I get the impression that quite a few of the people here have migrated over to the RDX because of previous experience with an AWD vehicle... which, for the most part, means Subarus.

So, how many people here have owned Subarus in their past, and how many people are experiencing AWD for their first time?

Personally, I owned a 2000 Subaru Impreza RS which introduced me to the true beauty of AWD. I found that I was one of the few people who would actually look forward to snow so I could go out, find an empty street or parking lot, and have some fun. Sure, I'll be a bit more careful with the RDX, but AWD is the only way to go with Canadian weather (well, winters anyways)...

 

My gf had a '99 Forester that was kind of a lemon...it had the rear wheel bearings replaced twice in the first 60k and a lot of shakes-rattles-rolls. But she loved the AWD. Now she has an '03 Suzuki XL-7 which has true 4wd. It's a bit of a compromise vs. the Subie and Hondas in general (I tried to get her to buy a Honda suv but she would not at that time)...but no mechanical issues after 45k and the XL-7 DOES have rear a/c. Still whizzes me off that Acura didn't put this in the RDX.

I currently have an '03 Element EX, my first AWD which gets around great even in deep (10"+) snow and has been painless for 43k. I'd be interested to hear comments from RDX owners on what the RDX does in the snow.

 

Had 03 Forrester new. Just totalled it in Aug after 110k mechanical trouble free miles.
The vehicle was solid as a rock mechanically but inside material was not up to par.
E.g., the mirrors in the shade popped out of the plastic casing, heated ext rear view mirror cracked with ice on it. The front windshield cracked into five pieces with the windshield heater fan on to thaw the ice.
As for the AWD system, it is not designed for serious offroad capability but in everyday use (especially in those unpredictable KS weather of rain and snow), it was more than adequate.
As a replacement, I chose 06 Element AWD (BTW, these are company cars) and it is not as solid as the Forrester when it comes to handling (high center of gravity and the large profile might be the biggist reason). A big snow storm just went through midwest and it gave me a chance to test the AWD and so far I am happy. Handling (on ice ans snow) seems to be better than regular sedan (compare to 97 ES300) but neither Subaru nor Element comes close to that of my RDX. Even accelerating from a dead stop on frozen road does not seem to bother the RDX. Stopping with ABS is really good (as well as the Element) and overall handling in slush/snow/ice condition is very confident and reassuring. It seems like it handles better in the snow than in rain., though.

 

'02 Imprezza 2.5 RS which I traded in for my RDX. An absolute TANK in the snow. Threw on 4 dunlop Winter Sport tires and could literally climb mountains. Also, still have a 2000 Legacy L that does almost as well. Both cars were/are very reliable but by no means were they luxurious. Based on 3 weeks of driving my RDX, I feel very bullish about how its AWD will do in the snow.

 

04 Impreza WRX STi. Of any car I have owned it had the most power, best handling, most fun in the snow, best headlights. Very reliable to boot. Downsides? hard ride, no creature comforts, zero features of the RDX tech package, big wing occassionally raised ire of other drivers, and did I say hard ride. Neat car though.

 

AWD vehicles:
82 Subaru
2002 Audi A4 Quatro
2005 Forrester XT
2006 VW Passat Wagon -4Motion 1.8T

4 Wheel Drive Vehicles:
'87 Wrangler
'98 Toyota 4Runner
2001 Nissan Xterra
2002 Toyota Tundra
2005 Nissan Xterra

They have all been good in the snow especially the Subarus and VW/Audi's. AWD beats 4 wheel drive cause it's always on.

Now for the RDX. I tested it in the snow 2 days ago and all systems worked beautifully: stability control, SH-AWD, traction control, ABS all pretty seamless. The only slight downside were the all-weather tires. They did ok but slid around a bit more than I was comfortable with. All in all though the RDX seems like a good snow vehicle.

 

My last AWD vehicle was a 1991 Isuzu Impule RS.

It had a big sticker on the rear end that ran the entire width of the car that said: "INTERCOOLED TURBO/ ALL WHEEL DRIVE"
1.6l = 160 HP.

 

Yes, I guess that's why I think RDX will definitely sell better in Canada than most of States in US. Like if I live in California or Florida, I would probably go for the TL instead and save some gas money

In terms of how good is the RDX AWD, I can tell you more after this winter.

 

I think more people will buy the RDX for its SH-AWD dry road performance than for its winter road performance.

 

2005 Saab 92X
2001 MDX
2001 VW PASSAT 4motion

 

Yes and no... In the areas of North America that actually see all four seasons, there will probably be more instances of AWD / 4WD vehicles due to the inevitable snow. If I lived purely in a sunny climate then I'd go with a RWD ride; if it wasn't for winter, I likely wouldn't have even bothered with AWD.

This may be even more true in Canada as we (generally) have less disposable income due to taxes so we can afford only one vehicle that needs to perform well year-round.

I turned to AWD after getting stuck in the snow with my 240SX... I just couldn't get it to go up a very shallow incline. That, and a couple of harry moments in freezing rain. No such problems with the Subaru.

 

I still have my wrx, have 94k trouble free miles, i love this thing, i just put on some winter tires and its ready to tackle any kind of weather. i have not drove the rdx in the snow, still no drops here in va.

 

Exactly, those who live in Toronto (or other heavy snowing areas) would totally understand. Hard to find a luxury AWD with performance feel and within this price range (under CAD50K) in Canada. RDX fits nicely in this niche for canadian !

A boxter or other convertibles can only be used here for a few months (in non snowing/raining/windy/chilly days --> you can see how many days left to open the top )