2024 Acura MDX Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Acura has nailed the look of the MDX. The large shield grille is flanked by a pair of rakish headlights and accented below it with a pair of intake vents. The lower bumper area below the grille almost bends, making for a modern, refined presence. Inside, it’s high-tech but busy. The bevy of controls in the center console can be a lot to take in at first, and as we’ll get to later, are even more of a pain to operate.

In addition to the base model, the Acura MDX is offered in several trims, which Acura calls packages. This includes the Technology Package, A-Spec Package, and Advance Package. There’s also the Acura MDX Type-S and Type-S Advance, which we drove for this review. Standard features on the MDX include tri-zone automatic climate control, push-button start, synthetic leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, power-adjustable front seats, and heated front seats.

Moving up to the Technology Package adds ambient cabin lighting, navigation, a 12-speaker ELS premium stereo system, and genuine leather upholstery. The A-Spec trim level has a sportier personality and features unique styling touches, as well as an upgraded 16-speaker ELS audio system, perforated leather seats, and ventilated front seats. It also includes an in-cabin intercom system so you don’t have to yell to communicate with those all the way back in the third row. The Advance package provides a heated steering wheel, additional USB ports, remote start, and heated second-row seats.

The new-for-2024 Type-S packs in all the features of the Technology Package and the A-Spec package. We drove the Type-S Advance package, which adds two terrific features: the top-end 26-speaker ELS sound system and a pair of very lovely massaging front seats. The perforated leather upholstery is incredibly comfortable, and the massaging seats are worth every penny. The massage function is firmer than that found in other luxury crossovers and SUVs, so it feels more active and refreshing on long drives (softer systems risk lulling you into a slumber). Although the Mercedes-Benz GLS’s cabin may be miles ahead of the MDX, overall, the MDX has the better massagers.

The standard powerplant in the Acura MDX is a 3.5-liter V6 engine. It makes 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. The Type S comes equipped with a twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine that puts out 355 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent through a 10-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels or Acura’s available Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive System (AWD).

We drove the 2024 Acura MDX Type-S Advance, which boasts strong acceleration (thanks to those turbos) in most driving situations. It never whips your head back (this is a luxury SUV, after all), but you’re never wanting for power when pulling away from a stop, getting up to highway speeds, or making a passing maneuver. The transmission manages power well and throttle delivery is quick. It’s light on its feet yet extremely comfortable over bumps in the road.

The Type-S trims come with Brembo performance brakes, as well as an adaptive air suspension that is able to automatically level. You can hear it deactivate and slightly lower when you stop the MDX. This system allows the MDX Type-S to be surprisingly light on its feet, and the ride height lowers when you select Sport mode in the Integrated Dynamics System. Operated via a large dial in the center of the dash, the IDS also includes Sport+ (which requires a longer hold to make sure you want to select it), Snow, Comfort, and Normal modes, plus an Individual drive mode. There’s also a Lift mode that adds two inches of ground clearance for when you want to get off the beaten path.

But the MDX’s natural habitat is the boulevard and highway, where it is refined and comfortable. Some may find the ride on the firm side, but it still does a great job of absorbing bumps in the road. Also, there’s an expectation in modern SUVs—especially luxury SUVs—for a sportier ride quality, and so the firmness comes with the territory. The MDX Type-S can quickly dive through corners. Quickly, at least, for a roughly 4,500-pound SUV. The steering has the weight and tactile responsiveness of a luxury sedan, and the turning radius is tight enough to negotiate tight spaces and busy mall parking lots. When properly equipped, the MDX’s towing capacity maxes out at 5,000 pounds, although front-wheel-drive (FWD) models max out at 3,500 pounds on a trailer hitch.

The MDX comes standard with three rows of seating. The first two rows are comfortable and supportive, but the third row is on the smaller side and is best suited for children. There are 16.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, and that number expands to 39.1 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Folding the second and third rows provides access to the maximum 71.4 cubic feet of cargo space. There’s also an additional storage area underneath the cargo load floor. The MDX comes standard with a power liftgate. A hands-free power liftgate is optional on the base MDX and comes standard on Advance Package models.

Our Type-S Advance test vehicle’s second-row bench has a fold-down center console with integrated cupholders. While there is no option for second-row captain’s chairs, this fold-out armrest provides that individual-seat experience for second-row passengers. The center of that bench also folds out, providing easier access to the third row.

There are plenty of cupholders throughout the cabin, no matter where you are sitting. The center console has plenty of space for your various items. And then there’s the center stack of controls, which is a bit of a mess. The shifter is a row of buttons that takes some getting used to, and it takes up about as much space as a conventional shifter would, anyway. The IDS (drive-mode selector) is a large dial in the center of it all. Automakers have stated that the center controls area is one of the most valuable pieces of automotive real estate, and yet, Acura has installed features that aren’t completely essential to the driving experience. How many drivers are going to use the IDS dial regularly? We suspect the majority simply want to get in and drive.

And now we come to the Acura MDX’s Achilles Heel. Although it’s full of nice features, the infotainment system’s interface is painfully clumsy. At first, the 12.3-inch display atop the dash seems like it’s a touchscreen, but then you mush your index finger onto an icon and nothing happens. To control this screen, there is a touchpad down below the shifter. You drag your finger and tap the pad to select menu items, and it is painfully unintuitive.

Luckily, the MDX’s feature set offers some positives. First, the MDX comes standard with wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. Acura has also integrated Amazon Alexa and packages every MDX with satellite radio, HD radio, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The MDX also comes standard with multiple USB ports, a fully digital instrument panel, and wireless device charging.

The MDX does have a very clever placement for charging ports in the center console, hidden behind a small retractable pad. You also have a helpful leather handrest for the touchpad that also hovers above the wireless charging pad. It’s actually incredible that the infotainment system and other driver controls are so unintuitive given how much thought went into little details like the touchpad/charging pad packaging.

Given that the new Integra comes with a far more intuitive touchscreen setup, we hope that Acura has learned its lesson on the infotainment front, and the current system will be phased out in the MDX, in future model years. However, it still exists in the 2023 MDX, and that makes it a hard luxury crossover to recommend, particularly over other options like the the Genesis GV80, which offers impressive tech.

The Acura MDX comes with a comprehensive suite of high-tech driver assistance features. This includes standard automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane-departure warning, driver attention monitoring, traffic-sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. Stepping up to the Technology Package adds front and rear parking sensors, reverse automatic emergency braking, and rain-sensing windshield wipers. The Advance package adds a 360-degree parking camera system and a head-up display.

The 2024 MDX has not been tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but as the 2024 model carries back to 2022, those safety scores translate to the contemporary model. The ’22 MDX earns a five-star overall rating from NHTSA and earns a best score of Good in all phases of IIHS evaluation. It’s also a 2022 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and it earns a best score of Superior for its crash-prevention technology.

Despite all this safety tech and strong safety scores, there is one area of distraction for drivers. Yes, we’re back on the infotainment system. The fact that you have to look at the screen to figure out where your finger is on the touchpad takes your eyes away from the road longer than if you were simply using your index finger to select an icon on a touchscreen.

The most efficient version of the 2024 Acura MDX is the FWD model. It returns EPA fuel economy estimates of 19 mpg city, 26 highway, 22 combined. The non-Type-S AWD versions returns 19 mpg city, 25 highway, 21 combined. Estimates for our Type-S test vehicle are 17 mpg city, 21 highway, 19 combined. In our week of combined city and highway driving, we observed an average fuel economy of 18.7 mpg.

Base MSRP for the 2024 Acura MDX is $49,850 for the standard FWD model. The FWD Technology Package model starts at $54,550. The SH-AWD starts at $52,050, stepping up to the Technology Package costs $56,750, and the A-Spec Package starts at $60,250. The Advance Package costs $63,800, the Type-S starts at $68,150, and the Type-S Advance costs $73,500. The Acura MDX is backed by a four-year, 50,000-mile limited warranty and a six-year, 70,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Today, consumers want one vehicle that can do it all. The expectations for an SUV are well understood; cargo space, capability, safety, and room for the whole family. But modern SUVs are also expected to handle and perform as well as a sport sedan might 15 years ago. The Acura MDX delivers on all of these fronts,

The biggest headache in the MDX is its infotainment system, but there might be hope soon. Acura generally maintains a roughly eight-year run for its vehicle generations, with a mid-cycle refresh about halfway through the generation. Given that the new Integra has an improved infotainment system, the MDX’s next mid-cycle refresh (possibly in 2025 or 2026) could bring the new infotainment setup. For now, you’ll have to drive the MDX for yourself to determine if the clumsy controls are a deal breaker. If you think those controls are not confusing for you to operate, you’ll be rewarded with a luxury SUV that is fantastic in so many other ways. There are sportier SUVs, more upscale SUVs, and more spacious three-row SUVs, but few vehicles combine all of these attributes into one product. The 2024 Acura MDX is an extremely well-rounded luxury SUV with a comfortable interior that will make the commute a little and spirited handling that will make it more exciting.