2025 Acura MDX Finally Ditches Finicky Touchpad for New Touch Screen

• Acura changes the design of the three-row MDX, adding better audio and driver assistance features.
• The luxury mid-size SUV gets a mild facelift and more significant changes inside, including a 12.3-inch touchscreen instead of a touchpad.
• The drivetrain is the same, and the engine choices are still the 3.5-liter V-6 and the turbo 3.0-liter V-6.

Not much has changed with the 2025 Acura MDX—which is good news, because there was a lot we liked about the 2024 Acura MDX. We thought the powerplants were good, both the standard 290-horsepower 3.5-liter and the juicier turbocharged 355-hp 3.0-liter in the Type S, each backed by a 10-speed automatic transmission. We also liked its looks and handling, declaring it to be “athletic and graceful,” a compliment we would certainly be happy to receive. So the fact that the 2025 MDX uses the same powerful engine options and makes no changes to the undercarriage means it should accelerate, turn, and stop just the way we like it. The areas where the new MDX has changed, namely the interior design and aesthetics, offer improvements to a few areas that we were not impressed with in the previous model.

S-Type Luxury Features Deplete

Let’s start with the trim levels. Last year, the MDX came in six trim levels (Base, Technology, A-Spec, Advance, Type S, and Type S Advance), offering a variety of luxury and performance features. For 2025, the A-Spec Advance is new and comes with the massage-wrapped leather front seats previously available on the S-Type. The package also comes with 16-way power seats, a heated second row, 360 degrees .a camera, more soundproof insulation and glass, and a head-up display. Well packed. It slots in between the regular MDX Advance and the Type S. The base Type S has been dropped, leaving only the loaded Type S Advance, which comes with massage seats and a camera as well as a heated steering wheel and Acura concert hall on wheels. , a 31-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo system. That’s six more bangs and olufsens than the outgoing model’s 25-speaker ELS system.

All MDX trims get a few exterior tweaks, such as a new bumper shape and an open grille with a new mesh design. The A-Spec gets the same nose as the S Type, with a five-point grille and black trim. All models feature new 20-inch wheel designs. The S model drops the grille surround for a frameless look filled with a wide mesh for more airflow. It gets 21-inch split wheels that provide plenty of clearance to admire the red Brembo four-piston front brake calipers.

Heavy Interiors and Tech

The real action is inside, where we find a redesigned center console on all models. Most surprisingly to those familiar with the MDX, Acura has ditched the console’s in-dash touchpad in favor of a 12.3-inch touchscreen. This freed up more space on the dashboard for usable features such as additional storage spaces and an easy-to-access wireless phone charging pad. The screen itself has Google built-in, and supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For music connoisseurs, you get an 11-speaker sound system or, in higher-end packages, a 19-speaker Bang and Olufsen. You’ll hear better no matter what you choose, because there’s more insulation and a tinted rear glass to block road noise. .

Other internal matters will be known. It’s stylish and comfortable, with wood and metal accents throughout most of the trim, and suede-trimmed leather seats in the Type S. The front seats in either model are roomy and comfortable (they have new bolsters in the Type of S); the middle row offers heated seats, climate control, and plenty of legroom. The third-row seats are cramped but surprisingly in an area that often puts upholstery over what feels like a blank slate. They are suitable for short family trips, but not suitable for long trips with adult passengers. The rear seats fold down easily for extra cargo room and are well weighted to quickly pull into space.

There are no changes to the engine, transmission, or suspension, so we can expect performance and mileage numbers to be similar to the 2024 MDX. Based on our testing, that should mean 5.5 seconds to 60 mph for the S-Type and 6.4 seconds for the 3.5-liter models, and between 19 and 21 mpg EPA-estimated combined mileage. (We saw 16 and 17 mpg combined in our real-world tests of the 2024 models.)

Once again, base and Tech models have front-wheel drive as standard and all-wheel drive is available, and AWD is standard on everything above, including the Type S, which also retains its status. of air suspension and dynamic fluids.

The last major change for the 2025 is in the driver assistance systems offered by Acura. The 2025 MDX gets an upgraded AcuraWatch package with a new front camera and a new grille-mounted radar, both with a wider field of view to detect pedestrians and lane markings. Range is also extended with a rear blind spot monitoring system.

Pricing for the 2025 models has yet to be released, but it should be soon as the on-sale date is set for May 2024.

Like the sleep agent activated at the end of the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her phone when she was young. Like many girls, she planned to become an astronaut, and came close to the latter by attending art school at UCLA. He drew pictures of cars, but he didn’t own them. Elana hesitated to get her driver’s license at age 21 and realized that not only did she love cars and wanted to drive them, but other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant someone had to write about them. Since receiving the activation codes, Elana has written for many automotive magazines and websites, covering antiques, car culture, technology, motorsports and new car reviews. In 2020, he received the Best Feature award from the Motor Journalists Association for C/D story “Save through Classic Americana in Polestar 2.” In 2023, he Car and Driver feature story “In Washington, DC’s Secret Carpool Cabal, It’s a Daily Slug Fest” was awarded 1st place at the 16th Annual Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club.