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2020 Acura RDX A-Spec: Pros And Cons

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Nov 01, 2019 at 12:00pm
4
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By: Brandon Turkus

Acura finds its groove.

The 3rd-generation 2020 Acura RDX is an impressive leap forward for a brand that’s struggled to find its place in the market. But circuitous as that path has been, Acura has taken a familiar route in building a competent premium compact crossover: add a smooth, refined engine, adopt attractive sheet metal, and load the cabin with tech.

Some of those moves hit pay dirt. But Acura’s innovative approach hasn’t yielded such positive results in other areas. An excellent engine and a stylish exterior overshadow some poor interior choices, although only just. Of particular note, we were disappointed by the RDX’s innovative new infotainment. We had high hopes, but the new interface just isn’t as good in the real world as it looks on a sheet of paper.

Pros

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Acura’s struggle with exterior design over the years is no secret, but the automaker has clearly found its groove with cars like the RDX and the Type-S Concept it showed at August’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. In terms of production cars, the RDX A-Spec’s sporty black grille and brilliant blue paint job are a remarkably eye-catching combination. The new Lincoln Corsair, as well as the Volvo XC60 and Jaguar F-Pace will give it a run for its money, but the RDX has the clean, modern, edgy style that should bring in customers by the bucketful.

https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/OY...-acura-rdx.jpg

The original RDX’s turbocharged engine was not good. This one is. The turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder packs 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque and is as smooth as a spoonful of Cool-Whip. Power is easy to access, and with peak torque available from 1,600 to 4,500 rpm, the RDX never feels short on steam. The sound profile is quiet and refined, too, thanks in part to the standard active noise control system.

https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/1G...-acura-rdx.jpg

While not as buttery smooth as the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, the RDX’s ride is pleasantly balanced between ride comfort and the sporty character the A-Spec’s looks project. Every RDX carries a multi-link rear suspension with MacPherson struts up front. While the range-topping Advance offers standard adaptive dampers, the A-Spec’s standard amplitude reactive dampers offer a perfectly suitable ride for the class, despite the crossover’s standard 20-inch wheels and tires.

Cons

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At night, the RDX A-Spec’s silver-backed gauges and red backlighting might be the coolest looking cluster on the road today. It’s absolutely fantastic. But during the day (especially on sunny days), the RDX’s snazzy gauges are hard to read. Making matters worse is the 7.0-inch display in the instrument cluster, which seems to do everything but offer a digital speedometer. Digital speedos should be a no-brainer on today’s screen-intensive vehicles. While a head-up display would solve our main issues with the instrument cluster, the tech is unavailable on the A-Spec. Instead, Acura limits such a setup to the Advance trim.

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I had extremely high hopes for the innovative interface on the RDX’s infotainment system. Where you touch on the console-mounted trackpad is where your cursor goes on the screen. It sounds great on the surface. But in practice, we ended up using the trackpad more like we would on Lexus’ oft-derided infotainment system, which is to say we used it as we would a laptop’s trackpad. And no matter how you slice it, such an interface will never be better than a touchscreen; just as a touchscreen will never be better than a simple knob- or dial-based system.

The RDX’s interface had a relatively steep learning curve, despite its simple premise, and we had more than a few frustrating, futile swipes and incorrect inputs during our week with it. We found it more distracting than helpful at speed – especially compared to a conventional touchscreen. That’s not to say the infotainment’s operating system or its other hardware is poor, though. The standard 10.2-inch display is lovely. It responds quickly to inputs and even has a menu structure that’s easy to figure out. We still think this technology has promise, and we’re eager to spend more time with it and see if our opinion improves. For now, though, this infotainment sits firmly in the Con column.

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To be clear, the RDX’s 10-speed automatic is largely fine while driving. Upshifts are smooth and it doesn’t hesitate to kick down a gear or 2 when called for. There’s still quite a lot of upshifting under hard acceleration, but those gear changes are noticeable not because of any harshness, but merely due to frequency. Our main issue, though, is that we often found ourselves waiting a few seconds on startup for the transmission to recognize our input and engage Reverse or Drive. A minor annoyance, sure, but one that would grow on us.

Not specific to the RDX but the Acura brand is in the toilet for reliability and the current MDX is on their bottom 10 list with a few VWs, Alphas, Chevys, and a Tesla.. WTF Acura!!!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...es/2578463001/

Are we surprised ?
Even many of the diehard 2019 RDX gave in.... While many of the major brand have shifted to advocate safety and reliability (especially after airbag recalls). Acura refocuses on performance but apparently at the expense of reliability

maybe they are banking on 2020 MDX to wipe away the olds

maybe if they pull RDX as a stand-alone model, It will fair well. Only time will tell since the rankings are survey based from owners

I get having software niggles especially with a new platform like the RDX. But Acura/Honda have built a long-term brand value on reliability and quality; which neither appear to be true any longer. If the flagship vehicle of the luxury brand make the bottom 10 list then that is telling; especially since the MDX platform is long in the tooth and all issues should have been ironed out years ago. Genesis is coming hard and about to spank their bottom on the last remaining market area that Acura is relevant (2 row & 3 row CUVs). I still can’t believe it’s on the same list with the worst from VW, Alpha, and Chevy... How sad!

It's disappointing and surprising to see Acura sandwiched between Volkwagen and Alfa Romeo at the very bottom of the reliability list with Cadillac being the only less reliable brand. The RDX, specifically, was rated "much worse than average" primarily due to problems with the in-car electronics - no surprise there.

Honda no longer represents the epitome of reliability - something they really need to get a handle on before it drags their historically-high resale value down with it. Reliability and resale value are the two primary reasons I've remained loyal to Honda. Otherwise, there are more efficient, quieter, faster, more capable, and better looking choices out there. Honda has a way of making a well-balanced automobile so buyers are willing to concede some other factors in exchange for reliability and resale value. If those two factors are gone, shoppers will look elsewhere.

Although I still consider myself a Honda loyalist, I have no qualms about recommending the CX-5 and CX-9 to others.

Right now, the best bets for reliability are Toyota/Lexus and Mazda. Honda has fallen to "meh" and Acura...well, they should be embarrassed.

The reports are a bit disingenuous. I have a library card that lets me login into consumer reports through the library login. I checked the Acura RDX ratings, and it scored almost "Better" in all categories of "Reliability" except for Brakes, Body Integrity, Power Equipment, and In-car electronics. The worst score is due to in-car electronics, which drags down the score tremendously. If you look at the 2018 RDX, it's ranked 2nd most reliable out of all competing cars in it's class... the 1st being the Buick envision...

To me it's power train reliability which I care the most about. If this car can last 200k miles without major repairs... then this car is "reliable".

Right! And brakes were likely rated down because of the soft pedal issue, which has been addressed with updated software. Sadly, I doubt CR and other reviewers will quickly change their ratings due to this software update and the Infotainment (in-car electronics) update.

If powertrain reliability was all I cared about, I could have saved about $20,000 by buying an HR-V LX with the 1.8L non-turbo, non-direct injected engine with too little torque to ever kill the CVT. a vacuum-powered brake booster, no power sunroof or tailgate, and no infotainment system, better fuel economy, no premium fuel recommendation, and a 2nd row Magic Seat, cheaper insurance, and more space in my garage. :)

What does it say about Body Integrity?

Better
 

It gives one green arrow, so not the best, but little above mediocre:

"BODY INTEGRITY (Noises/leaks): Squeaks, rattles, wind noises, seals, and/or weather stripping, air and water leaks."

I agree with this. Sometimes I hear weird rattles, and squeaks. I came from a older corolla, so I didn't really notice it. I admit my parent's 2016 Avalon is way more quiet then this car internally.

It’s easy to say this car is the most or the least reliable. But understanding the math behind it is very important. If everyone is complaining about infotainment and the car’s score is impacted. That’s an unfair conclusion.

a car is unreliable when engine blows up, brakes aren’t good, transmission fails and paint is cheap.

Reliability <> Annoying

Nah, get a horse.

A horse ALWAYS knows its way back to the barn. No GPS required!

But tailpipe emissions are a problem.

I'd say, "get a bike", but I've got almost as much electronics on some of my bicycles as I do in my car, and I have to air up the tires and change the oil every few days! And the damn thing only has about half a horsepower, and it slows way down and hunts for gears on the slightest hill. Pathetic.

Instagram

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Jason Camissa gives his Instagram review of the RDX. I think he largely hits it on the head in terms of the things he calls out though I don't feel as strongly as he does about the ergonomic disaster that the RDX interior is (I like dials).

LOL. I don't know who this Jason guy is, but I like him already.

The longer I drive this thing, the more I feel like a few major "misses" spoil what could be a really nice experience.

FWIW, I'm fine with dials and buttons for commonly used functions. Way better than burying things behind menus on a touchscreen. And Acura did it right with HVAC system controls, IMO. But giving such high priority to a seldom-used function is stupid. That BIG CHROME KNOB is a style choice. Full stop.

And several times recently I have found myself navigating on backroads with no cell service, and I have had to resort to "Explore mode" on the built-in GPS to figure out where I was going. OMG. Remember that guy who blasted his TV with a shotgun cuz he didn't like who was on DWTS? Yeah. That must have felt really good.

One of the problems (as I see it) with these reviews... the reviewer usually only drives the vehicle for a few days if that. They believe that every function and setting should be instantly accessible, and intuitive as well. Not too many vehicles are like this these days. He says "An intuitive interface needs no instruction. The RDX is a nightmare to interact with. Acura provided a video tutorial on how to use the touchpad, which steepens the learning curve but doesn’t change the fundamental flaws in the system...⁣⁣⁣" He must not have been a good student in school. The touch pad is easy to use if you realize it uses 1 to 1 touch points. LOL Our new 2020 CR-V has a touch screen, and it still takes a long time, and several steps to figure out were things are on that menu system, perhaps even more so than the RDXs. But once things are set, they rarely need to be changed, on either vehicle. And no mention at all that separate settings are available for Driver 1 and Driver 2. Shameful.

Having owned and driven my '19 Advance for 14 months, every thing I need, and use, is easy to find. I change the volume with the switch on the steering wheel, and I change stations that way as well. I occasionally use the drive mode control knob, and agree, it could be a button near the shifter, or even on the steering wheel. I also agree with this reviewer, and his comment about the minimal mode, well, we all agree. He mentions that the engine is "so unbelievably loud inside the car"..does he realize he is driving the A Spec, the "sport model" of the RDX lineup, and the RDX has "enhanced" engine sounds? He never mentioned it, and I bet he was driving it in sport mode all the time, which has the loudest engine sounds .

Very poor review, If you ask me. But nobody asked me.

Meh. The UX is an easy target in a quick opinion piece like this. He's also a little full of himself.

The one to one positioning of the interface is a new concept, so naturally there is a need for basic instruction and learning. Initial instruction is not mutually exclusive of being intuitive. Some people will always complain when what they're used to changes.

Also, to say the mode dial is something "no one will ever use" is silly. The positioning and prominence may be a fair criticism, but he's using hyperbole to support a personal opinion. I normally stop reading reviews when I see this. And, that he --a self-touted automotive expert-- doesn't understand why Acura would give buyers the option of a family SUV that is "sporty" only reinforces my feeling that he's just another opinion with a keyboard.

This guy expresses opinion no different than some of us here. The IG post could easily pass for an impression post on Acurazine. I thought it's well summarized that highlights many of the pros/cons of RDX.

No car is perfect.

“Play 102.7 FM.”

There, changed the radio station.