I've been kicking around the idea of getting a newer RDX. A family has one of the thermal orange color near us and we really like the color. There is one for sale near us. One thing I'm noticing is the lack of consistency in operation of the nav screens and audio. Some are touch screens, some are only controlled by dials and buttons, and some are both. What about the newer RDX's? Thanks.

 

The thermal orange is the 2021 PMC. The newer 2022/2023 models were a minor refresh, added wireless Carplay/Android Auto, but the interface is minimally changed from 2021.

 

Is everything touch screen, buttons and dials, or both?

 

There is a mix, best to try one out in a dealer or check one of the various youtube videos.

The steering wheel has physical toggles and dial wheels for common features like calls, audio, and cruise control changes. The center console has physical buttons for temperature. Drive mode is controlled by one big NSX-style knob. And most everything else is a remote touchpad that controls a nontouch screen.

 

Theres no touch screen on the current-gen RDX. It’s all buttons and a trackpad. Ignore all of the bad reviews about the trackpad, you’ll learn it fast.

 

I'm not sure what the attraction is to a touch screen. It's hard to hit the right spot in a moving vehicle. I like the track pad and the fact it uses absolute positioning for the touch. Wish Android Auto did the same.

 

You hit the nail on the head for my complaint. I use Android Auto 95%+ of the time, so a bad interface for Android Auto is a bad car (to me), period.

Acura can make two software fixes to fix Android Auto, but they haven't which ruins the experience.

1) Add a crosshair or mouse cursor, and then flip Android Auto to the touchscreen input mode (using the touchpad) instead of the current joystick input mode.

2) Enable optional full screen usage of Android Auto, so the right screen part becomes available.

 

BMW is transitioning from a LINUX system to an Android one in IDrive 9.0. So far, the only car in its fleet that has it is the X1.
I really hope BMW doesn't regret it as I hated the Acura infotainment!

 

You can get a feel for the interface playing with a 23 Accord Touring at a dealer, as that is the first Honda product with the full Google experience.

Unlike GM, Honda pledged to continue supporting Android Auto and Carplay despite the full Google experience. This is tablestakes for me as I use many non-Google apps in Android Auto and would want to keep those working in any future car.

 

Those would be good changes. I'm not sure who thought the way the cursor is handled on the current implementation was a good idea. It's hard to tell where the focus is at, and it's sluggish to move. The last thing you need to be doing is trying to control that screen while driving the car. Acura doesn't seem to be paying any attention to what Google is doing to them.