2026 Acura MDX Type S Review

With sportiness beyond most other three-row sport-utility vehicles, the MDX Type S accentuates driving joy.

Jim Resnick | 

Nov 21, 2025 | 7 min read

Jim Resnick

Because it is Acura's largest SUV, the three-row MDX doesn't seem like the kind of vehicle that could hustle around sporty-car, zig-zaggy roads like a natural. Well, it can and does, while offering plenty of practicality, cargo space, distinctive looks, and a boatload of tech.

Acura's MDX received a significant update last year that ditched the True Touchpad infotainment system and debuted a new touchscreen display with built-in Google functionality, covered in this review of the 2025 Acura MDX.

With excellent power and a willing chassis, the 2026 Acura MDX Type S tops the MDX line in price, features, and performance. The SUV is eminently practical — and yet at the same time, its driving experience should delight sports car fans. The interior lags behind some competition in luxury, however, and fuel economy from the more powerful engine disappoints.

Jim Resnick

About the 2026 Acura MDX Type S

The 2026 Acura MDX comes in base, Technology, A-Spec, Advance, A-Spec Advance, and Type S Advance trim levels, with base prices ranging from about $54,000 to around $78,000, including the destination charge to ship the SUV to a dealership from the East Liberty, Ohio, factory that builds it.

For this MDX review, I test-drove the Type S in Arizona. The sole option on the SUV was Performance Red paint, bringing the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $77,800, including the $1,350 destination charge. Acura provided the vehicle for this MDX review.

Jim Resnick

The 2026 MDX Is Handsome Outside and Sporty Inside

Last year's good looks carry over on the 2026 MDX. Acura's three-row midsize luxury crossover received its most recent redesign for the 2022 model year, but this fourth-generation MDX remains handsome several years into its run.

Inside, the overall feel falls short of a luxury SUV. Leather, soft-touch plastic, and a load of piano-black trim decorate the cabin, and the latter can sometimes reflect glare into the driver's eyes when the sun's at an unfortunate angle.

A symmetrical dash layout features a center stack of controls and buttons directly facing the back, rather than canted toward the driver. That makes some of them hard to see from the driver's seat. Additionally, Acura provides many small buttons on the climate panel, which impedes quick legibility, and the push-button transmission controls feel fussy.

Today's steering wheels commonly have at least a few buttons to adjust a variety of features, but the MDX hits the high end of the scale with 13 buttons in total, two of which are four-way thumbwheels. You'd have to climb into a modern race car to see more switches on a steering wheel.

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The best part of the Type S interior is the two front seats. They blend the support of a sports car's seats with absolute long-distance comfort, compromising none of the former to achieve the latter. They have adjustable lumbar bladders, too, but their greatness isn't dependent on that. Throw out the adjustability, and the seats would still be among the best on the market today.

The second-row seats offer good legroom, fore-aft travel, reclinability, and a one-touch slide for third-row access. The middle seatback folds down and makes a better laptop platform than it does a place to sit. You can also remove the middle seat, clearing a path to the third row. That third row, however, is small and not fit for adults. Stow it instead, and you get 39.1 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the second row.

Storage up front is middling, with a modestly sized center console and short door pockets for water bottles but not much else. A minor point for some climates, but the roof shade is a tight mesh fabric that blocks out sun and heat far better than other mesh screens I've seen.

Jim Resnick

Acura's 2026 MDX Has Plenty of Tech and Safety Features

Acura dropped its clunky True Touchpad Interface for 2025, replacing it with a much easier to use 12.3-inch touchscreen system that includes Google built-in. I was able to pair my phone quickly and reconnect on subsequent drives without having to touch anything manually. When I wanted to toggle between the MDX's built-in Google ecosystem and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, that was easy, too.

The Type S is the only MDX fitted with the top-level Bang & Olufsen Ultra Sound system, though other trim levels offer a lesser B&O version. The Ultra setup pumps a whopping 1,760 watts through 31 speakers — 12 of which are in the headliner — to create a stellar experience that gets plenty loud without being harsh. The system's 3D surround effect adds a short-decay reverb to my ears and also widens the soundstage a bit. I ended up not using it.

Acura does not offer SiriusXM satellite radio, even as an option, though you can stream it from your phone.

Jim Resnick

All 2026 MDX models include the expected advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), grouped within the standard AcuraWatch package. However, the Type S expands on that with AcuraWatch 360, adding capabilities such as active lane-change assist, lane-change collision mitigation, blind-spot warning with steering avoidance, and front cross-traffic warning.

Highway and interstate behavior of the MDX's adaptive cruise, lane centering, and lane keeping work well. However, even with Acura's latest technology, the MDX still exhibits some ADAS oddness. Anything short of crystal-clear lane lines can flummox the lane-centering technology, and simple tar snakes (squiggly tar lines patching pavement cracks) can cause the MDX to hunt around.

Jim Resnick

The Acura MDX Type S Is Sporty and Athletic

The MDX Type S uses an exclusive 3.0-liter turbocharged V6, belting out 355 horsepower. It's paired with the same 10-speed automatic transmission as non-Type S models. Acura's torque-vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive delivers power to all four wheels and is standard with the Type S. Also standard on the Type S is an adaptive air suspension and Brembo front brakes.

All that performance-oriented kit equates to an MDX that hustles with sports car aplomb. Even when not using the paddles to shift, the transmission finds the right gear, so there's minimal delay while the gearbox wakes up. Even enthusiast publication Car and Driver's zero-to-60-mph test result of 5.5 seconds feels a little shy to me.

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The Type S strikes a charming balance between yawning comfort and alert athletics when you get on the gas. On a fun road, the Type S seems to shrink around you, lose weight, and sprout sneakers. It's as if the feisty character of Acuras and Hondas of the 1990s that so many gearheads love is trying to emerge in a family-friendly SUV.

The official fuel-economy estimate for the MDX Type S is 19 mpg combined in city and highway driving. My own route, a mix of highways and suburban roads, yielded 20.5 mpg, which is better than the EPA's estimate, but, frankly, both results are disappointing. Hybridization could boost those numbers and power output, but none of the MDX model variants offer hybrid power.

Jim Resnick

Is the 2026 Acura MDX Type S a Good SUV?

At its price, the closest alternative to the Acura MDX Type S is the Lexus TX 500h F Sport Performance. Other rivals, like the Genesis GV80 3.5T, Lincoln Aviator, and Volvo XC90 B6, can't match the Acura's sporty looks, excellent handling, and impressive performance. German alternatives such as the Audi SQ7 and Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 with the third-row seat option are significantly more expensive.

That gives Acura a distinct edge in this segment. And the MDX Type S is no consolation prize. The only real letdowns are the third-row space, some mildly annoying ADAS behavior, and relatively poor fuel economy. For the enthusiast buyer who values driving joy, the 2026 Acura MDX Type S is a solid, fun choice.

Jim Resnick

From racing exotic sports cars, to ranking new cars, to peeling back layers of cover up in an exhaust emissions scandal, Jim has chronicled the automotive sector for decades. Jim has also worked inside the corporate headquarters of three carmakers, and therefore understands how the automotive sausage is really made. But Jim’s affinity for vehicles takes a back seat to finding the truth and the cultural implications of modern transportation. He has also lectured at universities to engineering and policy students and faculty on the industry’s relationship with legislation in the wake of the diesel exhaust emissions scandal several years ago. Put simply, Jim reports on autos, mobility, tech, car culture, and the traffic jam of topics within.