CyanideDN

How is the performance of the LKA & ACC on the RDX for highway driving with stop/go traffic? I've driven a Lexus RX350 & Hyundai Santa Fe and those systems are pretty good in term of helping with driver fatigue for long drives, along with traffic jams. Just wondering if the Acura setup has a similar feel.

Ludepower

ACC is great but the LKA lacks confidence. It ping pongs back and forth in between the lane. I was hoping it would streer for you automatically and keep u centered.

EFR

Agree with LKA, at least in my limited experience. I found it so unsettling that I turned it right back off. The alternative was just keeping your hands on the wheel (or getting pulled over for DUI), so what's the point.

1stRDX?

Have no idea why my experience with LKA is so different. On straight roads it keeps the vehicle perfectly centered. Works on very gentle curves as well. One situation when is doesn't perform well is approaching interstate exits where it sees the lane strip veering off to the right as a widening lane and and drifts off to the right a bit. It's easy to overcome the LKA and keep in in the through lane but if I don't it corrects quickly.

RDX-Rick

I have no complaints about the ACC. It will bring the vehicle to a complete stop if required, and then begin moving again when the car in front begins to move.

The exception is if the stop is for more than about 10 seconds, the system will pause, and the RDX will be held stationary with the electronic parking break. It will not automatically resume when the car in front begins to move. You will need to tap the accelerator in order to begin moving again.

Contrary to the belief of many, I often use the ACC in busy traffic, as a safety factor. I feel confident knowing that it will stop my RDX automatically in case I had missed something.

The LKAS is a big improvement over my 2016 RDX. The 2016 ping-ponged between the two lines, and would almost always cross over the lines after just 5 seconds of being handsfree. The 2020 LKAS will keep my RDX dead center between the lines for the full 15 seconds the driver is allowed to be hands-free, The problem is that this only works on straight sections of roadway. The 2020 will not steer around even the slightest of turns. I still appreciate it because it gives me a chance to open a drink, blow my nose, or reach for my wallet in my back pocket.

DrWoo

This has not been my experience with the low speed follow feature. I have used it on roads with lots of stoplights and it resumes automatically when the traffic moves again.

markAZ

We just did our first road trip in our 2021 RDX...Phoenix to central California & back. It was mostly interstate driving and I used the ACC and LKAS most of the time. I was impressed with the ACC, it works very well and was nice on the LA area freeways with some stop & go (LA traffic is terrible but everyone knows that). My only complaint with ACC is it slows down more than necessary, iMO, when someone cuts in front of you and doesn't speed back up fast enough, I found myself helping it many times. i also think the slowing down/speeding back up takes a hit on the gas mileage. Maybe I need more experience wit it but I liked it a lot. My wife, not so much...she didn't trust it to slow down in time and just couldn't keep her foot off the brake. Then again, she has never like cruise controls, adaptive on not.

Not as impressed with the LKAS altho I think it did help with driver fatigue, at least for me. It did seem to wander a bit in the lane and I also noticed it wanting to follow exit ramps but it wasn't a big deal. Part of the problem, I think, is that it wants to keep the car in a different part of the lane than I do and I think i was constantly unconsciously correcting it . If I lightened up my grip on the wheel let it do its thing it didn't seem to wander as much. It found it to be pretty helpful on some of the LA freeways with narrow lanes and lots of traffic, the blind spot monitoring was also helpful there.

Anyway, I found them to be useful but they definitely don't make the RDX self driving by any means and the aren't intended to. The person behind the wheel still needs to pay attention and stay in control.

Overall the more I drive the RDX the more I like it.

RDX-Rick

It will begin to move forward without driver intervention if the stop is less than 15 seconds (approximately). If the stop is longer than that, the word "Stopped" appears on the MID, and the RDX will not begin to follow the car in front unless the accelerator pedal is depressed slightly. As the image shows, you also have the option of pushing the ACC switch up or down , to begin moving again.

If you RDX fails to operate this way, you might want to get it checked out as this could be an indication of a defective circuit that might get worse in the future.

Probably the system was designed this way for safety purposes. If the RDX did continue to roll ahead after being stopped for an extended period, I can imagine cases where the driver may no longer be monitoring the roadway ahead (perhaps he is playing with the radio, etc.) That could lead to problems.

CanTex

My only issues are that if you're not on top of it, you'll be following that truck at 15 under without even noticing it. The slowdown is very subtle. Then when you do notice it and pull out to pass, the lag time to acceleration is too long and you're a sitting duck to the faster traffic behind - just be prepared to tromp on it and let that turbo do it's things and "clean out the carbon".

jcross1231

It's a hell of a lot better than it was on my 2016 RDX. The LKAS has more authority and does a pretty good job of keeping in the center of the lane. It's not perfect, but it's a big help. I had a problem on the 2016 where it would sometimes freak out if there was a guardrail on the left and a semi in the lane to my right. There were times it would apply about 50% braking and surprise the crap out of you. That hasn't been happening yet in a couple of 1000 mile drives with the new one.
The ACC in the 2016 surged and wasn't smooth on capturing the car in front nor following it without stumbling along. The 2021 does a good job. It's still not consistent on when it captures and slows down in following, but it's smooth. Although still slow to accelerate, it's a lot better than the 2016 which would take forever to regain the speed and overshoot about 3 mph when recapturing the set point.

Baconsoup

I’m really happy with the LKAS and the ACC in my 2019 RDX. It’s just like the system I was familiar with, and also loved in my 2018 Accord.

I feel like they made tweaks to how the system responds in the 2021 models. The 2021 RDX and TLX I had as loaners seemed to accelerate and decelerate more smoothly when ACC was used, but I felt like the LKAS was less willing to engage, and didn’t “re-center” the car as often as it does on the 18 Accord or 19 RDX.

CyanideDN

I'm glad to hear that ACC works well. That's probably the main thing I'd want to work reliably (traffic jam). As far as self-centering / auto-steering, I don't think I will give the car that much control and I'll keep my hands on the steering wheel regardless.

jcross1231

It isn't auto-steering. It's a lane keeping assist system that will assist in keeping the car in its lane. You have to manually move the steering wheel after a short period of time to keep the system happy. It doesn't have enough authority to steer the car for any kind of maneuvering such as curves, etc.

Vince D

I find both systems perform their safety functions just as they are intended to be used. Most of my mileage is from freeway use. I only use ACC and LKA during night driving on the freeway. It is especially useful at night when it's raining, and up here in the Pacific Northwest we get plenty of rain and traffic. I had one incident earlier this year driving between Portland and Seattle on I-5 after midnight, and I was getting sleepy. LKA kicked in with a little shimmy on my steering wheel and that got my attention and I was alert the rest of the journey. What would have happened had I not engaged LKA? Hate to think about it...

So in my experience having these options available even if I don't use them very often has made my driving experience more enjoyable and with a little more peace of mind.

Waetherman

I agree with others; LKAS is terrible, ACC is good. I will say that the experience with ACC changes significantly depending on the distance set - I have mine set at 2 bars and that works well but I recently accidentally set it to 1 bar and it was lurchy. Set it too high in stop-and-go traffic and people will try to get ahead of you. It’s not perfect and I’ve found that sometimes cancelling it briefly makes for a smoother transition (like when someone pulls in front of you) but overall it works well and is one of my favorite features.

JB in AZ

What's ironic, our 2020 CRV has much better LKAS than the '19 RDX...I noticed this immediately upon our road test and purchase of the CRV. And the new Lincoln, better than either.

BUT I promised when I traded the RDX I would continue to post here and help when I could, but NOT dump on RDXs. So please take this as just a comparison observation. In my mind any LKAS is better than none. Anytime a safety feature can save my bacon, I am all for it, right @Vince D ?

Vince D

100% JB.

ACC has it's limits - but I also understand it really is not intended for heavy traffic or continuous stop-and-go so I use it at night on the freeway, especially in inclement weather. Same with LKAS. The night I had the steering wheel shimmy - that moment may have indeed saved my bacon. Between the three safety systems: ACC - LKAS - Blind Spot Indicator they has made a tremendous difference in my driving experience. They're not perfect, but they work as intended when the need arises.

My theory is that until a driver has activated a vehicle safety system we tend to take it for granted. For many years when I was younger, I never used a seatbelt. Never thought about airbags, either. One day out of the blue, I decide to put on my seatbelt. That afternoon I was involved in a rollover accident in the rain and without my seatbelt and the airbags I would not be sitting here typing away.

My point is, those of us who are so fortunate enough to afford a vehicle like the RDX with its safety features: embrace them even if they're not "perfect." Some day these features may save your life.

...and thanks for sticking around on this forum, JB! Always nice to read more wisdom from us old guys. LOL

jcross1231

The great thing is you can get a lot of these systems on more affordable vehicles now, also. The wife's Civic has the same features. Not much has been said about the blind spot detection. It's saved me several times. You can't really see very well to the right-rear of the RDX. Also, when checking in that direction, the light on the rear D window often gives the impression there's something there out of the corner of your eye. I actually like the video view the Civic gives you, but I'll take any help I can get!

It sounds like the steering effect the LKAS gives may vary quite a bit between vehicles. My 2021 system works really well. It sounds like some aren't having the same experience. The wife's Civic does well, also. I didn't think an A-Spec loaner was quite as good. My 2016 didn't seem to have enough authority, liked to ride to the left side of the lane and would often drift across the center line. This after having the camera replaced and recalibrated a couple of times.

Vince D

Agree 100% re: Blind Spot Indicator. Saved me many times - especially driving in Seattle downtown traffic. Although if I had a preference, I'd like to see the BSI signal on the mirror itself. Might just be me, but for some reason that little extra second to look at the BSI indicator and THEN the mirror is sometimes distracting. I'd prefer to simply look in the side mirror once and see the indicator light up in one fell swoop, but...I can live with it.

JB in AZ

It is not just you.

EFR

Agree....some things just don't need to be rethought, unless you legitimately have a better idea (perhaps the Kia/Hyundai idea of turning the tach (or whichever) into a video of what's in your blind spot.) Moving the light on the RDX from the time-tested position on the mirror to the door was a 'solution' in need of a problem.