By: Uday Mohan
April 10, 2026
And then there were two. With the TLX now gone from Acura’s lineup, only the MDX and the Integra remain to carry the Type S badge. For someone who remembers when that badge meant something visceral and exciting, it’s a bittersweet sight. The MDX Type S stands tall as Acura’s flagship performance SUV, but it also feels like a reminder of what once was and what could have been.
Visually, the MDX Type S still knows how to make an entrance. The aggressive stance, blacked-out trim, quad exhaust tips, and those red Brembo calipers all work together to give it the right amount of attitude. It looks the part, and in many ways, it acts the part too. Under the hood sits Acura’s 3.0-litre turbo V6, pushing 355 horsepower and 354 lb-ft. of torque through a rear-biased SH-AWD system. On paper, it’s everything you’d expect from a modern Type S.
On the road, the MDX Type S delivers a confident, capable drive. The braking is strong and reassuring, the sort of stopping power that makes you feel secure even when you’re hustling a three-row SUV with intent. Switching into Sport or Sport+ transforms the MDX in a way you can actually feel. The whole SUV hunkers down quickly, dropping to its lowest ride height and tightening the suspension. It’s a cool moment, a bit of drama that hints at the performance potential underneath.
But that’s also where the MDX Type S reveals its biggest limitation. There’s enough power to keep you entertained, and the engine note becomes more pronounced in the sportier modes, but the excitement never fully materializes. There are no pops, no bangs, no aggressive bark from the quad tips. It’s all very composed, very controlled, and almost too polite. Acura clearly tuned the MDX Type S to be fast, confident, and refined, but not wild. And for a Type S, that restraint feels like a small betrayal.
Inside, Acura continues to excel at blending luxury with usability. The massive panoramic moonroof opens up the cabin beautifully, making an already spacious interior feel even more airy. The digital gauge cluster is clean and informative without overwhelming you, offering both a traditional round-gauge look and a more modern minimalist layout.
One of the most refreshing aspects of the MDX Type S interior is the abundance of physical buttons. Everything you need, climate, audio, and drive modes, is accessible without digging through menus. In a segment where many brands have gone all-in on touch-heavy interfaces, Acura’s approach feels grounded and genuinely user-friendly. The technology suite checks all the expected boxes: wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, integrated Alexa, and Wi-Fi hotspot capability. Everything works as it should. The only drawback is the infotainment screen itself. It’s functional and well laid out, but compared to the massive curved displays now common in the segment, Acura’s unit feels a bit small. At the same time, it almost feels like Acura’s way of saying they are not following trends for the sake of it.
Practicality remains one of the MDX’s strongest traits. The third row is functional, not just symbolic, and with it up, you still get usable cargo space. Fold it down and the MDX becomes cavernous. The second row doesn’t fold completely flat, but there’s still more than enough room for anything you’d realistically need to haul.
Sound insulation, however, is not the MDX Type S’s finest moment. More than once, I found myself checking whether a window was cracked open. Road noise, rock salt pinging the wheel wells, and underbody chatter were all more audible than expected from a flagship Acura.
And that brings me to the heart of it. The MDX Type S is a very good SUV. It’s luxurious, well-equipped, aggressively styled, and enjoyable to drive. It carries the Type S badge with dignity. But it never quite crosses the line into something truly special. The ingredients are all here, the power, the hardware, the stance, the heritage, yet the final product feels like Acura held back just enough to keep it from being unforgettable.
The MDX Type S is close to the ultimate everyday performance SUV. It’s fast enough, comfortable enough, and premium enough to satisfy most buyers. But for those of us who remember what Type S used to stand for, it’s hard not to wish Acura had pushed just a little harder. Because the MDX Type S isn’t disappointing, it’s simply so close to greatness that you can’t help but imagine what could have been.
Vehicle Specs
Segment: Mid-Size SUV
Powertrain: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Horsepower: 355 horsepower at 5,500rpm
Torque: 354 lb-ft. at 1,400–5,000rpm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel Economy (City/Highway/Combined): 13.8L/100km / 11.2L/100km / 12.6L/100km
Observed Fuel Economy (mostly city): 13.5L/100km
Price as tested: $90,380 plus fees and taxes