Was wondering if anyone did extensive test drives with both cars? Is the adaptive suspension on sport/sport+ significantly firmer and better handling than the standard suspension? or does the adaptive suspension just have the benefit of being more comfortable than the standard suspension?

 

I didn't do extensive test drives but my experience with the adaptive suspension is a firm but compliant ride in comfort mode. Sport and sport+ progressively increase the firmness and control - firmness to the point of being uncomfortably jarring on some of the Michigan, quasi third world, roads.

 

I didn't cross-shop the other trims, but I'm very impressed with how well controlled body roll is for the Advance ( with adaptive suspension ), without being excessively harsh riding. It corners really flat, especially if you get on the gas in a curve and let the SH-AWD work its magic. I've had sporty little cars with tweaked suspensions that cornered about as flat, but at the cost of bone-jarring stiffness. Supple and well-controlled is a beautiful thing.

 

Sounds like a German car to me. IME the Germans have been the only ones to master that perfect balance between supple and in control. Whereas like you mentioned, a lot of other cars have amazing handling but dismal ride quality.

 

This x100. I have a 97 BMW M3 which is firm but for me comfortable (also voted Car&Driver's best handling car for pretty much the entire run of the E36 M3). My friend had a c4 Corvette that pulled higher Gs on the skid pad but rode as stiff as a go kart, and had an obnoxiously loud whine in the rear-end due to straight cut gears (straight cut gears handle higher torque vs helical cut gears which are much quieter). The big V8 was fast but I couldn't live with that car. My friend on the other hand was hands down a Corvette nut.

 

 

only for Advance model in the US

 

Definitely! The Germans know how to make a firm ride but have the ride be firm in a GOOD WAY. You can be driving a 3000 pound German car but due to the tuning it feels like your driving a 5000 pound car. There is this heft and tank like feeling, honestly nothing comes close so I'm curious to see how this new RDX drives.

 

My A6 was 4500lbs and you would never know it driving it.

 

 

 

 

Good point! Even when they are heavy, you can't even tell. It's just perfect!

Sorry OP never meant to derail your thread like this.

 

I did not test drive the Advance, as I didn't want to spend an extra 5 grand. But maybe I should have; the only real complaint I have with the car (Tech trim) is the suspension. It is well controlled, and yet it is not. You can take a corner without plowing much, yet little bumps cause more "bounce" than I'd like. I kind of liken it to a firm pillow top mattress. Just maybe the pillow is a bit on the puffy side. I wish the non-adaptive suspension was just a bit firmer. Some roads that were fine in my CR-V can be a bit bouncy if you get a repeating pattern. On the other hand, some roads that were atrocious in my CR-V are quite fine now. Tradeoffs.

 

The tech package in the states has 18" rims yeah? Or are the rims all 19" except for 20" in the A-Spec? If it's the former, a switch to lower profile tires could stiffen it up a little bit more.

 

By bounce, do you mean that it oscillates too much? In suspension terminology, the compression is called jounce and the rebound is called, er... rebound. If the jounce valving of the shock absorber is too tight, the impacts feel hard, if the jounce is valved loose, the impacts are more muted, but the shock compresses more and the rebound will have more travel to control. If the rebound valving is tight, then the rebound oscillation will be smaller and the car will feel as though it follows the backside of the bump and is "planted to the road". If the rebound valving of the shock absorber is designed loose, then after hitting a bump, you would feel the car bounce and oscillate. This looseness on rebond can help the car feel "smoother", but too much, and it feels "floaty".

Maybe the aftermarket will develop a replacement shock/strut with slightly more aggressive valving.

 

My friend traded his 95M3 for a 99 540, that was space AND speed. High speed cruiser that you felt comfortable and supremely confident driving fast.

Funny, I had an Acura Integra before my M3, I drive a 2001 LexusRX300 (smooth but disconnected road feel, but OK for the winter) and now patiently waiting for the 2020 RDX to see if some of the first year bugs get worked out.

 

 

 

I only wanted the Advance FWD, so I did not try any other trim. I am impressed with the suspension geometry, how it has excellent control of all body motions.

 

Good call on increasing the tire pressure a little to improve handling. I ALWAYS run my cars with slightly higher than suggested wheel pressures because I vastly prefer a firm solid ride over a soft one. I think more than anything, if your shocks are stiff but your tires are soft, the body roll will definitely be pronounced. Alternatively I hope someone comes out with a stiffer/thicker front and rear sway bar so that it corners more flat!

On the flip side the 2G MDX used to have stiffer/thicker sway bars on the sport models and people were switching their base and tech model sway bars with those and noticing a marked handling increase, so I wonder if the sway bars are thicker on the A-Spec or Advanced models.

[QUOTE=BrianC778;16301779]The A-Spec is usually just a minor increase in handling, but did you happen to check shock/spring part numbers? Or bushing part numbers? Sway bars?

If all else is equal, I'd be surprised if it was the small increase from 19's to 20's that improves A-Spec handling to that degree over base and tech.

 

There should not be anything different in A-Spec suspension or shock vs Tech, It is confirmed A-Spec is mostly cosmetics and few comfort options move from Advance. Other than the 20" wheels, there is nothing about APEC that should change the way the car drives, not even in the software.

 

 

There is a difference for A-spec. The rear spring is a different part number than Base and Tech ( and Advance ). A-spec: 52441-TJB-A13 vs Tech/Base/Advance: 52441-TJB-A03

( These are for SH-AWD, maybe different for FWD )

Shocks are the same for Base, Tech, A-Spec. ADS shocks for Advance.

Sway bars are the same.

 

Interesting...I'm willing to bet that a decent aftermarket sway bar upgrade (if/when available) will let the models without adaptive shocks vastly out handle the Advance model. I personally have my mind set at the A-spec model because the red leather and visual upgrades are worth more to me than the shocks or HUD or 360 cams or 16 ways seats (though it hurts that I have to choose).

 

So buy the Advance, mod the bits and pieces you don't like, and have the seats redone. It's only money - a hundred years from now you'll never miss it.

 

 

I was considering that option as well but it's not going to be cheap at all. The A-spec has different front and rear bumpers, head and tail lights, wheels, steering wheel and instrument cluster as well, different exhaust tips too.

But I mean wrapping the chrome bits in gloss black vinyl gets me 90% there and the wheels are super easy. The interior I can leave alone, if anything the bumpers are probably easy to change as well though in some cars the mounting points differ vastly and this isn't possible. When I had my Sorento SX I almost bought an EX and wanted to change the bumpers to SX but found out the mounting is completely different even though same mode! l thankfully just bought the SX.

 

That's interesting. I wonder what the difference is. Usually on Honda parts, the x digit of the Axy field differs only to indicate left vs. right side parts.

Does anyone happen to have access to detailed part specs?