Acura’s New Faster Flagship: High-Performance MDX Type S to Arrive at Canadian Dealers early next year

Acura has revealed more details on the first-ever MDX Type S, as the most powerful, best handling and most lavishly equipped Acura SUV ever. A high-performance variant of the new Acura flagship, the 2022 MDX Type S will begin arriving at Acura dealers nationwide in early next year with pricing starting in the high $70,000 range.

The third Type S model to debut this year, MDX Type S is a high-performance SUV to its core, built on MDX’s extremely rigid model-exclusive platform created with the Type S model in mind. The 3-row MDX Type S takes Acura SUV performance to the next level with Acura’s new 355 horsepower Type S Turbo V6, standard torque vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®) and an Adaptive Damper System paired for the first time with air suspension. Powerful Brembo brakes and 21-inch wheel wrapped in performance rubber complete the package.

VIDEO: 2022 MDX Type S – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMGylpgJTe8

“The MDX Type S is a complete package of superior performance, luxury features, and cargo space,” says James Marchand, assistant vice president, Acura Canada. “It solidifies our commitment to Precision Crafted Performance that brings a fun and exhilarating driving experience whether you’re in the city, on the highway, or taking a family road trip.”

MDX Type S advances the fundamentals of Precision Crafted Performance with significant enhancements to all elements of the driving experience and a distinctive visual character inside and out. Type S models cater to spirited driving enthusiasts with additional power, enhanced handling and improved braking without compromising creature comforts or daily drivability.

Exclusive Type S Design

Numerous signature design features distinguish the MDX performance variant, including an exclusive front splitter and an open-surface Diamond Pentagon grille that increases air flow allowing about 10% more air to enter the engine bay. For additional cooling the side vents flanking the grille route air to a sub-radiator on each side of the engine compartment.

In the rear, MDX Type S features a diffuser flanked on each side by two large round exhaust outlets. As with TLX Type S, MDX Type S will be available in an eye-catching and Type S-exclusive Tiger Eye Pearl paint, only 30 examples will be available to Canadian Acura enthusiasts.

MDX Type S also features exclusive 21-inch alloy wheels painted Shark Gray, or Berlina Black with a machined finish on the Ultra Package. The wheels feature resonators to reduce road noise and are wrapped in 275/40ZR21 Continental ContiSeal™ tires, the first self-sealing tires ever fitted to an Acura product.

Type S-Exclusive Turbocharged V6

At the heart of the 2022 MDX Type S is the Turbo V6 created exclusively for Type S models. Acura’s all-new, 24-valve, DOHC 3.0-litre V6 engine produces 355 horsepower and 354 lb.-ft. of torque with direct-injection and a single twin-scroll turbocharger. Developed by some of the company’s most experienced powertrain engineers, including members of the team that developed the NSX’s bespoke twin-turbocharged V6 hybrid power unit, the engine debuted on the TLX Type S earlier this year. It makes the 2022 MDX Type S the quickest and most powerful Acura SUV ever.

Reengineered to match the additional torque of the new engine, the 10-speed automatic transmission is now stronger and shifts more quickly. Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ with torque vectoring is standard. The system, now in its fourth-generation, can send up to 70 percent of the engine’s torque to the rear axle, and 100 percent of that torque can be distributed to either the left or right rear wheel.

Performance-Tuned Chassis

MDX Type S features a performance-tuned chassis with double-wishbone front suspension and the first air-suspension system ever used on an Acura vehicle. Acura’s Adaptive Damper System, which continuously adjusts damping force based on sensor inputs, is also standard.

For Type S, the dampers use exclusive valve rates to give the SUV a sportier feel with more feedback in all seven drive modes of the Integrated Dynamics System. In addition to Normal, Comfort, Individual, Snow, Sport and the Type S-exclusive Sport+ mode, MDX Type S features a new Lift mode that increases ground clearance 51 mm to better navigate rough terrain and deep snow. To improve balance and handling, the battery has been relocated from under the hood to the cargo area.

The result is the best handling and most dynamic SUV in Acura history. A true driver’s machine that also features exceptional ride quality, adjustable ride height, automatic load leveling and even programmable parking height.

Braking performance is improved with the addition of larger, more powerful Brembo® front brakes. New red Brembo® four-piston front calipers grip 363.2 mm in diameter (+12.7 mm) rotors for improved stopping power. The rear brake calipers are also painted red.

First developed for the second-generation NSX, Acura’s electric-servo braking system, has also been retuned to give MDX Type S a brake pedal stroke similar to the supercar’s. Standard on all MDX Type S models, the system allows engineers to precisely control the brake pressure electronically to finely tune a vehicle’s brake pedal force.  

A New Level of Acura Craftsmanship

Inside the 7-passenger MDX Type S, soft-touch Milano leather seats in Red or Ebony are accented with premium Black Ultrasuede® inserts. Type S builds on the already stellar, standard MDX interior with a racing-inspired flat-bottom steering wheel with the Type S badge, contrast stitching on the dash, doors, and lower instrument panel, metal sport pedals and a metal-plated glove box handle. A 12.3-inch Acura Precision Cockpit™ all-digital instrument display is standard along with Acura’s award-winning True Touchpad Interface™ paired with a 12.3-inch ultra-wide HD center display.

The 2022 MDX Type S with Ultra Package takes Acura interior experience to the next level, adding full Milano leather with a special curvilinear quilting pattern to the front and middle row seats. The Ultra Package also features Acura’s first application of massaging front seats and a new 25-speaker ELS STUDIO 3D^Ò  Signature Edition premium audio system that creates a class-leading audio experience.

The massaging seats on the Ultra Package offer the driver and passenger nine different massaging options, including Wave, Shiatsu, Rejuvenation and Zen. Using Carnegie Hall’s Parquet section as a reference, the ELS STUDIO 3D^®  Signature Edition premium audio system features more than 1000 watts through 25 speakers, two amplifiers, carbon speaker cones and illuminated speaker grilles keyed to the Acura IconicDrive™ customizable ambient lighting.

Advanced Safety and Driver-Assist Features

All 2022 MDX models including the new MDX Type S come with an expanded suite of AcuraWatch™ advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies, including updated Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) plus new technologies like Traffic Jam Assist (TJA), a Driver Attention Monitor, Pedestrian Sensing and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Pedestrian AEB), and Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR).

The MDX also offers a new front and rear low-speed braking system that uses sonar-based parking sensors to sense solid objects at low speeds and warn the driver or apply the brakes to help avoid or mitigate a collision. When the vehicle is driving forward or reversing between 2 and 10 kph, the system detects objects in front of or behind the vehicle assessing if there is danger of a collision. If an object is detected, the system provides visual and audible alerts, and applies throttle control and braking.

Type S also delivers advanced levels of collision protection performance with Acura’s proprietary Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and new front passenger airbag technology. The airbag uses a proprietary three-chamber layout designed to more effectively cradle and protect the front seat occupant’s head to help mitigate potential injury in more steeply angled frontal collisions.

As a result, all MDX models, including the MDX Type S, achieve a Top Safety Pick + rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and a 5-star overall rating from the NHTSA.

Design, Developed and Manufactured in America

The 2022 Acura MDX Type S was designed, engineered and developed in America. Styling was led by the Acura Design Studio in Torrance, Calif., while full platform and vehicle development was led by engineers in the company’s development center in Raymond, Ohio. Like MDX, the MDX Type S is built exclusively at the company’s auto plant in East Liberty, Ohio, while the 3.0-litre turbocharged engine is produced at the company’s Anna, Ohio, engine plant. The 10-speed automatic transmission is manufactured at the company’s Tallapoosa, Georgia, plant, and the SH-AWD® system’s front power takeoff unit and rear differential are assembled in the company’s Russells Point, Ohio, plant.

2022 MDX Type S Key Features

2022 MDX Type S Key Specs and Dimensions

About Acura Canada
Acura is the luxury-performance division of Honda Canada Inc. and is a leading automotive luxury nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance, an original approach to technology and design that creates a new driving experience. The Acura lineup features five distinctive models – the TLX performance luxury sedan, the ILX sport sedan, the 5-passenger RDX luxury crossover SUV, and the Acura MDX seven-passenger luxury SUV. Acura launched its next-generation, electrified NSX supercar as a new and pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance. Acura celebrated its 30th anniversary in Canada in February 2017 and has grown to include over 50 locations in its dealer network across the country. For more information, please visit www.acura.ca.

SOURCE Honda Canada Inc.