When it comes to the various segments of new cars that companies are investing in and buyers are flocking to, the upper-midsize luxury leaning SUV is about as hot as it gets on both size. Sure, these are classified as “mid-sized” SUVs and perhaps they fall under the “luxury” banner but the reality is that they are larger than a true mid-size anything and there are varying levels of luxury appointments across multiple offerings in this section of the market. The question is, where does the 2025 Acura MDX Type S Advance fit into this mix and as one of the players that literally established this whole genre of vehicle, does it still have the chops to be in the conversation of leading offerings in the market. The short answer? Yes. The longer answer? Read on.
The 2025 Acura MDX Type S Advance is the top of the line in the MDX lineup, offering a 355hp turbocharged V6 engine that offers nearly 400 lb-ft of torque which is baked by a 10-speed automatic transmission. It uses large Brembo brake calipers up front, brake by wire technology, 21-inch wheels, adaptive air suspension, the Type S exterior and interior package, as well as Bang and Olufsen interior sound which employs 31 speakers. It does all this with styling that falls squarely into the middle of the pack in our estimation when it comes to competitors. It is more aggressive than say Honda and Nissan offerings but not as graceful as the Genesis GV80 nor as aggressive as a BMW X7, for example.
We think that it has enough muscular lines to land with buyers who want to have some visual impact without standing too far out on the office parking lot every morning. As is so often the case in this class of vehicle, the interior is a make or break. So, how did it land with us?
As you can see here, the 2025 Acura MDX Type S Advance interior has a distinct look and execution. While we were not huge fans of the blue leather, the physical layout was really good. Rear seats have massive amounts of room, the driver and passenger seats were bolstered to provide comfort but not to pretend you’d be taking your MDX through the corners at Spa anytime soon. Thick rimmed wheel was nice, the dash layout, screen location, and digital gauge layout was all good and usable in both short and long drives.
Now we’d, like styling, place the entirety of the interior in the MDX solidly into the middle of the field of competitors in this class of vehicle. In areas like size, we found the MDX superior but in some materials and luxury feel we found it to be behind class leaders like Genesis but certainly ahead of other offerings.
AcuraWatch 360 is a comprehensive collection of driver enhancements, safety features, and more. From adaptive cruise control, ACC cornering assist, traffic jam assist, and collision mitigation braking system among so many other features. It’s a technical tour de force and it is so well integrated to the driver experience it never once got in the way and we employed its use many times in different driving situations. When we wanted the wheel and to push the MDX it let us without qualm, when we wanted the car to do the work it was more than happy to do just that.
It’s a personal preference but we really dislike this style of “shifter”. A dial isn’t as good as a handle and this layout isn’t better than anything. The knob to set the dynamic driving modes was well placed and easy to use, but the small little pad of buttons to select forward/reverse, drive/sport, and park just always leaves us kind of wanting, especially in an upscale vehicle. If there were in a Honda, we’d have no qualms, but this is an Acura. It just feels beneath the rest of the rig.
The Acura provides a really solid diving experience. The adaptive air suspension is really comfortable and also when tightened up in sport mode, the dynamics of the MDX Type-S become far more dynamic and fun. At no point did the MDX feel like it was wallowing or unresponsive, but when placed in sport mode, it just really changed the whole experience in a fun way. The 21″ wheel and 275mm width tire package not only look good, they perform well in all driving elements. The massive front rotors and Brembo calipers make braking not only solid, but downright aggressive when you want it or need it.
What about raw performance? Like the styling in the interior, it is solid, it is representative, but it is neither the most impressive you’ll find in the class nor is it in the back, lagging behind. The turbocharged V6 and 10-speed are well paired and when in sport mode the dynamics of both really shine. 0-6 comes in the mid 5-second range and quarter mile performance comes at the bottom of the 14s. Weirdly, it feels slower than that but the numbers don’t lie. That is how it runs. Perhaps there is an element of how well the passengers are ensconced in quiet that makes this Acura a little less interactive on the performance front than some others.
Again, the value of having a quiet passenger compartment far outweighs the fun of hearing a screaming engine and ultimately that’s going to sell more to a customer base who wants a luxury interior experience.
The bottom line is that the 2025 Acura MDX Type S Advance is still a huge part of a market segment that it helped to create. It is priced, equipped, powered, and engineered to the levels that its competitors are. There are things about this rig that we think do hold it back slightly as opposed to its competition, but there are those that would see our criticism as reasons TO buy this over other options.
It’s a testament to Acura that the MDX is not long in the tooth but capable to hanging with the very rivals that are designed to knock it out of contention and out of the eyes of buyers. If you are looking in this segment and fail to shop the 2025 Acura MDX Type S Advance you’ve cheated yourself out of one heck of a good rig.
