White92

I don't know if that last sentence was very necessary.

When we first starting talking about this, IN was showing July production with July arrival of the 08 TL RDX and 07MDX. With July production and August arrival for the 08 TSX and RL. That was sent on 5-10-07.

Now there is a new IN message from last night that changes the dates to August production and August arrival of the 08 TL, RDX and 08 MDX. And August production with September arrival for the 08 TSX and RL.

I don't think it was really a matter of not reading carefully. Acura just changed the dates on everyone.

LuvMyTSX

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Acura added a few things to the '08 RDX. They did this to the '05 TSX, which was its 2nd model year. For '05, they added power passenger seat, XM radio, heated side mirrors, and lighted steering wheel controls. I think that was said earlier, but wanted to say it again because it is quite possible that they will change a few things.

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I agree with that. Look at the 99 and 00 TL. In 00 Acura changed the tranny from a 4spd to a 5spd, added passenger side airbags, changed the Navi set up, and im not sure what but did something minor to the engine.

gtgt

So If I ordered an 08 RDX today, when might I get it?
My lease is up in the middle of Augut and would like one before that time.

gtgt

I'm in Toronto btw.

number84

just came back from my dealer in vancouver and sales manager said they expect to get 08 RDX in early September, only things he knew that are added:

memory seats
power passenger seat

and said price should be going up a bit.

Boon

This is amazing news if the info the dealer is correct. I'd be more than happy to pay a bit extra for these features. Some may argue they should've been there to begin with, but better late than never!

Now if only they were keeping CGP as a colour....

Patton

That would be great...I hadn't heard about the power passenger seat from my dealer...he did tell me that memory seats & a slightly softer suspension were the most significant changes he knew of.

Rich

gtgt

I called 4 dealers in the Toronto Area yesterday. 3 said they knew nothing about the 08's and that they might be out in Aug./Sept. The other one said late July delivery and seemed pretty confident bout it. Really don't know what to believe any more. Wish I could get a straight answer from Acura so I can get on with my purchase.

number84

yah i don't know what to believe anymore either. but i've decided to just buy the 07...the memory seats would have been awesome though, since i will be sharing the car with my wife. i think if you can wait a bit after the 08 has been released to get a bit off MSRP (i doubt the dealers will deal right at the beginning of the release), then i would.

as for me, since we need the car very soon, the money we save on the 07 model, i think i'd rather just get it now and use the money on extended warranty or something like that.

CL6

Point taken. Production/delivery dates have been known for a long time. When the MOVE was announced, for example. That said, sorry for pouncing.

Ledwinka

Seems that the supplies of TL, RDX and MDX are good supply to hold until August, and TSX and RL until September. Guess another proof that monthly sales have been slow for every company so far...

Nyjumpman23

Hm...so far on the educated information...
mid/end of july to the beginning/mid august, when the '08 RDX comes out.
Agree'd?

gtgt

Only in Canada, in Vancouver and Toronto, during a full moon :>

adoba

I'm interested in the '08 RDX but is the MSRP going to be a lot higher than what it is now, for example $500-1000(USD)? If it is then I don't think the added benfits would be worth that amount of money and considering the deals you can get on the '07s it would be too much. But I guess waiting a couple months after the '08s roll out would allow for better deals, but who knows...

johnny99

If the 2008 model includes the rumored dual power memory seats and auto-dimming mirror, then I would expect the base price to go up at least $1000. However, remember that production of the 2007 model has stopped and selection of colors and models will likely be pretty spotty when the 2008 models start appearing.

Nyjumpman23

all this info is "SUPPOSEDLY"
It's best to have it in writing, and to physically see(and if they have a 2k8 catalogue stating...) They have implemented all the so called " new or SHOULD HAVE INPUT" items ala
Dual power seat + memory, auto-dim mirror, modified suspension for smoother ride, etc.
Nothing against anybody getting the word from a "DEALER", but it all comes hard to believe until everything is "OFFICIAL" cause you know how anything can change @ the last second.

adoba

It's kind of ridiculous that the nissan altima has standard push button start and intelligent key STANDARD and the RDX being a luxury car doesn't even offer it...

ghostx

I wonder the same thing.

radeonboy

Yeah my mom's 10 year old Camry has power passenger seats, don't know if they were standard on the XLE, but regarless the option was there for a non-luxury car...

Great to know that the '08 RDX will come with power passenger seat, won't mind paying extra for it

Ledwinka

I work in automotive R&D, and was talking to an engineer about our recent product possibly becoming more expensive than we have previously imagined.

The reasons that we agreed on the increase of price were contributed to the following.
1) The platform is completely new
2) The engines are new

As for the RDX, all of the above apply along with the addition of SH-AWD: so will be reason for the rather high-price of the vehicle.

Because of reasons 1) and 2), our yet-to-be-released vehicle is already under the 'CR' (cost reduction) scrutiny, and to see that RDX selling in 2000 per month at the current price range, you gotto understand why there are so many electronic goodies missing. (i.e. smart card key, auto dim mirror, memory seat, electronic co-driver's seats). For ours, the annual projected production is 100k, and man, RDX is at selling 24k per year!

To sum it up: yes, RDX, due to its wonderful performance, required new technologies such as new platform (Honda officially states that it is NOT based on the same platform as the CR-V but a totally independent one, which makes it hard to collect the costs ASAP), new engine (2.4 turbo! who uses this in Honda lineup as of now?), and the oh-so-expensive SH-AWD (I believe that it was Nihon Keizai, the Japanese economic newspaper that said the SH-AWD for RL used some material which strength was comparable to graphite? when manufacturing the axle, since it had to withstand great torque) makes hard to trim costs. Had they decided to sacrifice the performance that all of you love today, the vehicle could have gotten the goodies.

From my point of view, at this price point, the Honda guys pretty much played all the cards in technical terms, but whether they played it well in terms of sales, I do not know: in the end, it is the reaction of the market that counts. Howver, in the long run, with its engine and AWD system widely used within the Honda lineup, then shall we see more goodies as standard. Remeber, the RDX is in its first generation. I just hope that they do not kill it like Prelude and CL because sales are low. They will have to give it a bit more try, and am sure they will get it right.
Kudos for Honda R&D, and hope they continue with their efforts.

- from a competing automotive engineer's point-of-view -

Boon

Very well written and I agree. But just for argument's sake, isn't Honda already saving money by utilizing the same platform as the CR-V?...which forced them to build a new 4-cyl engine...one in which has not fully delivered on the promise of improved fuel economy (and I know there's a trade-off with the RDX's great performance). It's been thrown around on these boards that if the RDX could accomodate a V6 (a la the RAV4) there could have been the opportunity to have both. So from this perspective it's easy to see why the demand for standard luxury features.

That said, I love the SH-AWD for the great handling and extra bit of safety in winter driving. I would gladly pay extra if Acura would only put in those luxury features we've been complaining about for a year now...cuz really, the '08 RDX will probably still be the most affordable out of the whole luxury class of CUVs.

Ledwinka

Boon: I agree with you on that having the V6 on RDX would have been a great idea. However, it seems that on CR-V and RD-X platforms, it was hard to put Honda's V6: it seems that the product planners did not even consider the V6 since they might as well guessed that the gas prices will go up, the V6 might as well scare people away as well as reducing the mileage. Well, duh. I guess they were surprised as any of us when Toyota came out with a V6 in RAV4, and had better output and mileage. But come on, they do not have a sophisticated system such as the SH-AWD.

Frankly, I myself had a hard time justifying my choice of soon-to-be personal vehicle as RDX, since the V6 RAV4 has better output and gas mileage than the RDX. Why did they not consider the V6 option for RDX? I do not know, but from my guess, the V6 may well have been heavier than the turbo I-4 engine, adding to the already heavy weight deriving from the SH-AWD. At some point, it becomes inefficient to keep adding engine output to help the vehicle from being slow from being heavy, since more output=higher engine capacity=more engine weight=more overall vehicle weight=lower mileage. This would practically eliminate the very reason for adding output. Oh boy, this is becoming a powertrain/chassis/weight/packaging issue, which is not my field... I am straying too far from my field of work. ^^ (ask me about headlamps and navi systems but not these.)

I,no we have not weighed SH-AWD system, so we do not know exactly what kind of difference, but we do have the Legend, which I have driven very extensively. Frankly, the Legend feels porky compared to Lexus ES350 in WOT at stop. This was interesting, since the hood and the trunk of Legend seem to have been made from lightweight material (AL?). With not much weight-adding factors compared to the ES and having more output, than the latter, the Legend struggling at acceleration at full stop was a surprise for me.
The only factor that added weight to the vehicle, therefore, was the SH-AWD.

Performance? Gas mileage? Or both? In the case of RDX 1st gen, Honda has come up with the (more lighter than V6) turbo 4 to catch both rabbits. Blame on PPs and sr.mgmt, the case has been sealed more than 3 years ago. In this case, (actually, as in many cases), I gotta give the thumbs up to Toyota for their (always) better marketing and planning...

Ledwinka

BTW, our vehicle that I was referring to in the above, is quite like the RDX in terms of concept and design. The 'thing' aas 2.5 gasoline, CVT or 2.0 diesel, small storage space in the rear, AWD...and it has SMART CARD SYSTEM, PUSH BUTTON IGNITIONS, ECM Mirrors, Parking Aid Sensors, Rain Sensing Wipers. And golly, BOSE speakers and sky-view sunroof (a la Saturn Aura), HID lamps that automatically adjust it height! And why do I think RDX is sexier than ours? In the corners, man, the answer lies in the corners. ^^

FYI, you will be seeing the mentioned vehicle in its 'brotherly form' in the latter half of this year in the US market from a Japanese maker, with a few of the goodies that I mentioned above. You might wanna check it out.

Nyjumpman23

Or better yet, add a bigger gas tank(instead of 18l make it 20 or something? n instead of 2.3 make it 2.5 or so. - though it's quite absurd on gas prices). V6 would definitely be nice, i"m pretty sure they thought all bout it, but when it comes to official release they always have to cut something out, that the general public would like. To be honest, that's what all companies should do, ASK THE CONSUMER!!!!
Not base it in the little board room, and talk about what they life and don't like.

Nyjumpman23

Oh, and Ledwinka, I agree with your factor, but
the worse part about buying a lexas/toyota, your required to apply a PACKAGE in order to obtain the car. It's kind of like, why do I need all the certain crap, and pay more, when I just want to configure it the way "I" or "you" like it?

brizey

If the interior of the Rav4 was trimmed out like the RDX, it would easily weigh as much and be as expensive as the RDX.

Plus the Rav4 has the goofy 1970's swinging rear door instead of a hatch and the outdated looking rear mounted spare, both silly items that make a better platform (car-like SUV) look more like an inferior platform (truck-like SUV). Where was that superior product planning when they designed the location of the spare?

Even at $5/gallon and a 5 mpg difference at 15,000 miles per year you are talking about a difference of about $100/month. Which I will gladly pay to not have to walk into a toyota dealership and not have to sit in the Rav4 interior for the next five years.

And, while I am at it, no child of mine is going to sit in the third row of a Rav4. I have been rear-ended 3 times in the last four years here in DFW.

Nyjumpman23

Ouch, bad luck w/ being hit? Sorry to hear.
Yeah, The RAV 4 seems very bland in according to models from '99 till now. No offense, it's very much the same.
Except for a slightly rounder body.
Does the Rav4 v6 - have navi.?
Anywhoo...
I believe the RDX is the way to go.
We'll see right?

sasair

Of all the luxury models from Acura, Lexus, Infiniti, BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac, Audi, Land Rover, how many do have push button start and intelligent key standard? You make it sound as if the RDX is the only one that doesn't. Personally I think that features like that are normally marketed at a younger demographic, and that is why you see it on the Altima or the S2000 or the Mini more than you do the higher level luxury vehicles. Not that I wouldn't welcome these features myself, but they are certainly targeting a particular demographic.

That said, I would have gotten it if it was offered.

tsxinva

Push button is standard on Infiniti's, Lexus IS, and BMWs now.

brizey

Keep in mind that Acura still has a great tech package with great ergonomics, better than every other vehicle mentioned. So the real question is when will BMW and Mercedes make their technology items work as well was a mere $3x,xxx Acura on their $50,000+ cars?

Keyless start is nice, but definitely not a showstopper.

Nyjumpman23

It's not a necessity to be honest. alot of things are not necessary, lots of the answers are all based upon " if i pay for this, i want this..."
so it's quite biased on the factor on the ideas.

White92

Still no updates on changes for the 08 RDX, but if anybody cares, we just got the colors for the 08 MDX. Aspen White now comes with Taupe interior as well as Parchment and Bordeaux as before. Taffeta White is gone. Aberdeen Green is gone. Sterling Gray Metallic is new. Sterling Gray is hard to describe. It looks "similar" to the old Anthracite, but is also different looking that the new Polished Metal Mettalic that replaces Carbon Gray on the 08 TL and 08 RDX.

darth62

The reason that Honda did not put a V6 in the RDX probably doesn't have much to do with weight or any other practical considerations. The RDX and CRV do share a lot of basic design features (despite all this nonsense about the platforms being completely the same). Honda judged that the typical CRV buyer was more concerned about fuel mileage than acceleration so a V6 CRV was not a worthwhile project. IF the CRV did not have a V6, then it would also not be economically feasable to derive a RDX with a six. I suspect that the high cost of getting a six into the engine bay of the CRV/RDX also has to do with Honda using some elements of design form the first generate CRV (which was on sale before V6 engines became common in this vehicle class).

darth62

In the past, Acura has added features like this without a signficant increase in price. A the above poster noted, the TSX got power passenger seats, memory, heated mirror, etc without much of a increase in price.

Acura is already have problems selling the vehicle at the current price so I wouldn't expect any major increases over the course of the model run.

Ledwinka

Oh, btw guys, I will be getting the RDX (am hoping to) sometime mid-July. I am quite far away from my soon-to-be residence in the East coast, but due to little time I have in shopping around, I need to contact the dealers via email. When should I start contacting them? I am thinking of starting to send the emails a month before, more so that I want a 2007 model, not 2008...

And yes, the push-button type start is quite a fad, not really a necessity. The cars we make come with this stuff, and our new cross over has this system...only that it requires you to stuff in the card in a slot before you start your car. Ridiculous.

JeffS

Thanks White92! Will the MDX offer both Sterling Gray and Nimbus Gray? They sound very similar unless they come with different interior colors to separate them.

Nice to see Bordeaux will be back too. Still only offered with the white and black?

White92

08 MDX will come with both Nimbus Gray Metallic and Sterling Gray Metallic. Both will come in either Ebony or Taupe interior colors. They look pretty similar on the 1 inch swatches that we have. Obviously they will look different in person.

The bordeaux is back and is still only available in the Apsen White Pearl and Formal Black.

Nyjumpman23

hm...RDX NEWS.=...none..CRAP!!
hehe
other then possible dual power seats and adjusted softer suspension

XLR8R

Excellent point. Look closely at the third row in any small or midsize SUV. It is located entirely within the rear crush zone.

The brochure for the new Mitsu Outlander shows the third row almost completely behind the rear axle. Then, on the "safety" page the crush zone is depicted: It goes right up to the rear axle. Of course the third row is not shown in that picture.

It's not just Mitsu by any means. There was a major dispute at Volvo between Engineering and Marketing over the third row in the XC series wagons. Engineering was opposed for safety reasons, and Marketing of course, wanted to jump on the third row band-wagon. We can see who won: Volvo's third row is in the crush zone and faces rearward as well. Volvo!

Here is the Dirty Little Secret. European safety standards require rear impact testing and the U.S. does not. Note that the U.S. government 5 Star Safety ratings are for front and side only.

I am almost sickened when I see third row advertising. They KNOW that they are promoting putting children in the crush zone!