10 Things You Need to Know About the 2022 Acura MDX

2022 Acura MDX A-Spec ・ Photo by Acura

A redesigned 2022 Acura MDX is rolling into dealership showrooms now, and in almost every way, it’s a better three-row crossover luxury SUV than the vehicle it replaces. It looks better, drives better, and offers better convenience, infotainment, and safety technologies.

Initially, the new 2022 MDX comes only with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, front-wheel or all-wheel drive, and a choice of Technology, A-Spec, and Advance option packages that add equipment. By the end of summer, the performance-tuned MDX Type S arrives, and rumors about a plug-in hybrid version persist. We spent a week driving a 2022 Acura MDX A-Spec, dipped in new Liquid Carbon Metallic paint. Like every A-Spec, it had standard Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD), and it wore a window sticker totaling up to $58,625, including a $1,025 destination charge. Here are 10 things you might not know about the new MDX, but you should.

1. The new styling improves pedestrian safety.

The redesigned 2022 Acura MDX looks great. Proportionally, the MDX is longer and wider than before, with a taller hood and a stretched wheelbase to improve something known as the “dash-to-axle” ratio (the distance and angle of the dashboard to the front wheels). This design execution gives the SUV improved visual balance and a more athletic look.

That redesigned front end serves another purpose, though. It’s much safer for a pedestrian the MDX might strike. In addition to a new impact-absorbing front bumper that improves lower leg protection for pedestrians, the MDX’s upper fascia is purposely designed to lessen upper leg injury. Additionally, the new MDX has enhanced head protection as well as a deformable hood and fender hinges. 

Photo by Acura

2. Its bench seat can become captain's chairs.

Every 2022 Acura MDX comes with a second-row bench seat that owners can convert into captain’s chairs.

Taking a cue from parent company Honda’s Odyssey minivan, the second-row bench seat has a removable center section. Release it and store it, and you’ve got individual captain’s chairs with a pass-through to the third-row seat. Acura says this is useful when you’ve installed child safety seats in the second row. If you’d rather not have that center seating section gathering dust and cobwebs in your garage, leave it installed and fold it down. This action creates two seating locations separated by a console with cupholders and a storage tray, perfect for families with older kids who want their own space and need a place to rest a smartphone.

Photo by Acura

3. No touchscreen for you!

Acura installs a much better infotainment system in the new 2022 MDX. It’s got a 12.3-inch display artfully nestled into the top of the dashboard, and it features modern graphics and dramatically improved functionality.

But it’s not a touchscreen. Instead, depending on the task at hand, you can use the significantly improved voice recognition system. You can also use the steering wheel controls, which are perfect for cycling through radio stations and adjusting the volume. A third alternative is to use the center console controls to mute, control volume, and manually tune the radio. Everything else requires using a True Touchpad Interface (TTI) that is hit-and-miss in terms of its effectiveness. The idea is to reduce driver distraction, but often the TTI contributes to it.

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4. Try out “Hey, Alexa.”

A highlight of the new infotainment system is Alexa Built-in. This digital assistant works like the critically acclaimed “Hey BMW” and “Hey Mercedes” technologies in other luxury vehicles wearing kidney grilles and three-pointed stars. Alexa Built-in works exceptionally well. Unless you have a kid named Alexa. Then, not so much.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard in every new MDX, too. Pair to the MDX’s Bluetooth, set your phone down in the oversized wireless charging tray that Acura specifically designed to accommodate plus-sized smartphones, and off you go without the unsightly tangle of wiring that often clutters modern vehicles.

Photo by Acura

5. You can get a thundering 16-speaker stereo.

Acura offers three different sound systems for the new 2022 MDX. Standard specification supplies a nine-speaker setup that probably sounds OK. Upgrade the SUV with the Technology Package, and it comes with a 12-speaker Acura/ELS Studio premium sound system. That’s going to provide a more satisfying audio experience.

However, if you’re a true audiophile, you’re going to want the new 16-speaker Acura/ELS Studio 3D system that comes with A-Spec and Advance option packages. It includes four speakers embedded into the ceiling and delivers remarkable depth and clarity. But wait, there’s more! When the more powerful and athletic 2022 Acura MDX Type S arrives in the summer of 2021, it’s going to have a “Signature Edition” version of the Acura/ELS Studio 3D system, with 1,000 watts of power and 25 speakers. Yowza!

Photo by Acura

6. SH-AWD is the real deal.

The name Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) is not solely about marketing. This torque-vectoring AWD system can deliver up to 70% of the engine’s power to the MDX’s rear axle and from there up to 100% of it to a single rear wheel. Plus, the MDX has a new fourth-generation version of SH-AWD, boasting a quicker response to changing driving conditions.

From the driver’s seat, this translates to magic. Whip the MDX around a curve or a corner, and when you get on the gas to exit the turn, you can sense the front end of the SUV pivoting in the direction you’re steering, creating a tighter cornering arc. The sensation feels like a subtle rotation of the MDX on a central axis, combined with significant traction from the outboard rear wheel, which at this point in the maneuver is carrying the most weight and has the tire with the largest contact patch. Confused? Know this: SH-AWD is the real deal, making the MDX much more fun to drive.

Photo by Acura

7. The 10-speed automatic transmission is built in-house.

From 2014 to 2020, the Acura MDX had a nine-speed automatic transmission made by German supplier ZF. It wasn’t perfect. During the early years, it was incapable of launching the SUV smoothly, hunted for gears, often clunked like it was going to fall out of the MDX, and let the SUV roll too much after putting it in Park. Acura made changes to it for 2017, and it was better but still irritating. One way to avoid it was to choose the MDX Sport Hybrid for its seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), but many people don’t like DCTs.

For 2022, forget all that. The MDX has a brand-new 10-speed automatic engineered and built in-house. So, while the push-button controls on the interior might look the same as the old MDX’s, what’s underneath and powering the wheels is something entirely different — and much more satisfying.

Photo by Acura

8. The double-wishbone front suspension improves driving dynamics.

Most people don’t give a vehicle’s suspension design a second thought. They either like the way a car, truck, or SUV rides and handles, or they don’t. Car company engineers, however, need to obsess over suspension design. It’s their job to make you love the way a car rides and handles, all while staying within budget and packaging constraints.

With the new 2022 Acura MDX, the company debuts a more expensive and intricate double-wishbone front suspension. Acura elected to spend money on this design to make serious gains in the SUV’s ride and handling qualities. Changes to the MDX’s multi-link rear suspension also aim to enhance driving dynamics. These efforts are successful. The MDX, already an athletic SUV, became more enjoyable to drive. But the real-world gains are most evident in daily-driving situations. The new 2022 MDX suffers less head toss than before and is smoother over uneven surfaces like drainage dips, driveway aprons, and undulating pavement. It boasts a greater, and welcome, sense of stability.

Photo by Acura

9. Traffic Jam Assist needs to mind the gap better.

Aside from improved smoothness and sophistication, the most significant upgrade to the 2022 MDX’s AcuraWatch collection of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) is Traffic Jam Assist.

When you’re driving at lower speeds, such as in a traffic jam, this technology pairs the adaptive cruise control to the lane-centering assistance technology. The system follows the vehicle ahead, automatically adjusting speed, keeping the MDX centered in its lane. When traffic stops, the MDX does, too. When traffic moves, so does the MDX, though depending on the situation, you might need to resume travel manually. The goal of Traffic Jam Assist is to reduce stress in traffic. Unfortunately, it can leave a much larger gap ahead than you might prefer and then have trouble braking in time when vehicles ahead come to another stop. That does not reduce stress. Hence, Acura needs to hasten Traffic Jam Assist's ability to respond to changing traffic conditions.

Photo by Acura

10. The front passenger airbag is an all-new design.

Another safety upgrade for the 2022 Acura MDX is a new front-passenger, frontal-impact airbag design. Acura’s parent company, Honda, developed the new airbag in partnership with supplier Autoliv. The automaker claims it can significantly improve control of the front passenger’s head rotation in oblique-angle frontal-impact collisions.

For example, let’s say you’re driving through an intersection in Los Angeles. The traffic light is green. But just as you enter it, you get caught up in one of that city’s infamous car chases. The perp collides with your MDX, impacting the right front corner and fender. In this situation, the new airbag springs into action to control your passenger’s head rotation and, according to Acura, reduce brain tissue injury by up to 75%. That’s good to know, isn’t it?

Photo by Acura