Hello,

I am new to the forum and currently have a 2018 Acura TLX. I have more of a need for a SUV and am considering the 2020 Acura RLX and the Audi SQ5.

As of now I am leaning more towards the RLX because I like the looks. I am lucky in that the price is not a consideration. There is a considerable price difference between the two vehicles. You can't take it with you when you die!

I am concerned that the RDX has 77 less horsepower. Do any of you think the power is lacking to the point its a big problem? I have never owned a 4 cyl vehicle of any kind. Always V8's or in the case of my Ford F-150 a Ecoboost 3.5 6cyl.

What other negatives if any would you associate with the 2020 Aura RDX

Also, I am told that there is a 1k loyalty rebate and a $1500 incentive for financing with Acura. I don't need that but was told by a salesman if I bought the RDX I should finance with Acura then pay the vehicle off. I don't want to get into any problems doing that or perhaps some sort of penalty that would negate the savings in the first place.

Has anyone ever done that?

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me.

 

When it comes to power..everyone is different....you need to test drive both. Yes many take advantage of the financing then pay it off....nothing wrong with that at all, thats what I did with my latest purchase.....free $$$$. Ensure you read the WHAT PEOPLE paid for their 2020 thread....lot of good info on there.

 

Test drive the vehicles to see if the power is adequate FOR YOU.

 

I drove a 2019 Q5 S-Line for a week while the Q7 was getting serviced and was INCREDIBLY impressed. Every single surface and button felt expensive and the fit and finish was perfect. The driving dynamics were something else, I can't imagine how amazing the SQ5 drives if that S-line model without the true Quattro (the non SQ5 models have that Quattro-ultra or plus or whatever version that is primarily FWD) drove that well.

The leather on the steering wheel was SO DAMN NICE! VAG is very good with steering wheel feel so no surprise. The one single negative I have is that the seat front doesn't go up high enough (very common with VAG products) so if you raise the seat up, it becomes flat and you can't bring the steering wheel far back enough to have the seat tilted and steering wheel close enough. This is only an issue if you have long legs but a shorter torso like me.

Caveat being I have not yet driven the current generation RDX so I cannot compare the Q5 I drove to it.

 

I gave the 2020 RDX a test drive today. The car is very nice inside and out and has a few features the Audi SQ5 didn’t have but I felt it was lacking in power. We previously traveled in a 2017 Corvette so it had awesome power. We sold it because we got a dog that also travels with us. As you might guess after one trip that wasn’t going to work!

i believe I am sold on the Audi SQ5 with its 349 horsepower engine and the navigation that can be switched over to the main instrument panel directly in front of the driver. I’m looking at spending more money but as I already stated...you can’t take it with you when your time is up.

Thank you for your opinions, it was appreciated.

 

Congratulations on the SQ5, that would be my number one choice if I were buying a sporty compact SUV. All she needs is a small tune and she'll be pushing 450hp EASILY! That digital dash was AMAZING in the loaner I had, it did strain my eyes a little bit but still absolutely worth it to me.

I beleive Acura is debuting a digital dash on their next MDX and TLX but that's obviously still a little ways away and neither of those are in the same class as what you're looking for. Enjoy your new SQ5, I'm super jealous!