Tony Pac

The market is crazy. RDX had an amazing run for the past 1.5 years. But Jan sales number doesn't look great for the RDX. I think it's the lowest month since June 2018.

The reason Germans and Koreans are doing well is they constantly update their vehicles. I think it's time for Acura to update the RDX to stay competitive and maintain 60,000+ units per year. What do we need to see?
- 360 degree camera available for all trims
- A-SPEC with Advanced package
- HUD available or standard
- Some minor changes in the front and back light
- New rims for Advanced model

Thoughts?

quantum7

Spare tire on A-Spec standard
Power Folding Mirrors in USA
Default auto stop/restart to off
Adaptive Suspension option
V6 engine with 6 speed auto with stick shift....or better yet, manual transmission
Library of DVD Audio audio files downloadable to owners to take advantage of sound system the way it was supposed to be used.

Tony Pac

Great list. 100% agreed!

Acura listen to us

NooYawkuh

Anything they do won't benefit me, so I don't care.

Waetherman

A short term fix won't help their long-term problem with quality/reliability issues that they let develop over the last couple of years. I think those are finally catching up with them.

mathnerd88

I'm starting to see a lot of QX50 vehicles around the area. Not sure if they're doing any better.

Tom2

People who have the Advanced already have most of this stuff.

motif88

Update the crap infotainment system, so you can use the whole damn screen. Show the audio source playing in the MID. Get CarPlay to actually work and maintain connectivity without a reboot of the whole infotainment system.

mathnerd88

That's not a big enough change to entice buyers to the RDX. The RDX already seems outdated. The Germans have the digital cockpit. Even Toyota is gearing up to electrify and offering plug in hybrid options in all its vehicles by 2025.

In fact, I rented a Toyota Corolla two weeks ago and it has the same exact interior and exterior tech as my RDX with the exception of the HUD. There's really nothing special going for the RDX anymore with the exception of superb audio and leather seating...

I remember back then when economy and luxury vehicles had huge differences between them. Now the gap is steadily closing.

anoop

• Gauges could be made less busy. No need for km/hr and mph at the same time in a digital speedometer.
• When switching between displays in the center, it would be better if they didn't shrink, then switch back to normal size after a delay. And re-do the information to be less wordy.
• Better ambient lighting. Map lights feel underpowered.
• Change to a touchscreen infotainment. Existing setup is prone to hunting unless you look at the screen and at the touch pad, which means we're not paying attention to the road.
• Better implementation of rear camera. Currently unusable in rain, leave camera on for a few seconds when switching from R to D, more accurate guidelines (lines don't match up with the where the car's wheels are). (Advance trim would help with rain since it has a camera washer.)
• Move the BSI (blind spot indication) from the A pillars to the mirrors.
• Road departure warning is overly sensitive, especially on internal roads.
• Lane keep assist doesn't work very well. It keeps asking for the driver to take control.
• Quality control issues. Several rattles and issues with the audio system.
• Interior could be quieter. I registered 90+ dB on the highway using the Decibel X app on my iPhone. The quietest cars register somewhere in the mid 60's. (Advance trim would help since it has acoustic side glass.)
• MPG. Fortunately gas prices are muted and will likely remain that way as more cars switch to hybrid/electric drivetrains.
• No way to turn the headlights off when the car is moving in the evening.
• The chrome pieces on the steering wheel, but especially on the center stack, can sometimes, depending on how the sun is hitting it, reflect blinding light directly into the driver's eyes. Should be replaced with something non-reflective.

Tony Pac

based on sales numbers, they are doing horrible! Total flop model. Even the QX30 did better lol

Waetherman

None of these minor quibles here are things that are stopping people from buying the RDX. And the RDX is already a value, so just making standard the features that are on the Advance isn't going to have an impact. If anything, I think Acura needs to double down on the performance. They want the RDX interior remind people of the NSX? Great, make the performance remind them of it too. Bump the HP up to 345 like their SEMA "concept" and I think they'd attract more and younger customers. Only old people care about where the damn blind spot monitor is, what the maintenance costs are, or the empeegees.

Wander

What about valet parking?

Aside from a possible Type S, nothing is likely to change until the mid-cycle refresh. And that's likely to be the 2022 model year. And I'm unlikely to care.

Midwestuser1

The Type S RDX is what is needed next. This segment has interest in a performance version of the SUV’s

Tony Pac

Since Acura wants to keep 2 sedans and 2 suvs alongside the NSX.
They should have a 2.0 T and 3.0T for each model.

RDX: 280HP and 320HP
MDX: 300HP and 365HP
TLX: 280HP and 380HP
ILX: 250HP

I doubt if this will ever happen but just saying

acuraada

Better 360 camera resolution. It is a joke compared to even the Korean competitors.
Agreed on the back light, it is sort of dated and the dragon tail look more like mouse tail. I think the front held up well tho. However, the Koreans are pushing out some daring design that certainly will spark debates.
Rims has been something Acura should have fixed long ago. No idea what they are thinking. This only shows that Acura's stubbornness and inability to fail fast to innovate.

However, would all of the above save the sales number? I don't think so. Acura failed to distinguish themselves from the pack other than being a valued luxury vehicle. Let's face it, how many times have we heard on this forum about how RDX is fully packed features with significantly less money than it's German rivals. "I dare you to find something similar at this price level" is a motto amongst the fans here.

So what's the problem? I think it's reliability Having a poor rating on reliability from Consumer Report certainly doesn't help. JDP didn't fair it well either. One of the concern with the German cars is reliability and expensive to maintain/fix. Folks go with Japanese with perception of reliability and maint-free experience. Us here on the forum might not take CR or JDP seriously since the very fact we are here proves that we are more than resourceful when it comes to car research but that's not the majority of car buyers out there.

mathnerd88

The problem with the RDX is that there's really nothing to distinguish it from the competition. Toyota is heading towards electrification, and Lexus is well, the crown luxury as well as reliability of the Japanese world. Acura has an aging fleet that desperately needs to be updated, and the RDX fails to really impress with the quality and reliability people expect from a 'luxury' Japanese brand. If this continues, it may become like Infiniti.

It's frankly embarrassing that even Toyota Rav4 has more features than the RDX. You get 99% of luxury features and performance for 80% of the cost of the Acura RDX along with huge gas savings. Wireless charging? Check. Digital rearview mirror? Check. HUD? Will be on the Rav4 Prime this summer. 302 hp? Check.

Even the Hyundai Sonata now has that "Smaht Pahk."

fiatlux

Acura is taking the Japanese performance angle, which they win handily when comparing the RDX to the NX or QX50. However, while the RDX does match up well performance-wise against its direct German competitors, the fact that they don't have anything to go up against the German mid-trim models (let alone the creme de la creme top-trim performance models) causes that "performance" claim to fall a bit flat.

And while the Rav4 and Kiundais may have similar luxury features, the build quality isn't at the same level in terms of materials. When you touch the materials, it's cheap plastic, much cheaper than even the sometimes cheap stuff Acura uses. Kiundais epsecially fall in the category where the interiors looks much nicer than they feel, although they may be turning a corner with their latest models. That said, it's inexcusable for Acura, which purports itself to be a luxury brand, to not have a feature-set advantage over mainstream brands unless they really are OK with relegating themselves to the "premium" tier.

NooYawkuh

What a chore. Actually having to maintain control of the vehicle while I'm trying to send a tweet.

phillyman1998

Replace the entire cluster. Go entirely digital / digital speedo/.. Add ambient lighting (like mercedes does/bmw/audi). Add an actual option for a v6?? RDX aspec looks fast but really isn’t. A v6 from the MDX would absolutely make this SUV fly.

anoop

I don't think engine choices will help. For example 330i outsells M340i probably 10:1 or more. Small engine is fine.

Keep in mind there's also a general slow down in the auto market.

I think Acura is doing a decent job overall. They would benefit from improving the build quality a bit.

This is a list of problems I have had with my 2019:

• Crackling speakers: Intermittent problem that I noticed since the car was new. Not fixed.
• Squeaky tailgate: Happened around 5000 miles. Fixed under warranty.
• Whistling when engine starts or shuts: Happened around 7000 miles. Fixed under warranty TSB.
• Infotainment will prompt for update even though no update is available. Fixed in D1.2.1.
• Rubber lining near the tailgate lock has a gap. Fixed under warranty by adjusting the lining.
• Ticking sound when starting the engine. Intermittent problem. Fixed under warranty by adjusting the PCM bracket.
• Numerous rattles all over the interior started to appear after about a year. Not fixed.

fiatlux

To answer the original question, I don't think incremental feature improvements is going to do much in the way of taking over sales from its main competitors. The segment of entry-level luxury compact crossovers is so incredibly saturated that every brand kind of has it's own set of core customers that will not be swayed. Short of wholesale changes, I can't imagine many XC60 or NX buyers jumping ship because those two cars are so differentiated. And X3/GLC/Q5 buyers are a crapshoot because no matter what Acura does, it still won't have the same brand cachet. As someone who hasn't been shy about bagging on Acura and the RDX, I'll be first in line to say that the RDX performs and drives better than the entry-level X3, GLC, and Q5 by a country mile, so better performance will only lead to a small incremental increase in sales. And clearly the infotainment system hasn't scared away too many buyers (although it does have the potential to sully the brand image and hurt future sales).

One angle nobody has mentioned yet is extending the range downmarket to try to capture some of the folks who are buying loaded CX5s, Rav4s, etc. Those cars in top-trim guise pushes close to where a base RDX is priced at, and there's no way Lexus/MB/BMW/Audi will compete at that price range because they'll cannibalize their own UX/GLA/GLB/X1/X2/Q3 sales. For all the misgivings I have about Acura not offering the CDX in the US, this actually gives them enough room to compete at that price-point. Add some new incremental features to the existing trims to prevent their own customers from moving to that lower trim, fix the damn infotainment system for good, and they just might capture that market.

russianDude

Unless its a software update for this car, I dont care about 4th gen RDX.... I buy car every 10 years, got a long wait ahead

leomio85

I'm too lazy to check, but have you looked at sales from other automakers? The winter months are generally slower sales months for automakers across the board. Also, I doubt anything listed would make a large impact on sales figures. If anything, the poor initial reviews on the infotainment and reliability have hampered sales of the RDX.

madwasabi

Expecting Acura to add some of requested features to RDX refresh. Any chance 2021 RDX models coming later this year could be its mid cycle refresh or include Type S version?

anoop

2021 is a big year for the MDX. RDX will get nothing. Probably 2022. Judging by the spy shots of the MDX, the interior design is actually moving in the direction of the RDX, so that doesn't bode well for any changes to the RDX.

Tony Pac

I will stop those of you who are saying Acura isn’t able to compete in this segment or technically washing it out. Friends, Acura is selling 60K units per year and that’s not a fluke.

My thread is about what improvements Acura can bring on the table to continue selling big numbers and stand next to Q5, X3 and GLC. The rest Is behind RDX anyway

Tony Pac

Also don’t forget, the RDX outsold X3 and Q5 some
months.

i think the RDX will continue to shine at this price point, but it needs minor updates and changes to give the Germans a hard time

mathnerd88

The Germans are on a similar update cycle as Acura. They're selling more a higher price point. The redesigned RDX just came out 1.5 years ago. This is definitely troubling. It hasn't sold this low since Jan 2018 when the old model is phasing out.

Minor updates won't change this. Acura has to change the public perception first.

Even the QX50 has a 20% increase in sales in Canada compared to January last year. The RDX has between a 40-50% drop since Dec of 2019.

russianDude

does volkswagen(audi) have good public perception after cheating on emissions test?

mathnerd88

Honestly, I didn’t care about it as much as Acura did when they messed up the infotainment. It didn’t personally affect the consumer unless they absolutely were gung ho about the environment. It wasn’t like performance was affected or any usability of the features. Yes what they did cheating the government was despicable, but I can tell you the majority of the public will try to cheat the government in any way they can. People will under report taxes, claim benefits that shouldn’t have been claimed, etc. You think Trump was honest in every dealing he made? I see people driving new MB SUVs while using EBT cards to pay for their food.

However, Acura did mess up a lot in the RDX infotainment when released and made a lot of consumers angry and it personally affected them. There were also quality control issues.

Tony Pac

Acura has a long way to go before it's perceived as Germans. Let's be honest.

But please don't compare QX50 to RDX. In Canada and USA that car tanked like movie Gigli. It's an embarrassment for Infiniti that they couldn't sell that car. Did you see their US sales number for 2019. Even in Canada, it sells better than previous model but it sells 3-4X less than RDX, NX, Q5, GLC and X3.

fiatlux

Pretty sure their target market doesn’t care given how their cars still sell very well. People typically don’t care about things like this after it falls out of the media cycle. Porsche cars were involved too and they’re selling better than ever. Do you think people cared about that big nasty bribery scandal Honda was involved in during the 90s? No, their cars still sold like gangbusters during that era.

Automakers do questionable things all the time. Hyundai inflated their MPG estimates, Toyota only reinforced the driver side on crash tests because the passenger side wasn’t tested, Mitsubishi tampered with fuel economy data for decades, Nissan falsified emissions tests, Honda/Takata hid the airbag inflator defects, etc.

Tony Pac

Well said!

All these last until the media reminds us. Once it's over, we all forget and move on. Sad but the truth!

DKraky

I thought a little bit about an audi before I bought my RDX. There were just too many negatives to the Audi. The Q5 was too small and the Q7 was too big. They pretty much look the same as they did eight years ago....boring. You have to use premium gas which is $0.70 a gallon in my town more than regular. They were quite a bit more expensive when you compare like equipment to like equipment. Their resale value is terrible. If you want a car that's worth $0.50 on the dollar four or five years down the road the audi is for you. The repair expenses on Audis are insane. I had a buddy with a barely out of warranty Audi and no matter what went wrong about the cheapest fix was $1,000 and that was a lucky fix.
I have to give Kia and Hyundai credit for making lots of changes And really upping their game on quality. I don't appreciate how they seem to copy Everybody else's looks. Their warranty sure is fabulous. Their resale value seems to be pretty poor, but maybe that will go up with the quality reputation. I think overall Honda makes pretty darn good reputable stuff. I can't help but think a lot of problems car manufacturers are having with quality nowadays is related to the workforce putting them together. I don't know if it's the same Country-Wide but I assume it is the same as in my local area where manufacturers are having an impossible time attracting quality people. That and the fact that to be price competitive manufacturers are requesting components that are not as durable but are cheaper. Gone are the good old days of japanese-made Toyota Camrys that went 200 plus thousand miles with not even a brake job hardly.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

russianDude

I would not make general statement that most people dont care about volksvagen making lies about polluting environment. There is a good portion of people that cares and are deeply pissed at Volkswagen. Maybe its not enough to impact sales, or maybe their sales could be much better.
anyway, infoteinment is not an issue for me.

JAB00

The current generation RDX offers a lot of tech/luxury for the price point. Automatic folding driver/passenger mirrors and better wheels for the Advanced should happen with mid model refresh.

acuraada

yep, improve on reliability

or are you thinking improvement=feature creeps?

if Acura is priced at near the German counterparts, the sales will plummet.

fiatlux

Agreed, even with full feature parity the brand strength just isn't there. Lexus can barely pull it off.