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2025 Acura MDX Type S First Drive Review: Loss of a deal breaker is a game changer

MALIBU, Calif. – One of two things usually happens when testing a three-row SUV on a twisting mountain road. First, I wonder why I thought doing so was a good idea in the first place. Or, I end up saying, “Well, I guess that wasnÂ’t so bad.” Neither happened with the 2025 Acura MDX Type S, a three-row SUV that somehow feels perfectly happy and at home on the sort of roads that make competitors feel like elephants in a horse race. Placed into Sport or Sport+ modes, the latter of which is exclusive to the Type S, the air suspension lowers 15 mm, and the adaptive dampers tighten to the extent that body motions are just about as level as you could get without making the ride chattering. If anything, certain choppier bits of pavement made the suspensionÂ’s reduction of suppression and rebound too jostling and queasy, but selecting a softer ride setting in the Individual drive mode option corrected that. The steering displayed a spot-on amount of extra heft in the Sport modes, being pleasantly firm on center and through initial turn-in, but seeming to loosen ever-so-slightly up in slower, tighter corners and hairpins. ItÂ’s pleasurable driving the MDX Type S, but not a workout. The real star, as has been the case for nearly two decades of sporting Acuras, is the Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system, now in its fourth generation. This torque-vectoring system can send up to 70% of available power to the rear axle, and then 100% of that to the outside rear wheel while turning. The result canÂ’t be missed. Brake hard with the fat Brembo brakes (they measure 14.3 inches up front and benefit from an electric servo that effectively makes them adaptive to the amount of effort applied to the pedal), turn in with the beautifully contoured sport steering wheel, feel the front end bite, and the rear end not only comes around, but does so with authority. Thanks to the more aggressive power distribution in Sport and Sport+, thereÂ’s even a whiff of oversteer at a few moments. Tremendous. “Makes it shrink around you” is a tired cliche, but it applies here. The MDX feels about 700 pounds lighter than its 4,776-pound curb weight would suggest. The engine is actually the least impressive element of the Type S, a 3.0-liter V6 with a single twin-scroll turbo good for 355 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque.

Best places to get your car maintained and repaired

In this era of rampant inflation and high interest rates, the challenges of acquiring a car or SUV have been well documented. And so it has never been more important to protect that expensive investment by maintaining it. In recent months, Autoblog has shared Consumer Reports' evaluation of the least and most expensive car brands to keep running, as well as tips to prolong a car’s useful life. Especially since the pandemic, a number of factors have impacted these costs: more complex vehicles, new materials and manufacturing methods, a shortage of qualified technicians and replacement parts. Since 2022, repairs costs have jumped each year by about 10 percent. This month, Consumer Reports is offering a useful primer on keeping your ride in great shape, suggesting what might be the best options for searching out a repair shop, depending, as CR says, “on your car and your situation.” Author Ben Preston identifies three basic types of repair facilities: dealership service departments, independently owned repair shops, and chain repair shops. Building up trust with a specific shop and feeling comfortable going there is important. Preston quotes John Ibbotson, chief mechanic at Consumer ReportsÂ’ Auto Test Center: "You might be able to save a few bucks by going to whichever shop offers the cheapest prices, but if you want consistent, reliable service, itÂ’s best to find a repair shop you trust and stick with it,” Ibbotson says. The story goes on to evaluate each type of service facility. HereÂ’s a breakdown of CRÂ’s findings: Dealerships These work well for owners of newer cars, especially for covered warranty work. But the disadvantage is the high labor rates common to dealer service. Satisfaction ratings for dealer service departments range from very good (Acura, Lexus, Mazda, and Volvo) to not-so-good (Jeep and Kia). Dealers are best for: Fixing infotainment system glitches: "If the screen in the center of your dash has a habit of freezing up, or the touchscreen-activated climate controls arenÂ’t working, the dealership is the most likely place to find someone with the know-how to fix problems that maybe only a factory-authorized technician can access," Ibbotson says. Safety system recalibration: "Anything from a crack in your windshield to a minor fender dent can upset the calibration of the sensors that make features like automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control work," says Ibbotson.

Acura Precision EV Concept teased ahead of Monterey reveal

Acura is getting ready to to unveil a new all-electric concept to showcase the brand's design language as it enters the age of electrification. A brief teaser video providing a glimpse of the car was released today accompanied by precious little information, but we can still glean a few tidbits. The name, Acura Precision EV Concept, offers the first clue. Acura has applied the name "Precision" to flagship concepts in the past. The stunning 2016 Precision Concept was also said to define a new design language for the brand. It became a template for cars like the RDX and MDX, but it most resembled the sharp-looking TLX sedan that debuted in 2020 for the 2021 model year. In the intervening years, luxury marques have become far more likely to introduce an electrified crossover as a flagship than an internal combustion sedan. The Precision EV concept seems to fit that mold. From the video, we can see that the vehicle will have a rather tall section of black cladding below the "grille" area, as well as some contouring above the wheel wells. This suggests it's quite likely an SUV rather than a low-slung sedan.  The would-be grille area now projects an illuminated Acura logo. The formerly high relief diamond shapes converging on the central emblem are now distinct lighting elements, with the same pattern repeated in a lower fog lamp areas on either side of the nose. Acura's signature jewel-eye headlights with chicane DRLs are now slimmer and wider, meeting the grille area at the inner points. So, what is it? Quite likely, we'll soon see a preview of Acura's upscale version of the Honda Prologue, an EV collab with General Motors. Riding on GM's Ultium battery platform that will underpin Cadillac Lyriq, Honda has announced that the Prologue will spawn an Acura as well. Finally, thanks to unearthed trademark filings, we are led to believe that it will be named the Acura ADX. Whatever it's called, it's not expected to hit the roads until the 2024 model year. That fits with the Precision EV Concept's August 18 unveiling at this month's Monterey Car Week festivities. Related video: