anyunusedusername

Yes, this is a road trip car for me and may use it for my errands a bit as I drive it more. So during college football games for my nephews I am driving from 2.5-5 hours one way; going to the game and then driving back that night (usually can't stay the night as I have other things to deal with at home the next morning). Nav is a big deal to me because the games are all over CA and I'm generally making probably more than the average number of phone calls and texts during the trips as well. This is a pretty busy time in my life so communication during this much travel is simply important. I switch between audio books, podcasts, phone calls, music and texts quite a bit on longer drives and well, it's just not great at that.

AA handles voice commands pretty well so far in the car but there are tasks that just make more sense with a single quick touch than the click about on the pad for me. I totally realize this is personal preference but the lack of another option of any kind besides don't buy the car is pretty bad. Again, just my opinion. Hope that helps provide a different perspective.

ross7777

Makes sense. You definitely seem to be a power user of the infotainment. For me, even on a 3 hour roadtrip I really don't use it besides to set the destination in CarPlay and maybe change music playlists. I also don't make or take many calls. For texts I just let Siri handle it.

Everything else about the vehicle outweighs the TouchPad IMO. What I like about the TouchPad vs Touchscreen is I don't have to reach out to touch it. Since it's mounted higher and further back I feel it helps a bit to keep your eyes on the road.

But I do agree that the interface for CarPlay could be improved.

Texasrdx21

Needs a redesign - not a refresh. Needs a Performance HYBRID (similar to the RX500H), better brakes, stronger AC and ditch the nav - as everyone uses android auto or apple CarPlay. Make the Aspec stand out (different seats, steering wheel, colors and performance).

It's a 6 year old running model with a slight cosmetic refresh in 2022.

fiatlux

I guess the question is: is it worth it for them to even do that? It's not like any of the other compact crossovers are selling like gangbusters either. The NX just had a redesign and now has hybrid and PHEV variants, and even its sales numbers have been fairly tepid. The 6 year old RDX moved almost 40K units last year as is; what would be the incremental increase in sales they could expect with a redesign vs a refresh? Historically, RDX sales have lagged behind the NX (the 3G RDX barely edged out a facelifted NX), so if we use the NX as an upper bound, we're looking at best case 70K units? Likely lower. Whereas, a refresh would probably yield an additional 10K-15K from where they're at now, at a much lower cost. Is the additional cost of that redesign worth the extra 15K in sales they might be able to expect over a refresh? Maybe, maybe not, but given how conservative Honda/Acura is, I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is no.

ross7777

And the NX was very long in the tooth by the time it was redesigned.

As far as making the ASpec stand out it already has differen;t seats, wheels, trim bits, steering wheel and colors….its always just been a different looking variant. Type-S is the performance variant.

ELIN

I'm still waiting for the RDX Type S that Ikeda promised. Remember when he said every model would have an "S"?

fiatlux

Acura says a lot of things...they've seen to have taken from the Elon Musk playbook a bit

Though to be fair, at this point an RDX Type S would likely be a huge waste of resources, and this is coming from a guy who used to call them crazy for not offering an RDX Type S. How times have changed...

RDX10

It absolutely is worth it. The compact SUV class is extremely hot and Acura was a stones throw away from becoming a sales leader. IMO a lot of the reasons why the RDX doesn't sell so hot has to do with a couple of factors.

1. The previous generation RDX's were lukewarm at best. The 1G while an incredible drivers vehicle, was very cramped and very polarizing.the 2G zigged when everyone else was zagging. So historically it has not had a great following. In contrast the MDX has been the number one selling 3 row luxury SUV for over a decade now. So the brand isn't the issue here.

2 The 3G RDX smashes the styling out of the park IMO. Hands down one one of the most attractive compact SUV's on the market, much more attractive than the boring Q5 and X3...etc (IMO). But where it falls flat is that stupid True touch interface. I am not saying you could not get used to it, I am also not saying it is the worst in the world but I bet a majority of buyers would get in, try to use it (30 minutes test drive is not nearly long enough) and then decide it's way too much hassle compared to the touch screen in competitors. Had Acura used their brains and moved the screen towards the driver by like 3 inches and made it touch screen capable it would have absolutely helped it sell more. They got so married to the idea of the True touch that they didn't stop to think about the alternatives.

There is a reason companies like Audi and Lexus moved away from remote interfaces to touchscreens. Wild to think Acura seen (saw?) that and decided to ignore it.

fiatlux

I agree that its incredibly hot...but it's incredibly hot for Tesla, and for everyone else it's about the same as it has been for the past 8 years. And so the question remains: if Acura does a full-on redesign and nets around 65-70K in sales (very optimistically), or mails it in with a refresh but can get 50-55K in sales, does that incremental 15K over a refresh warrant a full-on redesign? I think no doubt they should do a refresh, but I'm not sure the ROI supports a redesign.

Texasrdx21

Definitely worth it. Owners like me with almost a 4 year old RDX looking for something new, won’t replace it with a slight refresh. Thus they will loose customers.

fiatlux

The vast majority of car buyers don't know anything about generations, platforms, etc. Give the interior a makeover, make some changes to the exterior styling, and most buyers will think it's a redesign. Worked for the ILX, worked for the Lexus IS, worked for the Mustang, and it would probably work here too.

Texasrdx21

Nah - old design is an old design, 2025 should be the RDX year s a new model, otherwise to many newer options to look at.

mvl

I've heard insiders say Honda had abandoned new ice designs a few years ago, and still presume the ZDX was planned as the 4th gen RDX until GM/Honda parted ways and Honda started building its own battery plant.

Makes sense that RDX will get a 2nd MMR as I think they want to launch the 4th gen RDX as an in-house EV after the plant is up in 2026. Anything sold in 2024 was designed in 2022 or earlier, right as the GM breakup was announced, and before the EV market soured. Honda just can't pivot that fast so I feel the 2nd MMR was their stopgap.

For those looking for a hybrid, I still am betting that this year we'll see a Hybrid ADX launch. It is too suspicious that the HRV is the only non-hybrid small Honda.

ELIN

The most likely explanation! Acura is a large ship like the Titanic: it's going to take quite a bit of effort to pivot away from that iceberg!

Texasrdx21

Most MFG’s are pivoting, my bet is Honda/Acura will be on the same course correction to keep up with the rest.

ELIN

No doubt this is true. Acura has made some big gambles of late and none have been hits except for the Integra (barely any R&D and doesn't have the TT interface I might add)!

RDX10

This is absolutely a key factor here!

garylee55

Agreed...not a fan of the ZDX GM platform arrangement, and I don't want a Muskmobile...they are all over the place and are starting to age. I am hoping for a new RDX hybrid as well, but expect we will not see one until the 2026 model year.

sonyfever

I wonder if the insider was talking in the context of NA market. Regardless, from history, we know there are always secret ICE projects somewhere deep inside Honda R&D, so I am pretty confident Honda can respond quickly when the big bosses decide to extend the ICE offering, even if the changes are just incremental on the ICE side.

I am more uncertain about Honda putting significant resources into SW R&D, but that is off topic.