Bought 2019 RDX Tech in May 2019. This week was the first time I turned the knob from the usual Comfort to Snow. Though the owners' manual is skimpy on details of what this mode does, here's what I observed (or perceived?):

• Prevents quick acceleration. The car judges the safe rate and speed to ramp up from a full stop and doesn't lurch forward even if you press the throttle down quickly.
• Coasting causes quick deceleration. When you take your foot off the throttle, the car coasts to a halt much more rapidly. This minimizes the use of brakes - always a slip trigger in winter driving.
• I suspect the car was driving as an all time all wheel drive, considering that it handled icy patches on curves well even at 40 mph.
• Additional time in higher gears. The RPM was higher for the given speed and incline compared to the Comfort mode that I could compare against.

Please weigh in with your observations, and also add what else you noticed when using Snow mode.

 

Isn't it always in AWD? I've had my instrument panel set to display the SH-AWD and it seems to engage all the wheels, all the time. There is a bias either to front or rear depending on how one is driving. I haven't used snow mode yet but I imagine it vectors differently in snowy conditions. I'd be curious to watch that display and see how it's different.

I still wish there were an eco mode that was fully FWD except when needed, and had some of the throttle management of the snow mode. And turned off the damned piped-in engine noise.

 

Thanks. I too have wondered what the extent of snow-mode was. I know on my LR the only thing I could really. tell was that it felt like it started out in 2nd gear presumably to minimize torque-caused wheel spin. With much more technology available (13 year newer vehicle) I thought maybe there has been a couple added innovations. For some reason in Reno we are stuck in summer weather despite being 2 weeks from December. I can't even remember the last time precipitation of any kind was seen....so no snow-mode needed here for now....and not complaining!

 

I'm actually looking forward to trying it out in the snow. Last year, I gassed up my snow blower for nothing and I never even picked up a shovel.

 

Put the SH-AWD display on the iMid to see how it does what it does.

I haven’t driven it in snow because I don’t have to. But I have driven it in just about the worst rain in Florida’s history (rain, not a hurricane) for several hours and hundreds of miles, and this car is a champ. It is the best foul weather car I ever owned, which includes a Subie.

 

I have winter tires on. Earliest I can remember swapping over.

With winter tires installed, I don't usually bother with "snow mode". But I think the above observations are correct:

•Reduces throttle response and biases toward higher gears/ lower rpm to limit torque output.

•Enhances "predictive" distribution of torque through the AWD during acceleration, cornering, and other conditions that may incite wheel spin.

•Enhances anti-wheel spin and anti-vehicle spin measures, including individual wheel braking. This can actually be a problem in deep, heavy snow because sometimes you need to accept some wheel spin to blast through deep drifts or berms or whatever. Turning off "VSA" ( Vehicle Stability Assist ) is sometimes necessary at low speeds to prevent grinding to a slow halt. But Acura doesn't advise turning off VSA for high-speed driving, and I agree.

But always remember: NOTHING about AWD enhances the ability of the vehicle to brake in slippery conditions; that's limited by the grip of the tires. Hence winter tires as required.

Winter tires also help keep you on the road in curves. AWD and stability assist may help keep the car pointed in the direction you intend in a corner, but if tire grip is exceeded the car will simply slide sideways off the road. Hence "decorated ditches" after every snow storm.

 

Also, BRIDGES ARE ICY!

Sometimes, even when everything else is clear of snow.

SO SLOW DOWN!

Be safe out there.

 

God dayum read my mind. There should be a mode to shut that fake noise off. Acura is a luxury car and should have the option to be silent and boring as a Lexus.

 

If there was an eco mode, I would probably never use it except on long highway trips. Cruising on the highway in Comfort mode @ 65-70 mph, I get at least 30 mpg. That's good enough for me.