Just did a 1,100 mile road trip from Texas to Iowa. My 2021 RDX Aspec SHAWD has 6K miles on her. You really get to know a vehicle on a long drive. Gas Mileage - No where near EPA Estimate.
Best = 25.4mpg (75 mph, cruise on, comfort setting and a strong tail wind). Tires were inflated to 36psi for the trip.
Worst = 22.6mpg (Mostly at 60 - 71mph on cruise, comfort setting and a strong head wind). Some slower speeds going through rural towns.
City driving = 17-19 MPG - with a light foot.
*Tmps were 20F int he morning and 36f in the afternoon.
**Premium gas was $3.79 a gallon most of the trip - wishing Acura would add a Hybrid version with a smaller engine for optimal performance and fuel economy.

Ride = Firm suspension on anything but smooth roads. Great in town, but a little harsh and wished it was softer for a long road trip.
Infotainment = Didn't mind the touch pad in town, however on a long road trip too too much effort and eyes off the road to get the Apple Maps zoomed in to see the next set of directions and constantly resent the map to a zoom out mode, which was frustrating. Wished it had a touch screen.
Seats and noise = Very comfortable front seats (was a solo journey), and quiet inside.

Overall, was a reliable ride and quit different from all my short 1 hour drives or in town before. Not one issue - thats a great thing. However the short comings may make me look at alternative that are more fuel efficient, smoother ride and better infotainment friendly. Plus, not having a "spare tire" and non-run flats could be an issue if you get a flat in the middle of no-where or between stations.

Leaving Austin at the Petrol Lounge...

 

Nice review…thank you!

I have a 2020 Advance and make the 700mile (each way) trip from OH to CT 3-4x/year. My mileage essentially mirrors yours but I typically use 89 octane on road trips rather than 91; use 87 for poking around town locally. Typically with one passenger and cargo area loaded to the very top.

Are you sure that you don’t have a spare tire? IIRC, all 4WD/AWD vehicles have at least a mini-spare. Only 2WD’s don’t come with a spare as standard equipment.

 

No spare tire in the Aspec SHAWD model, just a inflator and patch kit.

Probably could have saved a few $$$ on gas using the 89 - just didn't think of that and not sure it would of made any inferior difference in gas mileage.

It's a great SUV, just with move to OPEC oil, increase agenda in EPA mileage by 2026 (now 40 target) "A final rule issued Monday would raise mileage standards starting in the 2023 model year, reaching a projected industry-wide target of 40 miles per gallon by 2026" = gas prices will rise and so will electric when more people use it . . . Acura needs a Hybrid and plugin version soon!

 

Thanks for the review! I have a 21' Aspec, and I just switched from 93 octane to 87. Honestly, I don't notice any big difference between the two. I can't see spending the extra money on premium fuel, when 87 is performing just as well for my needs!

 

Bummer…………

 

Just recently paid $3.28 for 93 at Costco, regular was $3.08.
if MPG is lower with regular, not sure its worth it

 

Yeah, I get that. However, where I'm at (Southeastern Wisconsin), gas prices currently at Costco are $2.84 for regular and $3.42 for premium. That's a pretty big difference. If I notice lower MPG's and performance with 87, I will go back to 93. So far, I haven't noticed anything.

 

Not the same engine my 2016 got exactly the same fuel economy on 86 octane as 91, ran just fine and never pinged once even though premium was recommended. Around here 91 octane is $.44 more at the minimum and most places $.50-.60.

 

I agree. I can't tell the difference using 87. Here in Prescott AZ the costco 91 is about .40 more. We are a mile high city so I don't know if that makes a difference but mileage and performance is the same. Manual says 87 or higher.

 

What happened to the days of a .10 difference between the different grades of gas? 😟

 

I really don’t understand why we’re still having this discussion about MPG. It’s a dead horse at this point; 1) it’s a sporty SUV, not a Prius, 2) everyone drives a little different and no city or highway is the same and 3) the EPA cycle is not real world driving

 

to each his own. I like 93, car runs better and I can afford it

 

Hell, so what? I can afford racing fuel but 89 octane and the car runs great.

 

Amen, Brother. The car is what it is. I have long since learned that the MPG I get is closely related to the actions of my right foot. I have seen well over 30 MPG driving on flat roads at 55-60 (As on Route 12 in NC going down the Outer Banks) and I have seen 21 MPG on I-64 through West Virginia going through the mountains. On a 2,000 mile tripe up East and back that we do once or twice a year I get 25 MPG average. Its no big deal as it is what it is. I have found no noticeable different in running 87,89 or 93 Octane but then I don't drive the car to the max so it wouldn't matter anyway.

As for the EPA rating, that is what the car did with an expert driver with lots of practice driving a cycle that is spelled out in detail by the EPA to make all the test results at least somewhat comparable between different makes and models. Sometimes you can do better ( I have under a narrow set of circumstances) but likely you will do worse due to that right foot of yours.

 

The car is more responsive on premium gas for me. No need to argue, use whatever gas suits you.

 

There is no argument!
If the goal is maximum performance and power 93 is the clear choice on fuel. Under high combustion pressures it will allow the engine to produce the highest output. For "normal" driving the high octane fuel will only improve cash flow for your local fuel provider. On another "high performance" vehicle I had I did a long term (30 days/two thousand+ miles over the same route under the same diving conditions) comparison test. The higher octane fuel did produce a very small gain in mileage but was a large net loss in "cost per mile". Other testers have gotten similar results. Too often people will use the results from one or two tanks of fuel or one trip "out and back" to make a decision. .
Much (too much) has been written about "benefits" of using higher octane fuel with many believing it will give them better fuel economy. Those claims are debatable at best and are more dependent on how the car is driven than what fuel is used.
As Consumer Reports put it: "The gas mileage you get out of your car depends on you more than anything else". Some engines "require" 93 octane fuel due to their design and control systems. On the RDX higher octane is "recommended" but not required per Acura. All this means is that the engine management system has the ability to make adjustments for lower octane fuel (by measures like reducing spark advance) but these adjustments may (will) reduce the maximum power and performance of the engine.
For performance 93 is the way to go. For cost to drive, 87 is the ticket.

 

I maybe go through 1.5-2 tanks per month, that’s about $5-6 more per month @ Costco, worth the fun

 

I have a 2020 Tech and my observations mor or less mimic yours, and would add an observation regarding the Nav. Since the CarPlay interface is so horrible, I used the built in nav on a recent road trip in upstate NY. The upcoming exit directions are horrible. One example is, I had to exit right then immediately bear left. Instructions simply stated bear left with no indication of taking the exit. Another was where the Highway split, two lanes to the left, two to the right. Directions were completely silent, and there was no color difference on the map so it was a tossup as to which way to go. Of course, given a 5-0/5-0 chance, I chose wrong!

Don’t like the road noise. Since we were in no hurry, I kept the speed to a little over 70 and barely hot 21 mpg going (more on the return trip). My F150 is a much better road trip vehicle.

 

Acura recently announced that they are skipping hybrid and going straight to electric.

 

Just did 1,200 mile trip on 1 week old Advance SH-AWD. Experience very similar.

Comfortable ride for doing the drive in 24 hours with 4 hour sleep break. Much better than last time taking the trip in late model Insight (although used way more gas…).

Mileage for all interstate driving ranged from 21 to 27 (lowest was after filled up with 89 but also a bit more gradual elevation gain, highest was on 91 with flat terrain).

I like the track pad for any native Acura infotainment functions, annoying when using Apple car play functions - so learning to leverage Siri more.

 

I use Siri a lot in Carplay.

 

I had a '19 A-Spec and didn't like the ride. I now have the new A-Spec/Adv which gives you the adj. suspension between the drive modes. In Comfort it rides really well. I did dump the RSA tires since they
are trash, and am riding on Conti DWS 06 Plus, and they ride great and are smooth and quiet. Have used on other vehicles.
Fuel mileage is always an issue with small turbo 4 cyl engines. I got better trip mileage with my 3.5 V6 engines in RDX's and MDX's. When your foot is in that turbo some or a lot, the fuel mileage really
suffers. I always got over 30 mpg with my 3.5 V6's on trips. But, I like this RDX...and it's mostly my wife's driver, and it's what she wanted. I have a '21 Mustang GT, Perf. Pack, that gets worse mileage....LOL!!
Will soon, Feb, have a TLX Type S. It will get better MPG's than my Mustang, but, if my foot is in it....and it will be at times....the mileage will suffer with that 3.0 V6 turbo engine. Nature of the beast within!! LOL!

 

That would be awesome, though I am old school and love the sound and smell of ICE power plants. Given the “go green” mantra and steep EPA numbers by the administration - all mfgs will need hybrid or pure EV over 50 of sales soon. Then the price of electricity will sky rocket and someone will make a fortune if they figure out a way to charge in similar times as filling a tank of gas.

 

Did you get any money for them?

 

Yes, I sold the wheels/tires to my dealer. I always do that. He always buys. Decent amount too.

 

What wheels did you put on the new car?

 

I ordered the Adv. wheels, new for '22. Liked them a lot. Went down to 19's from the 20's, which is easy to do IF you put on the right tire size to keep
the diam. same or nearly. Orig: 255/45/20 are 29" in diam. Replacement: 255/50/19.....same diam. And, of course, put on my fav. tire, Conti DWS 06 Plus.