fiatlux

FWD isn't going to materially improve fuel economy. Case in point, FWD is rated at 22/30 while SH-AWD is rated at 21/29. One whole MPG. MPGs go from poor to...still poor.

Texasrdx21

Agree - if the RDX did not have SHawd - doubt I would have even considered it. Night and day traction difference between FWD and SHawd (rain, snow and light gravel - hooks up amazing on dry road too - never spin a tired).

MPG is in line with others in the segment. I have got 27.5 mpg on several 2K mile trips (90% highway at 72mph, cruise on and tires at 38 psi). City mpg is 16-20mpg - which is not ideal, but she is a big, heavy SUV - thats where the hybrid tech would boast that number significantly.

Lots of other ways to improve mpg - reduce weight, better aero efficiency and Hybrid power. Honda/Acura has the technology (trickle it down from F1) to make more power and efficient vehicles without going pure EV (given the costs are high, demand is flatlined and range is well below 280 miles in ideal conditions at a 100% charge). Also, the gearing of the 10 speed in the USA could benefit from a taller 9 & 10th gear for American highway speeds.

ELIN

The problem is most folks are finding the SHAWD EPA numbers to be optimistic whereas the FWD numbers are more realistic. Anecdotal fuel economy from real customers always trumps "Paper fuel economy"!

Tony Pac

I was travelling to Toronto this past weekend and I noticed that Acura sells a ton of RDX. Without any doubt, it's probably their best seller in Canada and therefore, Acura is keeping it as long as possible (I am assuming the same in the U.S). But on the other hand, the RDX is becoming old and a bit outdated. Acura has no choice but to introduce the model by mid 2024.
I strongly believe RDX will be again the vehicle where Acura introduces new features, design and showcase the future of Acura cars. MDX might be Acura's flagship but the cycle seems off to me. Let's see but after the release of ZDX, we will see the new RDX

anoop

At least in the US, MDX outsells RDX by a wide margin. I have a feeling the ZDX may get canned if the current sentiment towards electric cars continues (i.e. Ford and GM de-emphasizing them).

quikj

A new RDX Type-S with a turbo J30 and a mild hybrid system would take the money right out of my wallet.

I miss the sound of my J32A2, but I'm thoroughly enjoying SH-AWD.

ELIN

I still can't believe Acura left so much money on the table!

Pens Fan

Sales November 2023

RDX 3,692
MDX 4,074

RDX production was limited for the first six months of 2023-since then as production has increased it actually sells close to the MDX.

NobleFonz

Spot on with this post. I have a 2019 RDX Advance and got it because of those same spots and features you mentioned, especially believing the reliability part and having a focus on handling. Wish I knew and could have researched how terrible the cameras are on this car though, especially the Advance trim with the 360 camera. I took my RDX in the dealer 1 year ago for a service bulletin concerning the squealing brakes, popping/body flexing moonroof and tailgate. My vehicle was in the shop for 6 months because they replaced the moonroof 5 times and couldn't fix the issue. They told me every moonroof they got from different the Honda/Acura warehouses were all faulty. Hence, the new service bulletin that came out back in August that I just found out about on this site. They gave me a service loaner for 6 months which I appreciate, but to have a vehicle in the shop for half a year for something like a sunroof and not able to fix it is ridiculous to me.

Now I'm trying to get rid of this thing for something else because I don't trust taking this thing back to the shop for another potential long time and don't really wanna deal with Acura anymore. Not to mention there is now a fuel pump recall for over 2.5 million Honda & Acura vehicles. Don't know if mine is affected yet. I was looking at getting a 2020+ X3 M40i for the same reasons you mentioned that vehicle. Just really hard trying to find an X3 M40i loaded to the teeth with similar features like an RDX Advanced has. GV70 is in slight consideration as well for the same reasons you mentioned. I know this a bit of a rant and kinda long, but this post caught my attention as I agree word for word with it.

May I ask what was your extended visits to the shop all about? Just curious since my RDX been in the shop for an extended time before and may end up going back for an extended time again.

ross7777

Don't buy the first year of a full redesign (maybe the first 2 years for the RDX). I'm nearing two years with my 2022 Aspec/Advance and it has been trouble free so far. Back in 2019 I nearly bought an RDX but leased a Lexus NX instead due to a very favorable lease deal. The only issue I had with it was a fuel pump recall but it was otherwise a fairly boring vehicle.

I have to say I'm pretty amazed at the wide disparity of issues with the RDX. Seems people either have tons of issues or none. Acura's QC must be really inconsistent.

Texasrdx21

My 2021 is rock solid too - not one issue. It's a little tank, but not that much fun to drive - however a great road tripper and excels in the snow and rain. Like anything the first year out - there is always issues that were not uncovered in there design tests or real world driving. Once you get a good one, IMO you drive the wheels off of it - till it start breaking down.

anoop

my 2023 has been solid too aside from a high pitched whistle at highway speeds.

NobleFonz

Yeah, I learned that lesson the hard way and didn't do that much research on the vehicle like I do now. At the time I assumed it would be reliable regardless since I heard how reliable Honda/Acura are or now, how they used to be. Next time I buy a vehicle it will definitely be 2 to 3 years after the complete redesign or at the midcycle refresh. Acura definitely need to get back on they QC and step they game up. Especially with Genesis doing they thing and Mazda not sleeping either.

anoop

My thinking — Buy whenever is convenient in a cycle. Lemons happen any time. There are many folks with first year cars that have no problems at all. I had a BMW that was 3 years into the design cycle and it turned out to be a lemon. There were people who bought a 1st year car loaded to the gills with tech, and not a single problem.

Texasrdx21

Here is the high pitch whistle noise coming from? Never experienced that on my 21’. Is it a weather strip issue or a door not sealing correctly? Could the dealer figure out a solution?

SilverJ

I wonder why the RDX is within 500 sales units of the MDX this year, and last year there was such a wide gap

ELIN

Acura prioritized higher margin MDX over RDX last year. As sales of MDX plateaued, RDX supply was allowed to increase.

It’s normal for the cheaper car to outsell the more expensive car.

Tony Pac

Don't forget Honda/Acura had and still having to some extent supply issue. In this case, Acura prioritized MDX and Teggy for very simple reasons. Both are very high margin cars.

I was at my dealer last week and they received a fresh batch and let me tell you the number:
4 MDX ASPEC
2 MDX TYPE S
2 Integras
2 TLX TYPE S and no A-SPEC
2 RDX

In addition, the dealer had 3 MDX on the lot. So, a total of 9 MDX in inventory. I believe in 2024, we will a more balanced inventory for Acura.

ELIN

Are Canadians getting MDX deals at near invoice pricing these days?

Tony Pac

Yes, I was quoted $1,500 loyalty discount and lease rate of 1.49% which is sick. Finance rate of 2.99% (again these are for existing customers and new will be 2.49% and 3.99% respectively). But no deals on TLX or Integra. I did not ask about RDX.

supafamous

https://jalopnik.com/new-integra-siz...ear-1851175024

Glad Acura has come to their senses with the touchpad. Curious how extensive the RDX facelift will be - maybe some basic electrification?

ELIN

Like most, I'll believe Acura is willing to change out of the TT (TrueTouch) when I see it!

I know TT has its defenders but if the MDX is getting a new interface as early as the mid-cycle refresh, the outcry against it must have been tremendous!

fiatlux

Just wait, now all those TT apologists are going to be praising Acura for listening to customers and taking it out. Acura can do no wrong!

fiatlux

For the sake of the new “CDX” or whatever they’ll call it, I hope the RDX refresh is going to be very extensive. Otherwise, I can absolutely see Acura kneecapping that car to protect the RDX from too much cannibalization (wouldn’t be the first time). If the new car is built on the latest HRV, it’ll be starting from some pretty good bones, provided they don’t keep the anemic 2.0L.

Texasrdx21

ZDX (Full EV) with a 260's mile range and high price will be a hard sell in a slowing EV market. IMO - go Hybrid while you work on battery tech that has a higher range, less combustable and not so sensitive to temp (especially cold).

ELIN

Stories about folks stranded at EV charging stations in freezing weather makes me especially glad to be on ICE. I think many recent EV adopters are in shock over the cost of ownership (both financially and otherwise!).

anoop

Same here.

That plus the news that Hertz is dumping most of its EV fleet, and GM & Ford are backpedaling on EVs.

I would like to get a hybrid at some point, but I wasn't willing to pay the dealer markups they were asking for at the time I bought my RDX. There's going to be a Civic Hybrid shortly. Now we just need to cross our fingers that Acura will bring hybrid to its line up.

Texasrdx21

My bet is there will be Hybrids in Acura's line up shortly, while the EV battery tech gets better in time, infrastructure increase, price come down and range goes up significantly.

fiatlux

I'm thinking this hybrid push is going to put the kibosh on any hopes of a new RDX or TLX generation. I don't think Acura has enough resources to both integrate hybrid powertrains across their lineup and develop new generations

Legend2TL

I'd be surprised if they didn't have hybrid options at this point for next generation TLX/RDX/MDX. Alot depends on volume/location for the batteries which has been a problem per say for ICE and hybrid vehicles. typically making a universal chassis that allows room for the battery can be cumbersome. The C8 cabin tunnel is there just for the E-Ray. Not impossible but can be done. With the recent adoption and success of the latest Honda hybrid drivetrains, there are probably stage 1 or 2 hybrid designs at Acura now for 3G TLX.

ELIN

What's a 3G TLX? I thought we're already on 6G!

sonyfever

What a day for AM! The transparency is surprising.

Glad to see the small CUV finally announced. Based on the Acura sales forecast, the car will launch in summer. In my wildest dream, this car would be the launch platform for the new rear e-axle hybrid powertrain.

RDX refresh, don't expect too much from it. I think this just means that 4G RDX is delayed by a year. My guess is the powertrain consolidation delayed the project, something happened to the 2.0T. I see more standard equipments on MMC 1.5, and if we are lucky we will see similar tech upgrades as TLX MMC.

MDX MMC is interesting, a bigger than normal one. Easy to guess the infotainment would be a cousin of Accord. The interior update is too big that I wonder if adaptive damper would make its way to Advance trim.

Lastly, a date for ZDX! Looks like a late April/early May delivery. I hope Acura will host a first drive event before opening the order book, because as Ultium cars sit now, most people would hesitate to place an order. VP is confident about GM delivering quality and volume on time.... only time will tell.

I wish Acura put the ZDX promotion money into the car itself. It is still not too late to have switchgears with nice metal trims!

jmhumr

Powertrain changes would be a heavy lift. My interpretation of the announcement is that the RDX changes will be even lighter than the MDX ones.

sonyfever

The biggest problem with ZDX, or any first-gen Ultium, is not the range. The range is competitive, but the charging speed is certainly not.

The voltage of the Ultium platform is lower than others (~360V? according to Out Of Spec), therefore the high current during DC fast charging can generate a lot of heat. The charging speed tends to throttle down at around 55-65%. Price... let's wait and see. I think AH know Prologue/ZDX are not leaders in EV space, and let's hope they will stay reasonable and keep the price in the lower end of the spectrum.

anoop

If you want an EV buy a Tesla and call it a day. Buying a GM/Acura is just asking for trouble. And the prologue looks much better inside and out. The ADX is the most uninspiring news. They just got away from reusing Honda platforms which is what makes the RDX nice. Why go back?

fiatlux

It's a double-edged sword. Not reusing the Accord platform is what made the TLX so problematic. Reusing the Civic platform is what made the Integra a sales hit. Sometimes, reinventing the wheel isn't the right choice.

ELIN

Reinventing the wheel is fine as long as the right decisions are made. Every time I see the TLX on the street, I wonder if beauty trumps brains!

jmhumr

Even more, buy a used EV because they depreciate like a Jaguar.

As for going back, automakers are clearly scrambling to react to the EV problems. The last thing Acura should do is be dogmatic when crapping out a rebadged HRV could save their bacon. I fully expect they’ll extend the RDX well past its 6 year cycle too. If these decisions keep Acura afloat, I’m supportive as long as they follow it up with an attractive roadmap for the late 2020s.

Texasrdx21

RDX is way too long in the tooth for a 2025 model to be the same. What incentive would that have to prior owners who may want to upgrade - besides newer and a warranty? If Kia, Hyundai, Toyota and others can develop new models - so can Acura/Honda. Honda has a solid Hybrid tech from other vehicles that could easily bride keep sales flowing for years to come while EV prices fall and battery tech increases

jmhumr

Cars aren't iPhones. Most people don't approach car-buying as an opportunity to upgrade to the most recent version of the model they currently own -- they either switch sizes or brands altogether. And if they do have an iPhone-like mentality, they probably lease and are used to swapping their car after 2-3 years without much change.

I think the Mazda CX-5 is an example of the approach Acura could take with the RDX. The current CX-5 generation arrived in MY2017 and they've tweaked it quite a bit over the years with cosmetic and feature upgrades. It still sells as well as it ever has (2023 was its 3rd best year in terms of US sales), which supports my point above about how most buyers don't care.

To your last point, Acura is a niche US brand with a tiny lineup. They simply don't have the same resources as Toyota, Hyundai, etc. to make leaps of faith during this sloppy ICE/EV transition period.