Recently rent a X5 40i for week-long trip, and am glad to say that MDX-S is a closer match to base X5 than I anticipated. The X5 is quite new with less than 1000 miles, so should be representative of how a X5 drives even though it is a rental. The car comes with light options like premium pkg and 4-zone AC, but none of them enhance the luxury/handling of the car. The car has DDC (dynamic damper control), and I believe it is the standard-equipped adaptive dampers. Disclaimer: the tire pressure of the car is a little off at 30psi front and 37 psi rear. It is still within acceptable range, but may skew my observations a little bit.First impression from day 1 was Acura obviously benchmarked MDX-S against X5 heavily. The two cars drive more similar than not, but of course in different flavors. While X5 suspension is tuned stiffer than MDX-S (MDX-S is roughly one click lower compared to X5 in equivalent modes), Acura added much sharper steering. Once accustomed to the stiffer suspension tuning on X5, I feel X5 does a good job covering comfort in Eco Pro mode and reasonably so in its Comfort mode, but MDX-S cheats by having air suspension. The extra finesse/compliance is very apparent, especially when dealing with things like sharp speed bump.

The steering quickly stands out as one thing I don't like about X5. It is vague compared to MDX-S, and in this application feels about as lifeless as F30. The front end feels more McPherson (or should I say RDX) than MDX-S, lacking the precision of the latter. What I like a lot about MDX-S is that the front grip increases linearly with weight transfer to the front, and I do not find the same trait on X5. This base X5 constantly reminds me the front end was designed to house something heavier, and this theme carried throughout the week. I was constantly reminded that the base X5, no matter how capable it actually is, drives plain because BMW do not want to add special sauces to the driving experience. This is where I like Porsche more, because Porsche gives you a lot of the Porsche driving experience even with a base model.

The deal breaker for me, however, is the 48V mild hybrid system. The system is supposed to make idle stop more transparent, and it rightfully does so in most cases. The problem is, the system can be quite rough under a specific stop-and-go traffic where the car in front of you accelerates and decelerates hard and you try to follow it to protect your space. The system tugs the engine on the restart-to-quickly-accelerate phase, and provides too much regenerative braking when quickly stopping the car to standstill. In other words, it can be hard to drive the car smoothly in city traffic, which is a disgrace to X5 because it otherwise drives so smoothly. In comparison, the simple idle stop system on Acura may look outdated on paper, but in reality its behavior is consistent, requires zero maintenance down the road, and comes with a switch to shut it off unlike BMW once 48V MHEV became standard equipment I think in 2021.

Somehow all 2022 US X5s do not have acoustic side windows, and it shows because the wind noise from the sides is more RDX than MDX. On the other hand, BMW does a better job at isolating powertrain vibration and suppressing suspension noise. For example when riding over big bumps, MDX-S can have echoes of clanking noise, while X5 stays clean with only one occurrence of such noise.

The rest of the experience is in line with my expectation. X5 interior feels richer especially on the door panels. I wish Acura would leather-wrap the upper front door panel, do double stitching on the door handle, and try harder on the rear door panel. X5 has killer MPG. One obvious difference compared to MDX-S is during coasting. X5 glides when coasting - the friction from the drivetrain is exceptionally low.

If you still follow me, you might think I don't like X5 at all and am going to declare MDX-S as the clear winner. That is not the case at all - when away from city traffic and the road widens up, I enjoyed driving the car a lot. The car is so smooth, light on its feet, feels cohesive and balanced as all G-generation BMWs I have sampled. To be honest, it has a more luxurious ride and driving experience than MDX-S, so I can understand why reviewers have a hard time justifying spending X5 money on a MDX-S.

I read fiatlux thought MDX-S was nothing special. But personally, I feel X5 40 is more diluted than MDX-S in the driving experience. I like the peace of mind that comes with MDX-S that you are not missing anything from Acura, and even though everyone says it is expensive, it is still a reasonable price if the strengths of MDX-S fit one's need. Call me biased as an long-time Acura owner, also question my skewed BMW SUV experience of X7 M50 and X4M before the X5, but I think MDX-S is worth being cross-shopped against X5 40. It is not for everyone, but the differences might be smaller if you can look past the generally lower-grade interior and tactile feedback.

 

I wish I had a mild hybrid on my '23 X3 xDrive30i but I don't (you need to upgrade to the M40i for that).

Nice comparison review. I disagree on the BMW luxury. I think it's more alike to Acura than not. You haven't tasted luxury unless you've had Mercedes or Genesis.
In my mind, I gave up some luxury by not getting a GLC for the better engine and larger trunk space of the X3.

 

The X3 isn't a luxury SUV, at least not in the same way as the X5. Most people on here would agree that the X5 is a fair bit more luxurious than an X3. I think the reviewer was correct when he said that his BMW X5 was more luxurious than the MDX Type-S. It would have been the reverse, for sure, had he reviewed an X3 compared to the Type-S.

 

The X5 is a bigger version of the X3 and other than a stronger engine and adaptive suspension standard, there's really not much you can get on an X5 that you can't on an X3. The basic audio is still the same crappy audio that you can find on the X3 (X5 actually has 2 fewer speakers). I learned recently that had I upgraded to the slightly better Harman Kardon system, it is capable of playing MCH FLAC files unlike the standard HiFi system! The standard "HiFi Audio" honestly has been the worst part of owning a BMW, having experienced audiophile audio in my 2 previous Acuras and various Mercedes.

I don't agree with your "X3 vs Type S" comparison and here's why:

1) MDX Type S has wireless CP/AA but you can't use it simultaneously with USB audio like BMW can for audiophile-quality FLAC music (negates the awesome ELS system).

2) My X3 has a "Drive Recorder" feature that makes use of the 360 cameras to record "incidents". Even Mercedes has something like this for their cars. I'm not aware of any equivalent from Acura.

Remember that the X3 lineup includes the M40i. Other than the ELS system, tell me something the MDX Type S has that I can't option on an X3.

 

Thanks for the review!

One point of clarification I should add: when i said i don't think the MDX Type S was anything special, I'm not suggesting that its direct competitors are special either. Frankly, there's nothing special about a base X5 either (which isn't a slight towards the X5; it's still a great car, but it's still the base model). The problem I have is that the MDX Type S gets placed on a pedastal because it's a Type S, but at the end of the day it's still competing in the same class as the base or mid-level trims of its competitors models. It drives a bit better, but that's kind of like saying the Civic Si drives better than a regular Civic. That much is true, but it doesn't make it special, just incrementally better. IMO, in terms of performance and driving dynamics the jump from a TLX 2.0T to a TLX Type S is much much larger than the jump from a regular MDX to the MDX Type S. Perhaps if the MDX Type S had that same kind of improvement, it would be special(er).

 

Massaging seats. Air suspension. 3rd Row Seating

 

Yes, I agree. I wish Acura would have either given the Type-S more horsepower or else priced it lower (closer to the price of a fully loaded X3 M40i - so around $68-70K)

 

Massaging seats and air suspension I concede. There's no reason for an X3 to have a third row (that's what the X5 and X7 are for!). MDX competes with the X5 size-wise (air suspension and massage are optional there).

I have air suspension on my GL450. It's completely overrated and deactivates automatically when you have any appreciable speed. Those who've never had it want it but those who have it....don't look forward to when it fails.

 

Thanks fiatlux, I see what you meant. Yeah, unfortunately Type-S definition changes on each application.

Hey ELIN, personally I think X5 interior is a significant step above X3, and is like 80% of X7 where X3 is about 40%. I have been in both pre and post LCI X3 - I thought the LCI updates would change my mind, but I still feel the interior materials fall behind the competition, including RDX. I think the difference between X5 and X3 is mostly in the lower dashboard area. On X5 everything is wrapped and soft-touch, and all of the buttons and the sliding cupholder door are damped. I recall some of the buttons, or the sliding door on X3 feel looser, though I could be wrong. Of course this comparison is not fair by nature, because even though BMW interior looks alike, the ambience is noticeably different per segment.

 

I'm still fairly new to BMW but from what I understand of the X3 LCI in 2022, very little was improved and changes made appeared to be there for the sake of change alone. To add insult to injury, gesture control was removed in the '23 models.

One thing I do miss from my TLX (and presumably the same in the RDX) is the very comfortable driver's seat that felt significant and had lots of support. I also miss the flat bottom steering wheel that is not available as an option on any X3!

 

Thanks for the nice review/comparison.