Carbon2008RDX

Here are some latest details for the 2013 RDX. Quote from my Acura friend.

"-273 HP from a V6 of a mystery displacement...3.2L possibly?
-EPA 19 or 20 mpg city rating and 27 highway rating.
-Power lift-gate and one touch rear seat fold down available.
-Smoother suspension using Sachs components
-No more SH-AWD. Replaced by a more conventional AWD system. Done to keep price the same as the current RDX as well as saving weight and complexity for the fuel economy which was the major goal.
-Navigation may no longer be operable on the fly due to the possibility of frivolous lawsuits in the US
-Car will debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January"

My comment is if the SH-AWD is gone, one of the biggest selling points for the RDX IMO and replaced by say the conventional CRV AWD, that's really gonna make me think twice about the "new" RDX!!!

Joe Las Vegas

Sucks!
I guess I'll buy an 09 with low miles and keep it forever.

VeNeNo

iTrader: (1)

if they take the SH out of the RDX it will become another ho-hum entry CUV, they might sell more but the enthusiats will go else where ..?

Carbon2008RDX

My sentiment exactly. I'm just hoping Acura has something else up their sleeve to keep the RDX exciting that I (we) haven't learned about yet. So far it's looking kinda' gloomy.

billyt1963

I hope this is not real. That is the main reason I am looking at the RDX and without the "SH" I will have to look at something else. Hopefully the debut will be in Jan and we will know something soon.

pickler

i think you meant 271hp, not 273. The current 3.5L v6 on the honda accord will be the engine equipped on the RDX. It will take REGULAR gas. No way in hell a v6 can get 27mpg in a 4000lbs car. that's a super exaggerated number, my rental accord v6 was getting 18mpg combined. Honda japan however is producing a new efficient 3.5L V6 (J35Z7) with 310hp to replace the current 3.7L on the RL and TL models (yes they will Not kill the RL). There will also be new 1.8L and 2.4L engines made with direct injection. But ya the rdx will get the J35Z3 v6.

BigHatch

neutered!

Carbon2008RDX

I achieved 24+ MPG on a highway trip from CT to MA and round back with windows up and A/C on in the hot summer. The 2013 RDX will have a 6-speed and no gas sucking turbo. What's so hard to believe about 27 MPG highway assuming one is not a lead foot?

pickler

i could pull the sh-awd fuse, detune the turbo and chuck out my rear seats to save some weight, and i will have the 2013 RDX. i will probably get 27mpg too if u want mpg just get a loaded CRV!

XIS

get ready for the 2014 or 2015 RDX Type S with SH-AWD and a more advanced V6 and/or turbo D...

red00tl

You mean EX37, right?

Carbon2008RDX

Wishful thinking!

mdkxtreme

-Navigation may no longer be operable on the fly due to the possibility of frivolous lawsuits in the US

What the heck does that mean?

ostrich

Oh no! That means that it will be like Lexus, which forces you to STOP the car before the navigation system will allow you to input commands!!! That will be TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!! Believe it or not, I thought that this was one of the biggest selling point of Acura!

I HATE those ridiculous people who file for frivolous non-sense lawsuits in the US!!!

mdkxtreme

oh wtf that is LAME. Sometimes people come up with ridiculous laws because they have nothing better to do and just need an extra bullet on their evaluation report/resume!

say what

no turbo nor super handling?! basically an overpriced crv now

eddy16112

if no SH, the RDX is just like a EX35, or may be super CRV.
I dont think anyone would like to buy it

XIS

Well the RDX handles tons better in rain with SH-AWD vs standard RWD, but keep dreaming about the engine! EX35 or EX37, the engine is a masterpiece.

Nav - there should be bypasses you can do to get around their proposed future nav restriction.

anticd70

Excuse my ignorance I came over from the TSX side of the forum to see what was going on w/ the 2013 RDX. How will the AWD system be different without the SH? Im between a RDX, TSX wagon, and a Subaru Outback....leaning towards the Outback now w/ the V6 and I'm from a loyal Acura family.

XIS

No - EX35 AWD is rear-wheel drive based. That is rare.
RX350, CRV, RDX, RAV4, ETC. These are FWD bias.

mrgold35

RDX sh-awd (only works under power):
- Full time awd with FWD bias.
- 90% available torque to front wheels during high speed driving
- 45% of torque can be transferred to rear wheels during full throttle accelerations
- 70% of torque can be directed to rear wheels in hard cornering
- 100% of torque can be sent to one or the other rear wheel depending on traction conditions.

On dry pavement, you can feel the RDX “rotate” around corners as the sh-awd applies more power to the rear outside wheel only. Unfortunately, you need to be doing about +20 mph above the speed limit for “sh” to kick in with the “awd”(take a tight 35mph turn at 55mph).

Other than the big V-8 SUVs from Germany (X5, X6, Porsche Cayenne, MB); there are very few SUV that can keep up with the RDX when the road gets curvy.

I don’t know much about the Outback 4WD system. I imagine is made primarily for providing max traction for going straight in all conditions.

I think the 2013 RDX electronic sh-awd system sound like a duel power train low speed hybrid/electric rear wheel driven system. It can provide extra electric power to improve 0-30 or 0-60 times. It might even provide sh-awd at lower speeds. I “think” the system will disengage at +60 mph and the RDX will just be FWD for max mpgs.

Mr Marco

Keep the price the same? they should cut it in half and put a fucking L in a circle on it.

pickler

well on the bright side 2008-2012 rdx resale value might go up?

pickler

the outback i think is a H6 vs a V6. Subaru utilizes boxer horizontal engines. They sound sick and are smoother overall. However i noticed that honda's j35 engines are just as smooth in real life. Subaru All Wheel Drive Systems are always active, sending 50 to front and 50 to rear. Only other car that does this is Audi Quattro. So subaru and audi if you live in snowy or rough terrain area. Acura if you live in the city/urban environment.

MMike1981

well not sure who ur friend is, but hes probably got bad info.

Acura proposes an electrified riff on its venerable Super-Handling AWD that combines a 310-hp, 265-lb-ft direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 with a 40-hp, 96-lb-ft electric motor and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission at the front, abetted by a pair of 27-hp, 52-lb-ft electric motors driving the rear wheels.

http://www.motortrend.com/future/fut...preview_drive/

imo, i HIGHLY doubt the RDX will not have SHAWD. Wouldnt make much sense that Acura would restrict SHAWD to different models other than the TSX, which will now be gone in favor of Acuras smaller car. SHAWD is a main selling point to move up from Honda, unless they save the new SHAWD system as some sort of upsell/option, id imagine it being available for the 2013 RDX.

MMike1981

...i meant bad info in regards to a lack of SHAWD...engine size/output could definitely be decreased for RDX purposes. who knows. Maybe for once there will be an ENGINE option.

pickler

the new 3.5L will Not feature direct injection, only the new 2.4L, 2.5L and 1.8L 4-cylindars will. It will still be the same SOHC except with higher compression ratio and better breathing to up power. Wether the RDX will retain the sh-awd or not is not clear, i think for one that Honda will not remove sh-awd off its Acura brand for obvious reasons. There will most likely be sh-awd and a fwd versions. Honda also doesn't have a 7-speed DCT in production. It does have a 6 speed DCT in Europe that is installed on some Honda jazz vehicles. I have read horrible reviews about that transmission, with horrendous shifting qualities and no noticeable gain in performance compared to 5AT Jazz. A Honda DCT in north America is still years away and so the RDX will definitely retain the 5AT. (Acura's 6AT are only designed to work with the J35/37 series engines). Honda has actually introduced CVT on some of their small cars, so i won't be surprised if in 3-4 years acura 4-cylindars will receive CVT instead of 6AT.

Also there is absolutely NO evidence, NONE, that the RDX will get a V6 engine. A V6 does Not and will Not fit in the civic platform, which the RDX is based on. This has repeatedly been said by Acura. Therefore, the RDX will instead receive a new four cylinder, probably the all new 2.5L as some websites suggest. So please, a new V6 RDX is nothing but a rumor.

MMike1981

explain:

1. 310-hp, 265-lb-ft direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6

vs

2. the new 3.5L will Not feature direct injection

huh? how do u figure? am i missing something you have found?

also explain why Honda is NOT doing a 7 speed when the report clearly says otherwise..im being serious, what have i missed...it says they will roll out these new products over the course of 3 years, i was never claiming that the 2013 RDX will have all of these features.

The motor trend report is the complete opposite of what you claim. Im not talking RDX-specefic. And its not just speculation, its from test drives which means the stuff actually exists.

Carbon2008RDX

Well, I guess we all have to wait a little longer to see the 2013 RDX come to fruition. January is around the corner. My personal opinion is maybe they'll release the 2013 with less or limited features (kinda like what they did with the 2007) and then up the level for the 2014 model. I would never buy the first year of a complete remodel anyway so I'll probably wait until the 2014 is released. Besides, there's absolutely nothing wrong with my 2008 RDX not to mention I just put new DWS tires on it.

MMike1981

knowing traditional acura, they leave alot out of the first model to build it up later. However, recent models like the mid fresh TL and MDX may indicate they are not going to keep holding back. the 2012 TL packed a TON of stuff into a MMC...maybe (hopefully) the RDX will be packing when it hits the floor. IMO, acura cannot play it safe anymore and run the risk of bring reserved with new (already outdated) models to its sales floor. the competition is just too far ahead to play for example, POWER PASSENGER SEAT coming MMC!! lol

mrgold35

I don't understand the reason why they want 2.4L and 2.5L in the line-up. How much difference will there be in power and mpgs to want the 2.5L? I know the +2013 RDX may or may not have a 3.5L V6. Maybe Acura should of developed a 2.7L or 2.8L I4 instead. An engine this size should fit in the RDX, TSX sport wagon, and TSX engine bay (or new RSX if the TSX dies).

Current TSX 2.4L fuel injection engine:
2.4L FI / 201hp = 83.75 hp per liter
2.4L FI / 170TQ = 70.83 TQ per liter

83.75 hp per liter * 2.8L I4 FI = 234.5 HP (add another 10-20 hp if direct injection with 87 octane)
70.83 TQ per liter * 2.8L I4 FI = 198.34 TQ (add another 10-15 TQ if direct injection with 87 octane)

Add the 6AT or 7AT, toss in the electric hybrid sh-awd electic motors front/rear, and I could see 6.5 to 6.8 0-60 times and up to 26-28 hwy mpgs.

pickler

I'm betting my left nut that 2013 rdx will not have a DCT 7AT mike. Motortrend wouldnt know any better than your average joe. Honda doesn't have any relationships with motortrend. The new 3.5 might be a direct injected but it will still be sohc. Only other directed injected engines are 1.5, 1.8 and 2.4 Being developed at the Sayama factory. The only new Trannys i have heard of bring developed by honda are CVT. the 7at will likely be reserved for the nsx and rl. My sources are by asking fellow engineers who work at Honda plants. The only thing I'm guessing here is wether they fit in a v6 in the rdx. The j35 engine is fairly deep (height is too high for rdx chassis). From spy pics the chassis doesn't look much different it's even lower I think. So I don't see how they could fit a v6 in there, but with lots of money anything is possible. But then the new 3.5 v6 might be smaller and shorter...who knows. I would love to lose this bet haha. I actually would consider a Acura RDX 3.5 with sh-awd.

MMike1981

http://blog.caranddriver.com/acura-t...oit-auto-show/

Carbon2008RDX

It looks like my Acura friend was right. No more "super handling"!!!

pickler

me wants to cry. But at least it will have a v6 instead of a I4? the author doesn't seem too sure though.

Carbon2008RDX

Yep. Acura is being super tight on the power plant details. Chances of them putting the 3.5 liter is almost nil as it would be too close to an MDX. Probably more like the 3.2 liter like what was in the now deceased CL Type-S with mods allowing it to put out 270~300 H.P. range but I would figure closer to the lower number.

MMike1981

also worth mentioning, is the fact that LEFTLANE reports that the TURBO will be back. So honestly, who the hell knows. If C&D really saw the RDX and they say it looks like an MDX, thats a great step in the right direction, i hope it looks like an MDX inside too.

As for the SHAWD...reports are so varied, even from the same sources, that until they pull the wrapper off it, whose to say so far. very soon.

JCRDX11

I doubt Acura will let the SH-AWD system go from the RDX.

The SH-awd system is their bread and butter that separate them from the rest of the competitors AWD system.

mrgold35

I love my RDX; but, I really don't get a lot of use from the "sh" or "awd" in the southwest. They pretty much shut down the city if we get more than 2 inches of snow. We only had less than 4 inches of precipitation since 1/1/2011. The vacation spots I drive to are about 4-15hrs away and getting 2-4 extra mpg would be a big plus. I have to drive +20 mph over the speed limit on a tight curve just for the "sh" to kick in.

Even if Acura offered the 2013 RDX with the modified CR-V real-time awd; I think I would go for just the fwd version. I would only go for the awd system if it was hybrid electric and it improved mpgs around town to +24 mpg. Until then, I will driving my 08 RDX until it cost more to fix her than what she is worth.

pickler

man i don't care if sh-awd is useful or not, it just makes this little crossover so much fun to throw into corners. So i would want acura to keep it and i want a better turbo 4, maybe a turbo k24 with overboost to 17-18psi. that's gotta lead to ~280hp at cost of less low-mid range torque. i'm crossing my fingers, even though every site out there is hinting at a v6 with a dumbed down AWD system. Tell you the truth, the Sh-AWD parts on the RDX is only 90lbs. The CRV all wheel drive system is not any lighter and certainly not more efficient. So all this talk about improving MPG with CRV AWD is BS. The '13 RDX is a chance for acura to bash the new 2L turbo BMW and Hyundai engines and to destroy the 2L vw/audi ones once and for all. The RDX was never about fuel economy and practicality, it was targeted at car enthusiasts looking for a crossover (even though Acura is burning $ with RDX sales to young families here in Canada), so why change it. Leave the CRV EX-L to do the rest. ACURA was always about value: meeting or exceeding competition benefits for less $. It should be kept that way, not the other way around.