Newbie here (I have enjoyed reading the posts here). I am considering replacing my lexus RX300 with either an RDX or a BMW 328i wagon(I have two young children that I have to transport occasionally). Price wise, for the features, the RDX wins hands down. My concern is with the turning radius. About 18 months ago, I changed employment and now park daily in an underground secured parking facility. I received the last parking spot in this area and it is very difficult to back out of my spot in the RX. The RDX and the RX are about the same size but the reporting turning radius is slightly better in the RDX though the difference is not as large as I would have thought (the Sportswagon has a much better reported turning radius). I test drove the RDX and it appeared to have a better turning radius and the rear camera would be helpful. I live too far away from the closest Acura dealership to actually test an RDX in my lot. My fear is the RDX is too similar to my RX and will still leave me somewhat frustrated by parking. Does anyone have any suggestions or thoughts?

 

Without driving a car is difficult to know if it would work for you. Having said that, I think that if a camera is a big plus for you a 2010 model is what you should be looking at. The first generation cameras didn't have any guidelines and were not as helpful as it should. I don't know, but I believe that the new model takes care of that.

RX turning radius is 20.6'
RDX turning radius is 19.6'
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Acura-RDX-2009/specs
http://autos.aol.com/cars-Lexus-RX+300-2003/specs

In the meantime, apply for a new spot and park rear in if you can....

 

The camera on the 2010 RDX is cool. I test drove a model with the tech package but even the base model has a camera in the rear view mirror. I am very impressed with the features on the base RDX compared to the competition. I live about thirty miles away from the closest dealer and cannot test the vehicle in my lot. The X3 has a better turning radius than the RDX but comes no where close price wise. I am still leery about whether the RDX will frustrate me parking wise like my RX does.

 

Waitaminute........
First of all you are bringing the X3 into the mix. For what I understand that car is not very reliable or good performer. Also, I believe is bigger than your other options.
If you are serious about buying get the dealer to give you a car for a day, bring it to work and try it out, 30 miles is not that big of a deal.
The cameras are helpful if you have guidelines!!! when I got my 07 I was excited about it and lost my enthusiasm really quick.
Two more things, you cannot get the RDX into the parking lot because is a secured area? or just because of the 30 mile dealership thing?
Lastly, and please forgive me if I sound like telling you how to make a decision, but really your parking situation at work should not be the deciding factor in purchasing a car. As you just changed your job 18 months ago, that can happen again, making that reason for getting a particular car null.

 

my much bigger trailblazer has a better turning radius than my rdx...it is disappointing in that regard

for cheap japanese sporty SUVs i recommend checking out the infiniti ex35...its got huge rebates on the 09s and also has camera standard (along with smartkey, etc)- rear wheel bias AWD along with a 6 spd transmission/300hp should mean even better performance than the acura...plus the optional "around view" camera will help much more with parking than just a rear camera

 

MoonKnight, you are in luck. I own a 2010 RDX and my girlfriend owns a 2001 RX300, and I do all the driving lol. The RX I drove us around for one year before I got my RDX. I have first hand experience to answer your question. Yes, the RDX has a better turning radius than the RX. When making a hard u-turn with the RX on a 4 lane street I would have to back up to finish the turn or go into the service lane, but with the RDX I do not.

I got this car because I wanted a smaller SUV to get in and out of parking spots because I live 5 mins from downtown New Orleans. I used to have a 2003 honda civic si HB, I loved my hatch because I could fit in just about every parking spot. On the RDX the bigger size, than my civic, is compensated by the rear camera which makes it great to get in and out of tight spaces. The RDX is also a little shorter than the RX so that makes it a little easier to find a spot. The RDX's right side mirror also angles down when in reverse which helps for parallel parking or backing out of fenced driveway. (The mirror only angles if the side mirror adjustment button is set to the right side, it doesn't do it when the button is in any other possition.)

My girlfriend didn't want to buy her RX300. The only reason she did is because she got it for a great price. She really wanted an Accord Coupe. She tells me all the time that she likes my RDX better than her RX. The RDX and RX300 in every aspect are two totally different vehicles even though they are in the same vehicle class.

I too priced the BMW, and the RDX is more bang for your buck. You should be able to buy a 2010 RDX AWD TECH for $36k or less, but you have to shop around by getting internet quotes. I live in New Orleans and went to Houston, TX to buy my car.

If you have any other questions just ask.

 

Oh in parrallel with what mic43 was saying, I have heard that the Infiniti's (what ever the small SUV is) and Nissan murrano's give more features for the same or a little more price than the RDX, but I just don't like either styling on nissan or infiniti. But hey, pick your poison!

 

I've been in the ex35, it only has a 5 speed like the rdx and more importantly it lacks te spaciousness and the commanding view of the road that rdx has. It felt low and cramped like a sports car and the back seat is laughable. The interior is real luxury though, I'll give you that.

 

Thanks to everyone for the helpful comments. I test drove the EX today and was impressed with the sporty ride and amazing turning radius, but the backseat is very cramped compared to the RDX. The camera on the EX is superior to the RDX though both work well. Without the around view cameras in the EX there would be blinds spots along the back edge bumpers. For me it comes down to turning radius versus interior space. (Currently, the prices are very similar).

 

I think that the EX is an SW....not that much ground clearance, not that much trunk either, definitely not an SUV/CUV type of car in my book.

 

+1 to westrepo's post here specifically around the "don't buy a car just because of your work parking spot." Not to be all debbie downer but what if you no longer have that job in a couple of months or you get another parking spot...then the whole decision on purchasing a car is null. Buy the car because it has everything you want and is a joy to drive. All that being said I think the turning radius in the RDX is pretty poor but I must admit I am comparing this to my old Honda Civic which is like comparing apples to oranges.