supafamous

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2...n-test-review/

I recently drove a NX350h and the comments in the review match a lot of my impressions as well - the NX is a bit too cozy for the size but is nicer inside in material quality and refinement (much, much quieter than the RDX) but the RDX handles better and is much roomier. Surprised to hear the RDX outdated but that infotainment system has been a huge mistake; 4 years of ownership and I can't be bothered to setup more than 2 radio stations cause the usability is so terrible.

Dereileak

I have setup 10 or so radio stations without much issue. I wish the RDX had both the touch pad and a touch screen tho, would of gotten rid of all the complaints

EFR

Yes, that is the solution. Why didn't they just add a touch screen in addition to the touch pad? Yes, it's further away and all that, and if you didn't want to use, fine. But if you did, then it would be there. Plenty of manufactures have both, and divisive as the touch pad has been (for some) that would have resolved it. After 4+ years of touch pad, and 1 month of touch screen, I find the screen much faster and easier to use. Maybe I am just clumsy with the touch pad...

subiefanIL83

I do think the touchpad is not ideal and would like the option of a touch screen, but I personally haven't found the touchpad itself as bad as many people seem to find it. I definitely like it more than the rotary IDrive controller my dad had in his 2013 BMW.

sonyfever

I just feel the author did not really want to review these two cars. On the other hand, the photographer did a really good job contrasting the different stylings.

I bet I can find B58 or Genesis in the source codes of the webpage.

Otherbmw

So the comments on the noise are interesting. The articles I’ve read (C&D, R&T, and earlier MT) specifically mention the noise in the NX while they failed to mention noise in the RDX even before the increased quieting that occurred in the 2022+! Very odd…

MJ4RDX

So much hate towards the RDX infotainment system ... I agree it is not as easy as a touchscreen, but it only took me a couple hours to set-up and learn after getting my car. I mainly use Carplay, but have set up radio stations so I can control from steering wheel... not really an issue from my experience of a few weeks.
All things considered, I thought the RDX was a better package overall. I cross shopped against the RX because I thought the NX too cramped for a tall guy. If the comparable RX was the same price, I might have gone with Lexus, but it was $10k more (if I could get one) and the RDX is way more engaging to drive

Otherbmw

It’s interesting, BMW came out with idrive (a non touch screen menu driven rotary control) back in the early 2000s and it was universally panned. Lexus comes out with a touch pad and it’s panned. Acura comes out with a modified touch pad, and again universally panned. Eventually, BMW combines a rotary dial and touch screen. Lexus is going to a touch screen. Automakers should just stick with touch screens and call it a day! What “problem” with touch screens are they trying to fix? My only complaint is the finger prints! Are they trying to build a better mouse trap or just distinguish themselves? They are distinguishing themselves but in a bad way! Everyone is used to their phones - stick with the tried and true.

HotRodW

Too harsh or brutally honest? Regardless, that review isn't going to sell many RDX's or NX's. It's never good when the author basically says "this one wins because it sucks less".

Otherbmw

They need to take cost into account. Are they better compact SUVs? Yes, but they cost more. I think the RDX is a great value.

fiatlux

My guess is that Acura was desperately looking for a way to differentiate itself from Honda. In this case, they opted for a polarizing interface for the sake of being different, which is a shame because the Honda infotainment system is easier to use and, dare I say, better.

Otherbmw

I read it again. Except for the infotainment, it seems they prefer the RDX, in most other categories.

RDX10

I will die on this hill but the true touch pad is the single stupidest thing Acura has done in the past 10 years. It does literally nothing better than a touch screen, takes way too much concentration, and solves absolutely nothing. They did all this work to put stupid shift buttons in and a monsterous dynamic dial and a touchpad and for what?


Typical motortrend fashion SUV's bad, Sedans/Coupes good. I'm personally getting sick of these reviews automatically shitting all over SUV's because they aren't a low 2 door sports car. Either review them for what they are or shut up and leave it to someone else who can.

This is something I'm always mentioning as well! So many reviews are written by morons who compare a 80k SUV to a 40K SUV. Just the other day I was watching a revies on the new Pilot vs the Telluride and I can't remember who it was who did it, it was a YouTube video. But anyways they chose a low-mid level Pilot vs a top of the line loaded to the gills Telluride and proceeded to spend the entire video complaining about things the Telluride had but pilot didn't for 15k less...


BINGO!!!!

They were trying to do gimmicky shit to make themselves stand out and literally completely chose form over function. That whole center console is a giant waste of space. It reminds me a lot of the 2013-2015 Ford Escape, it had this sweepy center console with literally zero storage space. Thankfully during the refresh they moved a lot of useless shit around and gave it a ton more storage and utility spaces. Was hoping they'd do the same for the RDX.

supafamous

I initially thought (back in 2019) that the touchpad would be easy to pick up but the implementation is terrible - slow and unreliable. If it was as fast and reliable as the touchpad on my MacBook (and had haptic feedback) then I'm sure it would have been fine but it's just utter garbage and with each passing day I look forward to trading in my RDX with the touchpad being one of the things I won't miss about it.

I'm a touchscreen skeptic for the most part but have to admit that they don't work as bad as I expect - it's definitely worse than physical controls (a lot worse) but it's liveable especially when they're responsive (like on a Porsche 911). I still prefer the Mazda implementation though - rotary dial with a bit of touchscreen support.

MJ4RDX

On the plus side, between the HUD and the high mount infotainment screen, I do find that my "eyes off road" time has been dramatically reduced....which is a good thing 😊

HotRodW

They sure do love their pickups though. And full size truck-based SUV's are fine as well. The argument that cars and trucks both serve specific needs while crossovers are jack-of-all-trades master-of-none vehicles is as tired as it is illogical. It's easy to criticize when you have access to a pool of vehicles of all types, as the Motor Trend staff does. For most of us, owning a dedicated vehicle for all needs isn't an option. Crossovers are a good compromise of comfort and utility, and some can even be sporty.

MJ4RDX

Agreed! I would still be driving a wagon if they made them...I went from Honda to Subaru years ago for an AWD wagon and loved it. Wanted an AWD Accord wagon, but they didn't make one. Instead they decided that Americans wanted CRV and Pilot. In terms of production costs, I understand why, but I think there is still a viable market segment for wagons. Perhaps aligning more with European models would help keep costs down (although there are some different regulatory specifications). Still, using global platforms tends to be cheaper overall due to scale.

cwatt79

All the hate on the TrueTouch pad as highly overblown to me. I guess I'm in the minority of people who kind of like it, primarily because I like being able to interact with the infotainment without holding my arm up in the air. I also find that with the plethora of physical controls (much more than most cars these days, especially premium ones) and the excellent integration of the HUD, I don't really interact with the screen all that much. Having owned a BMW with iDrive 8 for eight months, I have no issues with Acura's implementation.

ELIN

Your honeymoon period w/the RDX is still in the "few weeks" period (give it at least a year). I think eventually the swiping difference b/w the Acura interface and the CP interface will get old soon! Don't get me started on how often I had to reboot the infotainment in the middle of driving! I very much enjoy the iDrive in my '23 X3. Using the rotary controller is much safer and responsive than the "swipe swipe swipe" of the Acura TrueTouch. As someone else said, BMW also offers the touchscreen as well if you MUST use it.

When I was shopping the NX, it had a surprisingly sneaky wide trunk. My full-size golf cart bag had some room to spare putting the bag in horizontally vs my current X3. Other than that, everything else about the NX was too small for me and the range of the car was too similar to the TLX I gave up. It's too bad the Lexus SUVs are really tweener cars where the NX is smaller than the RDX and the RX is smaller than the MDX.

cwatt79

@MJ4RDX Don't you love when people rain on your parade and try to ruin the excitement of your new car?

I'm on my 2nd Acura with TrueTouch totaling a year and half of ownership, having owned a BMW with iDrive 8 between the two. Not saying the TrueTouch couldn't be better, but it has its merits and I don't mind it at all. To me, it's nowhere near a dealbreaker or even a detriment as so many people consider it to be. With a '23 Advance, you've got the HUD to interact with and wireless CarPlay with excellent "Hey Siri" support, meaning you can control CarPlay with your voice as you should be doing anyway. Between the HUD, steering wheel controls, and "Hey Siri," the interactions with the touchpad can be kept pretty minimal, which is how it should be as all three of those are safer to use while driving than any center infotainment display, be it touchscreen or not.
My mom has a '23 RDX Advance and she adores it. She also doesn't understand all the touchpad hate.

Enjoy the new ride!

ross7777

Call me crazy but the way the vehicle drives is more important than the infotainment interface. I spend more time driving than messing with the infotainment. It’s either on FM or CarPlay. CarPlay connects automatically and starts playing. The touchpad interface is not ideal with CarPlay but every vehicle has compromises.

Infotainment is not #1 on my list when considering a vehicle.

ELIN

What do you do for 3 hour road trips (genuinely curious)?

ross7777

I use CarPlay 99% of the time. Setup the nav route at the start. Occasionally change the playlist or the Apple Music station throughout the trip. I've found that Siri works well with CarPlay navigation and music.

Would a touchscreen be better with CarPlay? No question. But they would have to move the screen closer.

We recently flew to Colorado and rented a car (Ford Explorer). Ended up driving 600 miles. The touchscreen was better when using CarPlay but boy I really hated the way the Explorer drove.

I'll take a worse infotainment in exchange for a better driving experience. There are always trade-offs.

fiatlux

I think the rub here is that this trade off didn’t need to happen. Honda has perfectly good infotainment systems that Acura could have used (and probably saved some money on) but they instead opted to go their own route for vanity purposes. If it was for money saving purposes, then sure maybe that’s understandable because Acura operates in the “value” segment but I struggle to see how this could fit the bill in that department. No, they tried to get clever and reinvent the wheel for the sake of being “different”. God forbid these cars feel too much like a Honda, even if feeling like a Honda is it’s greatest strength.

Tony Pac

Watch these two reviews if you're in the market to buy RDX. Sure, RDX has been in the market since summer 2018 and it's due for a redesign but still a solid SUV in the segment. If I was in the market, I would go either RDX or NX. Both are amazing vehicles. I have so say both vehicles are similar but yet very different. You won't go wrong with either one.

ross7777

Isn't the point of Acura vanity anyway? It's a fancy Honda....

It's been this way since 2019, so this isn't a new issue. The NX was recently redesigned. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison as the RDX is nearing the end of this gen.



The review was interesting. They said it essentially drives worse than a Rav4. I just don't rank infotainment that high in relation to other aspects of a vehicle.

Jmar55

I'm among the group that feels the touchscreen, while not ideal, is far from a deal breaker. As pointed out, the voice commands and steering wheel based controls work fine. During long trips, Apple CarPlay automatically engages giving me access to thousands of songs in my library. The pluses of driving an RDX far outweigh the downside of the touchscreen, IMO. Happy motoring!

fiatlux

I’d argue that Acura is more about being a nicer Honda. That is, it’s supposed to build on the already-excellent starting point and inject some premiumness into the product. It shouldn’t be “fancy” for the sake of being fancy, unless it wants to start competing in the luxury segment.

And for the point of Acura buyers seeking vanity, I’m not sure how accurate that is because if they cared about fancy, they’d be driving a Benz or BMW (lest we posit that Acura buyers are too poor to do so and Acura is the fallback option).

ross7777

I was kidding.

I can afford the BMW but not all the maintenance and repair costs.

Tony Pac

HAHAHA!
It's funny when people bring money conversation by sitting behind their computers without having any clue about other people's financials! I guess everyone is spoiled by Insta or Tik Tok stories. First of all, Acura cars are not cheap, if one can spend $60K, I am pretty sure, he or she can spend $65-70K as well. But we all know why people don't buy German cars (in most cases). Because they don't wants to buy a "Repair Box"

daRthDX

"Repair Box" is the exact term I should've used on the new-car-ownership survey I filled out... When they asked "WHY DID YOU NOT CONSIDER ANOTHER <German car I owned for a very long time, from new till the garage I was taking it to was asking "You again??">?"

anoop

I cross shopped these and after waiting more than 6 months for the NX 350h for which the dealer was asking $5K markup, I went with the RDX where I got $1K loyalty. I don't regret it at all. Lexus has loaded their cars with a lot of useless tech. For me the main draw for the NX was mpg and seat comfort. In every other way I preferred the RDX (driving, space, styling).

MJ4RDX

For me, infotainment system is not an issue at all. For others, they should obviously make up their own minds. What I want to encourage people to do is actually test drive the vehicles they are considering and not just take a few online reviews as the only perspective. I had well over a month to do in depth research and test drives as my old car sat at the dealer awaiting a new transmission. The Lexus NX was too small and the RX hybrid was only available in top trim with loads of options I did not want. Could have afforded it, but did not represent a good "value" for me. The RDX was much less expensive, has a much more engaging experience, and is more practical cargo hauler for my DIY runs to the big box stores.
So, I appreciate the multiple perspectives and love talking about cars...learn something new everyday online 😊 That said, I am under no illusion that I will change anyone else's mind, but the discussion does shed light on aspects of vehicles (and how people interact with them...for better or worse) and hopefully others who read the forums get pointed in the right direction for their own research.
BTW- I was very close to doing my graduate study in Human Factors out in California and my dream job was to work for Honda... guess I still am fascinated by the human-machine interactions.

Tony Pac

I just don't get the hate towards the Acura's Infotainment. Could it be better? Sure! But what about MB system? Not sure the very recent one but last gen was a disaster....

anoop

Some additional things that drove my decision:
- NX runs on RFT and has no spare. RFT rides OK at first but gets VERY hard in around 10K miles. They are also expensive to replace.
- If you don't want faux leather seats and plastic trim, you have to get Luxury. With the markup for the 350h, the would be over $60K OTD, roughly $10K more than RDX Tech. Is that worth it? If it was my dream car, not a car full of compromises. The local dealer was adding even more junk to the car like protection packages for interior and exterior. I couldn't stand the smell of the interior and he refused to not treat it. I didn't want to buy from some dealer far away.
- Luxury rides on 20" wheels/RFT. Even more expensive to replace and will have shorter life. Why did Lexus do this? Who buys a Lexus for sport?
- Many in the forums said they found the NX to not be quiet.
- With the Luxury pack, the steering wheel controls get really weird and complicated--the buttons become multifunction.
- I'm not a fan of touchscreen controls for HVAC, prefer physical.
- Electronic door openers were an annoyance.
- The trunk cover felt cheap. Acura doesn't give a cover, but if you buy the OEM one, at least it looks good. The NX one has a design similar to low end cars.

HotRodW

I have the last gen MBUX in my GLE. Honestly, it's pretty brilliant. You can interface via the touchscreen, via the touchpad, or via the thumb pad button on the wheel. There's also "Hey Mercedes" for those who prefer voice controls. There's a left thumb pad on the wheel specifically to control the digital gauge cluster, or the gauge options can be accessed through the main screen. There are also quick access buttons for commonly used features. The only real learning curve is determining where to find the system's many, many settings, but I haven't found a system that doesn't require acclimation time. With MB moving away from physical controls almost completely, I'm of the opinion it will be viewed as the best interface Mercedes ever designed.

motif88

I was happy to run away from our 2020 RDX to a 2022 NX350h.

Having owned 5 MDX’s and 2 Lexus RX350’s and 3 Lexus ES’s, we determined that we didn’t need the 3rd row of the MDX after the kids had grown and went to the RDX. Yes, it handled well but the rest of experience had anxious to exit. We now have a 2022 NX350h and 2023 RX and could not be happier.

Your mileage my vary….

anoop

How many miles on the NX? Did you have to pay markup for it?

supafamous

I'm not sure what other products the forums were comparing the NX too but it's WAY quieter than the RDX. I test drove the 350h version and it was tomb-like in comparison to my RDX. Granted most of the time the engine wasn't running but even when it was it was quite quiet and really put the RDX to shame. In the past I've made comments about Lexus' being dressed up Toyotas and that test drive showed that at least for NVH that it's far from true.

anoop

I saw comparisons to prev gen NX, RX, GLC. Even Motormouth found it loud and attributed it to RFT. Did you test drive on 18 or 20 inch wheels? What trim was it? The 18 do a bit better but then you have to live with probably what could be the ugliest plastic trim in the luxury segment. And remember your test driving brand new. RFT gets hard and noisy as they wear, much worse than regular.