cobra611

Between myself and my wife, we've owned 6 Acura's over the years. Mostly because of me. Three years ago, I traded in her '08 TSX, to get a '14 Lexus GS350 F Sport for myself, and then gave her my '09 TL SH-AWD. A year later she was involved in an accident, totaling the TL, so got her an '18 TLX A-Spec. Luckily she had the TL and not the TSX at the time of the accident. Now, I've put on nearly 90k miles on the GS, in the 3 years I've had it...now sits at 109k. Have been looking around at a few replacement vehicles, and the RDX A-Spec has ALWAYS been appealing to me. On Saturday, I'm thinking about taking a 2 hr. drive to look at a 2019 A Spec, with approx. 20k miles. Shortly after the 2019 RDX's hit the road, a good friend of mine, who was the service manager at my local Acura dealer, told us to stay away from the '19's because they were coming back for service very frequently, and for multiple reasons. I've tried my best to do research, which includes reading these forums.

So, thinking back to what my friend told me, has me slightly apprehensive about moving forward with my pursuit. For those with a 2019 for a while, how has your ownership experience been? Thanks in advance.

Leaf 68

I purchased my 2019 A Spec in July of 2019. It now has just over 25K. I have experienced MANY of the issues in the TSB’s. I will NEVER buy a first year model ever again. I will wait at least two years...I have been to the dealer for warranty issues more times with this RDX than I have with my last 6 vehicles combined.

Madd Dog

Mine has settled down.

A couple of glitches early on, more annoying than major. The infotainment problems have been greatly reduced from frequent to rare.

I have a 2019, purchased in August of 2018, so an early build.

Leaf 68

Sorry, Purchased July 2018.

DriverOne

I've had a 2019 for a couple of years and the only problems I've had are brake squealing on cold mornings in the fall/winter (which is not just an Acura thing) and very intermittent (maybe 20 times total) moaning when the rear hatch opens and closes.

That being said, if the last time you talked to this guy was in 2018, why don't you just talk to him again and see if he's still seeing the same issues? Also, if he works at a dealer, couldn't he just point you to a car that he's checked out? Lastly, you realize that about 99% of Acura owners aren't on any forum, so even if 100% of us had terrible cars that would mean nothing.

JB in AZ

I have had mine for 22 months, and 25,000 miles. I had a few TSBs done:

Initially the brake pedals were very "soft" feeling, meaning it took a longer push for the brakes to apply, but they were not unsafe. The brake booster is electronic, and Acura updated the software and provided a much better brake feel, via the TSB.

There was a condition where the infotainment screen would flash day/night and the message was Drive mode unavailable, (or something like that) I had it happen one time. Acura had a TSB that fixed it. I have not had it happen again

I have had intermittent no connection to Android Auto, that was 95% corrected by me buying a better cable. Now, perhaps once a week, I have to unplug the cable and reinsert it for AA to work. I use AA EVERY time I drive the car, and I usually am making several stops, so I have to connect the cable every time I get back in the car, with no issues, except that perhaps one time a week. Annoying but not enough for me to dislike the car.

I had it in for the A1 service, so I casually mentioned that I had heard a break squeal one time. They replaced the front rotors and all pads according to that TSB under warranty. I did hear the squeal for about 2 seconds one time, it wasn't enough for me to even be worried or make a separate trip to the dealer, but but figured I would take a free brake job!

I agree with Madd Dog, "The infotainment problems have been greatly reduced from frequent to rare." There have been a couple of OTA (over the air) updates that significantly improved the system. Rumor has it that there is anther one "coming soon" At first, (bought my 19 in Jan 2019, build date 11/2018) it was a hot mess.

I can't think of anything else.

Best car I have ever had, and I have had a bunch. Absolutely no concerns, and would buy it again if I had to, except with one change, I would get Red vs White!

arjaykay

I purchased my Cerified 2019 RDX Advanced in February 2019 (build November 2018) with 4,500 miles on it. I now have 22,000 miles and the only problem that I had was a rattle in the dashboard, which was fixed. And the fuel pump was replaced under recall. Other than that, not a problem. Love the car.

NooYawkuh

My '19 had some of the first year bugs but once I got them all resolved in warranty, I'm happy. Mostly minor annoyances. I really like the car and I love driving it.

Funny, I owned a first year '03 Pilot. Not just a new gen but altogether new vehicle. That car was crazy reliable. So, you never know. But if it's a lease, I don't know. The leasee might have driven it the way I would have - like it's not really my car, because it's not.

DriverOne

I could never own a pre-owned car, not just a lease car or a rental car but any car. The way most people drive their cars is totally different from how I drive mine. It probably doesn't matter, but it still bothers me. Like I mentioned that I'll see people hit speed bumps and they go full speed without slowing down, like the speed bump isn't even there. I'll slow down and ease over the bump, if possible. Or if you're accelerating from a stop, I know why so many people on forums are interested in 0-60 time. They will just stand on the gas pedal and try to get to 60 mph in 4 seconds because it's that important to them. I'll just gradually speed up. I think the maximum I've ever pushed the engine while accelerating is to like 2500 rpm.

Leaf 68

Don’t worry, you are 100yrs old.

Ludepower

I hope you're getting a sweet deal on the 2019 with 20k miles because you can get 15% off msrp buying new.

DriverOne

I got that way through steady acceleration.

boyce89976

One of the engineering execs at BMW once said that a large percentage of their mechanical problems, and in particular "oil burn", were due to owners not driving the car hard enough to ever really break it in.

Where is this? The RDX is a HUGE hit for Acura, and I'm not seeing any discounting at that level? That would put the RDX Advance at around $41k - $42K new. Best case I saw when shopping the past few weeks was $46k - $48k for a new one, and those were all outgoing 2020's.

jmhumr

Is the car for sale at an Acura dealer? If so, ask for the service records ahead of time. If not, then you could always take it to a Honda or Acura dealer for a PPI and ask them to pull the records. Keep in mind that at 20k miles there's a great chance that nearly all of the common quirks have already been fixed under warranty. So while the warranty trips have been annoying for the original owner, that's all in the past. It would be good to know what's been done and if the previous owner had to take it back multiple times for the same issue.

Secondly, if you're buying from an Acura dealer, use your concern over buying a 1st year model to attempt to negotiate a heavily discounted 1-2 year extended warranty.

DriverOne

I could believe that an engineering exec at BMW would say that, but I would need some sort of verification that the statement was actually true. In other words, I might buy that it's true that driving a car "hard" would not harm it -- it may very well be engineered to take that abuse -- but I would say that is a totally different statement than saying that "if you do NOT drive it 'hard' then it is more prone to breaking down," which is an absurd statement to me. To give an example, if someone is taking hairpin turns at 60 mph and people say that makes the vehicle less prone to having problems of any sort in comparison to some old lady who is just driving down the street sedately, I would need evidence. Note: this is completely different from someone saying that if you leave your car in a garage for ten years without moving it or starting it ever, you will have problems. That's also obvious.

I don't think there is a lot of ability right now for people to negotiate on used cars. From my understanding, everyone is going out and buying used cars. It's one of the weird coronavirus things, where supposedly everyone is broke but everyone is out buying houses simultaneously. Inventory has been reported to be low (in general, not specifically for the RDX or any other car). On the flip side, I also heard it's a great time to sell your car to a dealer if you want.

NooYawkuh

Kind of reminds me of that scene in Ford v Ferrari where Ken Miles tells the pretentious MG owner:

Customer: "You telling me I don't know how to drive my own car?"
Miles: "This is not your car. Your car is a Plymouth or a Studebaker."



Great movie.

jmhumr

Is your impression based on advertised prices? Because that’s not a great barometer. I’m still keeping my eye on A-Spec prices and Truecar says most people in my area are getting at least 10% off, with some doing in the 10+% range. I inquired about a CPO recently and after balking at the price the dealer implied I could do better on a new one, but they didn’t have the color I wanted.

jmhumr

Yeah the car market is bizarre right now, I’ll give you that. I don’t understand how they’re finding customers who are willing to pay a hair less than new for a used car. You’d think with all of the extra time at home that people would be doing MORE research on car pricing, haha.

cobra611

Thank you, everyone, for input and experiences. It certainly is a lot to consider. Yes, the vehicle is being sold from an Acura dealer as a CPO. Looking at the CarFax, while it doesn’t specify the reasons it was in, does show a number of trips to the dealer, in between oil changes. I certainly plan on discussing those concerns with the dealer. And if I read it correctly, it appears that the vehicle has been available for a few months. They may be desperate to get rid of it.

boyce89976

I just bought two CPO RDX's... a 2019 Advance for my wife and a 2020 A-Spec for me. We love both of them, and the peace of mind of 5 years bumper-to-bumper on hers and 6 years bumper-to-bumper on mine, with a kid about to enter college, is incalculable.

cobra611

Also, not sure if anyone will see this. But, the brochure for the '19 RDX appears to show that the A-Specs driver has power adjusting side bolsters. Is that true or just an Advance option?

tecwerks

Not True on the A-Spec

cobra611

Thanks for clearing that up. I only had access to an online version of the brochure. ...

JB in AZ

There are so many nice features the Advance has. It sure would be nice for those who prefer the A-Spec look if they could also get the features of the Advance. I know, this has been mentioned umpteen times. They could call it the Adv-Spec, or Advance-Spec. Doesn't really roll off the tongue...guess this is why Acura doesn't offer it!

DriverOne

I always think that the way to go if people want the features of the Advance is to just get the Advance. I know everyone says the A-Spec has "better styling" than the Advance, but it's basically just slightly less chrome on the exterior and red seats and dials. Those don't matter to me and I actually think red seats are ugly, but even if I was into those I wouldn't want to lose all the features of the Advance just for that, personally. It was an easy choice for me.

tecwerks

"roll off the tongue" LOL - But seriously, I would Purchase/Lease a Adv-A-Spec in a hot minute.

JB in AZ

That's what I did. I saw the features of the Advance, only sat in an A-Spec for about 10 seconds, and bought the Advance. I think I would probably find the red gauges hard to read, and would get tired of them as well. I wasn't about to give up the HUD!

tecwerks

To each his own. I like the A-Spec AWD as the Advance I did not like the blah look or handling of the Advance. If all u have is FWD as well that’s worse yet.

JB in AZ

Yeah. I have no use for AWD in Southern AZ. No snow, less than 4 inches of rain so far this year, and I drive relatively conservatively. (read, I enjoy using Sport+ when I am on a road that will make it worthwhile, which I am rarely on, roughly 90% of my driving is on surface streets in and around town)

Like you said, to each his own. BUT, the good news? We do have something in common... we both bought Gen 3 RDXs! So Acura made choices available that work for both of us. Yay!

NooYawkuh

How is the handling of the A-spec better than the Advance? They're the same except the Advance has the addition of active dampers.

DriverOne

They're the same except the A-Spec is worse.

cobra611

That's one of the reasons I moved into a Lexus, being able to get the options I wanted in the vehicle I wanted. I love the styling of the A Spec Line, both RDX and TLX, just less of the things I want.

tecwerks

Totally with you. In addition to our RDX we have a 2010 RX350 and its been a solid 105k mile with nothing more than routine maintenance. Just replaced the brake rotors at 100K. No other issues or recalls.

JB in AZ

For years before I bought my RDX, my goal, when my finances lined up properly, was to buy a Lexus RX. Preferably, the Hybrid. So, the Lexus dealer was my first stop on the test drive tour. The RX was always on a pedestal, like a super hero. When I first sat down in the driver's seat, I was like, WOW! This is so soft. Then I started looking around and playing with things. The ergonomics were all wrong for me. Then the test drive. It was quiet, but numb, and the touchpad, ...ugh, I felt I would have to leave it on one station and never use the Nav. The pedestal was crumbling down. I felt like the kid who finds out that his super hero is just a movie studio creation. Next, the sales person asked me how I was going to pay, 60 month loan, lease, cash? There were so many trim levels, option packages and individual options. It priced out way over $60,000 for the Hybrid, equipped close to what I wanted. AND I didn't really like it. Yeah, it was a quiet ride, and the dealer sales experience was very nice.

Next I went to the Acura dealer, as I knew that the 3rd Gen RDX was out. The sales experience was numb. From reading, I knew more about the car than the sales person. The dealer ambiance? Lacking. Just a few desks around the front, next to the picture windows, a few fake palm trees in pots, and 3 or 4 cars crammed onto the show room floor. None were the RDX. After taking with the marshmallow sales person, I asked if we could take a test drive. I had decided on the Advance after sitting in the A-Spec just a short time, as I really wanted all the features that the Advance offered. Very easy to pick. The seat was amazing, not sofa soft like the RX, but it fit like it was designed for me. I guess with all the adjustments, it was. I had a bit of concern about the True Touch pad. (unfounded) The ride was firmer than the RX by a long shot, and felt sporty, The acceleration was great! (The sales guy told me the speed limit display was by real time by reading the signs! WRONG!) The price was almost $15,000 less than the RX.

After that first Acura dealer visit, I test drove Volvos, Lincolns, Cadillacs...I refused to look at the Germans. I went back to the Acura dealer about three more times and then brought my son and his wife, and my wife for their opinions. All but my daughter in law drove it, and they ALL loved it.

Now, every time I see an RX on the street, I chuckle about the front grill (which actually wasn't a deal breaker for me), and I still have that feeling in my gut that It was such a disappointment.

Lexuses may have great reliability, but in my mind, they are just gussied up, over priced Toyota Highlanders...very tried and true technology. Yes, while my dealer experiences at Acura, both sales and service, have left me barely satisfied, the RDX is exciting to drive, and still puts a smile on my face almost two years later.

NooYawkuh

I test drove an RX350 twice. One thing I really liked was how quiet it was. Almost like an anechoic chamber. But another thing I noticed was the transmission. A lot of shift indecision in both cars. I started out leaning towards the RX and was disappointed after the first test drive so I gave it another shot at another dealer hoping I just drove a bad copy. But both were pretty much the same. I've never felt the RDX hunting for a gear in any I've driven.

I finally eliminated it on price. The trim packages were complicated and the options I wanted brought it to more than $5k > the RDX Advance. And there's no comparison in the handling. The RDX is far superior in every way.

boyce89976

We have both and Advance and an A-Spec. I find the A-Spec to be more of a "driver's" suspension with more road feel and feedback at the expense of being almost too stiff for normal daily driving. The Advance has a better ride quality in real world, everyday driving.

cobra611

Still up in the air about it. I really do enjoy driving my GS350 F Sport AWD, and I've gotten used to a lot of the amenities offered. The headlamp washers (something I use a lot during the upstate NY winters) power tilt & telescopic steering wheel, power remote side mirrors and the ability to manually shift using stick and not the paddles, are all things I prefer to have. I was pleasantly surprised to feel how fast the transmission shifts while in tiptronic mode...and with the car in Sport+ mode, downshifting and hitting the throttle makes a pretty impressive sound (inside anyway) for a 6 cyl. vehicle. I got the Lexus, mostly for the options I mentioned and the exterior styling. I think the interior is very bland. On the other hand, the RDX A Spec is great looking inside and out...especially the Apex Blue Pearl!!

markAZ

Our experience with looking at the RX350 was pretty much like JB's. A friend of ours has an older RX that we rode in and my wife thought it was really nice so she wanted to look at them when we were car shopping. I had pretty much the same reaction as JB...nice but numb and complicated and expensive option packages...but we also had a pushy sales guy who really irritated my wife. We had looked at the 2021 RDX a few months earlier when we had our 2014 in for service so back to our friendly Acura dealer. It's just hard to beat the pricing on the RDX...things that were extra on the RX were standard on the RDX (we were looking at the Advanced AWD) and we just liked the RDX better (could be that having the 2014 made it more familiar). Anyway, we ended up with the RDX. We used the Costco deal ($200 over invoice) and it was $5-6k less than the RX. So far we're pretty happy with it altho I'm finding some little irritations but that'd probably be true with any car.

BLEXV6

To me comparing an RX to an RDX is apples and oranges. 2 separate classes. The MDX would be a better comparison. One thing I have always found with Toyota/Lexus compared to Honda/Acura is the comparable vehicle is a lot more with the Toyota/Lexus because of the way they package the vehicle and nickel and dime you to death with packages. Honda/Acura streamlines the packages at a better price. Also, I always cross shop the 2 but the price and the more sporty drivers vehicle of Honda/Acura has kept me in their vehicles for ever.

NooYawkuh

Do you notice a difference in the suspension of the A-spec when you change driving modes? I notice a slight difference going from Comfort to Sport (less lean but still smooth), but a HUGE difference going to Sport+. Very firm. Big difference in the steering to. Over 40 mph, there feels like very little assist. I really like that.

I can't compare because every loaner I've gotten so far has been another Advance.