After leasing 4 TL's over the past 14 yrs I am looking at changing to the RDX this time around (a lease also) because I was driving my husband's CRV for a while and like the drive of a CUV.

However the CRV doesn't have enough power (I'm used the power of the TL ). The other concern with the CRV for me is the headlights. He has the CRV LX without the fog lights and I find it difficult to see at night on some of the darker roads as they don't beam far enough or illuminate the ground. My TL of course has the HID's which I've gotten very used to.

I was quite surprised & disappointed to find out (which I just found out) that the Base RDX does NOT have HID's (all of my "base" TLs did), but now even more concerning is that I'm finding it doesn't have fog lights either?

I can't afford to upgrade to the Technology Pkg so my question is how are the headlights on the 2014 RDX base? Does anyone know if they are the same headlights as the CRV? I've googled this over and over and can't seem to get any info/details. Would love any input if possible? Thanks so much.

 

I have a 2013 RDX base and the lights seem fine to me. We don't do a lot of night driving and it is city driving, but they light the road well and the brights, when necessary are very good. No fog lights, but I don't find that a problem either. Take a test drive in the evening after the sun goes down and test it for yourself to be sure it's good for your eyes.

 

I had a 2010 CR-V and thought the headlights as good as any regular halogen headlights compared to other cars I drove in the past.

I now have an RDX base and they are better. Note they are halogen projectors not the same as regular halogen. I has my dealer add the fog lights before I took delivery. They initially wanted more but I told him another dealer would add them for $360 and we agreed upon $400.

If you are spoiled by HID's you may not like anything without them but like the previous poster said take a test ride at night and find the darkest road you can maybe during a new moon to see if they are acceptable to you.

 

If you've leased 4 TL's in the past you should be getting a VERY good price on a tech package vs a base... use that leverage

 

Yes I'd like to think that, but it's been a tough process this time around. I even had to shop at another dealership because the dealership we've leased from in the past didn't seem like they wanted to work with us after 14 yrs (but it might have had more to do with the salesman who is fairly new not to mention the change in mgmt). They did eventually come through but it's on the base model. I guess a "deal" is relative depending on where you live;-) So, for what we are looking at spending it's the base model.

To get back on topic though, I know I've been spoiled with the Xenons but I have read many complaints about the newer model CRV head lights being an issue in darker areas (so was glad to see it's not just "me")...but they are reflective lights vs. the RDX Base projection lights.

I am about to make a call to the dealership to schedule a time "at night" to drive it then I can find out for myself which would obviously be the most practical thing to do. As GRDX mentioned they seem better than his CRV's were, I'm sure they'll be fine.

(I was just disappointed to see this as it was mentioned on another thread that even the base TSX has the HIDs which is like 10K cheaper, how could they not put them on a 35K car, really?) I know they want you to buy the tech pkg but then why put them on any of the base models? Whatever;-)

Thanks for all of your input.

 

HID lighting is a substantial improvement over halogen but alas it suffers from the same problems when driving in wet or really snowy weather. wet roads are great for reflecting light away from you and snow is awesome at throwing it back in your face...

with the HD lighting one of the biggest improvements I have seen was throw distance...

 

Thanks everyone for your input!

I took the RDX (base) for a drive down through some very dark streets last night and the head lights were quite adequate, definitely different than HIDs of course, but MUCH BETTER than the CRV...the distance lighting is quite adequate as well as the side lighting. (as a matter a fact there was a guy walking his dog on the side of the street and I had no problem seeing him as with the CRV it may have been an issue).

Currently in the middle of a lease deal, hopefully will be picking it up next week. Thanks again!

 

^^ Glad things worked out and hope your lease deal goes through. You will then be expected to post your pics

 

If you find yourself needing a little better visibility, the part number for the factory fog light kit is 08V31-TX4-200. A google search shows quite a few places selling them for under $300. Installation looks fairly simple for someone who can read instructions and doesn't mind spending an afternoon in the garage. Good luck!

 

of g/f wife laying on RDX lol