Hey peeps.

I traded my RDX in on a 2008 VW R32:



My opinion of the RDX 18 plus mos (for those doing research) lays out as follows:

Average MPG; 17.5 all city driving.
Trade in value at CarMax: $22,500 with 32,000 miles. Not one serious phone call off of the auto trader add with a listed price of below $24k.

I had No problems except for a blown speaker replaced under warranty. I beat my RDX like a rental daily and it NEVER gave me a problem or broke down - never a squeak or rattle. Never did a brake job or anything other than the factory suggested routine maintenance - I still had the stock tires with plenty of tread left.

The turbo 4cyl motor is neat, but no my personal preference. It works hard to move the RDX's porky 4000 lb weight, so it's under boost all the time and it takes it toll on MPG. The lack of instant torque takes some getting used to and I never really warmed up to the motor. I got beat by an new Civic Si on the freeway on ramp and it does not seem right to spanked by a car that costs ~$10k less than yours.

The RDX is realtivley fun to drive for a SUV, but not a par with a fun to drive car.
If you are moving up from a lower level car like a Honda, Toyota or Nissan - you will love Acura. If you are stepping down from another car like a BMW or Benz you might notice some shortcomings. I never got over the obviously missing items like memory seats, auto mirror, power passenger seats, and heated seatbacks on the passenger side. Acura fixed some of these things on later models, but I was not the beneficiary of these upgrades.

I was reading one of the auto magazines review of the new TSX. They used a phrase to describe some of the engineering of the car as "good enough". That really hits the nail on the head for me and the RDX. Too much of the car felt like the engineers said "good enough" and went home - and that stuff really bugged me (others might not give a care).

The audio system is seriously over rated (look for my DVD-A's for sale in the classifieds soon!). I think it lacks definition, lifeless and is very short on bass. I work for a huge music company and have daily access to world class mastering and recording studios, so I might have a different point of reference, but all of my co-workers share my opinion here. If your audio experience centers around compressed mp3 files on your Ipod, there will be no issues with the RDX audio system.

Bottom line is that I dont have kids, and drive thru the Santa Monica mountains twice a day, so I wanted a change and did not need an SUV. I could have driven the RDX for another 100k miles but got bored with the car fairly quickly and was looking to get rid of it within months of buying.

I'd still recommend the car to anyone wh thinks it fits their needs. It's really best in class so far.

 

Thanx for your honest evaluation of the RDX. I agree with you on most things you mentioned, but I knew what I was getting into since I did a lot of research before my purchase. Yes, the RDX is a step down from my '06 RL, but I am getting used to the RDX. I bought it for the extra cargo space. The RL with only 13 cubic feet of trunk space and no fold down seats was a big negative for me.

 

Good luck with the VW Rizzo. I enjoyed your posts.

 

nice whip! enjoy her

 

With my 2 boys 7th/5th grade and coaching baseball, the RDX is wonderful for what I want and need. I sporty classier car with plenty of storage without being too big & plenty-o-power when needed. I love how much I can pack into it (players & equip) and I love taking it on longer trips up through the mountains. I came from Lexus / Acura / VW and love all three. I can't think of a better car for my needs and my moods.

Now if I was single and had no kids, I would be thinking about that cool little new Volvo X30, an M1 or M3 or an IS-F... But I am married with kids (and I love that too)

 

Tell how you feel about your "Rabbit" in a year. Bet you won't be able to flog that like a rental. You bought for the wrong reasons in the forst place if you thought you could run with a Civic SI(Which is what you should have bought over a VW.)

Good luck with your new vehicle...you'll need it.

 

Congrats on the R32. It's a great car. I love my 3.2 TT it's a dream to drive I just wish it was nearly as reliable as the Acura.

 

Hope you have a good relationship with your mechanic.

In my opinion, the choice of an R32 always baffles me. The Mazdaspeed3 performs better for much less coin, and if you want the NA engine and AWD, you are dangerously close to an A3 in price.

Either way, good luck with the ride.

 

Rexorg's comments are on the money and echo many of mine. I came out of a 2005 RL I had leased and purchased the RDX. While the RDX is clearly downmarket from the RL and other premium cars, the spread isn't nearly as big as you'd infer based on the price differential. I miss the auto headlights on feature of the RL, as well as keyless starting, hand-sensor unlocking, cargo area light! and blue ambient floor lighting of the RL. But the RDX is sportier, more roomy, has fold-down seats, has a better view of the road, gets better MPG, and handles better than the RL.

Good luck with your R32; it's a nice ride and I considered one before buying the RDX. I'm sorry so many on the board have chosen to "sour grape" your choice. The fact is, it's your choice and it's a good choice. One constructive comment, however: there's no way the R32 is going to end up as a step up in MPG for you from the RDX. Even the regular Rabbit and GTI have been criticized for relatively heavy fuel consumption given their compact size. AWD plus a V6 aren't going to help the equation....

Please keep us informed of how the R32 ownership and driving experience compares to your '07 RDX experience. I'm sure several like-minded enthusiasts on this board like yours truly are curious.

Enjoy the new ride.

 

Why the R32 over the STI? The STI seems to be a much better performing and slightly larger package for about the same price--plus better reliabillity. DSG? Interior looks? Just curious.

 

Guys, no need to suggest a different car to Rizzo, don't be hating...good luck with the R32, seems to be a fun to drive car (spec sheet)

 

I'm a former VW enthusiast.

I had an early hold payment on the original Mark IV R32, but I ultimately decided that it was not enough of an upgrade over my Mark IV GTI VR6 to justify the price.

Then I eagerly awaited the arrival of the Mark V R32 and it came with a DSG only -- no stick! What are they thinking? (I'll be too old to drive when I can't heel/toe a 3-2 downshift at 4000 rpm in my favorite corner.)

I still have my Mark IV GTI, and love it -- 5 years and no major reliability issues but holy bovine -- what a difficult and complex machine to maintain. Triple-square fasteners everywhere.....No radiator drain.......Dismount and lower the engine to change a thermostat!

Our V8 Touareg was a beauty and fun to drive. But it would transform into a nightmarish undead zombie, chewing through my free-time and money with horrific regularity. The water pump failed the night before leaving on vacation; at 62k miles. The trans failed at 67k miles. This $48000 luxury car suffered 3 major breakdowns in 4 years.

I now have undying affection for our trouble-free RDX. Honda..."Simplify"....yeah man.

I'd like to offer just one bit of advice. VW's "lifetime" synthetic trans fluid is NOT. Change it every 40k.

I hope you enjoy the R32; it's a classy, terrific car.

 

To those who offer positive comments, thank you. You are the true enthusiast.
To hose who throw poison, I wish you luck as well because you will need it later in life.

Again - we dont have kids. I'm 46. I live in Los Angeles with HEAVY traffic. My daily commuter choices are limited. I was actually going to get a Cadillac CTS, but the lease residuals just got shot and the reliability was too questionable. The R32 is unique without looking to boy racer like a Suby. The DSG is awesome, it even blips the throttle on downshifts perfectly. On my typical morning commute I'm getting 24mpg on the MID, where the RDX got about 16 on the same commute - admittedly I'm taking it easy during break in. I'm not an MPG guy, but it's pretty cool to see those numbers.

I's wholeheartedly recommend an RDX to anyone who needs a car in this class. I dont know if I'd recommend this board though.

.

 

Good luck with the new car man. I've had my RDX for just over a year now and I pretty much agree with your whole assessment. With regards to the sound system though, I find the bass is pretty underwhelming when listening to DVD-As and CDs...but its more than enough when using my MP3 player. My mirrors shook so much, I had to turn the sub down a bit.

 

just 1 thing; Id say the engineering for the RDX is at the top of its class; good enough dont really know about that...pro opinions tend to think the RDX and X3 can swing in and out of the 1 & 2 spots respectively...id call that a friggin achievement for Acura, especially with a sticker of almost 10k less. (and in that range for the other competition, too). If Acura can find a way to blend its handling characteristics along with the stiff sport feel, I think hands down there would be no option as to which small suv out right now is the top dog. The X3 had brutal ride too, they ironed most of it out with the newer model year.

good enough regarding the new TSX, that is spot on, but i dont think that comment can travel to the RDX..its better than good enough, but its not perfect (this board tends to be filled with people who either love or hate the Turbo) so there will always be some flecks in its armor

 

just imagine if the rdx had $10k more in improvements to put it on point w the x3 price tag...that would be on heck of a vehicle....

when i was in college i really wanted an R32, i remember reading the Motor Trend my roomate leaves in the bathroom about it! haha i miss college. RDX was more practicle for my lifestyle! Good luck!

 

Hey. Don't give him a hard time. He is pumping money into the economy. We need more people like him to get us out of this recession!

 

forgot to ask, how did you do during the earth quake last week? Was talking to a customer when all of a sudden I hear all these noises and her yelling earth quake, crazy feeling hearing an earth quake over the phone all the way on the other side of north america (and then some)

 

No problems at all. We were a good 50 miles from the epicenter