2025 Acura MDX SH-AWD Type S ADV - Review by David Colman +VIDEO

A sublime driving experience

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent to THE AUTO CHANNEL

Acura's MDX SUV has been with us since 2000, a quarter century run that has put 1.2 million of them on American highways. That record makes it the best-selling 3-row SUV to date. The secret to this success lies in its abundant power, spacious practicality and sporty handling. For 2025, Acura has introduced a refined version of their sportiest top-tier MDX called the Type S. Our test sample, finished in an understated shade called Urban Gray ($600 extra) carried a price tag of $76,900. That's a whopping $24,350 more than the cheapest MDX you can buy, the $52,550 Base Model. In view of the fact that all 5 available versions of the MDX are equipped with V6 engines, 10-speed automatic transmissions, and all-wheel drive, you don't need to spend Type S money to buy a decent MDX. But my experience in the Type S indicates that the extra twenty five grand is indeed money well spent.

Let's start out by examining the luscious interior appointments of the Type S. Acura has lavished a great deal of refinement on this cabin. The front sports seats stand alone as works of art, with perforated Milano premium leather trim surrounding UltraSuede inserts. These chairs provide exceptional lateral support without feeling confining. After all, the Type S is designed to handle and corner like a sports car, so side bolstering is an important asset of these front seats. Additionally, both fronts offer 16-way power adjustments, 9-way massage functions, and of course heating and ventilation. If you've priced comparable home lounge chairs at your local furniture store, you won't be quite so surprised at the substantial extra cost for the Type S.

The second most impressive feature about this Acura's interior accommodations is the inclusion of 31 speakers (!) to distribute output of the Bang & Olufsen Ultra Sound System. The symphonic medley produced by this mega array will make you want to take an extra lap of the neighborhood before locking your Type S up for the night. And speaking of night, this Acura is fitted with an "Iconic Drive Ambient Cabin Control Light" knob which allows you dial up just the right interior shade, tint and brightness for any given trip after dark.

Acura has also done an excellent job of configuring the two back rows of interior seats for comfort as well as quick conversion to storage space. The second row Captain's Chairs are finished in the same exquisite leather and suede as the front pair, separated by a leather-trimmed drink caddy. These seats in turn slide forward to promote easy access to the passably comfortable split bench seats in the third row. If you need an extra 71 cubic feet of flat-floor storage space, just flatten rows 2 and 3. Acura has made your job easy by providing one-touch fold levers alongside the seats in Row 2, and convenient pull cords in the aft compartment to drop the seatbacks of row 3. Stuffing my mountain bike into this virtual cavern was a piece of cake.

For a 4,800 pound behemoth, the driving experience of the Type S verges on sublime. Under the hood lies a throbbing V6 prime mover turbocharged and intercooled to produce 355hp. This gasoline-fueled engine zips the MDX from 0-60mph in just 5.5 seconds, and produces quarter mile timing slips of 14.1 seconds. Additionally, the Type S is rated to tow 5,000 pounds. If there's a downside to the equation, it's fuel mileage, which averages 19MPG in combined city/highway modes. Acura reconfigured the exhaust outlets for 2025 with larger chrome-tipped pipes that issue a most welcome bellow when you floor the ribbed aluminum Type S Sport gas pedal. For a full-size SUV, this one feels, handles, and scats like a much smaller package. Part of the handling prowess belongs to a new for 2025 set of Berlina Black, split-spoke, machine-finished 21-inch alloy rims mounting 275/40R21 Continental CrossContact run-flat rubber. Despite their long life tread rating of TW 790, these tires provided a surprisingly comfortable ride, plus good steering feel and prodigious cornering stick. Also new for 2025 are bright red Brembo front brake calipers which succinctly braked the big MDX to a halt when needed.

Our first few outings in the Type S were marred by the overly intrusive Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), part of Acura's newly enhanced safety and driver assistance tech for 2025 dubbed ACURAWATCH 360. It seemed like every input we made to change direction, or swap lanes was vetoed by LKAS in favor of its AI devised protocol mandate. The "new steering wheel capacitive touch sensor" insistently wiggled the wheel at the slightest indiscretion. After much fiddling with a ridiculously tiny button on the dash and an oversensitive thumbwheel on the steering wheel spoke, we were finally able to more or less permanently delete LKAS intervention. Fighting off unwanted nannies and robots should never be this difficult. Why not make them opt-in choices rather than opt-out?

Aside from the jarring intrusions of ACURAWATCH 360, we enjoyed our drive time behind the wheel of the new 2025 Type S. If the MDX is the workhorse of the SUV model line, the Type S is, without doubt, the shining thoroughbred in the stable.

2025 ACURA MDX SH-AWD TYPE S ADV

• ENGINE: 3.0 liter V6 turbocharged and intercooled, DOHC 24-valve, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 355hp@5500rpm
• TORQUE: 354@1400rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 17MPG CITY/21 MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $76,900

HYPES: Great Thrust, Great Cabin

GRIPES: Mindless New Nannies

STAR RATING: 9 Stars out of 10

©2024 David E Colman