The nomenclature first: Acura is to Honda as Lexus is to Toyota, Genesis to Hyundai, etcetera, etcetera. The MDX is a biggish three-row SUV — Acura’s gussied-up $52,000-and-up version of the $42,000 Honda Pilot. Type S is a trim level, Acura-speak for high, or at least higher, performance (and price).  

 To most drivers, performance equals acceleration and speed, which requires power. An ordinary, non-S MDX has a 3.5-litre V-6 rated for 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. The MDX Type S gets a smaller engine—a V-6 of just 3.0 litres, 183 cubic inches, displacement—but it is pressurized (turbocharged) to make 355 horses and 354 torques. Thus a modest gain for higher performance, if not truly high performance, which in today’s market would require at least 500 horsepower. 

 (The Aston Martin DBX 707, for example, makes 697 horsepower and costs almost 300 grand, fully loaded. Performance-wise, it has one thing in common with the MDX Type S: Both are good for about 20 miles per gallon on the highway.) 

 Performance, however, is more than just horsepower; we’ll return to this in a moment. All versions of the MDX share the same 10-speed automatic transmission with gearshift paddles on the steering wheel. Entry-level MDXs are front-wheel-drive; the four higher-spec models are hauled around by their front wheels until the going gets dicey, when the rear wheels come into play, and benefit from torque vectoring (Honda/Acura’s SH-AWD, Super Handling All Wheel Drive), which sends power to the back wheels as needed or to the outside wheels in a corner, to help drive the vehicle around the bend.

 The Type S Advance has more sophisticated running gear than other MDXs, with stabilizer bars, adaptive dampers and a self-leveling air suspension, as well as upgraded brakes, self-sealing tires and valves in the exhaust system that open at higher engine RPM for a “sportier” sound from the four large megaphones poking out behind.

 The Type S also has not three, not five but seven drive modes—two more than a non-S MDX: Normal, Comfort, Snow, Sport, Sport+, Lift and Individual. Lift increases the ground clearance, maybe to tip-toe over a snow berm, and Individual saves the driver’s choice of engine, steering, suspension, idle stop, gauge cluster and lighting settings. My choice, approved by the Blind Lady, is Sport for engine response and Comfort for the ride. 

 Rather than run down the long list of the MDX Type S’s highly evolved safety, comfort and connectivity features, let’s return to performance. Real-world, three-dimensional performance on public roads calls for much more than horsepower. Braking, cornering, aerodynamics and even driver and passenger comfort become more and more important as power, and the availability of acceleration and speed, increase; balance is necessary. These factors also drive up the price, and thus the owner’s expectations. This is what the new MDX Type S Advance offers, in fact. At $75,000-plus, it is a complete and satisfying package.

Next week: Hyundai Elantra N-Line