Hi Guys,

My GF and I went to test drive the new RDX at Acura of Boston and absolutely loved the vehicle. Our one main concern is with the lack of bump crush space in the rear bumper. Of course the Tech package gives you the advantage of the rear view camera, which we test and enjoyed. But minor parking lot incidents DO occur even to the best drivers. So short of getting the back up sensors, are any of you afraid of causing damage to the hatch should you "tap" an object while reversing? I did notice that Acura uses a polyurethane cover over the lower portion of the hatch. We looked at the CR-V which had only about 1/2 and inch more bumper beyond the rearest part of the hatch as well. Otherwise the RDX is near perfect.

dsc888

That was one of my wife's and my concerns as well. I have backed into our huge trashcan accidentally at about 6 miles an hour and nothing happend. I bet a steel pole would go into the hatch though. At least they did not put the spare on the tailgate. Those are the worst for damage. They have not released rear impact safety yet but acura shows the rear crush zone of the RDX come up to almost the rear seats. So we dont put are dog in the back. Good point you brought up and only time will tell.

Thanks for your input and it's these issues that people sometimes don't pay attention to when they go car shopping. Honestly, I live in the city and I cringe at the idea of parking in front of or behind an old clunker, minivan or truck with my TL since people around here have mastered the "touch/tap" parallel parking method . I am sure the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety will be all over the RDX. They consistently creamed many of the upscale Mercedes Benzes for having short bumpers that cause signficant chassis and trunk damage with minor impacts...particularly into a pole.

I hope owners can chime in. I wonder if the rear diffuser option adds anything to the bumper structure. Something tells me it won't.

dsc888

Supposedly the bottom portion of the hatch is actually bumper material so if you damage that portion, it's not that expensive to fix. But should you damage more than that, well, I think you'd have a much bigger problem on hand.

Thanks for the information. I hope that bottom piece on the hatch can actually flex somewhat on impact. I do think the shortened bumper looks very nice but I don't want to be a regular at the local bodyshop. Otherwise, we would be adding this car next to my TL and my GF's Honda Accord.

dsc888

Open up the hatch and look at it. You'll see that that sheetmetal sits about 2-3 inches in and that the area under the taillights, is a (somewhat) flexible piece.

Hate to admit it. Had RDX for three days w/camera. Backing up using camera (going about 6mph) hit gard rail, thought i wiped our rear end.Went back to look..nothing was damaged. thank goodness... either they are built that good or i hit the rail perfect and did no damage at all..not even a dent or scratch...just lucky!

Though anecdotal, I really appreciate you experience. Honestly, this is probably the only thing that is holding me from buying the RDX. One of my coworkers just bought one and used me as a referral. So I am eagerly waiting for my check from Acura !

I hope that other owners chime in. I don't wish ill will on anyone of course but I just want some reassurance. Thanks guys!

dsc888

I don't plan on backing into anything so it wasn't even a consideration for me, and if someone rear ends me, then it is their problem as far as repair costs go.

As far as safety concerns go, I consider it the same as any other CUV out there. The crush zone is gonna be to the back of the rear seats regardless.

I like the look and styling of the rear bumper area of the RDX and think it definitely outweighs any negatives of possible repair costs.

Exactly the point, I think. It comes down to how important you consider this to be as part of the whole package. We'll never find the perfect vehicle, so each buyer has to decide on where to compromise.

I was found this thread and noticed the comment that the rear crash zone comes up to the back seats of the RDX. Has anyone heard any more about this??

I have two children that I'm trying to protect in whatever vehicle I drive and there's an RDX out there with my name on it - it's been a long haul, but if my little dudes aren't going to be safe in those back seats, I should find out now before I push the purchase through and pick up the vehicle.

This is my first diversion away from a sedan, and when I saw the stats saying the RDX was amongst the 13 top safest vehicles this year, it sounded great, but I didn't see or hear anything about rear impact until now.

Please respond with any comments as soon as you can - and thanks!!

TORRANCE, Calif. 08/31/2006 --

Safety Overview

Acura's mission for the RDX is to provide an extraordinarily high level of safety that meets or exceeds current regulations and standards. The goals embrace a core Acura brand concept called "Safety Through Innovation."

Specific Safety Targets include:

New FMVSS 208 frontal and FMVSS 301 rear collision standards implemented by the federal government for 2007 model year
5-Star rating in NHTSA Front and Side NCAP
"Good" ratings in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) front offset, Side Impact Crashworthiness Evaluation (SICE) and seat/head restraint rear crash tests
Advanced control of intrusion into the passenger compartment during a side collision with an SUV in SICE tests
Improved protection in the event of frontal collisions with larger vehicles
Enhanced crash compatibility with smaller vehicles in a car-to-car collision compared to previous generation vehicles
Advanced protection for pedestrians in event of a collision
Required Vs. Optional Tests

All new 2007 model year vehicles are required to meet the latest federal crash-performance regulations known as FMVSS 208 (frontal) and FMVSS 301 (rear)that phase in from September 2006.

Above and beyond these are key safety evaluation tests from NHTSA and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which are often referenced by customers but not required by law. For the RDX, the engineering target was 5 Stars for the NHTSA tests and Good ratings for all IIHS tests - the best results possible.

This includes the IIHS ratings test called SICE, which limits the intrusiveness if hit by an SUV in a side collision. Finally, the RDX adopts pedestrian head protection measures that are above and beyond NHTSA standards.

Advanced Compatibility Engineering(TM)

Advanced Compatibility Engineering(TM) (ACE(TM)) is the cornerstone engineering feature that defines much of the RDX structure. ACE(TM) helps maintain the structural integrity of the passenger cabin in a frontal crash. It does so by markedly improving energy distribution away from the cabin during the crash, and allowing a more uniform absorption of energy. This helps reduce the chance of intrusion into the passenger cabin. Also, ACE provides benefits in vehicle compatibility in frontal crashes, which can improve passenger safety when vehicles of dissimilar size and height collide.

Crash Rating Targets

Confirmed by internal testing, the RDX is expected to pass all government tests in Frontal, , Side and Rear collisions. The target for the NHTSA Front and Side NCAP Test is 5 Stars - the top ratings. The target for IIHS rating criteria is Good for front offset, SICE, and seat/head restraint tests - also the top rating. At the time of publication of this document the NHTSA and IIHS ratings tests had not been conducted.

Offset Rear Collision

The new FMVSS 301 regulation for offset rear collisions is much more severe than the previous standard. This regulation begins its phase-in starting September 2006 and must be applied to all production vehicles after September 1, 2008. In the new requirements for the FMVSS 301, a 1,360 kg (2,992 lbs.) deformable flat barrier strikes 80% of the vehicle's width at 50 mph. In contrast, the previous FMVSS 301 used a 1,814 kg (3,991 lbs.) flat rigid barrier that struck the full width of the vehicle center-to-center at 30 mph. The new standard requires more body energy absorption than before. It is Acura's strategy to offer this high level of rear impact protection on the Acura RDX before it is mandated by NHTSA.

Front-To-Front Voluntary Improvements

As popular full-size pickups and SUVs have become bigger and taller, so has the dilemma presented when such vehicles collide head-on with smaller vehicles. For the Acura RDX, engineers voluntarily adopted a vehicle-to-vehicle collision philosophy above and beyond what is required by the government.

ACE(TM) helps distribute the forces of a larger and heavier vehicle across the front structure of the RDX. This helps to reduce the risk of intrusion and at the same time, helps disperse the crash energy across a wider area of the front of the vehicle to help reduce the risk of occupant injury.
Acura RDX also has a front member that extends below the front bumper beam. This lower member helps ensure that if the RDX collides with a smaller vehicle, the lower front member will engage the other vehicle's bumper system. Also, the upper portions of the ACE(TM) front structure improve cabin protection if the RDX sustains a frontal crash with a larger vehicle.

Pedestrian Safety

The RDX takes the well being of pedestrians into account in its safety engineering. Accordingly, engineers optimized certain structures in the front end of the vehicle to help absorb energy in the event of a collision with a pedestrian. Research shows that these features can dramatically improve a pedestrian's chance of survival if struck by a moving vehicle.

Key Pedestrian Safety Features include:

Hood designed to deform if contact is made with either an adult or a child pedestrian
Energy-absorbing fender mounts and supports located under the hood
Greater clearance between hood and hard engine parts
Deformable windshield wiper pivots
Crushable hood hinge
Driver And Front Passenger Dual-Stage, Dual-Threshold Airbag Supplementary Restraint System

Dual-stage airbags are provided for the driver and front passenger. These airbags are designed to maximize protection for the head and chest during a moderate to severe front collision. In dual-stage technology, each airbag inflator has two stages instead of a traditional single inflation stage. Dual-threshold technology allows for these two stages of inflation to be ignited at different times. Combining dual-stage and dual-threshold technology with technology that detects if the occupants are belted or unbelted, the airbags are deployed in a sequence based on crash severity. To reduce the potential for airbag injuries during a moderate collision, the airbags are deployed in a delayed mode to slow the rate of inflation. In the event of a severe crash, both stages are deployed at the same time to provide immediate occupant protection.

Dual-Stage, Dual-Threshold Airbag parameters:

Airbag deployment characteristics are finely controlled depending on the severity of a collision
The dual stage, dual-threshold strategy applies to front airbags only and does not affect operation of side airbags or side curtain airbags
In addition, the airbag system also uses a seat weight sensor to assess the weight of the front passenger. The front passenger airbag is shut off if the weight sensor indicates that a small child or a baby carrier is occupying the front seat. Finally, a seamless instrument panel cover fully conceals the passenger airbag. The driver's airbag is located in a small steering-wheel mounted housing.

Driver's And Front Passenger's Side Airbags With Front Passenger Occupant Position Detection System

Side airbags mounted in the outboard area of each front seatback are designed to provide upper torso protection in the event of a sufficient side impact. In addition, the front passenger's seat is equipped with Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), an innovative system designed to deactivate the side airbag if a small child (or small statured adult) is occupying the front seat and the passenger leans into the side airbag deployment path. When the passenger returns to an upright seating position, the side airbag reactivates so it can deploy and help protect the occupant in a side impact. The system utilizes sensors in the passenger seatback to determine the height and position of the occupant, and determine if it is safe to deploy the side airbag.

Side Curtain Airbags

In a sufficient side impact or rollover, the RDX's side curtain airbags deploy from roof-mounted modules, providing head protection for both rows of seating. Side curtain airbags effectively cover the window area from the A pillar back to the C pillar. Tests show that the g forces acting upon an occupant's head are far lower with side curtain airbags.

Latch (Lower Anchors And Tethers For Children)

The 2007 RDX includes a LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) child-seat mounting system for all rear seat positions. LATCH features built-in lower anchors and ready-to-use tether attachment points that allow compatible child safety seats to be installed without using the vehicle's seat belt system. Additionally, the LATCH system simplifies child seat installation when an owner installs a LATCH-compatible child seat. Up to 2 LATCH child seats can be installed simultaneously.

Pretensioners And Load Limiters

Both front seat belts have seat belt pretensioners and load limiters that work together to help protect the driver and front passenger in a collision. The components work automatically in a 1-2 sequence. In the first few milliseconds of a collision, the pretensioners automatically tighten the front seat belts. Research has shown that seat belts that are snugly secured around the occupants provide better protection. If the deceleration forces rise above a predetermined threshold, the load limiter releases a small length of seatbelt webbing to reduce the pressure on the occupant in a controlled manner. This helps reduce the injuries that seatbelts can cause in a severe high-speed collision.

Active Head Restraints

The RDX front seats incorporate innovative front seat active head restraints that help minimize the potential for neck injury from rear-end collisions. In the event of such a collision, the occupant's body is pushed against the seatback. The pressure to the seatback is then transmitted mechanically from the lumbar plate via links that push the head restraint upward and forward to reduce the gap between the occupant's head and seat head restraint, comparatively reducing the forces acting on the head, neck and spine at the time of the collision. This ability to help manage rear collision forces is a key component to reducing whiplash injuries. Active head restraints are standard on the Acura RDX but are unavailable on the BMW X3.

Fuel Tank Safety

The 18-gallon fuel tank is located in a protected area in front of the rear body-deformation zone, to minimize its risk of damage in a collision.