful treatment to its bodywork, starting with a restyled nose with a variation of Acura's open-surface Diamond Pentagon grille. The redesigned grille isn't just for aesthetic value as it also increases airflow by 14 percent to the engine. Extra air inlets on either side of the grille are practical and feed air to additional radiators mounted on each side of the engine bay. The grille, window surrounds, and mirrors are all finished in black, with the Advance Package getting a gloss finish. A new rear fascia is more purposeful with its large quad-exhaust finishers and dark-finished taillights. At each corner, the MDX Type S rides on 21-inch wheels, showing the red Brembo brake calipers and polishing off what we think is a sophisticated and sporty look.
Interior: Leathery With Hints Of Wood
For the Type S version of the MDX, Acura has cranked up the opulence with a choice of Red, Ebony, or new Light Orchid Milano leather seats, all accented with black Ultrasuede inserts. Upgrading to the Advance Package adds full Milano leather with a curvilinear quilted pattern on the front- and middle-row seats and contrast stitching and piping in all three rows. As well as the 12-way adjustable front seats with four-way lumbar support, the Advance Package also includes remarkably effective massaging seats. Further differentiating touches in Type S guise include metal pedals, a flat-bottom steering wheel, and Type S badging and contrast stitching on the dash for some sporty flavoring.
Our favorite touch is the metallic wood accents, created by adding a liquid metallic flake by hand and then gently wiping the excess off. It's a welcome and sophisticated change from carbon fiber or brushed aluminum, more often found in performance versions of vehicles.
Performance: Fruity With Just A Hint Nut
Powering the MDX Type S is a unique direct-injection 3.0-liter V6 equipped with a turbocharger and producing 355 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque coming in nice and low at 1,400 rpm. The engine was developed by members of the teams that developed the Civic Type R and NSX power plants, with upgrades including low-profile cylinder heads, forged pistons, a twin-scroll turbo, and two additional sub-radiators to generate extra cooling while special manifolds dissipate heat generated more efficiently. For emissions and fuel economy, the engine makes use of Variable Cylinder Management and can deactivate three cylinders under low-load scenarios.
The engine is paired with a strengthened and tuned version of its ten-speed automatic transmission that can be controlled with paddles behind the wheel. Using the paddles brings about 40-percent quicker downshifts, and for upshifts, a brief fuel-cut allows the time to shift to be cut by 30 percent. And it's noticeable, encouraging you to go manual when giving the MDX Type S a kicking on a back road.
Acura's SH-AWD system comes standard with the Type S, and its party piece is to shift torque around from front to back and left to right, all depending on traction availability and handling needs. The torque vectoring system is excellent for handling and grip control and the key to the MDX's agility despite its mid-size crossover length. Acura strengthened the rear differential for the upgraded engine, and the rear axle can receive that torque thirty percent faster than the previous generation in normal conditions. Up to 70 percent of the torque can be shifted to the rear, and up to 100 percent of that torque can be shifted to the outer rear wheel when needed to mitigate understeer.
The engine/transmission/drivetrain combo delivers a firm and eager shove off the line. It's not raw, kick-you-in-the-kidney power, but a steady wave of torque delivered smoothly, particularly when using the paddles for even faster shifts. We're big fans of how smooth the ten-speed auto is during more laidback driving and how it makes itself invisible in daily driving, even with an upgraded torque converter to deal with the extra power.
Something Acura does better than almost every other automaker is using its drive modes to create genuinely separate and definitive dynamic experiences. The best example of that is now the MDX Types S and it's the new air suspension system, which makes Comfort mode a true comfort mode. In the majority of cars we test, Comfort mode often takes a well-trained pair of buttocks to detect the change. That's not the case here as the ride quality becomes soft and absorbent as you float on down the road but doesn't lean or wallow like softly sprung cars of old. Add to that the vibration damping system and attention to detail in minimizing road noise, and suddenly the price of the MDX Type S starts making sense. It's starting to get into Range Rover territory, and that's no mean feat at any price point.
The air suspension also enables a lift mode that raises the MDX Type S by a couple of inches and can be lowered to improve ingress, egress, and loading of heavy suitcases and the like.
Comfort mode is king, but the balance of Normal reveals itself once you kick things up into Sport.
Among our staff, opinion is split on Acura when it does performance dynamics, and you wouldn't want to track the MDX Type S. However, and it's a big "however," the SH-AWD system matched to the tight chassis and suspension is remarkably good fun to toss into corners. It has a surefooted agility a 4,741-pound, three-row crossover shouldn't really have. It doesn't feel heavy, and it's not until you're on a tight, narrow back road that it reminds you of its size. Particularly its width. Stopping power comes standard from a set of larger four-piston Brembo front brakes on Type S models. Dropping anchor brings all of those pounds to a halt with absolute confidence.
The MDX doesn't generate a crazy amount of grip compared to its competition, but it turns in with alacrity, it's predictable through a corner, and invoking understeer or heavy rotation is a matter of choice. When the grip runs out, and it does on the stock tires, there's no sudden break in traction. Instead, the dynamics are predictable enough that a competent driver can keep it on the edge of grip.
The MDX Type S's split personality is one hell of a design and development accomplishment. The luxury side of its personality is close to faultless, but the MDX Type S is not without fault on the performance side. Feedback from the steering isn't top of its class, lacking weight when it needs it. In stark contrast, the steering is as precise as a drone strike, and the lightness comes into its own around town and in tight spots. Like the steering, the braking feels over-assisted, although the response is strong, linear, and easy to modulate. The downside is that hardcore enthusiasts might be disappointed. More importantly, though, the upside is that the performance is easily accessible for those that buy the MDX and just want to enjoy their driving. It's a pleasure to drive and be a passenger in, and drivers will have a lot of fun when they feel like getting their back-road hustle on.
Technology: Plenty Of High Notes
As the Type S is a range-topper, it comes with the same infotainment system and features as the MDX with its Technology Package and some elements from the A-Spec Package. That means a 12.3-inch center touchscreen unit and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with all the bells and whistles, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charging pad, and a fly in the ointment in the way of Acura's awkward touchpad interface system. Making up for that is Acura's stunning 16-speaker ELS Studio 3D audio system, developed with Elliot Scheiner, a producer and engineer who has worked with an incredible list of artists that includes, among plenty of others, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, and Aerosmith. He's a proponent of surround-sound in cars and has worked on creating surround-sound mixes for Foo Fighters and Beyonce. When he mixed the Foo Fighters album, he sent it to them to listen in an Acura. The call came back saying, "Sounds great, don't change anything." It's that good he's happy to use it for musicians to approve mixes.
We've experienced and written about the ELS Studio 3D system before because it genuinely impresses from both a casual and audiophile point of view. For the Advance Package, Acura and Scheiner have taken the system to another level with a 1,000-watt Signature Edition featuring 25 speakers. The speakers are carefully placed through the MDX Type S in the dash, doors, pillars, console, and ceiling to take imaging and immersion to a whole new level. In the front row, Acura has created a Symmetrical Sound Stage that puts both people center stage, despite being left and right of center. Because the MDX has a spacious interior, a technique called Time Aligning is used to delay speaker output next to second-row passengers by a tiny but effective amount. That causes the sound to reach their ears from all speakers at the same time and puts the sound in the air rather than biased to the nearest speaker. We spent time in the middle and back, and the effect is truly marvelous throughout, although the third row does lose out some.
Verdict & Pricing: Champagne Taste On A Pinot Noir Budget
The Acura MDX Type S is not cheap. It starts at $67,745 with destination charges included, while the Type S with the Advance Package comes in at $73,095 with destination charges. The MDX Type S with the Advance Package is still cheaper than the $82,800 BMW X5 M50i, but the top-of-the-range X5 brings a whopping 523 hp to the party. The MDX Type S leans harder on the luxury angle, and its ride quality and tech puts it more in the ballpark of Mercedes GLE-Class that tops out at $79,800 before you add the Burmester surround-sound system, but has more power. However, the MDX Type S is a complete package in comparison and is more fun to drive hard despite its power deficit. That puts the Type S in a unique position in the luxury market because you can add a package to the complete package for one of the most complete performance SUVs on the market.