Get Hotcars Premium. Start your free trial today
The 2022 Acura MDX Type S offers plenty of fun in an otherwise sensible vehicle.
The all-new fourth generation of the Acura MDX has been launched this year, and it comes with the legendary Type S trim as well. The 2022 Acura MDX Type S is a sporty and luxurious compact SUV with the same beautiful exterior and interior of the lower MDX trims, coupled with a superior suspension setup and a much more capable 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 motor under the hood. Coming in two trim configurations, the 2022 Acura MDX Type S can be had for a base MSRP of $66,700.
Being a luxury SUV with an emphasis on performance, it ticks all the right boxes for gearheads out there who want the versatility and reliability of an SUV from the iconic luxury marque while still having a vehicle that's somewhat fun to drive. It has superb handling, stunning design with sporty accents, and top-notch interior quality are. Competing with the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43, Audi SQ5, and BMW X3 M40i, here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 Acura MDX Type S.
RELATED: Acura NSX Type S Battles A Porsche 911 Turbo, Nissan GT-R, And C8 Chevy Corvette
Unlike the regular Acura MDX, the design of the Type S does stand out due to the more aggressive elements like the open surface pentagonal grille with blacked-out internals, a neat Type S badging, piano black elements in the air dam and side vents, and the superior ground clearance of 9.4" due to air suspension. The LED headlights with DRLs look great too.
The standard 21" wheels, red brake calipers with Acura badging, gloss black cladding and mirrors, and clean proportions highlight the profile very well. The Type S badging, quad exhaust outlet and the piano black air diffuser are the only changes to the rear silhouette, and all of these do help the MDX Type S to stand apart from the lower trims, andit looks very different from the competitors too.
Coming with a standard air suspension setup, the 2022 Acura MDX Type S manages to offer superb handling and driving dynamics without compromising the ride quality. Put this SUV into the sport mode and the suspension feels stiffer and the steering gets very precise. The engine and gearbox respond well to the inputs as well.
This compact SUV takes corners with much less body roll than many of its rivals, and the understeer isn't going to be very bothersome. The steering also weights up nicely and offers a decent feel and feedback. When put into comfort mode, the ride gets cushy, absorbing everything on the roads without transmitting to the cabin, irrespective of the speed.
RELATED: The 2022 Acura RDX Is A Perfectly Balanced Luxury SUV
The Type S trim comes with a few different interior color options, benefiting this SUV to look more sporty than the lower trims. Buyers can choose between red, ebony, or ivory colors, and all of them look stunning. The Milano leather with suede inserts is offered to the seats, and we also admired the beautiful contrast stitching and piping.
The rich materials are present on the dashboard and door cards as well, with leather inserts, aluminum, dark open-pore wood, and neat piano black elements. All the switchgear feels premium, and the chunky leather-wrapped steering and the beautifully integrated cockpit display and infotainment make it even more appealing. We also loved the airy feeling this cabin offers, which is mainly due to the color combination and the massive panoramic sunroof.
The 2022 Acura MDX Type S is not going to disappoint you in terms of the interior space, especially when compared to the two-row offerings of the sporty compact SUV segment. The headroom, legroom, and shoulder room were the best of the segment for both the front and second-row seats. The seats come wrapped in premium leather, and the front row gets all the features like heat, ventilation, and massage support as well.
The panoramic sunroof makes the cabin very airy, and the long list of storage spaces inside the cabin adds to the versatility. Being the only three-row SUV in the segment, it is a plus point as well. However, the third row is best suited for kids, as the legroom of 29" is not going to be comfortable for adults. It offers 18.1 cu ft of cargo space with all the rows up, however, it could be increased by folding the rear seats down.
The fuel efficiency is not going to excite any family buyers out there, as the turbocharged V6 motor is not tuned for extracting the most number of miles from every gallon of fuel. This compact, sporty SUV can do 17 MPG in the city and 21 MPG on the highway, equating to combined gas mileage of 19 MPG.
With an 18.5-gallon fuel tank capacity, it manages 314 miles in the city and 388 miles on the highway on a full tank of gas. In comparison, both the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 and the Audi SQ5 gave out a slightly better combined gas mileage of 20 MPG. However, the BMW X3 M40i tops the chart with combined gas mileage of 23 MPG.
RELATED: Here’s Why The 1995 Integra Type R Is A JDM Legend
The 12.3" Dual-Content centrally mounted infotainment system is not among the best infotainments we have used in this price range. The user interface isn't as smooth as with the iDrive or the MMI infotainments. Since this is non-touchscreen infotainment, it is accessed through the touchpad on the center console, which is, again, not the smoothest out there.
However, it comes packed with all the necessary features like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM radio, navigation, Bluetooth, Siri Eyes Free, a wireless charging pad, and Amazon Alexa. The 12.3" cockpit display and the 10.5" head-up display are onboard too. The audio experience offered by the ELS Studio 3D audio system is top-notch as well.
The braking hardware sees a major upgrade for the 2022 Acura MDX Type S when compared to the lower trim levels, which can be attributed to the bigger motor and heavier curb weight. The Type S comes with 4-piston Brembo front brake calipers with ventilated 14.3" rotors and the rear gets 13" rotors.
With wide 275-section tires coupled with many braking features like brake assist, ABS with EBD, and electric parking brake, the 2022 Acura MDX Type S offers a crisp initial bite. The braking progression as you stomp harder on the brake pedal is excellent too, and the car stops from high speeds with ease. The 70-0 mph braking distance is lower than 170 feet, which is one of the better ones in the segment.
Under the hood of the 2022 Acura MDX Type S lies a different motor from the other MDX variants. It comes with a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 motor mated to a 10-speed torque converter automatic transmission and SH-AWD drivetrain. This motor produces 355 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque and is capable of doing 0-60 mph in about 6 seconds and has a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 lbs.
This V6 motor shines when it gets to the mid-range as the turbocharger gives it ample power and torque, making it very capable on the open highway. The automatic is super smooth and quick, and it never gets confused, even when you put your foot down. We also loved the crisp initial pickup it offers. However, the 3.5-liter V6 found in the lower MDX trims is more than capable and the performance offered by the Type S is not exactly mindblowing.
RELATED: FLASH NEWS: Acura TLX Type S To Compete In Iconic One Lap Of America Road Rally
All the driver-assistance features like automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, blindspot monitoring, automatic high beams, driver monitoring alert system, aerial view camera, and rear cross-traffic alert are standard. All the basic safety features are on board too.
The MDX Type S has the solid build quality that you would find in most of the other rivals in the segment, and that helps this SUV to come out with an excellent 5-star rating in the NHTSA crash test. It also got the 2022 top safety pick + title in the IIHS crash test.
Being a luxury SUV from Acura, the refinement is superior to most of the offerings from the likes of Toyota, Ford, and Honda. We also found the MDX Type S to be better than the BMW X3 M40i and the Volvo XC90 on the refinement front. The engine sounded very sporty throughout the rev range, a characteristic trait of the Honda V6 motors. It is very rev-happy too.
The superb sound deadening on offer makes sure that you do not hear much of the external noises. The wind noise and road noise are on the lower side too. Even with low-profile tires coming in as standard in the 21" wheels, the tire noise when doing the highway runs is on the lower side.
Mohith is our in-house motorcycle mechanic and automotive geek. He loves riding and driving at the limits, and you would frequently notice him on racetracks at the weekends. Mohith is someone who would redline anything that comes with a motor - even our office lawnmower. He often does cross-country road trips in his trusted 300ZX and you could find him riding his CB750 quite often through the streets of Pasadena as well as on the Moore Motorsports racetrack.