Acura A-Spec vs MDX Type S: What Each Grade Actually Changes

A-Spec is an equipment grade, and it does not change the engine. Type S is a performance grade, and it changes the engine and the hardware around it. The MDX is the worked example here for what Type S changes.

That is the whole answer. Both are grades in Acura's vocabulary, which is the same idea as a trim level, and people mix them up for a fair reason: the two names appear in the same model lineup and can sound like two versions of the same package.

They are not. On the SUVs, an A-Spec keeps the engine and the transmission from the version beneath it, then adds equipment inside the car. A 2026 MDX Type S carries a different V6 making 65 more horsepower, plus air suspension, Brembo brakes and an exhaust that opens up. One changes listed cabin equipment. The other changes the engine and mechanical hardware.

Two Different Kinds of Decision

A-Spec changes listed cabin equipment, including seats, seat trim or audio depending on the model. Every A-Spec in the 2026 SUV lineup runs the same engine and the same transmission as the standard version of that model. It does not add power.

Type S is the performance grade, and on the MDX it changes the engine, suspension, brakes and exhaust, plus a set of driver-assistance features that appears nowhere else in the model. It is not a package bolted onto an A-Spec. It is its own grade, at its own price, and there is exactly one of them in the SUV lineup.

One caveat on the MDX: the A-Spec is also the point where SH-AWD stops being optional and becomes the only way the car is built.

The Engine Question, Settled Model by Model

Engine, transmission, horsepower and torque all carry over from the standard version of a model to its A-Spec grades without a single number moving. Here is the 2026 SUV lineup, so you can see that rather than take our word for it.

Model and grade	Engine and transmission	Output	Grades running it
MDX	3.5-liter V6, 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters	290 horsepower at 6,200 rpm, 267 pound-feet at 4,700 rpm	Every MDX grade except the Type S
MDX Type S	3.0-liter twin-scroll turbocharged V6, 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters and rev-matching downshifts	355 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, 354 pound-feet from 1,400 to 5,000 rpm	The Type S with Advance Package, and nothing else
RDX	2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters	272 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, 280 pound-feet from 1,600 to 4,500 rpm	All five RDX grades
ADX	1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, continuously variable transmission with paddle shifters	190 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, 179 pound-feet from 1,700 to 5,000 rpm	Every ADX grade

Three of those rows carry every A-Spec in the SUV lineup. The fourth carries a single grade, and it is the Type S.

Grade by grade, it holds. An ADX A-Spec makes 190 horsepower, exactly like the least expensive ADX. An RDX A-Spec makes 272, exactly like the base RDX. An MDX A-Spec makes 290, exactly like every MDX below the Type S.

Two more items are not exclusive to A-Spec: paddle shifters sit on all four of those powertrains, the ADX's continuously variable transmission included, so no grade earns them. And SH-AWD, Acura's all-wheel-drive system, comes on all five RDX grades, starting with the least expensive one, so an RDX A-Spec adds nothing to the traction hardware either. What it adds there is seats and sound.

A-Spec Equipment on the SUVs, Plus the Integra Price Step

A-Spec is offered on four 2026 models, and it does not bring the same things to each one. Here is what actually changes on each of the three SUVs, alongside the price step from the grade directly beneath, with the Integra's step after the table.

Model	What A-Spec adds over the grade below it	The step in base MSRP at launch, 2026, excluding destination
MDX	Ventilated front seats. The 3.5-liter V6 and the 10-speed automatic are unchanged	$3,000, from $59,400 to $62,400, SH-AWD to SH-AWD
RDX	Sport Seats in perforated Milano premium leather and Ultrasuede with contrast stitching and piping, ventilated front seats, and ELS Studio 3D 16-speaker audio in place of the 12-speaker ELS Studio system on the Technology grade. The 2.0-liter turbocharged four, the 10-speed automatic and standard SH-AWD are unchanged	$3,000, from $47,700 to $50,700
ADX	Leatherette with microsuede accents in place of plain leatherette, ventilated front seats, a one-touch power panoramic moonroof in place of the standard one-touch power moonroof, and a 4-way power front passenger seat in place of a manual one. The 1.5-liter turbocharged four and the continuously variable transmission are unchanged	$3,000 either way, from $35,000 to $38,000 in front-wheel drive and from $37,000 to $40,000 with all-wheel drive

On the Integra, the A-Spec is a $2,550 step: the entry car launched at $33,400 and the Integra A-Spec at $35,950, both before destination.

Three things are worth pulling out.

The RDX A-Spec brings the biggest step in seats and sound: it is the one where the audio system steps up at the badge, 12 speakers to 16, and the seats change shape as well as material. On the MDX, the headline Bang & Olufsen 19-speaker system has already arrived one rung lower, on the Technology grade, which leaves ventilated seats as the equipment the badge itself brings.
Heated front seats are not an A-Spec feature: they are standard on every grade of all three SUVs above, from the least expensive car in each lineup upward. It is an easy assumption to make, because heated seats feel like an upgrade item. Ventilated seats are the ones that arrive with A-Spec.
Fuel is the same story. All four SUV engines use premium unleaded, the Type S V6 included, so an A-Spec badge changes nothing about what you put in the tank.

What Type S Changes

This is where the two grades stop resembling each other. The MDX Type S is sold in one configuration only, always with the Advance Package, and mechanically it is a different vehicle from every other MDX.

A different engine: every other MDX uses a 3.5-liter V6 producing 290 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 267 pound-feet of torque at 4,700 rpm. The Type S uses a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 producing 355 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 354 pound-feet from 1,400 to 5,000 rpm. Look at the shape of those torque figures, not only their size. The standard V6 hits its peak at one point on the tachometer, high up at 4,700 rpm. The Type S holds its peak across a band that starts at 1,400 rpm and runs to 5,000, so the full 354 is there from just off idle rather than waiting for you to chase it up the tachometer.
Adaptive air suspension with auto-leveling, found under no other MDX. Ground clearance is not a single number on this car. With the vehicle unloaded it ranges from 6.7 to 9.4 inches, depending on what the suspension is doing.
Brembo front brakes with four-piston calipers, which no other MDX carries. The caliper is the part that clamps the brake disc.
An active exhaust valve, so the car is quieter when you want it quiet and louder when you do not.
Rev-matching downshifts: the 10-speed automatic is shared with the rest of the MDX range, and the paddle shifters are not exclusive either. On the Type S, though, the transmission brings the engine up to speed for the lower gear as you come down through them. A small thing, a smoother downshift, and it belongs to this grade alone.
Self-sealing tires, again exclusive to this grade.
SH-AWD, with no alternative: all-wheel drive is the only way this grade is built. There is no front-wheel-drive version of it.
Four driver-assistance features that exist nowhere else in the MDX range: Active Lane Change Assist, Lane Change Collision Mitigation, Blind Spot Information with Steering Avoidance, and Front Cross Traffic Warning. If you have been walking the MDX grades on their assistance features, this is the one rung where that list gets longer.
Bang & Olufsen Ultra audio with 31 speakers, against the 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen system on the Technology, A-Spec, Advance and A-Spec with Advance grades, and the 11-speaker Acura Premium system in the base MDX.

A few more numbers worth having. Curb weight is 4,776 pounds, with 57 percent of it over the front axle and 43 percent over the rear. The fuel tank holds 18.5 gallons.

Which Models Offer Which Grade

Model	A-Spec	Type S
MDX	Yes	Yes, as the MDX Type S with Advance Package
RDX	Yes	Not offered
ADX	Yes	Not offered
Integra	Yes	Yes, as the Integra Type S

Two Acuras carry a Type S for 2026: the MDX and the Integra. Among the SUVs, that leaves the MDX on its own, since neither the RDX nor the ADX offers the grade.

What Each Step Costs

These are the 2026 base prices Acura announced at launch, before destination charges. They are good for measuring one grade against another, and they do not include any current offer. Those are on our new specials page.

Model	Grade	Base MSRP at launch, 2026, excluding destination
MDX	MDX	$51,800 front-wheel drive, $54,000 SH-AWD
MDX	MDX with Technology Package	$57,200 front-wheel drive, $59,400 SH-AWD
MDX	MDX A-Spec	$62,400 SH-AWD
MDX	MDX with Advance Package	$66,900 SH-AWD
MDX	MDX A-Spec with Advance Package	$68,900 SH-AWD
MDX	MDX Type S with Advance Package	$75,850 SH-AWD
RDX	RDX	$45,100 SH-AWD
RDX	RDX with Technology Package	$47,700 SH-AWD
RDX	RDX A-Spec	$50,700 SH-AWD
RDX	RDX with Advance Package	$52,850 SH-AWD
RDX	RDX A-Spec with Advance Package	$54,850 SH-AWD
ADX	ADX	$35,000 front-wheel drive, $37,000 all-wheel drive
ADX	ADX A-Spec	$38,000 front-wheel drive, $40,000 all-wheel drive
ADX	ADX A-Spec with Advance Package	$42,000 front-wheel drive, $44,000 all-wheel drive
Integra	Integra	$33,400
Integra	Integra A-Spec	$35,950
Integra	Integra A-Spec with Technology Package	$39,200
Integra	Integra Type S	$53,400

Set those grades against each other and the pattern is clean. A-Spec costs $3,000 on all three SUVs, and $2,550 on the Integra. Stack it on top of the Advance Package instead of choosing between the two and the step is smaller, $2,000 on the RDX and on the MDX alike.

The Type S step is far bigger: the MDX asks $6,950 to move from the A-Spec with Advance Package, which launched at $68,900, up to the Type S at $75,850. Measured instead from a base SH-AWD MDX at its launch price of $54,000, the gap is $21,850. On the Integra, moving from the A-Spec with Technology Package to the Type S is $14,200, from $39,200 to $53,400.

That gap is the clearest evidence of what these two grades are. At launch prices, a $3,000 step buys seats and equipment. The step to a Type S, $6,950 from the rung below it and $21,850 from a base MDX with SH-AWD, buys a different engine, a different suspension and different brakes.

Where A-Spec Sits on Each Ladder

A-Spec does not do the same job on all four ladders.

On the ADX, A-Spec is the way up: the ladder runs ADX, then ADX A-Spec, then that same A-Spec carrying the Advance Package. Above the entry car, every ADX rung wears an A-Spec badge, so the extra equipment comes with the A-Spec grade. From the ADX A-Spec to the top ADX grade is another $4,000, in front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive alike. That last step buys the Advance Package, not the A-Spec badge, which the grade below already carries.
The Integra runs the same way up to a point: Integra, then Integra A-Spec, then Integra A-Spec with Technology Package, then the Type S at the top. The two middle Integra grades carry an A-Spec badge; the base Integra and the Type S do not. Watch the Technology Package on that ladder, though. On the Integra it sits above the A-Spec; on the MDX and RDX it sits below.
On the MDX and RDX, A-Spec is a branch rather than a rung: on both, the Advance Package grade costs more than the A-Spec. The RDX Advance launched at $52,850 against the A-Spec's $50,700. The MDX Advance launched at $66,900 against the A-Spec's $62,400. Each range then stacks the two together in a grade above the pair. So the A-Spec is not the top of either lineup, and picking it is a decision about direction rather than about how far up you are willing to climb.

Drive configuration moves with the grade on the MDX: the base MDX and the MDX with Technology Package come front-wheel drive or SH-AWD, and from the A-Spec upward every MDX is SH-AWD only. That is why the $3,000 above is measured SH-AWD to SH-AWD, from $59,400 to $62,400. Stepping up instead from a front-wheel-drive Technology grade at its $57,200 launch price makes the jump $5,200. Of that, $2,200 is the drivetrain rather than the equipment.

The RDX never raises the question, since all five of its grades are SH-AWD. On the ADX both drive configurations run the full length of the ladder, with all-wheel drive adding a flat $2,000 at every rung.

How to Choose Between Them

Here is the practical way through it.

If you have narrowed it to A-Spec versus the grade one rung down, compare the listed equipment model by model. The RDX is where that step does the most to the seats and the sound, so if you are cross-shopping RDX grades, put an A-Spec and a Technology grade side by side in one visit.
If you are weighing a Type S, its price includes the air suspension, the Brembo brakes and 354 pound-feet from 1,400 rpm, along with the other mechanical changes listed above.
And if you are looking at an A-Spec because you want the fastest MDX, look at a Type S instead, or save the step and take the grade below. The A-Spec will not go any quicker than the version beneath it.

When neither one is the right pick for you: if performance is genuinely the goal and your budget stops short of the Type S, the A-Spec will not scratch that itch, and it is better to hear that now than after the test drive. Buy it for the seats and the equipment, which is what it is good at, rather than for speed. And if you want a Type S SUV smaller than an MDX, there is not one to have. No RDX or ADX carries the grade.

Central Indiana shoppers will find us at 3800 E 96th Street in Indianapolis, where 96th meets Keystone on the Marion and Hamilton county line. Carmel sits a few minutes north, with Fishers, Westfield and Noblesville an easy run. Browse the MDX, the RDX and the Integra, or see everything new, the ADX included, on our Acura lot. When you are ready, schedule a test drive and tell us which two grades you want to put side by side. Current offers are on the new specials page, financing questions go to our finance center, and our hours and directions page will get you here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does A-Spec change the engine?

No. On the ADX and the RDX the powertrain is identical across every grade, A-Spec included. On the MDX, one 3.5-liter V6 carries every grade except the Type S. A-Spec changes listed equipment, not what is under the hood.

Is an A-Spec faster than the grade below it?

No. Same engine, same output, same transmission. An ADX A-Spec makes 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet, identical to every other ADX. An RDX A-Spec makes 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet, matching the rest of its range, and an MDX A-Spec makes 290 horsepower and 267 pound-feet, the same figures as every MDX below the Type S. If speed is the goal, A-Spec is the wrong lever to pull.

What does A-Spec actually add?

It depends on the model. On the MDX, ventilated front seats. On the RDX, Sport Seats in perforated Milano premium leather and Ultrasuede with contrast stitching and piping, ventilated front seats, and a step from 12-speaker to 16-speaker ELS Studio 3D audio. On the ADX, leatherette with microsuede accents, ventilated front seats, a panoramic moonroof in place of the standard one, and a power front passenger seat in place of a manual one. Heated front seats are standard on every ADX, RDX and MDX grade, so they are not part of what A-Spec buys.

Which Acura models have a Type S?

For 2026, the MDX and the Integra. On the MDX it always comes with the Advance Package, and on the Integra it is simply the Integra Type S. Neither the RDX nor the ADX has one.

What does the Type S change mechanically on the MDX?

On the MDX, a great deal. A 3.0-liter twin-scroll turbocharged V6 takes the place of the 3.5-liter V6, making 355 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 354 pound-feet, the torque held from 1,400 to 5,000 rpm. With it come adaptive air suspension with auto-leveling, Brembo four-piston front brakes, an active exhaust valve, rev-matching downshifts through the 10-speed automatic, and self-sealing tires. Add four driver-assistance features found on no other MDX grade and a 31-speaker Bang & Olufsen Ultra audio system.

How much more is a Type S?

On the 2026 base prices before destination, the MDX's Type S with Advance Package launched at $75,850. That is $6,950 above the MDX grade directly beneath it, which launched at $68,900, and $21,850 above a base SH-AWD MDX at its launch price of $54,000. The Integra Type S launched at $53,400, a $14,200 step up from the $39,200 grade one rung down. Those are launch prices for measuring one grade against another, so ask us what the cars we have are going for now.

Is the MDX Type S all-wheel drive?

Yes, always. SH-AWD is part of the grade, and no front-wheel-drive Type S is built.

Is an A-Spec worth the money?

That comes down to whether you want the listed cabin equipment rather than a change in engine output. At $3,000 on the SUVs it is one of the smaller steps in these lineups. Of the three SUVs, the RDX A-Spec brings the biggest step in seats and sound, since it is the one where the audio system steps up at the badge and the seats change shape as well as material.

Can I get a Type S version of the RDX or the ADX?

No. Neither model has a Type S grade for 2026. Both ranges top out at an A-Spec with Advance Package instead. For a Type S SUV, the MDX is the one.

What is the least expensive way into an A-Spec?

The Integra A-Spec, which launched at $35,950 before destination. Among the SUVs it is the ADX A-Spec, which launched at $38,000 in front-wheel drive or $40,000 with all-wheel drive, again before destination.

Is the A-Spec the top grade on its model?

Not on the MDX or the RDX. On both, the Advance Package grade launched at a higher price than the A-Spec: $66,900 against $62,400 on the MDX, $52,850 against $50,700 on the RDX, all before destination. A grade combining the two then sits above them, so the A-Spec is a direction rather than a summit. The ADX is the clearest case the other way: every grade above the entry car wears an A-Spec badge, with no standalone Advance grade to choose instead. The Integra sits between the two ideas, with A-Spec badges on its middle grades and the Type S above them.

Do I have to take all-wheel drive with an A-Spec?

On the MDX, yes. Front-wheel drive is offered on the base MDX and the MDX with Technology Package only, and from the A-Spec upward every MDX is SH-AWD. On the RDX the question does not arise, because SH-AWD is standard on all five grades. On the ADX you choose: front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive is available on both of its A-Spec grades alike, and all-wheel drive is a flat $2,000 at every rung of that ladder.

Do paddle shifters come with A-Spec?

Yes, but not because A-Spec adds them. Every MDX, RDX and ADX grade has them already, the ADX's continuously variable transmission included. What the Type S adds on top is rev-matching, where the transmission brings the engine up to speed for the lower gear as it comes down through them.

Is a Type S just an A-Spec with more equipment?

No, and this is the mix-up we hear most. They are separate grades that both appear on the same model's price ladder, not two versions of one package. The Type S changes the engine and mechanical hardware as well as equipment inside the car, and the prices say the same thing: at launch the MDX A-Spec was a $3,000 step and the Type S a $6,950 one from the grade directly below it.

Ed Martin Acura