Is the tech. package worth the extra money on a 2014 RDX.

 

^^ It is so relative....You will have some that will say YES, others will say No.

I did it because I wanted the HID, the ELS system etc. but it depends how much money you have. If you are on a very tight budget and don't need the NAV, ELS, HID etc, then the answer is no.

 

If you can afford it, it makes all the difference to me.

 

Yes it is. Power tailgate is nice, HID are nice, Driving lights are nice, Nav is nice but mostly because of the ELS which does an excellent job if using good source material.

 

Yes. Power liftgate, ELS, and HIDs are very good features to have for a luxury crossover.

 

The nav is atrocious. I just did a 700-mile drive which reinforced everything I had previously concluded about it. That said, there's no way I would buy the RDX without the tech package. RDX is already slim on features. You're not left with much of a "luxury" car without the pretty basic items that come with the tech package.

 

yes the tech pkg rocks! HID, 8 inch nav, huge rear camera, ELS, fogs, power tail, all worth the extra $2500

 

I've noticed a surprising supply of 2013 cars out there, RDX, ILX, and my wife is looking for a Lexus CT200H. If you are wanting to keep cost down, and would consider a used car, you can probably save some coin and find a 13 RDX Tech at a 14 RDX Base price. Some of these may be dealer loaners and have never been titled.

 

the HID lighting alone makes the tech package worth it IMHO, once you go HID or LED, you never want to go back

 

Too bad you can't opt out of the Nav and save $500-$1000. If I could it would have been a really tempting idea.

 

Maybe OP is considering the base so I'll just throw this in. We have the base and it's a very nice vehicle. We didn't have need for most of the tech items so we got the base, 2013. After one year of ownership, I can't really say we miss having the different lights, the base's work fine. No navigation is a good thing on this car. Do sometimes miss the power liftgate, but not very much as it's easy to operate manually. Mostly like paying less each month on our lease for things we didn't need.

As stated above, it's a personal choice depending on things you like in a car vs. monthly payment.

 

Agreed...another way to consider the cost is to estimate the value of the Tech package at trading or selling time. If you keep your vehicle 3-5 years, you are likely to get back half of the original cost...also making the vehicle slightly easier to sell with all the goodies.

 

Yep, the new model or refresh model coming off a two year lease or 'program' would still have standard warranty and likely save 1/3 the cost of new(maybe more if you buy from an individual at lease-end)...all while being the current iteration of the model. I've had four 'executive loaners' over the years, saving quite a bit on a vehicle with just a few thousand miles on it...just got to catch the dealer when they really want to move the car.

 

One of the dealership wouldn't budge on a 2013 RDX w/ Tech for MSRP of $35-36k. But he gave me a pretty sweet deal on a 2014 RDX w/ Tech for $38k out the door. He said it's much easier to give a huge discount on the 2014 than the 2013. Was he just BSing me?

 

I wonder why so many people rag about the Navigation system. I really like mine and it works great. Is there a better one out there?

 

I have no idea why some get so wigged out about the Navigation system. It's easy to program and performs just as well if not better than any of my previous cars that had it.

 

no, Its same people that don't own other high tech stuff, they can't afford it so they would rather bash it to justify their 4 inch garmin p.o.s.


nobody would skimp on power tailgate,8 inch nav, ELS sound, fogs, and Nav for a measly $2500 if they had it.

 

If the dealer was not sold out of 2013 RDX's last May...they have issues. In parts of the country, such as the Northeast, it is hard enough to keep brand new RDX's in stock let alone have any such thing as a leftover.

The only 2013's that are mostly available right now are ex loaner vehicles kept in loaner service for an extended period of time, or early trades.

In regards to Tech vs. non Tech, on the RDX, the "hot" (so to speak) configuration is the AWD base. There are never enough and just when some come in, they are sold. It gives most buyers everything they want in the RDX, without the expense of Nav they may not use.

Most requests I have are for that vehicle, and asking if it has power tailgate or can be added. Even fog lights are not often mentioned or cared about, which is interesting.

I like the Nav and would get the Tech package simply for the Nav system/larger screen, ELS and power tailgate. It is a LOT of vehicle for the dollar, by far, vs. anything in the class.

 

Good mention of lease. If leasing you can definitely go with the base but if buying you may want the extra features. On a purchase you are likely to hold on to the vehicle for 5-6 years. Come 2018 or 2019 do you want to have a vehicle where you decided against a few features that are standard on newer cars? Think of 2005 where blue tooth was an option only some cars offered. If you still own this 2005 vehicle without blue tooth you probably are slightly inconvenienced. There are probably a few items in the Tech package that will become must haves 4 years from now. On a lease of course you are getting a new car in less than 3 years and can opt into these features.

 

No, that's not true. Some RDX owners have legitimate complaints about the way the NAV functions. The people who don't want to believe that would rather bash other members than actually spend time reading their complaints with an open mind.
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"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." - Aristotle

 

I wanted to point one thing out. Acura typically has packages as opposed to stand alone options, and there are usually on a few packages as in the RDX. This is why the price point is lower. To me Lexus and Toyota are real bad here. I was looking a few years ago at a Lexus ES350 (previous generation), and if I wanted the top end the difference in cost was about $12,000 CDN, from the starting point. BMW and Audi are the same. Acura's likeit or not are geared to more cost conscious luxury buyers due to price.

 

As everyone above said, get it if you need it/can afford it. I personally didn't think things through when I got the RDX. I stupidly bought a base model and regret it so much. I didn't want to give the RDX Tech loaner back when my vehicle was done. That's how much I liked the features of the Tech. This is more my opinion but yeah... Get the tech if you think you might regret it in the future. Don't be me driving 6 hours using a iphone as gps.

 

Quoted so you can come back later and re-read how dumb you sound.

Anyway, since other are chiming in... The RDX is the first vehicle I've owned with a nav system, so I don't have much to compare to. The only reason I got it was because it's part of the tech package, and I wanted the larger display, power lift tailgate, HID etc. Over the years I've gotten so used to navigating with various apps on my phone and so I rarely touch the nav system. When I do, it's to look up a specific location - not an address (who knows addresses any more these days?) - and the nav database must be severely behind the times in my city because I can never find what I'm looking for... and it's not like I live in a small town. Therefore I hardly touch the nav system.

I love all the other tech package features, but I could do without the ancient nav tech. But for the incremental cost over the base model I think it's worth it.

 

Tech was the only option for all my vehicles. I travel a lot because for vacation and/or sports for my son. It is just convenient to have Navi/traffic/weather on one main screen without worrying about wires/cables/mounts on the dash. One less thing I have to worry about getting stolen out my vehicle if I forget to take a aftermarket unit out. Don't have to worry about roaming charges or low bar readings if I'm too far from a cell tower in the middle of nowhere. I've had no problems finding my destination every time in LA, San Diego, Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake, Denver, ABQ, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, etc... I like the Navi, ELS, and phone all work together and I or passenger can control easily. Comes in handy when the stereo can adjust when I get directions on the Navi.

As much as folks complain about car tech; you would never use a cell phone, laptop, or Garmin that was 8-10 years old. My 06 TSX Navi still works just as well as any in car system made today after +8 years compared to a +8 year old smart phone. My family had 11 cell phones in 8 years compared to only needing one navi unit in my TSX during the same time. Not a lot of tech will last +10 with almost no need for software/firmware/hardware upgrades AND still be functional.

Cell phones and data plans are getting more and more expensive. I'm willing to bet it will be cheaper to up to the tech/navi package compared to getting a smart phone data plan during a 2-4 year period.

 

Personally, I hope things go the opposite way in the future and manufacturers simply provide links to a user's smart device of their choosing. I love having a nice big, clear screen in the middle of the dash, but relying on a car manufacturer to provide the options and functions I want in a GPS is very limiting. And knowing I'll have to live with that configuration for as long as I own the vehicle is a bit depressing. You may be satisfied using a GPS from 2006, but there are better choices. Technology changes. If you have to rely on Acura (or any manufacturer), the GPS built into your dashboard most likely won't.

BTW my cell phone plan has dropped in price. And Acura's NAV update is not exactly inexpensive.

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I thinking more over time when cell phones were $15-$35 per month back in the day (+10 years ago) and now it cost you $60-$200 per month.

I still waiting for the day when we can dock our smart device/phone into our vehicles. The in car screen is just an extra display. The smart device would have all the TV, movies, music, internet access, GPS, apps, diagnostic functions, etc... That way, your music, apps or GPS functions will only be as good as your smart device you purchase (upgrade anytime tech improves). How cool would that be if you carried your customized home/car/work tech package in your pocket.

 

I'd buy that - as long as the car manufacturer's lawyers couldn't determine which features I was allowed to access.