Gene-Jockey

Apologies - I suspect this has been asked before but I could not really see what I wanted via search. Have had an RDX 2x before - 2013 and and 2016 (and currently drive a 2018 TLX) and am looking to get back to the RDX. But since my last 2016 RDX and now, of course the infotainment system has changed and I wonder how people's experiences have been with the new touchpad interface. I have tried to read/watch every review I can get my hands on: most seem to indicate that it really takes some getting used to, and there seems to be a love/hate relationship, as in some reviewers love it, some hate it. Clearly the experience is subjective, but rather than go to reviewers, I thought I'd ask the actual users how you like it.

Interested to know if you like it/love it/hate it? How long did it take to get used to? Would you buy another car with the same system? I realize I am likely to get a variety of responses to such a subjective question that will be all along the spectrum but would be interested to hear actual users' views. I know I will take it for a test drive, but we all know that you can't really assess something like this until you live with it for a while.

For such a great car, I have really been annoyed for years with their infotainment systems and user interfaces. Will I be sorrier or happier with this one do you think?

JB in AZ

I got used to it after a few days. After sitting in the garage and setting up the screens for ease of use (you can move icons to the corners for easier locating/tapping on the touch pad) it was easy to use the things I used the most. The buttons on the steering wheel help with some things.

That said, when my 19 RDX was rear-ended after about 30,000 miles, I choose a vehicle with a touch screen to replace it, but mostly because I wanted a smoother/quieter ride. (Lincoln Corsair) Now that my Corsair has been totaled, I am seriously considering the 22 RDX again.....

(see some of my other recent posts for the history if you have time!) LOL

ross7777

I’ve had mine for a couple days and it’s getting easier. You just have to try it out. I had a Lexus prior to the RDX and I did not like that touchpad interface.

Lumify

I would definitely check out a dealership to get the hands on experience with the infotainment system. Every review I found either hated it or didn't mind it. For myself, I came from a touch screen and the trackpad in the RDX took me about a few days to get familiar with the system. I like it as I see its function IMO.. With my old touchscreen I had to tilt my head down a little and reach over to push the button on the screen where now I just glance my eyes over at head level. It sounds weird but I feel more relaxed with the trackpad setup, not constantly pushing buttons and swiping my finger. I just sit back, CarPlay automatically opens up, and I'm ready to go..

The other functions I just use the steering wheel for volume, calls, next song, etc.

ross7777

True. Once you get everything setup you don’t really use the touchpad that much.

Madd Dog

Put the 4 things you use most in the corners, and it is easy.

Chipdull

With a history of using Ford’s Sync3 (touch screen) and Audi’s MMI (rotary knob), I find Acura’s implementation logical and actually quite safe. It does take time to get used to, unlike a touch screen that basically has zero learning curve. Maybe it’s just me but I find using touchscreen while driving kind of distracting as it requires you to look at where you’re touching, whereas a physical pad / knob is more forgiving that you just need a quick glance to confirm where the “cursor” is, or with the RDX, where you finger need to touch.

One place I find touchscreen to be king is address input (when stopped): you really can’t beat typing on a touch screen, but I do find Acura’s version better than the MMI as I don’t need to endlessly turn the knob to select a letter. RDX’s ability to send an address from your phone is a nice bonus as well.

kmingis

I like it. I don’t love it. I don’t hate it. It takes a little getting used to, mainly because the trackpad works differently if you’re using the built-in infotainment system instead of Apple Car Play or Android Auto. It’s occasionally annoying when you mis-tap, but no more annoying than I’d feel by seeing fingerprints all over a touch screen. I quickly got used to it two years ago when I bought a ‘20 RDX/Tech, and it was a non-issue when upgrading to a ‘22 A-Spec last month. YMMV, but I don’t think this should either a dealbreaker, or THE reason you get an RDX.

hans471

I have no problems with it. Disclaimer: I an NOT a fan of touch screens on any device, especially in a vehicle. To me they are a necessary evil. With the palm rest for the touch pad I find it far easier ,and safer while driving, to use this system than the touch screens I had in previous vehicles. But, everyone is different.
Like others I find I use the steering wheel controls much more. Combined with the HUD in my Advance they are great.

Waetherman

I like it. In particular I like the two screen functionality and the ability to see and control gps and music or calls separately. The “true touch” function is good for controlling functions of the car 90% of the time, and it does reduce the need to look at the screen or lean forward to control things as you would with a touchscreen. That said, using CarPlay is not so easy. It’s not terrible but it is clearly a system designed for touchscreen and the trackpad loses its ”true touch” advantage when using it.

I will say that because of the mostly decent voice control of both the car and iPhone, using the touch interface isn’t needed all that much. Do I wish the whole interface was better? Sure, but every system seems to have its pluses and minuses, and those of the RDX don’t bother me much - certainly not enough to consider a different vehicle.

ross7777

Curious what touchpad sensitivity setting people are using. I’ve only had the car a couple days and have it on default.

jmhumr

I got used to it within minutes and enjoy it.

This topic frustrates me because the negative attention is driven exclusively by a cult of dumb online car reviewers who didn’t give it a chance during their brief experience with the car. The result is thousands of RDX buyers who are predisposed to hating the touchpad.

Quite a shame considering Acura is one of the few designers who are trying to make these big screens safer to use. A touchscreen is equivalent to texting while driving. I rarely have to watch the screen when using the touchpad because I’ve memorized where the buttons are on the screen and can do it all by feel - which is exactly what Acura intended.

I imagine that everyone who hates the touchpad is the same the type of driver who holds their phones up to their face on speakerphone, haha.

Igedoc

I agree with online car reviewers. I mostly use carplay and waze. I hate the touchpad especially since I have 2 other cars with touchscreens and they are infinitely easier to use. I will never buy a car with a touchpad anymore

2022PMC

Since I use a laptop with a touchpad, i personally like the touchpad. It took a few days to arrange the infotainment icons and get used to the different menus, but navigating the system with the touchpad I find to be quite easy, especially while driving. I find I am able to keep my eyes on the road more easily by using the touchpad, than using the touchscreen in my other vehicle. The touchpad allows me to navigate the infotainment without leaning forward or taking my eyes off the road. Every vehicle has its' subtle nuances, this is one I actually like about the RDX.

Too2ilent

I wish the Android Auto would function on True Touchpad style, the whole sliding to the button you want to click is quite annoying. Not sure how it is on iPhones, can't say much for that. The annoying part of AA is you can't access your phone's google maps anymore unless you click from your car, and use your phone as a keyboard. Quite an idiotic feature if I must say... Just do everything from the phone and then cast to screen seems the better way but, hey... RDX didn't even have AA at a certain point so it's almost as if we'd be asking too much.

RiotfunK

Like others have said. It isn’t bad. But I rarely use mine except to select things occasionally. I run usb audio so don’t really need to switch things. CarPlay and other features are useless to me. But if I had to use it a lot it might not be my fave. And is honestly one of the few things that hasn’t broken or malfunctioned in this thing.

oblio98

I don't mind the touch pad. It means that the infoscreen can be further away, out of arms reach, which means it's easier to glance at without taking your eyes completely off the road as it's set back in the dash, closer to your peripheral vision . Once you get your bearings, using the touch pad is a snap.

I was in a friends truck the other day, he had a touch screen that appeared bigger than an iPad Pro! It was huge, right in the middle of the dash, and low as well. It looked a bit over powering, but he loved it. I guess to each his own. It's not worth the time to try and convince people of one thing or another when their minds made up about something.

thetrev68

The touchpad is fine for the Acura bits. It's terrible with CarPlay. I'm dealing with it fine but the experience is quite different between the 2 and that's what creates the dislike for me. I wouldn't avoid the car just for this but it's not something I'm excited to use.

Madd Dog

I’m finding Apple Maps much improved and I have Apple Music.

So I am using Siri most of the time with carplay.

mlody

I can echo the same frustration as OP about RDX. I find it to be a great car, minus the infotainment system and poor MPG. We were close to pulling a trigger on it as we have two sedans, and one of them needs to go, but the infotainment system is a huge letdown and turn-off. If I were to lease it, I would have close an eye to those issues, perhaps, but I can't see myself spending that much money on a car and owning it for 8-10 years, knowing that the current $25k Civic has a better and bigger infotainment system. It is nuts how Acura is screwing the loyal customers with this junk.



I have the following few issues with Acura's current infotainment system

• the trackpad, which is total crap if you mainly want to live in CarPlay or Android Auto world as many pointed out. Even in the native system, you never have that feeling that what you touch is what you get.
• poor screen resolution/poor backup/crappy 360" camera etc
• limited screen size of all functions to about 2/3" effectively reducing the usable screen size to about 7" for things like Navi, backup, etc.

Acurafangrl

That's quite a generalization. This isn't one size fits all. I don't like the touchpad and it has nothing to do with "dumb online car reviewers." There is a reason Acura is being criticized for the touchpad technology. Some like it, and some don't. I think it's pretty ridiculous to not have touchscreen technology in this day and age. Acura needs to get with the times. There needs to be both a touchscreen option and trackpad or rotary dial for those who do not like touchscreen. This is done by many rivals (BMW, Genesis, Lexus). The infotainment system just plain sucks IMO. Unfortunately, this is a dealbreaker for me, which is why I will not be getting another Acura (unless things change).

ross7777

Yeah everyone is different. My wife’s QX60 has a touchscreen and you know what? We barely use it. Pretty much steering wheel controls 95% of the time.

After I get things setup how I like them I don’t really use the touchpad much in the RDX. Occasionally change the input between Apple Music and FM. For navigation I use Siri with CarPlay.

Everyone has a different use case. The infotainment input method is not high on my list when choosing a car.

Would I prefer the RDX had touchscreen input? Yes. Is it a dealbreaker? Not for me.

JB in AZ

I could have written this, but my wife doesn't have a QX60...Oh, and I don't currently have a Gen 3 RDX, but I might have one again soon.

new_mdx

BOOM! Exactly Madd Dog!

Also between the excellent HUD functionality and activating Google Assistant takes care of 90% of anything you will ever need while driving.

The track-pad issues are over-hyped IMHO.

EFR

Gene, as you can see, the infotainment pad is a divisive little thing. My biggest disappointment (and expectation) has to do with the difference between standard operating method and carplay/AA. I had assumed in the early days that Acura was just going to resolve this, but clearly at this point it appears that is not going to happen. Overall, and after 3+ years, I am on the 'not a fan' side, don't hate it, but would prefer it was touch screen. But of course, the opinions vary among users.

spinedoc777

Love: Much more convenient, also no one from outside can see you fiddling with it.
Hate: Lose ability to pan through maps (well you get the crappy arrows instead of being able to just grab and pan with a finger) I wish it worked like a PC trackpad where you can pinch, zoom, drag, etc.

grandicornis

Regardless of what many car reviewers say be it plus or minus, there is just no substitute for sitting in a car and playing with the pad for a bit to get the feel of it. It's not quite a trackpad like on a laptop but you can drag your fingertip across it and watch which buttons hi light before you press them. After you do that a while you can advance to just pointing right to which button you want to press since there's no cursor you have to drag to that side or the top etc.

The only thing I've found a little awkward is dealing with CarPlay since that app does not directly support the trackpad and your back to laptop like trackpad use.

Few people mention that since your not using a touchscreen you don't have to deal with fingerprints all over your screen.

Madd Dog

The iDrive on my BMW got lousy reviews from car reviewers. Why? When you just jump in, without RTFM, it was not totally intuitive.

But it was powerful, and with a bit of practice, it was easy to use.


Same with the touchpad, IMO. RTFM, set it up, a bit of practice, and it is a non-issue. And better that a fingerprint-marred touch screen and trying to hit the exact right spot on it while driving.

Waetherman

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again; Acura’s biggest mistake with the infotainment was not making the trackpad have some kind of tactical interface for the zones. If there were just tiny bumps or divots in the trackpad in the areas most used (ie the 4x2 main screen) it would be so much easier to use. It would of course help if the rest of the main functions were designed around that 4x2 grid.

I’ve thought about hacking my own solution to this by using little sticker dots or maybe a cutout of a screen protector with holes punched in it, but without the system being designed around the 4x2 grid I’m not sure it’d be worth it.

formerCRVowner

I have had my 2020 RDX for almost 4 years now. Love the car but hate the Infotainment system.
it is so much simpler zooming up on a map with a touch screen than to try to find the + or - symbol. This also goes for panning a map.
Apple car Play selection is more of a distraction than if you could just put put finger on the screen and click.

Even the parent company Honda uses touchscreens on the newer Hondas.

EFR

Ditto (with a 2019). Would have been so much to just have the screen be touch also? Then those that love the track pad can be happy, those that want touch screen can be happy. Plenty of cars work that way....Genesis GV70 for just one example.

ross7777

I think the intent was to keep your eyes up as the screen is located so far up and back on the dash. I personally would struggle to reach it.

My only qualm is the difference in function with CarPlay vs the Acura interface. However I don’t really find myself needing to zoom in or out or scroll around on the map. I usually just tell Siri where I need to go and that’s it.

mlody

Seeing how this thread continues its course, I am going to respond to my own last year's response. We actually ended up selling one of our cars and went with X3 over RDX. We liked a lot of things about RDX and for the most part would have been comfortable with the car, minus the sh.t show of the infotainment system. I could not force myself to spend more for RDX than X3 and end up with such a polarizing garbage of the system. The infotainment system between X3 and RDX is like picking between 10 years old Android tablet and the latest iPad Pro.

I am happy that this system works for many, and people find it acceptable, but unfortunately, while we are Honda/Acura fans, we are not that hard core to close an eye to such important part of the car now. If this was a vehicle replacement for myself, I could probably get used to it and find my ways around it like many on these forums, but this was my wife's car and she immediately didn't want to deal with the trackpad and how all that worked. X3 is not without compromises, and will most likely cost us more in the long run, but at least my wife enjoys the car and finds it be enjoyable experience, not the frustrating one.

3rdGenRDXASPEC

I completely agree with you, the one thing that would fix all the complaints about the touchpad if they switched to a matte or glass touchpad similar to what you get on a laptop.

ELIN

My wife is enjoying our X3 as well. I hope she enjoys it enough that I get the replacement of her car (possibly an X7)!