leahcim

Greetings! Long time reader, first time poster

I have a 2010 TSX (23k miles) that was in for service and I got a 2012 RDX loaner. I am very impressed with the performance and practicality of the RDX compared to what my current TSX has to offer. I have a 5 month old baby and let me tell you it is a very tight fit in the TSX. I am also not that impressed with the gas mileage of the TSX compared to the SH-AWD RDX. My city numbers are nearly identical with maybe a 1-2mpg difference in city numbers compared to my TSX. I don't really need SH-AWD (although it is awesome) so I would be looking at a 2WD model which should have city MPG that is on par or close to my TSX if a I drive conservatively.

Anyone else make a similar move? Thoughts? Concerns? I know the new model will be released next summer but it more than likely won't be boosted and I do enjoy the performance of the current RDX.

Acura604

i made a move from an 06 TSX to an 08 RDX back in 2008. while it took some time to adjust to the RDX' stiff ride, it was definitely an upgrade for me. yes..the TSX is way too tight and small for a family with a baby...especially with a rear-facing car seat. The TL however was huge inside and just right..but bending over to get your baby out gets old quickly...love having to put my child into the RDX while standing up..(mind you, she is 3 now so its a bit easier)...but yah, if you're going to consider it... ask your dealership for a 24hr RDX loaner so you can take it out and experience it as a 'everyday' vehicle.

pickler

i don't see any issues with the RDX as a family car, other than the stiff ride which you will get used to. im not sure but i think the FWD has a softer ride but at the expense of handling.

billyt1963

I think the change is a great idea, but I am concerned about gas mileage. If you are getting RDX type gas mileage in the TSX I would think that you will get much worse gas mileage in the RDX. Good luck with the decision.

leahcim

Thanks for the feedback. Let me clarify the mileage difference. The TSX gets about 21mpg during my city driving and surprisingly the RDX was around 20mpg. If you are talking about highway mileage the TSX is about 10 mpg better.

I guess I will wait until next summer and see what the new RDX has to offer in regards to highway mileage. I can always purchase a 2012 used if I don't like what the 2013 has to offer.

pickler

my 3.2L v6 TL gets 24mpg city, 29mpg hwy. i don't think the 2.4 tsx will score 21 city unless we are talking bumper to bumper traffic.

as for the rdx, the figures are all over the place. some people get ~17mpg and some like myself average about 21-22mpg combined.

leahcim

I also came from a v6 (J30) before the TSX and received about the same economy with the 6. I think torque has a lot to do with it.

pickler

Low-mid range torque plays a small part. It's mostly about curb weight, aerodynamics and drivetrain. A 4WD 4000lbs RDX will never score 30mpg no matter what the engine.

nvbft90

Yea I get about 17.5 mpg by the time i fill up every time. if i'm lucky and managed to ease off on the pedal for the full 300 and some miles, i get 19 mpg.

Pickler, I'd love to be able to get 21-22 mpg combined. how do you do that? it's a heavy toll to be paying 3-400 bucks a month just on gas... and i'm a student so all i do is drive back and forth between my campus and house...

About the tsx vs rdx. I've only driven a '10 tsx for a very short amount of time so i can't really comment on that. It is a small car though, much smaller than I expected. I did beat the said '10 tsx from a red light. my friend had just himself in the tsx and i had me and 2 other guys in my '08 rdx. the tsx had a quicker start. after all, it is a lot lighter and plus i had an extra 350 pounds in my rdx too. but once my turbo kicked in a split sec later, we left the tsx in the dust.

...maybe that's why i can't get the 21-22 mpg...

pickler

well the rdx has the worst MPG out of all my vehicles. but that was expected when i bought this vehicle. i knew a 4000lbs suv wont get good mpg. i bought it cause it's a fun little suv with good cargo space for weekend drives with the family. i actually travel a lot with this car in summer, drove to atlantic city and back and went north to around hudson bay couple times. i get about 24mpg in these situations. i have never driven this car all city or in traffic so i wouldnt know. i took it to track once and scored 16mpg so i cant imagine it could be any worst. it's all about throttle modulation. be very gentle with it, you don't have to be slow just spool turbo when only needed. i do moderate acceleration off the line and take foot off throttle to disable turbo, and slowly reapply throttle. use the instant mpg to get best mpg. it's all right to get 0mpg off the line, that's normal. use cruise control on straight or downhills. don't use CC on uphills. if you can invest 180 for scangauge II, that can help and let you know the ignition time, fuel burn rate, lean burn status and etc to get 25mpg like i do when im not lazy.

or if you want save up and wait a year for new rdx which will have a NA 200hp 4-cylindar...boring but youll get %25 more fuel economy.

MMike1981

just about 18mpg...life of the truck, 53k miles. seems about normal to me.

pickler

i'm getting 20 with my bimmer, 22mpg rdx, 23mpg TL. The rdx is the heaviest and the biggest, the bimmer most powerful and the TL the biggest engine. i haven never scored below 20mpg ever with any of my cars..

nvbft90

yea ive been trying to ease off on the pedal a bit, and once in a while i get around 19 mpg. its a working progress though. but sometimes i just cant help putting some weight into the pedal and feeling that turbo. it's been half a year since i got this rdx and i still dont get tired of the turbo 'hiss'.

and NA 200hp 4cyl? no thanks. ill stick with my '08 turbo. yea its always hungry for gas, but i just can't give up that driving excitement. my next car needs to be more fun than this. definitely going for something smaller. maybe an impreza sti.... but that'll be in a few years

pickler

sti is a good choice, but i rather the wrx, it's basically same power with cheaper pricetag and less complications. My wife just bought an Impreza and we will be selling the bimmer soon. Unfortuanetly it has had too many problems and doesn't like to drive in slippery conditions.

MMike1981

no idea how some of you get over 20 mpg. Maybe its where you live, gas, and driving habits etc, but even given that, something like a 22mpg average seems impossible to me in the RDX. But good for you lol.

Even on my best days of straight highway tanks - nothing like a 22-23 avg. Only rarely does it happen, and it seems more like a fluke if anything.

Carbon2008RDX

I once achieved 24 MPG on an interstate trip! I was amazed. But, it's not an everyday reality. My normal driving I average 15-18 MPG best. It doesn't bother me much as I love the RDX and all my driving (most of the time) is local anyways.

matthewk323

800 mile round trip to Ohio and back, and I got 23 mpg at 70mph with the cruise control on the whole time. The RDX's cruise control seems to hurt the mpgs a little bit because when going up a hill it almost always boosts which eats gas, it seems like there should have been an 'eco' button that you could push and it would turn off the turbo, but thats just a suggestion haha