Haven't driven much on the 14 RDX yet, but below are my initial impressions moving from my 07 TSX (A-Spec suspension)

RDX Cons

- miss my TSX transmission, it was just buttery smooth.
- need to close the door harder on the RDX to make sure it's shut
- i still don't like the foot parking brake
- cornering on RDX is not as nice as on TSX. I guess it's a SUV vs passenger car difference, i need to get used to it..
- now i need to watch out if i got enough space to open the tailgate after i parked
- the RDX feels like floating. i wish i picked the 12 RDX instead
- the ride is quite bouncy. sometimes i feel dizzy

RDX Pros

- bigger interior
- same length as my old car
- more cargo space
- more powerful (but got to feel the difference yet)
- backup camera is great
- larger glovebox
- all the new tech, BT audio, USB, navi etc
- seat is at least as comfortable as the old car
- keyless entry. now i can open the doors and tailgate without pressing remote
- down tilt side mirror is nice in reverse

things that i still need to get used to:

- locking the car with the door handle (i know i can use the remote..)
- unlock the doors sometimes with keys and sometimes not (more decision making for different situations)
- closing the tailgate with the power button. i always worry that someone would sneak in if i just press the button and walk to the driver seat

 

thanks for the insight....

 

Thx for sharing! Other than the getting dizzy part, none of the cons sound like deal breakers. I am looking to trade my '09 TSX for a 2nd gen RDX and your post was really helpful. Any regrets thus far or do you see the RDX growing on you? If it wasn't for needing more legroom in the back, I was planning on driving the TSX till parts started falling off.

I'll have to watch out for liftgate space since I like to back in my carport. I think its good practice to wait till the liftgate closes before hopping in the car, I'll be obsessed about that too.

 

The camera has guide to tell you the minimum distance for the tailgate, so it's not much worry. It's just something to watch for.

Another thing also the car is now heavier and the inertia is greater. I felt my body leaning forward more when braking. It's just a different driving experience.

What grew on me are the backup camera and tilt-down side mirror. Those were absent on my old car. What I don't like is bumpy ride. I hope this will become less of an issue after the car's break-in period.

 

Have you checked the tire pressure? I know of several cases where the new cars had over inflated tires for transportation purpose. The pressure was never adjusted during PDI and this led to bouncy rides.

 

How do you like the driving position and visibility of the 14 RDX? The things I did not like about my 06 TSX (a-spec suspension+Progress RSB) was the lower driving position, limited 360 degree visibility, and no back-up camera. My 08 RDX solved all these problems; wasn't sure how the new RDX felt in those areas?

I know a big plus is the extra HP with minimal loss in mpgs.

 

It's a 250 kPa before moving, so it seems adequate to me.

 

I am happy with the driving position, and the better visibility is good for changing lanes ahead. The back-up camera is also great when i am backing out in a parking lot. I just need to get used to it since now there's one more spot to look at other than the mirrors.

The armrest is also larger and thus more comfortable to me in the RDX. I also like the compartments. the one thing i really hate is the foot brake. i tried to drive a few times without releasing it and the car has to warn me for it. not sure if it will do any harm to the car.

 

Incidentally, I too own both 2007 TSX AT and 2014 RDX.
I am the original owner of the TSX. Hit 100,000 miles on it last week. Has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. Except for regular maintenance, the only thing that I've had to replace on it were the ball bearings on the one of the sides of the rear axle. Chicago potholes are ugly - must have caught the rear wheel in one. Otherwise, the selling price versus the cost of ownership has been fantastic.
My RDX, on the other had, has been nothing not a painful experience so far. Took it brand new off the lot about half a year ago and have visited the dealership with numerous issues a number of times already. Acura's "Customer Service" department is useless. Explained to them that based on all issues the vehicle has been sold with manufacturing defects and was looking for Acura to live up to its luxury brand image. The only thing I keep hearing from them is that the car in under warranty and that I should take it up with the dealership to get it fixed. Honestly, I have had much better experience with the customer service from Honda that I've owned a while back than from Honda's luxury product line.
Needless to say, after this experience this will be the last Acura I'll ever own.

 

when I was in the market for buying a new car I went to different car dealers to check out their vehicles-Toyota, ford, Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, acura. I ended up with a kia soul plus. I am very pleased with it after 5 months and 6K+miles. no problems, (knock on wood). love the backup camera and the other goodies. still have my tsx so I can still drive a car with manual transmission.

 

What were your not so pleasant experiences with RDX if you don't mind telling us? We could be better prepared. Thanks.

 

I cannot agree more that the TSX is one of the best cars. The handling and reliability were up to my expectation. I only had problem with one of the fuel injector and got it replaced. I contribute this to the great Japanese craftsmanship. The only thing I wish my TSX had was more power and nav (mine was non-navi).

My 1 month old RDX has been well so far. I hope I am the lucky one since I've read quite a few bad stories in here. I am also worried that it is not as reliable as the TSX.

 

You can never get good data on reliability from an enthusiast website. People go there specifically to voice their problems/complaints and see what other problems people are having. You are much better off going to Consumer Reports/JD Power/etc.

How many threads/postings do you read about "I am 100% satisfied with my car and have had no problems"? The bad vs good ratio is probably 10 to 1. People always tell everyone about their bad experiences, but most people don't broadcast the good ones.

 

6 months after I bought my RDX I was getting ready to go out with the family and was loading stuff in the rear.
We were almost ready and I had the dumbest idea to open the garage door while the tailgate was still open.

My garage door's manual lock handle caught on the tailgate and made a deep dent into the tailgate bottom edge.

Lesson learned and now applied: basically it's the old tennis ball and string trick (I just used a piece of yarn taped to the garage ceiling) --> This ensures the car is forward enough to avoid any possible mishap between the tailgate and garage.

 

I purchased this from Amazon for about $20. The good thing about this stop sign is it works for any vehicle size/lenght and you stop with plenty of room front and back. Works perfectly with my TSX, RDX and MDX every time.

 

I'm curious to find out now that you've driven the car for more than two months, would you change anything on your initial pros & cons list and do you find yourself missing your TSX? What about reliability or is it too soon to compare the two? I've been wanting to trade in my '09 TSX for the RDX but can't seem to bring myself to pull the plug. I feel there is still a lot of life left in it but I also wonna ride high...

 

I saw a couple posts mentioning side mirror tilt upon reversing. I have the 2013 AWD tech and mine does not do that

Am I missing something ? I thought from 2013 to 2014 there were zero changes.

 

If I'm not mistaken you have to have the mirror selected in order for the tilt-down feature to work. It's the switch that you use to select which mirror you want to adjust. Just push the switch over to select the driver mirror and you should be golden. I know this was what you have to do on different acura models.

 

i may take away the following from my cons list as i get used to it:

RDX Cons

- miss my TSX transmission, it was just buttery smooth.
- need to close the door harder on the RDX to make sure it's shut
- the RDX feels like floating. i wish i picked the 12 RDX instead
- the ride is quite bouncy. sometimes i feel dizzy

but i have more items to add:
- due to its size, front-in parking is not as easy due to different turning radius
- i wish the navi can be smarter and allows me to nav to an address while driving
- worse mileage than my 07 tsx

and i got used to the RDX "lightness". the more powerful engine is nice and i still need to remind myself to be gentle on the pedal, especially from stop to moving. the AWD is noticeable compared to TSX , however. if you wonder, that's because the wheels did slip sometimes with my TSX when i accelerated from still, this happened even when my was car new. but this did not happen with the RDX.

i can't speak for reliability yet. it's too early. t's okay so far, fortunately.

 

Turning radius is highly underestimated when selecting a new car. Test drives don't generally include parking and - without research - you can have an unpleasant surprise.

The TSX has a 36.7 foot turning diameter while the RDX has a 38.9 ft diameter. Still better than the RLX at 40.4 or the 2002 RX300 (41.7) but far worse than most Europeans. The Mercedes E class has a sub 36 turning diameter even in 4matic (AWD) configuration.

 

I totally agree. I didn't realize the parking part until I actually own the car. Parking between cars should be part of test drive on all purchases to see if we like it. We have to park the car every time we drive.

And in regards to my list, I still miss how I can open the trunk easily with a passenger car. With the SUV, I have to open the garage door in order to put something in. Yes, I know I can use enter from the rear and put it in. But it's different..

 

I learned that after the RX300. It is fine driving but parking takes advance planning. Now, part of my pre-purchase research is the turning circle.

That's one reason why the only Acura I considered was the TSX. I'm used to hatches and rarely put anything in while in the garage, but the trunk is easier for that - but - wait until you haul a couple of bags of mulch or the like.

 

Guess it's a SUV vs traditional passenger car difference. But Toyota is creative enough to allow stuff to be put through the rear windshield, that's a good try.

On the other hand, SUV allows the rear passenger to access the cargo more easily. This can be taken as a pro, although I know it's more often to put stuff into the cargo than accessing it from rear passenger seats.

 

You're so right about the Navi...you can actually use voice command while driving but you LITERALLY have to do one letter at a time..it sucks

So when I realized the acura navi sucks ass while driving..I never wanted to have a car with navigation anymore.

So when my wife got the 2014 Infiniti Q50 last month..I was really pushing to not have the navigation...but the deal worked out and we got the navigation...
so with the Q50..you can say the ENTIRE address in voice command and it shows up on the screen..without having to say ONE LETTER AT A TIME..

I love it...and I hope for future acuras, they will implement that.

 

So, do you think you would have missed the tech package if you went with the base or is the navi still a plus? Are you filling up with regular, mid or premium gas? I've been reading that the 2nd gen can take regular gas but the service guy at my local dealer told me they had some people who were using regular gas experience water retention issues in the gas tank and had to bring them in for servicing. How much does it take to fill the tank anyways? Right now I am averaging $65ish to fill up the TSX and 27 mpg. I do a combination of city and highway driving but will be doing mainly city driving once my son starts school in August.

 

future Acuras should have this implemented, but we just don't know how far is that future.

With Apple and Google joining the car app development, i think we will have better experience in the future and auto manufacturers can focus on what they have been doing instead.

 

my TSX didn't have navi, so the navi is a plus to me. it helps me to find alternate routes by just looking at the map. i also can play dumb and not to remember when to turn. just don't expect that it can bring you to your friend's home while driving just by saying the address. i made the mistake for not doing enough research.

i fill up with premium gas always. i am still far from my first oil change so i am not sure if it will help after. if you don't need the space, i would say there's not much u will earn by upgrading to rdx. the TLX may give you more fun

 

I think I will get a tech then, especially since I intend to keep it for a looooong time. The reason why I am looking for an upgrade is for more legroom in the back for my tallish 3 yr old. I have his carseat in the middle (I'm nervous about putting it behind the passenger seat) and he is either constantly kicking the middle console or has both his feet on the headrests of the front seats. I might still hold off on trading the TSX in for a while though but we'll see.

 

i can only speak for an infant seat experience. i put it behind the passenger seat and there's sufficient room. my parents sat at the back with the car seat installed on a 2 hours trip before and they didn't complain, but they're not big.

just don't expect much excitement in terms of features, if that's something you are looking forward to. there're definitely other cars that offer more features but at the same or lower cost, just to mind you.

 

Were there any other cars you test drove before getting the RDX or you pretty much wanted to stay in the Acura family? I'm not looking for that many features since I've done ok with my non-tech TSX and even when I drove a loaner with navi, I didn't feel like I was missing much. I do know though I want the fog lights and power lift gate and wish they came standard and I'd have bought the base already.

 

The driving positon and visibility FORWARD are excellent. Rear visibility, not so much

 

I was lazy and didn't test drive other cars. I do regret a bit as I see other manufacturers offer more features with lower price.

The RDX is a neat car, but at this price it gotta offer more. It's upset to see the cheaper Hondas even offer more features.

 

I don't have much problem with rear visibility, but i agree it's not the best. The side mirrors are great. I am just still not used to the side mirror tilting down, where in some cases it's better to not tilt down.

 

the small rear window, head rests, and exceptionally large side pillars = below average imho...

 

Turn the tilt off if you want. Just move the mirror adjustment switch out of the RH position.

 

thanks. just did. the tilt is not needed when backing out. it's required only for parking.