Oil Stain

The reason I’m writing this is because this is the first time I ever bought the same make and model twice! For me it’s pretty cool to see how the car has evolved over just a couple of years.
Having owned the ’20 for 4+ years and just under 30k miles, I traded it in for another RDX. A ’24 A-Spec Advance AWD. I have only put 300 miles in 1 week, but I feel I can make an honest assessment of my initial purchase even thought I haven’t owned the ’24 very long.

Just keep in mind, that this is my own personal experience, others might have a different experience.

The big difference to keep in mind is that my ’20 was FWD and 19” tires and the ’24 is AWD and 20” tires. So, it’s almost an apples to apples comparison. I’m not going to cover the feature differences of the two vehicles. This is more like being blind folded and sitting in the car opinion review.

The 2024 RDX A-Spec Adv.
Quieter inside. It’s not night and day, but it is quieter.
Haven’t had squeaks or rattles yet. The ’20 had a lot more rattles grow as time went on. I was able to fix some of them but, it was getting to much towards the end of my ownership.
The trans shifts much better than before. I never liked the 1-2 and the 2-3 upshift of the ’20. It seems Acura really has smoothed out the shifts.
The ’24 feels more solid driving. This could be due to the fact that now I have AWD and 20” tires vs 19” and FWD. Ethier way it feels way more solid.
The suspension seems to absorb rough roads and speed bumps way better than the ’20. The ’20 was very harsh even in comfort mode going over the same speed bumps. Again, this could be due to the larger tires.
No more wheel spin when trying to accelerate and making left and right turns in heavy traffic. Love that AWD. I’ve never owned a full time AWD car before. I’m hooked now!
USB music seems to be way better than before. The music is the first thing that happens when you start the car. No more waiting for it to finish initializing or freezing. More time is needed to see how it plays the songs in regard to folders and keeping the songs playing to stay in that folder. The ’20 was all over the place sometimes.
I cannot review Apple or Google play because I never use it. Sorry guys.

Do not get me wrong here, I’m NOT trying to trash the ’20 in anyway. Just trying to make light on how car manufacturers improve their models as time goes on. That’s it. I still would recommend the 2020 RDX to anyone.

anoop

I hope you have better luck than me, but...
Just like you when I switched from a 2019 Tech AWD to 2023 Tech AWD, the car felt tighter, more buttoned up, more silent, etc. 10k miles later and I now have rattles and it's back to feeling more or less like the 2019. The smoother ride you're experience may be partly due to newer tires. As they age the compound gets harder and they get harsher and noisier. So your comparison to the old car would hold only if you had new tires on it just before the switch.

FWD to AWD is a big difference. I would never by choice own a heavy car with FWD or even RWD. AWD makes the car feel surefooted regardless of what's going on with the pavement -- broken or uneven pavement, wet pavement, sand on pavement, dirt road, etc.

For me the biggest improvement was wireless CarPlay which is all I use now. I never use Acura navigation.

Oil Stain

AWD is awesome!
Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Time will tell as always.

Texasrdx21

10 years old SHAWD system, but shows the superior nature of the Acura system. Surely it's more calibrated today and the competition is doing their best to keep up. I can attest, the SHawd system is a tractor in snowy and ice conditions. Never would buy a SUV without AWD.
No rattles or issues on my 2021 Aspec SHawd after 39 months and 22.5K miles. Is as solid as the day I got it!

Oil Stain

Thanks sharing that video! I'd love to see what a current version could.

Texasrdx21

Enjoy your new Aspec Advance. Would love the HUD, thigh support seats, 360 camera, adjustable dampers suspension and slightly quieter interior. But, mine is like new with 22k miles on her, maybe next year when the warranty ends.

BTW - 20” tires on the Aspec are long lasting, still have 80% left at 22k miles.

Depending on where you live, adding ceramic window tint to the two front doors, windshield and pano roof makes a world of difference in blazing summer heat of the south. And changing out the regular rear turn signal bulbs for LED ones (LASFIT Amber BAU15S 7507 1156PY PY21W LED Turn Signal Light Blinker Bulbs with CANBUS Anti Hyper Flash).

Oil Stain

Yeah, I had that on my '20. Need to make an appointment to have the tint done again. I can believe I left the turn signal LED's in the '20. Need to reorder them too.
It's strange how almost every light is now LED except the turn signals. I wonder why that is besides the bean counters having a say...

sonyfever

To OP, do you see any difference in the infotainment screen display quality? For example, the 12" screen on MDX has deeper black and fuller color than 19-21 RDX screen.

Oil Stain

The screen seems the same. Backup cameras look to be sharper a little more. The whole screen boots up much faster. I use only the USB for music and that 95% of the time is the first thing you now get, then everything else.

On my '20 I made a special USB delay relay cord device that would delay the system from seeing or starting for 30 seconds after the car was started. This made the USB work 98% better!

SilverJ

I don't need it as I have a 23 RDX but that delay relay cord sounds pretty clever !
Of note, you can improve the black levels on the 22+ RDX in the system display options. It really does make a difference as the default is a little grey/black.

Cygnus_X1

Don't get too excited about the thigh extension in the seat, it's almost comically ineffective. I have a friend with a Lexus ES300h Lux and the thigh extension in that is perfect for long legs.
I use one of these in my Acura, works great.