roadking1221

I'm thinking about getting a 2019 CPO A-spec in next couple months, and would like some feedback on the good/bad, likes/dislikes from others who have this vehicle. One review I read was that overall gas mileage was only around 16 mpg, which is pretty bad for a 4 cylinder.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^it's a 4 cylinder turbo that has to scoot 4000lbs.
cant beat physics...man

if you never hit boost and you drive at 60mph on the freeway all the time, then yes...the fuel mileage will increase.
but that's not real world...real world; you'll be driving city with stop and go and most likely engaging boost, which makes the fuel economy go down.

Jordster

First of all, 2.0T is not just a "four cylinder" (though you're certainly not wrong). If this car was powered by a good ol NA Honda 2.0, we'd be complaining about it's lack of torque but talking gleefully about it's magnificent fuel economy. But I digress.

There are tons of threads and posts about FE, but I will share my impressions from my first 3500km of driving:

I've managed 33 mpg on a long, steady road trip, without AC or passengers on rural roads (350km at an average of 90 km/hr, or about 56 mph). The same trip with a full car (600 lbs of people and stuff on board) with the AC on and with little effort to conserve fuel yielded about 25 mpg.You can break 20 mpg in almost any conditions of you're patient. Most drives, even around town, I can keep it over 21 without really trying. BUT ... When I drive spiritedly? 16-18 around town. 80 mph on the highway nets about 22-23 mpg. Overall, this is about 25-30% worse than my Accord (which has the same engine pulling a car 500 lbs lighter and without SH-AWD) which seems about right.

There are no cars outside of hybrids that can provide actual power (not AVAILABLE power, but power you're actually using) and do much better than this. My 2015 BMW X3 28i (2.0T) xdrive got slightly worse mileage in every condition. And as a bonus, the RDX can use regular gas, which honestly everyone should be using. The K20 inside the RDX is the EXACT same engine as in the Accord, where regular fuel is specified and the car is rated at 252 hp, vs 272hp on premium in the RDX. I used premium for the first few tanks and switched to regular. All of the FE I noted above was on regular fuel. If you're not pushing the throttle past 75%, the power delivery is exactly the same.

Anyway, it's a great car SH-AWD is really something special, and with a set of good tires this is the best handling SUV I've ever had the pleasure of daily driving. Only the higher tier German competition (X3 M40i, Macan S and above, etc) have a torque vectoring diff like the RDX, and while those cars are real RWD, they are also $15-50k more expensive.

In short, if you like the RDX, and the one you're looking for is problem free, go for it!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

it's a shame that people only look at fuel economy when buying cars...
if it was really that important to someone, a 4000lb turbo SUV wouldnt be my first choice.

Madd Dog

I have never SEEN 30 mpg.

The absolute best I have ever gotten was a tankful of pure highway driving in the 60-70 mph range, and that was 26.

In my normal mix of suburban driving with some highway thrown in, I am 21-22.

roadking1221

I should clarify my comment about fuel economy in my thread. I was merely pointing out that that was one review I read. Fuel economy is not the deciding factor for me in this decision. I currently drive a Lexus sedan that is rated at 22/33, and my driving style I get around 18-19 mpg, depending on how much city/hwy.

More importantly I'm looking for everyone's overall likes and dislikes. The best feedback for me is from other drivers.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Thank you for providing more thought into your questions!

roadking1221

Great review, thank you!

russianDude

Agree, every time I see one of the threads with “fuel economy”, it makes me go “not again....”

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^since the OP clarified his stance/questions, we should respect his wishes!

JB in AZ

I'm very happy with my '19 Advance FWD. I do MOSTLY suburban driving, and use the A/C 100% June-Sept (live in Arizona). My lifetime MPG is 26.5 mpg, Highest 29.59 mpg, lowest 22.17 mpg. I generally only fill the tank and document the mileage (miles divided by gallons used) when the low fuel light comes on...I use only regular gas. and about 98% Comfort mode.

The reason I mention A/C use... my mileage is definitely better during Fall->Spring as I don't use the AUTO setting them, as it does engage the AC compressor.

I love the acceleration and handling. At first I hesitated to buy because of the touch pad, but it took me only a couple of days to set it up and get familiar with it. Easy now to use the things I use frequently. The ability to set icons on the screen where you want them is great. Examplr: Upper left, SiriusXM, upper right USB, etc. Easy to use without even looking at the screen!

The seats are very comfortable, and with the many adjustments, they are wonderful. Even the passenger seat has a huge number of power adjustments The memory is also great if you have multiple drivers. I really like the hands free tailgate. Some find it difficult to use, it just takes a quick "kick" forward and back under the bumper like kicking a football, and it opens. Same to close.

I have had a few issues with Android Auto starting up, but have narrowed it to the cable, and now, using a different cable it works as expected. LOVE being to hear an incoming text and reply by voice! Google maps navigation is far superior to the Acura navigation.

The sound system is the best I have ever heard. PERIOD!

Brakes had a "soft" pedal, even the several I tested before deciding on the RDX. I bought it anyway! Acura issued a TSB which firmed up the pedal. Now, very nice feel.

The doors make a nice solid sound when closing.

I use the Spot and Sport + driving modes occasionally, but mostly I use the Comfort mode.

If I had to buy another car now, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the RDX again. My only regret is the color I bought. White, as I wanted Red, and there weren't any within 1,000 miles.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer for you. You can't always count on the sales person to always be accurate.

roadking1221

Perfect feedback, just what I was looking for. Thank you! Red is my preferred color as well, though very hard to come by. 2nd choice is the grey.

IM542

I've had mine for 16 months and I average 21.5 mpg suburban driving. In Sport mode and playing around with the paddle shifters, etc. Just normal driving not trying to wring every last MPG out of it. I do use premium fuel consistently.

Frankly I love the car, my third RDX. 2007, 2015 (which I kept as a spare car) and now the 2019.

No complaints.

Ludepower

16 city, 21 highway for my aspec. Road noise isn't the best either.

Besides that I love the car. Don't regret my decision considering its competitors cost 10k more.

tecwerks

Love my 2019 Aspec AWD and don't care about gas mileage. Sport + mode all the time.

leomio85

I have a 2020 A-Spec.

Cons:
-Ride quality could be better, this is largely due to the 20" wheels with thinner sidewalls.
-Build quality is subpar (rattles, creaks, buzzing, etc).
-Some people complain about poor sound insulation. It's not bad, especially for a Honda. It's less isolated than, say a Toyota Highlander, but Honda isn't exactly known for being ultra quiet. I don't mind it, take it for a test drive to see if it's acceptable.
-Transmission can be a bit jerky when poking around town. When you're more deliberate, it's fine.
-Interior trim around the center stack can be blinding depending on what time of day it is.

Pros:
-Far and away the best looking variant of the RDX (my opinion)
-Compared to many grocery getters, it moves pretty good and handles well (acceptable sacrifice when looking at the less than stellar ride)
-Seats are great, and the fact they're heated and ventilated make it that much better
-When looking for performance shifting, the transmission is very capable (if it doesn't lag upon initial throttle input)

Overall, I do quite like the car. My biggest gripe would be the build quality. I've had to fix interior clunks and rattles myself, and I still have a couple I'm tracking down. Personally, I'd avoid the 2019's as they're a mixed bag as far as the infotainment goes. Some people have zero problems while others have had numerous issues with it. Also the brake pedal issue was fixed for the '20 MY. If you can wait, I would say hold off for a '20 when most of it was sorted out, or at least take the one you're looking for for an extended test run and play with the infotainment a bunch. Heck, if I were you, I'd see if you could find a new one and pry to get as cheap as possible. In the "What did you pay" thread, there are some folks getting very good deals now with the new car sales slump, meanwhile I'm hearing used cars are seeing a sales rise.

RCJD

Agree with most of what Leo mentioned above, i also got the 20 A-Spec

The good
-One of the best handling vehicle i have driven so far- its on the lighter side but its very precise and quick to response-relax but sporty feel
-Tranmission very quick to respond compare to MDX tranny
-Feels very light for a 4K lbs SUV
- Front & side view of the exterior is i think one of the best looking suv right now, the back eh! Rims are nice
-Interior is also very nice
-ELS 3D - nuf said

The bad
-Wind noise especially at hwy speed at two front side windows, you can also feel the floor is not properly insulated.
-Built quality-rear trunk does not close smooth instead creates a loud noise - Why Acura?
-Quality of suspension-Squeaking, Breaks squeaking- Really Acura?
-on & off Infotaiment issues
-Short shifts tranny-gets annoying on the city driving
-seats are not comfortable to me-needs more cushioning
-ride quality itson the stiff side, yes becuase of the tires and yes its A-spec so its not friendly on long drive especially for the guys sitting at the back-This is the part where i regret not getting the Advance package
-Feels under powered to me, becuase i got the V6 TL before this.

If i have to do it all over again, no i will not buy this RDX right now, i will wait for the refresh version, i think this is the guinea pig for the new precision crafted performance era.

The new TLX and the MDX will be better than this RDX. Have you seen the interior of the new TLX? Wow!

TxMac

I have a 2020 SH-AWD Aspec

Here are my impressions after 6 months or so:

Good:
A very fun vehicle to drive, love the AWD.
To me it is a quiet cabin, but my prior vehicle was a non-premium domestic suv so perhaps it was just noisy.
The leather seats, really like it along with the suede.
comfortable seats.
Best stock stereo i have experienced.
Panoramic sunroof, i enjoy the added light it allows in the cabin, especially when driving early or late in a day.

Bad:
Instrument cluster, the contrast of the grey/red is very hard to read.
Lack of a digital speedometer, really annoying when factored in with the above contrast issue. In addition, I find the numbers/text too small within the instrument panel between speedometer and tach, I wear reading glasses but typically do not wear them to drive.
Lack of a spare tire, really silly that it does not come with one when the exact same model in Canada does.(I haggled with the dealership and had one added when i purchased the vehicle)
No remote start included with the Aspec trim, again at this level remote start should come with the car, not a $600 accessory or via the app that doesn't work in Acuralink
Acuralink- has not worked for me yet, had to have acura technical assist reset multiple times still not fully functioning as they now messed subscription during the resets.
The infotainment software updates appear to be a disaster and they push them out without testing them.
AC Seat ventilation is not as noticable/powerful as I had hoped.