I always run Top Tier. No matter the grade or ethanol 10% vs 0%, I pick TT. It matters a lot per all studies I've seen.

 

Maybe, but probably not. The source of my information is the COO of a national fuel distribution company and he said that most of the “detergent additives” are gimmicks, with the exception of Exxon premium.

 

TT is a verified formulation. It isnt some jargon or random thing. Its like octane, but for additive perfomance. It must pass tests.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-maintenance/study-shows-top-tier-gasoline-worth-extra-price/
https://newsroom.aaa.com/2016/07/aaa-not-gasoline-created-equal/

 

+1

Costco purportedly only sells TT gasoline.

 

Agree to disagree. My point is that you can achieve the same results of using premium gasoline by using an additive to your regular gasoline.

 

If you're worried about gas prices, you should be trying to upgrade to an EV (Tesla Model Y, Mustang Mach E) or PHEV (like the Lexus NX 450h or Rav4 Prime), not an ICE like RDX. I'm trading my RDX to Mach E GT. I get a combined average of less than 20 mpg with my RDX, and my friend gets 18 mpg on his.

The $7500 federal tax credit really sweetens the deal for one of the EVs or PHEVs.

 

Crazy push to EV in the USA and EU. That’s backed by the govt, pumping money into it and regulations. I was surprised on how inferior the actual mpg were for the RDX in the real world, as a small turbo and 10 speed auto should get way better mpg. However, it’s tall, heavy and not aerodynamic friendly with a drag coefficient of .32

Mustng Mach E is .285 - more efficient power drivetrain and only holdback is the current infrastructure of charging and battery technology. Both will be ligh years ahead in the next 2-7 years.

 

I'm not sure what your circumstances are, but for me, in my 3.5 years of owning the RDX, I absolutely am sick of my vehicle due to its many problems. I've detailed a list of them in one of my posts. The RDX can be run on regular gas with no problems. I've done test runs on both regular and premium, and have not noticed any difference. I would use any Top Tier rated gasoline regardless of which grade to use. The engine in the RDX is the same as in the Honda Accord turbo 2.0.

I also own a 2022 Acura MDX with absolutely no problems whatsoever, which is a huge step above the RDX.

I know times have changed, but I did get the 2022 Acura MDX brand new for $4500 off MSRP which I picked up in end of October 2021. I was also offered 1.9% financing for 60 months then. I would not get the RDX at MSRP, or pay an ADM given that this car has been out since 2018 (I know this is a mid-cycle refresh, but there's so little changes it's not even worthwhile) and I believe the financing rate is 2.9% currently. The Mach E GT which I am picking up soon is a new 2021 model at MSRP, but since the prices have increased significantly for 2022 models as well as taking away some features ($2k increase), I decided that the 2021 Mach E GT at MSRP was a good price, especially when taking into account the $7500 tax credit.

 

The difference between a .32 and a .28 drag co-efficient is minimal at 75 mph. Perhaps 3-4 hp, 28 hp versus 25 hp at 75 mph. It is not enough to explain the RDX’s poor fuel economy under medium to heavy load compared to similar SUVs.

At some level of boost, all turbocharged cars “over-enrichen” the fuel mixture to cool the cylinders. My suspicion is that Honda programmed their ECUs to “over inject” fuel at a much lower level of boost than most other car manufacturers. It is too easy to cross that threshold in the RDX. I’ve often wondered if a good tune could raise that threshold, similar to other cars. Regardless, we must all deal with what the RDX throws at us. If driven with a heavy foot, fuel economy decreases rapidly.

I agree that electric vehicles will quickly become more popular for those who drive less than 100-150 miles per day. Super smooth, nearly vibrationless drivetrain. Amazing throttle response and the potential for neck snapping acceleration below 80 mph. No need for oil changes. Brakes last much longer because of brake-regeneration. Most EVs require about 30 kWh to travel 100 miles. My last electric bill charged me about $.16 per kilowatt hour. That implies about $4.80 of electricity to drive 100 miles (30 kWh X $.16 = $4.80). If gasoline costs $4.00 per gallon, that $4.80 of electricity would buy 1.2 gallons of gas. For a gasoline car to “cost the same” to drive 100 miles, it would need to get 83.3 mpg.

Is that savings enough to offset the higher cost of buying an EV? Not sure. What about the overall cost to mine and process the rare earth elements (Lithium) required to make the batteries? What about the market to recycle those batteries? The mining side of this will probably only get worse. But my understanding is the methods available to recycle/reuse those toxic batteries are evolving rapidly. There are costs to everything. It will be interesting to observe how we collectively make future decisions. At this time, all of us on this forum decided the RDX offered the best value, however it is we determine value. I am very happy with my RDX.

 

You bought a 1st year model. Don't repeat this with a Mach E. At least hold out for the '22 if you can. First year models just BE like this mate! I worked for Ford, and saw it plenty. I have always seen issues with first year models. Always. I wait for the mid-cycle cosmetic refresh to buy a vehicle. Why? Because by the time they are worrying about the front fascia, they have fixed all the shit that went wrong with it when they rolled out the entirely new platform.

You think your RDX had issues?
https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/27/2...ld-recall-roof
https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford...-owner-report/

This is the kind of crap that happens to Fords on first YM launches. I can find you more, and I am also not saying YOURS MUST HAVE ISSUES TOO! I am just saying NEVER buy first YM cars. Wait for the cosmetic refresh a few years out, if at all possible. I have now NOT followed my rule twice, and what happened?

Mazda CX5 turbo, first year out in 2019: No boost in 1st and 2nd gear when under 20*F. No fix. No acknowledgement. Until 2022. Now there is a TSB. Mirror motors... I went through FIVE in 80K miles/3 years. Now TSB's.
RAV4 Prime, first year commonly available in 2021: Bolts caused issues with hybrid system (mine was late production and fixed before, thankfully), no interior lighting (like none, you could just as easily open the sunroof as turn on an overhead light. Complete trash). I got rid of it in 12K miles or I'd have likely found more BS.

 

Every 1st year vehicles have issues. That’s common place - regardless of mfg, especially these days are they are so complex and not designed to last.

RDX has its strong points as well as inferior ones. Mpg is definitely an inferior one.

 

I agree with you, but the Mach E I have put a deposit on was produced in 12/2021 (the last of the 2021 builds,) and a lot of the recalls and kinks and bugs have already been worked out according to the forums with my particular build. It wasn't like the RDX where there was a class action lawsuit and the infotainment issues continued to happen even on the 2020 models. The differences between the 2021 and 2022 is that the 2022 is missing the kick tailgate sensor, and the omission of the acoustic windshield glass. There is slightly less usable battery on the 2021 vs 2022 models (88 vs 91kw.) There is talks of a software update on the 2021 models to increase the usable battery as both are using the same exact battery.

Besides that, no other differences are noted. The 2022 models also cost an extra $2000 compared to 2021. Apparently Ford has been really responsive with updates at least compared to Honda/Acura. Ford has also announced they are continuously doing updates like Tesla in their EV vehicles and not waiting for mid-cycle refreshes.

 

I'll give you 6 months before your honeymoon is over. You have the worst "luck" with vehicles I've ever heard of.

Which warranty did you buy and how much did it cost?

 

Acura, 6/120, $2500.
I don't have the worst luck, I just monitor my gear more closely than others. I used to think I had bad luck, but then I realized that most people are just lazy and ignorant. They don't change their hvac filters every month-90days, they don't go to the dentist at least yearly, they do not check oil levels every 1k miles or less, they do not check under the car for leaks/weeps every month or so, they don't measure temp deltas across their intake/output on home hvac to determine system efficiency changes. They don't verify weapon zero regularly ir even every season.They don't do an absolute metric ton of stuff that I do to PM the vehicles and devices they claim to count on. If they did, I bet their "good luck" would change. They're living on a prayer, and most kit and car and devices are good enough to tolerate it pretty well!

 

Well, it seems to me that no matter how many years some manufacturers refresh their vehicles, some will never learn. *Ahem Tesla. They keep having terrible QC.

My issue with Acura is a hard one to fix. Nobody wants to change out the infotainment unit since it costs too much to do it, although in my case, I think it warrants a replacement, especially after going through two FAKRA replacements. My dealer has told me that my webcam has caused the infotainment issues, although it is just plugged into the USB for power. (I think the dealer is bsing me.)

My other one huge annoyance with Acura is that they still use that touchpad when everyone else is moving onto larger touchscreens. They really should be upgrading that screen to at least 14 inches like the Lexus NX. The mid cycle refresh of the RDX was the best time to do it. However, IMO, they made very weak improvements on the mid cycle refresh for the RDX. They could've done so much more for the RDX like at least put a digital cockpit gauges, or even increasing the screen size, etc.

The only redeeming quality I like about the RDX is that the sound system is awesome (when it works properly) and the drive is pretty decent. I do like having low end torque, which is why I think I'll love the Mach E GT way more than the RDX.

 

adding or subtracting draw on a system can cause issues. My cx5 would have issues using android auto for longer timeframes. The infotainment rebooted every few hours doing so. When you alter a complex system, right or wrong, it will likely cause issue. This goes for all things. As to low end torque, you'll love the Mach. Instant torque. Nothing does this like PEV.

 

If that's the case, then Acura shouldn't have put USB ports in the car then. I'm only drawing from the usb port. Either case, that's basically a design flaw on Acura's part then.

 

Am I crazy? Am I the only one who hates having finger prints on a touch screen while not being able to be bothered to wipe it down every X miles?

 

Would you rather have a greasy touchpad? Like what you see in laptops after using it for a long time? I find that more gross and annoying. I would prefer a glass touch screen that has fingerprints on it than a greasy touchpad that will eventually get shiny and overused. I even expect the paint on the touchpad to also wear out. There's a reason why people like using touch screen smartphones. If anything, just install a glass screen protector and wipe it every now and then. The screen on the Mach E is backlit white, so you would not see any fingerprints on them.

 

I much prefer the RDX to the Mach interior. Its typical Ford. Looks like total ass.

 

Agree to disagree. I prefer the Mach E's interior way more. Looks a lot more futuristic and more minimalistic and a large 15 inch touchscreen in the center console similar to Tesla. Acura needs to really step it up. I even like Infiniti QX60's interior more. Ford also already has BlueCruise, similar to Tesla's AutoPilot and Park Assist, something that RDX does not have. Even Hyundai's have it now and definitely outshines whatever Honda/Acura is putting out.

Also, you can't compare quite compare a Mustang Mach E, which is an EV to an ICE vehicle. All the EV's on the market have a minimalistic interior design.

RDX interior was nice when it was released in 2018, but there were very few design changes done in the past 4 years. I'm pretty disappointed because there was so much more Acura could've done to bring it up to competition. Pretty much most of Acura's competition has surpassed them with features and tech.

Even Hyundai's have a digital gauge cluster nowadays. I find it quite funny that even the Honda Civic has a digital gauge cluster, but the RDX does not have it.

Nevertheless, I will report my comparison of the Mach E GT to the RDX as I will have owned both. If anything, I'll still have the MDX to remind me of the RDX, but my experience of the RDX has left a sour taste.

 

The Ford looks like a 90s BMW with an IPAD on the dash and a 1995 mustang steering wheel. Not a fan. The Acura has suede inserts, aluminum, sexy red leather, etc. I much prefer analogue gauges, as well. What features does it lack?

 

I guess you ignored my last post when I said it has BlueCruise (hands off steering wheel autopilot while on highways) and auto parallel park and side by side park assist. The Mach E GT also has Alcantara seats/inserts, as well as on the dash with aluminum with copper piping and stitching. Not to mention it has 480hp and 600 pound feet of torque.

The only thing that my RDX has which the Mach E doesn't have, is ventilated seats and HUD, but I wouldn't miss that and would much rather have 480hp and 0-60 in 3.8 seconds. Also I don't have to pay $60 per fill up, and would only need to pay $12 on my electric bill. Both to me, have similar ranges.

Again, I'll reserve my judgment until after I get the Mach E and will definitely compare it to the RDX, but honestly, I don't think there's a comparison. While RDX is a luxuryish brand (definitely pales in comparison to Japanese luxury brands Lexus or Infiniti, or Cadillac/Lincoln and even BMW/Mercedes), you have the Mustang, which more of a sporty brand and not a luxury one so I don't expect it to behave like a luxury brand. However, given the numerous reviews and youtube videos I've seen, it does look like a great EV and perhaps the best one you can obtain on the market for now. It even won CR's EV of the year for 2022, beating out Tesla Model 3.

I was thinking of the Rivian R1S, but that SUV is too big and I would most likely have to wait a couple more years before then.

I will also probably trade in the Mach E GT in a couple years and see which one Acura will release for its EV. I would like to take advantage of that $7500 fed tax credit again.

 

How does the interior of the Mach E look anything like a 90's BMW? It has two digital screens, and the three spoke steering wheel is pretty much the same design as the Acura RDX. There's more plastic chrome and piano black trim on the RDX (which I hate the piano black as it catches a lot of smudges and fingerprints, as well as dust.) If anything, the RDX to me looks more like the 90's BMW than the Mach E. RDX has way too many buttons reminiscent of older vehicles. There's also suede inserts in the Mach E as well.

Also, I think you're getting confused. 1990's steering wheels have four spokes. If anything, the circular horn on the steering wheel of the RDX more closely resembles the 1950's style...Comparing the two, i think the Mach E is more minimalistic, futuristic, and the RDX just looks like any other car but it does show some age.

BMW from 90's


Mustang Mach E GT:



RDX Steering Wheel:


Not even close IMO...

 

My RDX is nicer than my neighbors glc43amg and was the equal of a friend's new cla35amg in the luxury department. Dunno why you think they aren't. That said, Im not a city dweller, so I need more range than the Mach provides to be confident. The power sure is nice though, I agree. Yes, I did enjoy my tax credit from the rav4 I had. That 7500 is legit.

 

Much happier with my RDX vs the Mach. The RDX steering wheel reminds me of MB AMG cars. Same controls. Im just not a Ford fan. The minimalist is ok, but the minimalist with the ipad slapped on it isnt my thing. It seems out of place. Much prefer my RDX, but then, that's why I bought it I guess.



Also, apologies. I fat fingered 1985, not 1995, lol.

 

Honestly, I think the designs in general are going more retro and minimalist nowadays. Look at the Ioniq 5. They're even coming out with a new EV Delorean. When I posted my RDX back in 2018 in the Infiniti G37 forum when I was switching vehicles, they commented on how many buttons are on the RDX. I do have to agree that the RDX has WAY too many buttons for everything. Every action you take requires a push of a button, including changing the temperature. The only dial you use is to change the volume. There's buttons on the left of the steering wheel, way too many buttons on the steering wheel, and so many buttons in the center console and a screen that is controlled by a...yes a touchpad that is a large button that you click downwards. At least in the MDX it's a clicker switch for temperature control. In my G37 which I used to own, the temperature control were dial knobs which were much easier to use to change temps. The RDX looks too busy IMHO, but I did get used to it after a while.

However, I still don't see the resemblance between the Ford from 1985 and the Mach E. That large screen still makes it look more futuristic. It also uses carbon fiber instead of the aluminum trim that's on the RDX, which I also prefer (but that's also because Mustang is a sporty brand.) I still really dislike the piano black trim on the RDX. It gets dirty way faster than smudges on a touchscreen. Not to mention it also scratches very easily due to its nature. Wipe it with a towel, you'll see microscratches all over that piano black plastic. Getting it dirty/dusty is actually one way to hide the scratches. Sometimes, the sun will catch into it and cause a glare while driving. I dislike the red seats because it looks like a copy of the Lexus red interior which came first in the Japanese Luxury Market. The red interior reminds me of Oldsmobile Cutlass back in the 70's-80s which my parents used to have.

 

I took my new 2022 RDX Advance for my first long trip yesterday (50 miles each way). While in cruise control, I was able to take my hands off the wheel for over 3 minutes and it never reminded/yelled at me to put them back on. On my old QX50, I could only take them off the wheel for around 10 seconds. I was happily surprised about that.

 

Alex on Autos also commented on how the RDX is starting to show it's age although it's only been in the market for around 3.5 years. The other manufacturers are coming out with larger screens, more tech, and better driver's assistance compared to the Acura RDX.

I rented a Kia Forte a couple of months ago, and the MSRP of that vehicle is $19k. It had a vastly superior driver assistance tech than even the RDX. The LKAS was way better than my RDX, which I thought was very weak in comparison. It was able to make sharper corner turns on the Kia compared to the Acura RDX. I needed to help the Acura RDX navigate a harsher turn on the highway.

I really hope that Acura figures out its way, as it's starting to lag behind, like Infiniti. Acura does not have a hybrid or even an EV until at least 2024. It would need to adapt quickly, as gas costs continues to rise as we go into summer and there is less dependence on Russian reserves.

I also highly doubt that you get 23-24 mpg unless you drive highway 80% of the time. I have to admit, that when I did buy my RDX new, it did list that high for a month or two, but then when the real MPG settled, it was down to 20.

 

Unless they changed it for 2022 RDX, my 2019 RDX started reminding me to keep my hands on the steering wheel after about 15 seconds or so. Same with my 2022 MDX. I highly doubt it was actually over 3 minutes on the new RDX. I could get my MDX/RDX to keep doing 'hands off steering wheel' as long as I did a slight turn of the steering wheel when the reminder popped up every 15 seconds or so. I don't think they changed anything on the camera/LKAS system. I believe they only added on the traffic sign recognition from the 2019 to 2022 RDX, similar to what the 2022 MDX has (and even then, sometimes the speed limit sign recognition numbers were off.)

Again, the LKAS system is still weak, as it can only be used on lightly curved roads. A Kia I rented did way better on the LKAS than the RDX, and I would never trust it on curvy roadways. It also only worked after I got to about 45mph, unlike other car manufacturers which I can engage much sooner.

 

My wife filmed it. It was just under 3 minutes. The wheel turned by itself at 64 mph. There was a semi truck to my right so I had my handa hovering about 6 inches from the wheel but they were not touching at all. Peculiar then.

 

Post the video or it didn't happen. As long as you made sure you did not touch the steering wheel at all when you engaged LKAS. Can you consistently replicate this? Because if it only happened once, that's probably just a software glitch because that's not supposed to happen. How the Acura LKAS works is that it detects some movement of the steering wheel, and you do not even need to put your hands on it if you can move the steering wheel just slightly. You could use a stick if you wanted to. I've put 35k miles on my RDX and never once, was I able to get it to steer by itself without any driver input for more than 15 seconds without the warning message pop up to place hands on steering wheel.

Nevertheless, I would trust BlueCruise way more than the LKAS on the Acura, because that's what the Ford BlueCruise was designed to do. All you have to do is keep your eyes on the roadway and it will do the rest.

 

Interesting . The lane keeping on my 2022 is great on my daily commute. Much better than the NX300 I traded in and my wife’s QX60.

Is keeping your hands on the wheel a big deal? It’s not advertised as full self driving.

There are always trade-offs to every vehicle and a lot is subjective. However, I’m 99.9% sure I’d rather have an RDX vs a KIA Forte. Just for the SH-AWD alone among other things.

 

I think the point being made is that there are certain aspects of technology where Acura is lagging behind even a $19K economy car. However, I don't think that's all that surprising. Historically, luxury cars could set themselves apart from mainstream cars with its featureset (even if you ignore build quality, refinement, power, etc. etc.) because of the high variable cost of including those features. However, software has become a great equalizer, because the cost for software is largely in the development of said feature and not in the production/deployment of the feature. That means for relatively small automaker like Acura, the fixed development cost is spread across relatively few cars (unless they share with Honda, which they seem hesitant to do), whereas for a giant like H/K/G, they can spread that cost across way more cars.

It'd stand to reason that some aspects of Acura tech would trail other larger automakers, regardless of what price point they compete in. I don't know about the current generation of Honda Sensing/Acura Watch, but for the first iteration they had to resort to buying an off-the-shelf solution from Bosch, because their own scored 0.2/25 points during government testing for pedestrian braking. Software is not exactly Hondas forte (frankly most automakers not named Tesla are going to have a hard time here), but the Koreans are uniquely positioned in that there's so much overlap with tech companies in their chaebols that it's easier for them to acquire and deploy software talent than it is for most other automakers. I believe that's one of the reasons why the Korean cars are getting such great reviews for their infotainment/tech.

 

I started this thread and picked up my RDX today. I had a nice 20 mile trip home both interstate and city streets. So far I’m very pleased!

 

 

I am so happy for you! It's a great car and one that will be fun to drive for a long time. Too bad the excitement of your thread was diminished by those who hijacked it with "nonsense talk".

 

My TLX has 2 USB ports: one only for power (dumb) and the other can provide power but is primarily the "smart" port for CarPlay/AA.

You sure you didn't plug your camera into the "smart" port?

 

Thank you rbbcpa. Even though I liked my 2020 Audi Q3 I wanted more cargo space, memory seats, and remote start. But on the ride home I noticed that I saw more out of the outside mirrors than on my audi which is really nice. And then when I was trying to decide where to put my sun glasses, I realized that the RDX had a sun glass holder which my audi didn’t have. I’m sure I will find more things that I like. Oh yeh, tire pressure shows as opposed to just blasting a loud beep when tire pressure is a lot less than recommended. All in all, I’m very happy! And I didn’t pay over invoice.

 

you got good trade value AND paid under or at invoice? What is invoice on these, anyways?