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The Acura MDX Type S certainly is sportier than other models in the lineup, but it is good enough to challenge the German three?

Since the beginning of automotive-dom, there’s been an idea that every new lux competitor must ape what the German three are doing. Cadillac has wasted nearly two decades crafting their unique, but not very good, floaty front-wheel-drive land barges, into bona fide BMW bettering sports sedans that remain largely "unpurchased." Sure, the CTS and ATS might have been critical darlings, but did actual buyers care? (no.)

By comparison, Acura has sort of forged its own path, even if some of its models haven’t been critical or sales darlings. Still, one model that has always stayed true to itself, and refused to imitate the Germans, has been the MDX. Enthusiasts and critics alike have derided the MDX’s relatively pedestrian FWD crossover roots, but that hasn’t mattered to MDX buyers. MDX sales have consistently matched or bettered the BMW X5, and constantly outsold the Mercedes M-Class (now GLE). The MDX was a solidly un-sporty crossover, that no pretension to challenge any sort of the sporty M-sport or AMG line German SUV. But, MDX buyers haven't cared and continued to buy the luxo-crossover in droves. Yet, those guaranteed sales don’t mean Acura can be complacent though; Acura’s addressed some previous complaints of too-cheap bones and dowdy performance, with the latest MDX. The top-of-the-line MDX Type S tries to shake that reputation even further, with an injection of sport into the lineup.

The Acura MDX is a midsize luxury crossover, one of the OGs if you will. Introduced in 2000, the MDX took the battle against the Lexus RX350, and in some instances, the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz ML320. Whereas the BMW X5 and ML320 were decidedly truck-like (the M-class sporting a body-on-frame design), the MDX used the same platform as the Acura TL and Honda Accord. Future MDX’s kept the humble Honda sedan roots, until the latest generation. For 2021, (2022 Model year) the MDX fully dropped the Honda roots, opting for a bespoke platform only used on Acura products, and shared with the TLX sedan.

Related: 9 Reasons Why Gearheads With A Family Should Consider The 2022 Acura MDX Type S

On the outside, the bespoke platform has lent the MDX to head-over-heels better styling. Gone are the frumpy proportions of the old crossover, with its short nose and long overhang. In its place, are sturdy proportions. A long hood with a short windshield cowl looks athletic. Yes, the MDX is still front-wheel-drive, but the front overhang is tiny for the type of vehicle.

The front fascia isn’t to everyone’s taste, I sure didn’t warm up to the oversized, Angry-Bird-looking front fascia. I must be in the minority though; over the week I had the 2022 Acura MDX Type S, plenty of friends and strangers on the street remarked on how attractive they thought the thing looked. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

The 2022 Acura MDX Type S Advance, sure is a mouthful of a name, but it’s not that hard to follow. The “Type S” moniker is a historic Acura trim level; it promises to add a dash of sport that’s more substantial than a simple ground effects kit, spoiler, and wheel package would add. The MDX and TLX are Acura’s two Type S offerings, aside from the soon-departing Acura NSX supercar.

In the MDX’s case, the changes to create the MDX Type S are fairly extensive. The standard 3.5-liter V6 engine trades out for a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 producing 355 horsepower. The MDX Type S gains air suspension that can raise and lower for ride and driving conditions and 21-inch wheels with stiff sidewalls designed to fling the two-ton SUV around corners at sports car level speeds. Big, four-piston Brembo brakes rein in all that speed and mass.

On the road, the MDX feels light and effortless in ways the German competition doesn’t. No doubt, any AMG-line SUV or BMW M-crossover are fast, but they can tend to feel their weight, so to speak. At the end of the day, they’re big, tall SUVs with a lot of weight. The MDX feels svelte; it’s eager to change direction in a method or manner that suits a much smaller car. The MDX can easily tackle a series of tight curves and the torque-vectoring SH-AWD will quietly and effectively put the torque right where it needs to go, for maximum grip and speed. The steering is well-calibrated, too. It’s got heft and weight, without being too taxing to drive around cities. Acura’s bespoke chassis shines through before the MDX sometimes felt like it just wasn’t quite enough compared to the German competition, as if road-holding, handling, and ride just weren’t quite enough. Not here, and not anymore.

The MDX’s 3.0 twin-turbo V6 is nearly lagless in delivery, and the 10-speed automatic is adept at being at the right place, at the right time. The transmission never feels as if it’s hunting, and the engine pulls strong up to the redline. The engine’s character is sporty and playful, although I felt as if I were in want of more power.

See, it’s not like the MDX is slow, it’s not. Most MDX buyers probably are completely wowed by the V6 turbo’s sizable performance upgrade from the old (but good) 3.5 liter with a mere 295 horsepower. But, for years, the MDX has always felt as if the big V6 was kind of at the limits of the vehicle, as if, the MDX wasn’t really the type of vehicle that could handle, or want any more power. This new Acura chassis is stiff, and the vehicle is good at managing the power and torque it currently has. While driving the MDX, I couldn’t help but wonder “what would this car be like with 100 more horsepower?”, thinking a truly super MDX could beat the Germans at their own game.

But, I don’t think MDX buyers would go for that.

Acura interiors take flack for being for looking dated, and it looks like the folks at Acura set out to make us all eat crow. The 2022 Acura MDX Type S’ interior is a genuinely nice place to be, even if the dashboard is a bit button-heavy in a touch-screen world. The Advance package added 9-way power seats with massage function, ELS premium audio, a power lift gate, and special quilted seats. The dashboard itself has soft-touch plastics that are a cut above Acuras of yore.

It’s all a nice place to be. The MDX’s trump card is that its third row is actually usable for adults, something the Lexus RX350L or BMW X5 can’t claim. Each seat is comfortable, both soft and supportive, with plenty of legroom, knee room, and headroom, albeit maybe those measurements might be somewhat limited in the third row. Trunk space when the third row is up is solid; there’s a reason why the Acura MDX has been so popular with well-to-do families.

Less good, however, is the Acura’s infotainment setup. The interface is snappy and in theory easy to follow, but it has no touchscreen abilities whatsoever. Instead, Acura insists that the driver control all functions via a fiddly touchscreen, mounted next to the shifter, and wireless charging pad. It sucks to use while driving, navigating menus requires almost a surgeon-level precision, as you hover your finger around the square box, hoping that you’ve correctly selected the right option. Also, the MDX Type S’ wireless charging pad is finicky, often not working unless the phone is completely centered on the pad. Given the car’s sporting nature, your phone won’t ever stay centered the second you round a curve with any sort of verve.

Our 2022 Acura MDX Type S Advance stickered at $73,895, including the $1,300 for destination and delivery. For $73,895, you get a 355 horsepower premium crossover that’s genuinely sharp to drive, and that can haul seven real adults in relative comfort. But, is that enough, in this day and age? Can the MDX’s good interior packaging and sporty demeanor win over BMW, Porsche, or Audi customers?

The MDX’s usable third row is arguably the exception to the rule in the class; most of its competitors have third rows that are borderline decorative or eschew third rows entirely. Or, the ones that do have usable third rows, are pretty dour to drive, like the Buick Enclave. For the premium crossover shopper in search of a sporty SUV, the Germans have plenty of choices in this segment, provided you’re willing to drop the third row. Albeit smaller, a Porsche Macan S can be had for cheaper than the MDX Type S, and it’s a much faster vehicle. A BMW X5 M50 X Drive is about $8,000 more than the MDX Type S, but it’s much, much faster, as well. The BMW X3 M is a bona fide M-car and starts at a near identical price to the MDX Type S. In that context of comparison, the Acura MDX Type S feels outgunned.

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Yet again, the typical MDX buyer likely doesn’t care about what a BMW or Porsche can do. They want the MDX, first and foremost, because it’s a reliable, well-packaged premium crossover, and its driving dynamics are more of a bonus. The non-Advance trim starts about $4,000 cheaper than the Type S Advance, ($67, 350) and has all the performance goodies, but you'll lose some luxury features like the massage seats, premium sound, power lift gate, and super comfortable quilted seats. Those are big trade-offs, for what amounts to kind of only a mild dusting of sporting pretense.

And, that’s kind of the dilemma for the MDX Type S, it’s sort of in a no man's land in premium crossoverdom. It’s tangibly sportier than the non-Type S, but not balls-to-the-wall as one would get in a BMW M-car or Audi S-line crossover. The 2022 Acura MDX Type S Advance’s nearly $74,000 price has it a stone's throw away from crossovers that would be more focused sports vehicles, but those aren’t as good at carrying seven people. The MDX kind of stands alone, but how many folks in this price range want a seven-passenger vehicle that’s good at carving corners? The MDX Type S’ straight-line performance is a little underwhelming for the target audience; a little more power could make the Acura MDX Type S’ use case clear. As of now, the lower-trimmed MDXes are a better value. They offer the same good packaging, and fairly engaging drive, for a lot less money.

But, the Acura MDX buyer probably doesn’t care about the Porsche, BMW, or Audi. For the MDX buyer, the Type S’ mildly sporty appointments are more than enough to impress them to trade their old A-spec model into the new Type S. Similarly, someone in search of a seven-seat crossover with a sporty attitude will likely be very pleased with the 2022 Acura MDX Type S. If you like it, then I love it. And actually, I kind of like it too.

Car lover of all sorts, Kevin's been in the car writing game since 2020, serving up hot takes and information about electrification. He's been a car lover from a very young age, and has interests from the obscure, to the mainstream. Currently, he drives a Fiat 500 Abarth, but usually has a fleet of half-broken cars around his house.