Whodunnit111

Hi, i'm looking to get the RDX...when is the 2009 Model out? and will there be changes?

I still can't get over the fact that the RDX tech package costs $45,000+ and it doesn't have the smart key/ push button start........

Is there a possiblitly they will add it for 2009?

phoward_15

I haven't seen much on the 09 RDX yet but hope someone will post here to let us know.

As for the smart key/push button I think that is a waste of space. There is no way in hell I'm going to pay an extra $1 to have a button that starts my car when all I have to do is insert a key and turn it and that takes 2.2 seconds. I can't believe how lazy we're getting that we now need a push-button start for cars. It's a nice-to-have but no way I'm paying more for that.

Per everyone elses suggestions I would like to see:
- power passenger seat
- auto on/off headlights
- iPod interface on nav screen (nice to have)
- LED tail lights (nice to have)

heffergm

I haven't a clue where you live, but if it's anywhere in the states, it most certainly does not cost $45,000 dollars.

MSRP for an 08 w/tech is $36,695 (and $750 for destination charge).

heffergm

I used to think what you did about the whole keyless entry/start thing. Then I bought an IS350, and realized how wrong I was.

My key never leaves my backpack. I walk up to the car and open the door. I get in the car and hit the button to start it. When I stop, I get out with my backpack and lock the car.

All without fumbling around looking for keys. I'm actually continually amazed when I read auto rags that still aren't big fans of the keyless entry/start thing. I can only conclude that because they don't live with it every day, they just don't see the point. Me, I find it one of the absolute best features of the car, and miss it every time I have to screw around with keys the old fashioned way.

heffergm

The headlights are auto on/off. If you leave them on, get out of the car and shut the door, they'll turn off on their own in the prescribed time you've set. There's an adjustable threshold setting in the MID you can tweak.

See page 98 of the manual.

heffergm

A bit more from the manual, page 115:

jwaters943

The headlights are auto off, but not auto on. Auto on implies that they have a light sensor and will only turn on when it's dark. A simple thing the domestics (and some of the Japanese competition) has been offering for years, yet Honda/Acura does not.

heffergm

The lights turn off when you get out of the car. They turn on when you get in it. That's auto off/on

Personally, I can live without the light sensing auto on/off version. With a garage, every time I'd pull in my lights would turn on. Pretty annoying.

vrflyer

Acura (Honda) makes very little subtle exterior changes on it's 3rd year (for any vehicle), then it will face major redesigned at the 5yr mark.

Mangus

Followed by:

...seems a little ironic, no? To each their own definition of laziness, I suppose.

Anyway, I absolutely love the proximity entry and proximity start in the Vette. Once you get used to it, it's awefully nice. You don't have to even reach into your pocket for a key.

phoward_15

Mangus I see your point. Let me clarify my reasoning. And now that I write this I realize that my thoughts on the keyless entry go against what I'm about to write.

I would only like to pay for features that I'm going to use, say, 90% of the time. Auto on/off I would use all the time and since I usually have a passenger that would be used all the time as well. Now like I just said before, if I had keyless entry I would obvioulsy use that everyday if I had it. So I guess I'm saying I would pay extra for that. Maybe I just need to start using it. I'm afraid that I would lock my keys in the car all the time because I would leave my bag in the car which is probably where I would keep my keys like the other person said.

So anyway, features such as auto back seats going down I would not like to pay for. I mean how many times am I going to actually use that feature, for me personally, about 10% of the time I use the car. Not worth it to me. Just a matter of preference as everyone says.

I hope to purchase a new car next month. While the RDX has been on the top of my list for about a year now and still is I'm also looking at the new Murano. The new design is much improved than the old one. But the test drive will decide it for me.

MMike1981

if its features you are into...murano has it covered. pretty useful stuff too.

phoward_15

Yeah I know but I feel like I'd be cheating or something. I've had a Honda Civic for 8 years and my Dad has a TL and MDX. Honda/Acura has been in the family for a while. Going to the other side I'm just not sure about. The WOW factor will have to be huge for me to do it.

MMike1981

ill tell ya what....that test drive is gonna be huge. because if it drives well, (which it may not...some reviews of the CVT are less favorable) also i actually prefer gears and thats one of the reasons why i dont think id ever buy the murano....but getting back to it, i was "wowed" by the LE trim model, literally, everything the EX35 could have been (useful cargo, back seat, interior room)...if the murano had a sports-equipped model, itd change up the game. you are going to be hard pressed to find the difference between this nissan vs an infiniti; the plushness and features of the nissan go a long way in the 08. id be sold until the test drive. but right off the bat, i dont think it will have the RDX driving dynamics.

the front of it looks like a minivan however, when u look at it, youll see what i mean. horrible.

i hear ya on switching sides tho, i have been honda/acura since i was 15 (1st car), i switched to the mazda and i think the acura gods got mad and turned the cx-7 into a nitemare lemon. once you grow up honda/acura, its hard to switch, even to more upscale brands etc. its kinda like that perfect blanket... lol

number84

Canadian pricing is $45,100 for the Tech. Which is absurd considering our dollars have been hovering at par for some time now. Perhaps a little bit of a premium for the cost of doing business in Canada vs. USA, but that is ridiculous, IMHO.

Whodunnit111

I live in Vancouver, Canada. tax is 12%......

When do the 2009's start arriving at dealers? I dunno to wait for 2009?

Whodunnit111

Yeah but I'm not much of a Nissan fan, I luv Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus...they have a better resale value

jwaters943

No more annoying than driving around with your headlights on all the time cuz you forgot to turn them off.

phoward_15

Yeah but the worse is people who don't know how to use their fog lights. The keyword is fog. I can't stand people who drive in a clear night and have their fog lights on. In Europe you can get a fine for having them on if their's no fog. I think the same should happen here. They're so annoying.

WantRDX

I think the problem is that once you get used to having auto-headlights, it is hard to remember that all cars don't have this feature. Since my wife has driven cars with auto headlights for the last ten years, I bet she will never remember to turn on the headlights in the RDX I am theoretically going to buy at some point.

Mangus

Agreed. Yellow projection lights shouldn't be on at night in non-weather, as they're quite distracting (hence the fines in many European countries). Technically, though, the RDX has driving lights (they're not amber), not fog lights.

heffergm

In Europe the fog lights on cars are actually useful. The junk they put on cars in the US illuminates about 2 inches ahead of the front bumper, so I could really care less if people drive around with them on all the time.

That said, given that cops in this country can't be bothered to give tickets for people traveling in the left lane, your chances of getting them to ticket people for leaving their fogs on are non-existent.

jwaters943

In many cars, such as my Mitsubishi Outlander, the "fog lights" serve as DRLs. I choose to drive around with them at night when in my Pilot because they really help to illuminate the road with a wider beam of light. I've missed quite a few potholes at night thanks to my "fog lights".