I bought a 2015 AWD Tech, after concidering a base I had to have that navigation screen and power lift gate. In Canada those are the only 2 main options the tech adds to the RDX. I haven't used the navigation system legitimately yet and althoug the power lift gate is nice, it's not necessary. So for the extra 3000 it wasn't really worth it for me.

Do you find the base to have everything you want?

 

Worth it in the U.S., for me at least. HIDs alone, plus foglights, ELS radio as I slowly acquire DVD-A discs, lift gate and NAV. I've seen numerous complaints on the NAV, while basic, it's been fine. Trips to New York, New Jersey, Albany, Buffalo, Toronto, Montreal - plus numerous local trips - zero issues.

 

In the US fog lights, HIDs, ELS and power tailgate are must haves for us the navi is a nice thing, but it is old school and wish Acura would update their navi, even the RLX navi is behind the competition..

 

Yes I needed it. Nav, power lift gate and you forgot the best part of the package - ELS sound system.

 

I figured from the beginning it was a waste of money, specially the nav system. I'd rather get my own nav system, power lift gate..lol, thanks but i'll close my own door. ELS system was the only thing that would have been worth it..however 3k for ELS? i'll spend the 3k and get my own 5x better system if I cared that much about the sound, which is already amazing on the base for me.

 

I would go for a tech package since you are anyway spending upwards of 35K and you don't want to be stuck in a car which you may regret in future. I use and like all the extra features this package offers.
I don't know about the RDX base sound system whether it is as good as the ELS (which is better than most other cars in this category), I doubt it however.
For me the tech package is worth it. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise.

 

I had my doubts at first,but now that I'm learning how to use it,I am glad I got it.The lights at night are great,and I like that I can remote open the lift so by the time I reach it,I can access it.My biggest complaint is that it takes so much reading/studying of the NAV owners manual ( like 200 or so pages ) that it seems so difficult.I wish they would have an evening class,held like once a month,that owners could get some one-on-one training on how to use it to the full potential.For me,the salesman has offered to give me some pointers sometime next week.I like having the map screen on all the time,it's fun to see and check it's acciracy.The part I like is the compass feature.I don't have a good sense of direction and get mixed up while driving.Just yesterday that feature saved me a lot of frustration.So just for that it's worth it to me.


Steve

 

I'm at the age where I can't afford to have installment debt. Last year I bought myself a nice new boat... I deserved it. I paid cash and added about 10K of toys to it, radios, depth finders, etc.


At the time that I talked myself into this major expenditure, I told myself that I would make my 1999 130K miles RX 300 last. After all, I am a mechanic (retired). I now find the old girl is starting to show her age and needs repairs. I want to go fishing on the new boat and not work on her. I will not let a strange mechanic touch her.


I can't wait for the (improved, I hope) 2016 RDX to come out. I'm hoping a prudent purchase of a low depreciating slightly used RDX will buy me some time until the 16's come out. So... I have managed to some how scrape up 35K to buy something used. I would rather have a used RDX with tech than a new one with out. An explanation why for another post. (stick with me.... my point is coming).


Those of you that think you are saving money by not getting the tech are penny wise , but pound foolish. I am in the market but do not want to spend the money and suffer the depreciation of buying a new RDX. I'm looking for a 2013 model and "stepping over" all standard models without "tech". I have found that 2013 certified vehicles on dealer lots are priced about 3K over non tech vehicles.


The point: is you will get about 75% of the money spent for the tech package and enjoy the pleasure of using the features. AND, enhance the resale of your vehicle. I will not consider a RDX that does not have the tech package. Tech cars are scarce. The lots are full of "Base" models. If you don't have tech you will lose buyers.


Don't shoot yourself in your wallet at resale time..... Get the Tech.


As always, IMHO

 

If you are leasing.... Forgetabout the above post.


I can't afford to lease. They make about 7% more off you. I tried it twice back when I was in business it was a tax deduction for me. I didn't like it even then and it made "some" financial sense.

 

I have 3 words for you. Yes,Yes and Yes.

The bigger screen, additional functions, larger back-up camera, Navi, the far superior stereo, which includes better readouts, hard drive etc. and the power tailgate is worth the extra, no question. I have driven the non-nav and it is simply lacking.

 

I echo what ARascal. Everyone keeps saying "why spend the extra $3500?". Well, when you go to trade or sell you will recoup a large portion of that money and probably have a quicker/easier sale. So look at it as getting all that stuff for about half the MSRP and it's a better value. And all you that say I would just rather get my own little Garmin. Well, I've got the Garmins in two other vehicles and their is no comparison in screen size or convenience. They do in a pinch but it's really nice to have the big screen handy at all times to reference as a map. I use it all the time to navigate around backups in areas that I'm not totally familiar with.

 

Take a tech and non tech out at night - the HID's alone might swing you. Coming from a non HID car, the difference is truly amazing.

 

Actually, you're at the point where you can...

What everyone seems to be overlooking is that the OP is in Canada - where HID's are standard on the base model.

The tech upgrades are:

Nav
ELS
GPS linked climate control
Power tailgate

In the US, the addition of HIDs makes the tech a no-brainer but in Canada the "real" difference if the nav (and ELS if you are going to get the source material to really exploit it).

I've not found that the GPS linked climate control makes any difference and the power tailgate is nice - but it would be nicer if they put the button in a place where shorter people could reach it without digging for the fob.

 

^ Agreed 100%, to me it wasn't worth it to buy the tech in Canada. The Nav, I think we can all agree is mediocre at best. power tailgate is not really compelling for myself but I can see where it can become useful. The only question it comes to is: How much do you like your music??

 

As much as I love my RDX, there are times where I regret not getting Tech Pkg. The navigation is nice because I hate having to look at my iPhone's nav. Power tailgate is the one thing that would help a lot. The license plate only has 2 holes and when I close the tailgate it makes the most obnoxious noise. Fogs...enhances the look. HIDs...brighter.

 

Very true about the navigation. Even though I have a phone and a separate GPS device (which I had before I bought the car), I still use the car navigation most of the time. Its just plain easy to push a button and view on a larger screen compared with struggling to pull out phone from pocket while you are sitting in car, or having to open glovebox and fiddle with the wires, mount on windscreen and plug into the charger port and so on especially if in a hurry.
Now if these are already secured in place then the reverse may be true as it is easier to navigate on a dedicated GPS / phone than the car. Most of the time I don't need to enter anything other than just view the general map of where I'm going and the in car GPS does a fantastic job for that.
Does anyone think I'm lazy...

 

+1 for HID lighting and Fogs.. everything else is a bonus if you ask me

I have had my Acura for a long time now and I have yet to change a headlight (or any other bulb for that matter)

 

I agree the power tailgate would be nice as it does make a cheap sounding noise/rattle when closing (even with felt pads behind the license plate!). I also wanted the fog lights, which I can order an install myself. Can't do that with the power tailgate.

The base stereo sounds great. No need for hard drive when you can just plug in a USB memory stick.

When I bought mine I didn't think the Tech package was worth the money and have no regrets at this point.

 

I'll be the detractor and say I'm fine with the base. HIDs seem to only help when on high beams which I can only use rarely around here, I've had foglamps on several other cars and they were never really useful, couldn't care less about the power tailgate, and the nav system already looks dated to me, nevermind the frustrations of dealing with it as opposed to just telling my phone where I want to go.

My thoughts on the increased Tech resale value aren't as optimistic either. The features other than the nav might get you some more back, but any nav system I've seen in any car older than 3 or 4 years just looks clunky and dated to the point where it might get more people looking for a base model just to avoid it. I know myself and others have specifically looked for used cars previously without nav systems just because in this day and age with hi-res phone/tablet displays, apps for everything you need and the general fast pace of electronics advancements, nav systems just end up look like Atari games on the dash after a few years.

It looks like I'm clearly the minority though, so I'll just put my flame-retardant suit now...

 

No suit needed, but the HID is a huge difference...

 

RDX high beams are halogen and with HIDs I have never run across a reason to use my high beams unless I was telling another driver to turn off theirs.

 

This is the first Acura I have had and the first vehicle of this type with upgraded options. I did get the tech package and like it so far. As stated earlier, getting to know everything the tech package does has added to the enjoyment of using it.

 

I have the base and to me it depends on how much $ you value each item.


I got the base as I had HID installed myself for $150 and the ELS sound system and fog lights wouldn't be noticed by my wife which is the primary daily driver. The only thing she does miss is the power tail gate which I would have gladly paid $800 for if it were offered as an option.


My thoughts was that $3,500 is a lot of dough I can use for other things in life.
Otoh, if you like the nav and bigger screen, enjoy high end audio, power lift gate, then $3,500 would be worth it.

 

HID for $150?? Guessing you aren't getting the same experience as the factory setup. How did you do this?

 

Well it was a DIY install so $150 is only for the parts.
Go search in this forum and there are plenty of discussions about this. For me I'm 100% satisfied.

I bought the Morimoto 3Five HID kit from The Retrofit Source (TRS), these are one of the best HID kits on the market.

With the upgrade XB35 bulbs the color and light output on the ground pretty much matches OEM. Warm up is about 5 seconds which is about a couple seconds slower than OEM.
Cutoff is very sharp, no glare, but the beam pattern is slightly different: it is not as wide as OEM but that's about it.

This is due to the different lens design which assumes a lower output from the halogen bulbs thus prioritizing the central area over the sides.
But basically you can hardly tell unless you have a side by side comparison.

I've had this setup for nearly 2 years now, absolutely no issues. I also recently did the same upgrade again this time for my base 2014 ILX which had halogens too. Same great results, can't recommend them highly enough.

 

I bought the tech package for the HID lamps and the Nav and am happy with them both. Enhanced sound is a plus. I've never had a built in Nav and nobody in my family seems to be able to deal with maps on a phone so I was always stuck trying to navigate with a phone. I am shortsighted so have to drive with glasses and I subsequently have trouble reading anything up close. Fiddling with a phone while driving is a pain, not to mention it takes you away from driving. Planning ahead and entering the destination in before leaving is really no big deal - I don't find myself out on the road and suddenly deciding to make a 2 hour trip to downtown LA to some place I've never been. The Nav system does not have the best address entry but it works.

HID lights are worth it imho. Also have to comment that the sound system is tight - I've had too many vehicles where "parts" reverbrate when the music is cranked up. Not in the RDX - and driving on the freeway with the sunroof open requires the music to be cranked up.

My biggest complaints are the placement of the door opening on the center glove box, and the navigation of music on a USB flash drive plugged into the USB port (there are basically no navigation features).

 

IMHO, I feel that if you buy a RDX without the Tech package. What you really have is a Honda CR-V with a V6 engine.


As Always.... IMHO

 

For those complaining about the extra $3500 for the tech package, unless you're paying cash (which most people don't), when you finance (depending on the length of your loan and interest rate), that extra $3500 only translates to about an extra 60 bucks per month (maybe even less depending on your negotiating skills). When you really think about it, that's really not that much more for the added convenience of tech features. For me personally, if I'm making a monthly payment it will be on the trim that I want so I don't have to deal with buyer's remorse later. I'm just saying.

 

And..... you'll get 50 to 80% $$$ of it back when you sell, attract more buyers ... enjoy the use of the tech package while you drive own it.

Jesus Chrysler... If that isn't a win- win. I don't know what the hell is?

As always.... IMNO

 

Well for the extra $$ per mo finance, there is never a limit.
Extra $50/mo gets you the tech package, another $50 into a Q5, another $50 into a GLK or RX .. the sky is the limit! you simply have to draw the line somewhere.

To be honest I was coming from shopping for a CR-V so for me the nav, fog lights and ELS wasn't something I was after anyway.
And no, the RDX is no CR-V with a V6, not even close.

So to each their own: the base trim to me is the affordable one which gets me all the basic RDX goodness, the tech trim to others is worth every penny as it completes the RDX package.

 

I absolutely agree with this statement even though I feel the tech package is totally worth it for me. I've driven both RDX and CRV during my search and they drive and feel "different enough" even when you remove the "A" badge from the equation. So its about the choice and we do have to draw the line somewhere.

Well, if all of were to think alike and buy only one vehicle, there would be only one model (or even one manufacturer ) available for us to choose from. just saying...

 

Am old-school enough to know how to use a map, but I find the map on the nav system very handy while driving to let me know how close I am to my street of interest.

The back-up camera is phenomenal. I've always hated to back up when I'm parked next to a large vehicle, but I am much more comfortable backing out now. This solves a safety problem that to me is worth much of the cost of the tech package.

The power tailgate is handy for my bad shoulder, especially the button on it that closes it. Be aware that the control on the dashboard doesn't operate as stated in the OM. Regardless of how you set the power tailgate options (I like "Anytime" so I can keep the car doors locked while operating the tailgate), using the dashboard control requires that all doors be unlocked (it took 3 trips to the dealer and a lecture by the service manager to find this out). Having a power tailgate is handy when the car is dirty -- you don't have to touch it to open.

I'm sure I'll find other things to enjoy about the tech package as I continue to read about and test the functionality. In order to get your money's worth, you do have to put in that kind of effort. Very little of it is intuitive enough to set-up without reading the manual.

 

Yes.


Okay in all seriousness. I've done the 'I don't need the blah blah package' before.. and then kind of always slightly regretted it.. I kind of talked myself out of needing those nice things, then found myself wishing for them or trying to upgrade some of them and it wasn't worth the whole fiasco it would cause...


Life's short, get what you want and enjoy it.


For me the stereo alone was TOTALLY worth the tech.. Granted I bought used, but it still cost me about 2k more than a non tech package version!


Uber happy with my tech!

 

I have a 2013 Tech and have always thought it was a worthwhile upgrade. Recently went in for an oil change service and was given a non-tech RDX for a loaner. Quickly made me glad again that I opted for the tech package.

 

$3500 is a lot of cheddar for this cracker. When I think about stuff like this tech/base, I laugh at our wonderful life problems.

 

Back-up camera is standard. You don't need the tech package for it (at least in the 2014).

 

This is my second RDX, with having a Cadillac SRX and MB GLK in between, now back in the RDX. I rarely used the nav in the MB, because I used the navigation on my phone. In deciding what to get next, told my wife that the next car would be without navigation, and she didn't hesitate on my thoughts. Once deciding on the RDX once again, realized that you need the Tech package to get the power tailgate. We have a newborn in the house now, so it's even more important than anything for my wife to have a power tailgate. So reluctantly, we went with the Tech model again. Solar sensing climate control? Couldn't care less. Xenon lights/fogs are nice, but not deal breakers for me. ELS sound is great, but I don't think I'll really get the chance to take advantage of it. We'll see how many times we really end up using the navigation in this one...

 

If you live in the states then sure , but I'm in canada and the base has everything I need HID and fog lights but in the US you don't get that . Only if there were more tech features then I think my 3 grand is worth the upgrade.

 

I purchased base AWD to save $4,000. Still think what difference HID & fog lights and upgraded stereo + power tailgate would make in user satisfaction and luxury feel....
Do not miss GPS unit and voice navigation though.

 

Whatever difference you feel is worth it for you. IMO it's a very personal choice. No right or wrong answer here.