First snow impressions 2016 RDX AWD
 

I finally got the opportunity to drive my 2016 RDX AWD Advance in the snow yesterday. This was the first snow it has seen since I bought it last March. First impressions were quite good. It was snowing pretty good and all the roads were covered as it was early Saturday morning and the plows hadn’t been around much yet. Never once did I feel threatened it might get stuck. It seemed to plow (no pun intended) through everything and tackle the situation with ease. I even was able to go around and pass other vehicles seeming to struggle.

Now the sad part: When I got home there were several inches of wet heavy snow in front of my garage. My drive has a very slight incline. I stopped to open my garage door and proceeded to pull the RDX into the garage. The RDX got stuck! I could hear the front wheels spinning and the rears seemed to be doing nothing. With traction control on it just retards the engine so much you can put the pedal to the floor and the engine refuses to rev. I turned the traction control off and then you could rev the car until blue in the face but the rears still wouldn’t cooperate. I mean, this was only is 2-3 inches of snow on a flat surface with only a slight incline. I was sadly disappointed as my previous RDX, a 2008 with SH-AWD, would have easily grabbed and pulled the car out of that.

Granted, all I had to do was back up two feet and go forward again to get out of it but that’s not the point. I was just hoping for a little more as I believe the AWD in the 2016 supposed to be improved versus the 2013-2015 RDX. Oh well, it is what it is.

Bottom line: Maybe the AWD works better when there is some front traction as in like moving or being able to get some momentum from a complete stop. But if fronts have zero traction from a complete stop then you’re screwed.

I look forward to the next snow for some more testing. Until then..

Anyone else have some snow impressions with the RDX?

We've only had lighter snows here and our '17 RDX AWD Advance drove just fine. It was interesting, however, that during my research, one of the negatives that CR had about the '16 RDX that they tested was they felt that the front wheels spun too much on wet pavement before traction to the rear kicked in. I spoke with the salesperson about this and she said that Acura had re-programmed the system in the '17 to prevent this issue. Not sure if that statement is true, or not, though and couldn't say if there was a software flash that could update a '16. Would be interesting to find out. I figure that I will wait for an empty parking lot with the right ice/snow and test it out, if I can, to see how it performs. Our last storm was just a touch of snow with a lot of cold rain, which is unusual for us in December....it's usually all snow. If I get a chance, I will report back upon testing.

I put snow tires on - I have one phrase "sure-footed as mountain goat" - it almost feels like something kicks on silently when you are in snow, I am used to seeing lights on the dash when awd or VSA in honda terms kicks in, but I only got the skid light on the rdx to come on once...and it was short. fantastic as far as I am concerned.

Two words.............Winter Tires.

Same thing here. Got the RDX in February. First significant snow fell yesterday. It pulled very well. Stopping...not so much. Still better than the wife's Civic, though. We have an inclined driveway, too. I'll have to give that a try next snow we get.

Interesting post. I also never go thru winter without winter tires but still find it interesting that your rear wheels never kicked in....wow!
Over the years i have tested out the AWD system and "traction behaviour" on my vehicles...I come upon a big empty parking lot and go play around doing donuts, etc etc or sometimes goof around on an empty road ...I find that for best straight line acceleration (or driving in very deep snow or getting your self un-stuck) the traction control system should be turned off but for general safety and taking corners it's a good feature.
Sidenote..BTW I have noticed that many female drivers implement their own traction control system - when the wheels start to spin, they let off the gas...hence not going anywhere and becoming victims to a snow pile 4 inches high...
Plus when you intentionally throw the vehicle around in snow, not only is just plain fun, you gain a much better understanding of what the vehicle is capable of doing and it's traction limits which makes you a better driver..
I found last week while playing that my '14 RDX has a much lower tendency to fishtail (or otherwise generally just have the rear swing out more than the front) than my Murano did. I need to play more but I think this due to how the RDX sends less power to the rear wheels. But the odd thing was that I had traction control turned off at the time.

I have been driving since the days of RWD, and always enjoyed over-steering around corners during the winter. Back in 1988 I bought my first 4WD vehicle ( a Jeep Cherokee) and have owned nothing but 4WD/AWD vehicles since then. As I much as I enjoyed the new found benefits of driving through deep snow, both on and off road, I always missed the ability over-steer and drift when making turns.

So it's funny you should say that your RDX has a lower tendency to fishtail, because my impression of the 2016 RDX is that it allowed the rear to swing more than any other of the 4WD/AWD vehicles that I have owned in the last 28 years. I found that I can actually perform a little controllable 4 wheel drift in the RDX which I was unable to do in any of the other models.

My most previous vehicle was a V6 RAV4, which was my first vehicle with VSC. That system would flash a light when traction control engaged, and beep a warning when VSC engaged. No matter how hard I tried to swing that RAV4 into a spin or slide, the VSC beep could be heard, and the RAV would snap back into a straight line that jolted my whole body in the process. Just an FYI that turning off traction control does not disable VSC, so that does not explain why over-steer is allowed.

I guess my biggest concern is, say, coming to a stop light or traffic signal, etc., and then trying to start moving again and you’re stuck with a bunch of cars behind you. That’s one of the main reasons I prefer to have AWD assuming the AWD actually works when needed. I’m sure we’ve all seen those YouTube videos of popular SUVs on rollers test with the fronts simulating zero traction and the rears with grip yet the vehicles don’t move except for the Subaru with its symmetrical AWD.

Actually, the SH-AWD would pass this test as well and I’m quite disappointed Acura didn’t make it an option for the current RDX.

Personally I see AWD largely as a big drawing card for car makers to tantalize buyers who are a little insecure in their driving in wintry conditions. Case in point, I was reading another forum and some guy (who does not live in a wintery area) said that AWD will help prevent you from losing control on a slippery highway...haha, really?...another interesting thing I have noticed is in the winter when I see vehicles that have wiped out and are sitting in the ditch, they are SUV's more often than not.... When shopping for my RDX I was unable to find any up here that were not AWD...I actually would have bought one to save a few $$$...and I live in an area where we do get snow. and I drive in bad conditions a lot.......I NEVER got stuck in any of the FWD vehicles I used to drive (with good winter tires)....even in 8-10 inches of snow....and when its deeper than that, the vehicle body rides up on top of the snow and it wont really matter at that point if you have FWD or AWD...especially by the sounds of the AWD system on the RDX.. ...the good news is, having AWD on the RDX allowed me to get winter tires that don't look and sound like army truck tires, the tread pattern is not blocky and aggressive and they are ultra-quiet which is why I chose them.

Pirelli Winter Ice Zero FR Tires | 1010Tires.com Online Tire Store

Let me re-phrase that, I take back what I said about tantalizing insecure buyers. I feel that AWD is largely unnecessary unless you live in the snowy mountains or someplace where road clearing is slow to occur and you get tons of snow. For me, AWD is nice to have, about 1% of the time.

I have AWD to get off the line with no spinning and the front wheels will spin quite a bit anyway, in the dry when I go half throttle or so. Once I floored it to see if the rear wheels would go right away and I got wheel spin and the traction control came on like a FWD car. I'm starting to regret my used 2013 Rdx purchase, AWD and Nav are shitty. The only way I'll buy an Acura crossover in the future is if it's sh-awd and has Android Auto. The only reasons I'm keeping it is for the V6 and the good resale value.

i've had a few chances now to take out the 2017 RDX elite in the snow.... and ice...and slush...and wow, it handles great.

now mind you, i've got a set of dedicated winter wheels with tires: bridgestone blizzaks DM-V1.

so far, she's been unstoppable on any roads...and i commute everyday 1hr one way.

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even RDX junior never got stuck in the snow but it almost bottomed out!!!

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tires mean more in wintry conditions than any AWD system. The AWD in the RDX is horrible. Doesn't hold a candle to SH-AWD. In almost 2 years of ownership I honestly don't think I've ever felt the AWD system really kick in. I will say this winter we've already had a ton of snow in northern IL, and the rims of the Advance package get packed with snow easily which throws off the balance when driving. I've had to stop twice this past week at the wash to blast out the wheels so it doesn't feel like a tire's going to fall off above 45mph. I will never buy a vehicle with rims this tight again. There needs to be more space between the spokes

Where did you get the RDX junior? it's cute!

wow, that's a lot of snow for Vancouver .... Nice looking place ya got there....

I have 2 RDXs and the AWD system is very good but the key, a good set of snow tires. I have an incline driveway and never have a problem getting up it unless it is pure ice. We had an 11 RDX and 10 TL SH-AWD and to me the newer RDX's (14 and 17), are both just as good in the snow.

For those of you who live in Illinois and Connecticut or similar states, your weather is as bad as ours if not worse than in Southern Ontario Canada, and you need snow tires. All RDX's sold here in Canada are AWD.

What rims are those? I love them. Also, looks like the silver "mouth" behind the "A" on your grill is blacked out. Is that a custom job or did you get that as an option. Looks great!

I had an opportunity to do some snow driving this weekend in New England. We got maybe 4 inches. It was not plowed by the time I went out in my 2016 Acura RDX Tech+AcuraWatch. I thought it actually handled pretty well. Prior to this I exclusively drove a 2005 Pathfinder with 4X4. It was a beast in the snow, but I was always annoyed about having to turn on and off the 4X4 system as conditions changed. Sometimes it would even get stuck in 4X4 mode which was annoying. I love that the AWD system (theoretically) does the guesswork for me in the RDX. I am a careful winter driver; however, I never felt like the car was coming loose. It had plenty of traction starting from a stop. I live in an apartment building and have no place to store winter tires; thus, I am somewhat dependent on AWD to get me through the winter. I was a bit suspicious of the AWD system on the RDX and agree with everyone else's sentiment that it should really be SH-AWD. However, the RDX in every other way (with the exception of the garbage Nav system) is wonderful car and the best value in its class. Thus, I rolled the dice and went with it. So far, I am not disappointed. We shall see as the winter goes on. However, the first test was a definite pass. I even tested it out a bit in an empty parking lot with fresh snow. I slammed on the gas and turned hard right and then left and could not get the car to give up grip too easily. I did feel some kick that I can only assume was coming from the rear-wheels.

when it snows a foot or more I know my legacies will go through that without breaking a sweat.... we had 10" here on FridaySaturday and had no traction or control issues while people in FWD/RWD cars struggled to move. People that say things like you do really have no idea what they are talking about. The reason you see people in the ditches is they over drive conditions. That's it.

I think he Plasti-dipped the beak and the OEM rims. Pretty sure he posted a whole bunch of pics and threads in the DIY forum.

linky: https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rdx-...sifier-949020/

although next winter i'll be peeling off the black and going metallic gun metal dip.

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eBay... a bit pricey but its damn worth it lol.
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I'm really perplexed by this complex remark. Other people that say things like I do don't know what they re talking about?...but what about me? You must be a lawyer. What did I say that you have a problem with? The vehicles in the ditch? I sometimes state personal opinions, I sometimes report observations I have made, and sometimes I state facts that I know to be true. Please back up your provocative statement with specifics.

Drove my '17 RDX awd in a snow/ice storm in Maine this past weekend. No problems. I have had many AWD, 4WD, SH-AWD and I have never used winter tires. We do have snow tires on the FWD vehicle.

The problem lies in what you said

People whom live in areas with lots of snow are not insecure in their driving abilities for having AWD. I have been driving for 32 years and I have no insecurities in how I drive... AWD allows me to go places that 2wd cars cannot go like up slippery inclines. having TWICE the traction is nice and is definitely handy and yes if you are in a ditch, you over drove your car and that is how you got there...

This is what real AWD does with all seasons (red Subaru) and snow tires (black Subaru)

I guess you must not have seen that I had openly retracted my statement about insecure buyers?
I agree that people in the ditch got there most likely due to their driving. But you can't say that was the case for all of them.

I don't agree with this: "People whom live in areas with lots of snow are not insecure in their driving abilities for having AWD" ......If you added the word "Some" at the beginning, I'd agree with you.
Since you feel it's necessary to tell us how long you have been driving, I will reply by saying I've been driving longer than you. And I enjoy driving in deep snow just for fun, including countless times on a frozen lake with a foot of snow on it. (that was back when I had a 4WD pickup and would also ride 1000 miles a winter with the boys on my Skidoo)
Honestly I'm beyond getting all huffy and puffy about winter driving like many people seem to get. We all think we're good drives in winter and we all think negatively of those who clearly aren't. I'm one of those drivers that is probably too confident..since I find myself annoyed by other drivers who are going along at a snails pace and just in my goddam way.

In general, my point was that not very many years ago, all wheel drive vehicles were rare...what you'd see is 4 wheel drive trucks, Jeeps and Chev Blazers and stuff like that. Nowadays everyone and their sister either has or wants an AWD vehicle....and if you don't think car makers are tapping into these sentiments, I guess you don't watch TV. You see commercials where ...for example..."Nissan brings you the safety and control of full-time All Wheel Drive" (while showing a family negotiating a gravelly/rocky trail that my Mom's Camry could deal with) I'm just saying that I feel many people put an excessive amount of emphasis on the perceived amazing benefits of having AWD when in reality they live and work in a city and most likely will never really need it very often since they just don't drive out in the boonies in the winter right after a big snowfall.

Oh and I also was happy with the way my RDX handled the snow. But I wonder how it would have stacked up against the AWD on the Subarus in that video.

That looks too good. How much does it cost?

usually around $100usd. shipped from China.

1:18 Dealer Edition Acura RDX Die Cast Model | eBay

they make all the fake stuff, now they make this fake car toy too?

For the record in this thread, no issues with the 2016 RDX AWD TECH in the snow. Last Christmas, slid through an open (luckily) gate to a relative's lake community, but that was 100% due to my speed (a bit too much) and the tires. If the driver is knowledgeable of the conditions and in control of the vehicle under those conditions, the RDX performs admirably IMO.

These threads go on and on in every car forum. It all goes back to your two words.

So true....have a new '17 Ridgeline with SH-AWD (they don't call it that) that handled like cr@p in ice/snow with the OE Firestone Destinations. Put on a set of Michelin X-Ice and it is a completely different vehicle...solid, stable, starts and stops well, etc. etc. Same vehicle, winter tires. That's all she wrote.

Never ceases to amaze me that folks don't see the value of snow tires, regardless of drive train. I've run them on a body on frame RWDsedan, FWD sedan, and now the AWD RDX. Dry roads, snowy roads, icey roads...the snows make a huge difference. Fairly rare for me to drive in snow, they plow well, but below 40 degrees and they handle better, brake better, etc. and when you encounter snow, even better. 40 -50k almost for the RDX, add another 750ish for snows...makes total sense.

Exactly....many people don't like the ringing sound you get from most winter tires...totally understandable...so get winter tires that are rated highly for lack of noise as opposed to getting whatever is on sale.....they generally have less aggressive tread blocks so may not perform quite as well in deep snow but mine are just fine so far, although granted they are brand new..and use of winter tires extends the life of your summer tires ...

Just came back from a ski trip to Lake Tahoe. Drove up from San Diego. The last 25 miles on route 50 was snow - uphill and over the 8,000 foot summit before dropping into Tahoe. Had to pass through a check point - it was chains or AWD/4WD only (3 foot of snow had dropped over the last couple of days but roads were plowed, however it was still snowing quite heavily). The 2014 RDX handled the conditions no problem. Only issue I had was the ground clearance. Prior to this I've always had 4WD Chevy trucks - had to watch out for some of the larger ice chunks laying around parking lots in the Acura. Also have to say that the RDX is a comfortable road trip car and the V6 is a good engine in this vehicle. I have just replaced the tires with almost the same that it was originally delivered with (all season tires but they have an M+S rating) so no special snow tires used.

I just had a chance to use AWD.My driveway is 120 feet long and the 20 feet closest to the street is a 20% grade.There is glare ice on the grade closest to the street.As I drove out ,I applied the brakes, the anti-lock kicked in and I felt the jerking and slid down to the road.I figured that I would have trouble getting back up the drive when I returned.I used to have a Dodge Journey and had to turn off traction control to drive in snow.With ice on the drive it was sometimes hopeless.The RDX went up the drive with no noticeable wheel spin,as if there was no ice! I am running Michelin Premier LTX tires.

Last weekend we were up in Tahoe and hit an ice patch at 20MPH. Instead of rear ending the car in front of me (stopped at a stop sign), I turned the car into the snow bank. The RDX ended up stuck on the bank with the two front tires lifted into the air without any traction. (The center of the car was basically balanced on the snow/ice.) The AWD would not engage without the front tires having resistance. In the end, we had to have someone pull us from the bank. So much of AWD.

I like our 2013 RDX overall, but unless they improve the AWD -- this will be the only one we own. Definitely do no feel it is overly useful.

LOL..no AWD or 4WD vehicle would have been able to reverse out of that situation. Take it from a northerner.

We just had about 13 inches of snow in Vancouver/Portland this past week. All temperatures below freezing for days so snow got packed down and 'iced' in a hurry (they don't have enough plows for this kind of snow here). This much snow is uncommon for us so I don't use snow tires (I use to in MN and PA). Because my 2016 RDX Advance AWD isn't SH-AWD as my 2008 RDX was, I figured I'd have issues. But similar to many others on this thread, I was pleasantly surprised at how it handled both the snow, and the starts at glazy intersections. The car was very steady and did what I asked it to. I did not ask it to be stupid and take me into the ditch! I drove carefully but not overly so. I'd still prefer to have SH-AWD but have to say I'm not grumpy about the AWD I have. Once again this car continues to affirm my purchase decision. It's not perfect--but I've never had the perfect car and I'd be a wealthy man today if not for my new car and new house purchases during my lifetime. No regrets. Just noting I've had too many new cars to count, of all kinds. Mostly German and Japanese but many made in USA too as well as Sweden, etc.

I have a new 17 rdx came with Michelin Primacy tires. When I drive with rear windows down and nobody sitting in the back it makes an absurd whirring ringing sound. Is this common noise from these type of tires? Or is there another issue I should get looked at you think?