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I’m curious as to whether any of the folks who bought a Tech, an Elite, Platinum Elite, or an Advance trim RDX would have changed their minds if their car just looked the same as an A-spec. Even though we caved after initially vowing not to get the RDX until Acura came to their senses, I still wish our A-spec could have had all the bells and whistles.
It would really be great, at least to me, if all RDXs just looked the way the A-spec does, and that the only choice left to be made is whether to go with the Tech, Elite, or Platinum Elite (or Advance in the US).
I’m curious as to whether any of the folks who bought a Tech, an Elite, Platinum Elite, or an Advance trim RDX would have changed their minds if their car just looked the same as an A-spec. Even though we caved after initially vowing not to get the RDX until Acura came to their senses, I still wish our A-spec could have had all the bells and whistles.
It would really be great, at least to me, if all RDXs just looked the way the A-spec does, and that the only choice left to be made is whether to go with the Tech, Elite, or Platinum Elite (or Advance in the US).
We never wanted the A-Spec. We bought a PE because we wanted all of the bells and whistles. We are quite happy with it.
We got an Advance, and I guess I’m old school, but I like the real wood trim, the espresso leather, and I still like chrome. I also don’t really care for the a-spec gauges. But it’s all personal preference. Acura is trying to appeal to a wide variety of customers, and for whatever reason decide on the models and options they are offering. I suspect the a-spec appeals to a younger buyer, and if you look at other luxury cars on the road, the younger buyer tends to not buy a loaded up model. Acura probably figured that they wouldn’t sell a lot of loaded up a-specs.
Of course, my 93 year old father in law just got a loaded up Rav4 with all black trim, so what do I know.
No, you would. My hypothesis is that every trim level basically looks the way an A-spec looks, and you can choose between Tech, Elite, or Platinum Elite. Would you still have bought an RDX in that scenario.
No, you would. My hypothesis is that every trim level basically looks the way an A-spec looks, and you can choose between Tech, Elite, or Platinum Elite. Would you still have bought an RDX in that scenario.
Emphatic NO!
Would you buy an RDX if they all looked like the Advance?
No, you would. My hypothesis is that every trim level basically looks the way an A-spec looks, and you can choose between Tech, Elite, or Platinum Elite. Would you still have bought an RDX in that scenario.
If every trim level looks like an A-Spec, then we still would have chosen an PE because we wanted all of the bells and whistles.
I've been going back and forth on the A-Spec and Advance.
The A-Spec is missing some key features for me, namely a digital speed readout. I'd also miss out on the rain sensing wipers, adjustable dampers, and fully adjustable seats.
The exterior of the Advance, to me, looks terrible. I despise the wheels and chrome trim. But I could easily order A-Spec (or aftermarket) wheels and have the chrome trim wrapped in gloss black vinyl to achieve the A-Spec look. Can't really add the Advance features to the A-Spec!
I do love the seats and the Ash wood trim in the Advance, and think the gauges are much cleaner and easier to read than the A-Spec. Really the only interior features of the A-Spec that I'd miss with the Advance are the black headliner and perforated steering wheel.
In an ideal world I'd be able to order the Advance with A-Spec exterior, A-Spec headliner, and A-Spec steering wheel.
I've been going back and forth on the A-Spec and Advance.
The A-Spec is missing some key features for me, namely a digital speed readout. I'd also miss out on the rain sensing wipers, adjustable dampers, and fully adjustable seats.
The exterior of the Advance, to me, looks terrible. I despise the wheels and chrome trim. But I could easily order A-Spec (or aftermarket) wheels and have the chrome trim wrapped in gloss black vinyl to achieve the A-Spec look. Can't really add the Advance features to the A-Spec!
I do love the seats and the Ash wood trim in the Advance, and think the gauges are much cleaner and easier to read than the A-Spec. Really the only interior features of the A-Spec that I'd miss with the Advance are the black headliner and perforated steering wheel.
In an ideal world I'd be able to order the Advance with A-Spec exterior, A-Spec headliner, and A-Spec steering wheel.
Thanks for the response. More customization would be welcome indeed.
I like the way the Advance looks a lot more over the A-Spec's appearance package. Obviously, a lot of people disagree and prefer the more sporty, black-trimmed A-Spec with 20" wheels.
Now, say they had only introduced the 2019 RDX in the A-Spec's styling and there's an Advance trim with that look, I would've bought one anyway. It still would've been a great-looking car with eveything I want (a.k.a. "bells and whistles") to make me upgrade from my 2017.
I can't wait until January, though, when my vision benefits renew and will be able to cut the cost of buying a pair of non-polarized sunglasses for in-car use to see the Head-up Display more clearly compared to my polarized Ray-Bans. LOL :d
The only thing I liked about the A-Spec's packages were the larger exhaust pipes, but I would not pay extra for just for that. Otherwise, I prefer the looks of the Tech which is what I have. I didn't like the wheels of the Advance, although I could live with them if I had to. I also prefer the smaller wheels (less weight, better performance, lower tire replacement costs) of the non-A-Spec models. I would have bought the base trim car if it had leather. I don't care about the electronic bells and whistles.
The Apec blue looks sharp..but I would never buy a car that has that suede stuff on the seats and dash. If I do buy the Advance RDX, buying black rims for it!!
I went back and forth too but in the end I really just liked the look of the A Spec and the higher end features were not enough to compel me to pay more and sacrifice on looks. Now that I own it, I absolutely love the car and don't find myself losing sleep over more comfortable seats or the HUD. It is nice in Canada that the A Spec does come with folding mirrors and a heated steering wheel. I bought the right car for me. It really is just silly for Acura not to offer the appearance package on the high end trim. The number of people complaining about it tells me they would sell a ton of them. Maybe they will change things down the road. I would make it my next car for sure.
I wish I could of gotten the advanced with the aspec look and apex blue, but I wanted that blue and I hate chrome so the blacked out look was perfect, In the end this car is amazing and has 5x the features of my mazda3 2006, do I wish I had a heads up display and rear heated seats yea, but maybe next year I can trade in for the extras in the 2020 :P
I wanted the A-spec look and Platinum Elite features. Damn Acura for not combining the two. Went with the Platinum Elite trim and I'm gradually making it look like an A-spec:
I don't own a 3G RDX yet (waiting till the type S comes out and or MMC).
But here is my take on the current model. Thankfully in Canada the A-Spec model comes with everything I want/must have, feature wise (safety stuff, heated steering wheel, cooled seats, 16 speaker system, power folding mirrors, pano roof, push button start). The regular models are UGLY to me no offense intended to anyone here, the wheels on the advance/elite model are barf inducing, ugliest wheels I have seen in a LONG time. Just terrible. But that's just my opinion. Also I really LOVE the red leather interior and that's a must have. Also the base to advance all look the same so I like that the A-Spec looks different.
Now if the A-Spec model wasn't as loaded as it was, I would flat out not even consider the RDX because the exterior design is an absolute no go for me on all the other trims. I dislike the standard RDX so much that the heated rear seats, 16 way seats, HUD, adaptive shocks, and surround view camera are not enough to make me not get an A-Spec. I know you can black out the chrome trim and be 90% of the way there but the blacked out headlights and taillights are not doable and the front bumper and rear bumper are different too so it's not as simple as black wrap.
But sidenote, the Elite model is garbage here in Canada. They should have had the A-Spec and Elite as dual top trims and have the same options. The elite literally is an A-Spec minus the looks. So what's the point of it.
But sidenote, the Elite model is garbage here in Canada. They should have had the A-Spec and Elite as dual top trims and have the same options. The elite literally is an A-Spec minus the looks. So what's the point of it.
It's garbage? That is really a broad generalization. The Aspec in Ca has everything the Elite does? HUD and all?
It's garbage? That is really a broad generalization. The Aspec in Ca has everything the Elite does? HUD and all?
No no, not the car is garbage, the trim level structure is garbage is what I was trying to say. In Canada we have Elite and a range topping Elite-Platinum model. The Elite model doesn't have HUD and all, the Elite -Platinum does.
In Canada the trims are Base, Tech, A-Spec, Elite, and Elite-Platinum. The only differences between Elite and A-Spec are the styling differences, obviously, and the Elite gets auto dimming side mirrors and heated rear seats. What should have happened was have the regular model but have the A-Spec as an appearance package on all trims except base. Also don't care for the division of Elite and Elite-Platinum here in Canada.
So yeah no not saying the car is garbage, it's actually an amazingly well executed vehicle regardless of trim.
No no, not the car is garbage, the trim level structure is garbage is what I was trying to say. In Canada we have Elite and a range topping Elite-Platinum model. The Elite model doesn't have HUD and all, the Elite -Platinum does.
In Canada the trims are Base, Tech, A-Spec, Elite, and Elite-Platinum. The only differences between Elite and A-Spec are the styling differences, obviously, and the Elite gets auto dimming side mirrors and heated rear seats. What should have happened was have the regular model but have the A-Spec as an appearance package on all trims except base. Also don't care for the division of Elite and Elite-Platinum here in Canada.
So yeah no not saying the car is garbage, it's actually an amazingly well executed vehicle regardless of trim.
Ok so I just went on to the Acura Canada website and compared the Elite and A-Spec and I'm shocked, the Elite is even more pointless than I thought. It doesn't have ventilated seats and only has the 12 speaker system vs the A-Specs 16 speaker system. So you're telling me the Elite removes the 16 speakers system and ventilated seats to give you heated rear seats, perimeter lights, and auto dimming side mirrors?! Wow....what in the hell were they thinking?
The A-spec might look too sporty for some luxury car buyers. And they want something with more features than a Tech, but less than the EP to save a few thousand dollars. I think that's the rationale behind it.
Haha, I'm contemplating swapping the taillights. They are $200 each. But the headlights are close enough. The blackout effect on the headlights are not that obvious IMO. Also they are $1.1k each lol, so no thanks!
The exhaust tips can be changed relatively easily and cheaply.
I'm not sure if the rear diffuser can be swapped over because of the handsfree tailgate sensor. But if it is, it's a $170 part.
For the front bumper, I believe the inserts are like $200 total.
Unless you want the headlights badly, getting the rest of the A-spect stuff (not the emblems) will cost about $800. Getting some vinyl wrap is about $100, and exhaust tips are about $50. Add a set of aftermarket rims and you're set!
The A-spec might look too sporty for some luxury car buyers. And they want something with more features than a Tech, but less than the EP to save a few thousand dollars. I think that's the rationale behind it.
Haha, I'm contemplating swapping the taillights. They are $200 each. But the headlights are close enough. The blackout effect on the headlights are not that obvious IMO. Also they are $1.1k each lol, so no thanks!
The exhaust tips can be changed relatively easily and cheaply.
I'm not sure if the rear diffuser can be swapped over because of the handsfree tailgate sensor. But if it is, it's a $170 part.
For the front bumper, I believe the inserts are like $200 total.
Unless you want the headlights badly, getting the rest of the A-spect stuff (not the emblems) will cost about $800. Getting some vinyl wrap is about $100, and exhaust tips are about $50. Add a set of aftermarket rims and you're set!
I understand the rationale behind the standard models design, the A-Spec can be polarizing for sure. But the only difference between Elite and Tech are the auto dimming side mirrors, heated rear seats, perimeter lights and maybe wood trim. So a whole ass trim level for 3-4 non-distinct features? Honestly makes no sense to me at all. To add insult the tech comes with nicer wheels IMO.
Wow is it actually that economical to transform a regular model into an A-Spec? I have to say I'm VERY surprised. Like very. I come from the German car world and this foray into non-German brands is relatively new to me. So I'm used to very small things like fender flares or fender lip kits costing in excess of a thousand dollars, nevermind whole bumpers. Hell, even badges on German models can cost $150. Yeah I would never pay the $2200 just for black headlights, I mean it's possible to even get a experienced shop to do it to the normal lignts. If it's really that cheap then I see no reason NOT to get a P-E and transform it into an A-Spec for roughly a thousand plus wheels. That is the MUCH better route honestly!
Ok so I just went on to the Acura Canada website and compared the Elite and A-Spec and I'm shocked, the Elite is even more pointless than I thought. It doesn't have ventilated seats and only has the 12 speaker system vs the A-Specs 16 speaker system. So you're telling me the Elite removes the 16 speakers system and ventilated seats to give you heated rear seats, perimeter lights, and auto dimming side mirrors?! Wow....what in the hell were they thinking?
I guarantee Acura has identified customer “personas” — specific targeted demographics if you will— for each package. This would include price sensitivity based on customer feedback. These groups of customers tend to buy these options together, about this age range, have this much disposable income and buy these types of things on Amazon. I’m being somewhat dramatic, but not too far off actually. Sometimes they miss an item in the bundle, or it’s not clear from customer surveys or data they have, so they’ll let you buy a heated steering wheel a la cart for example. More a la cart from the factory means more complexity to manufacturing, and more cost and potential for quality issues, so there’s a balance to solve by pushing to dealerships to install (and make a nice profit, throwing them a bone too).
One thing is for sure the Elite, for you, it’s not a match of value or how you want your car. The ASpec styling tends toward a younger professional crowd maybe with a young family/maybe not, while Elite appears to be outfitted for an older crowd that halls the occasional adult couple in the back seat to dinner and a movie, they don’t want to step in puddles after the movie, or have a cold arse. They for sure don’t want red seats, prefer a softer ride, 12 speakers is fine, and cooled seats in Canada: they have the “back in my day we didn't need that kind of crap” attitude. You get my point, different strokes for different folks - and believe me segmentation is very thought out with data by the folks at Acura. Can they match everyone, no, but they’ll try to have something for most in the overall target audience for the RDX.
I guarantee Acura has identified customer “personas” — specific targeted demographics if you will— for each package. This would include price sensitivity based on customer feedback. These groups of customers tend to buy these options together, about this age range, have this much disposable income and buy these types of things on Amazon. I’m being somewhat dramatic, but not too far off actually. Sometimes they miss an item in the bundle, or it’s not clear from customer surveys or data they have, so they’ll let you buy a heated steering wheel a la cart for example. More a la cart from the factory means more complexity to manufacturing, and more cost and potential for quality issues, so there’s a balance to solve by pushing to dealerships to install (and make a nice profit, throwing them a bone too).
One thing is for sure the Elite, for you, it’s not a match of value or how you want your car. The ASpec styling tends toward a younger professional crowd maybe with a young family/maybe not, while Elite appears to be outfitted for an older crowd that halls the occasional adult couple in the back seat to dinner and a movie, they don’t want to step in puddles after the movie, or have a cold arse. They for sure don’t want red seats, prefer a softer ride, 12 speakers is fine, and cooled seats in Canada: they have the “back in my day we didn't need that kind of crap” attitude. You get my point, different strokes for different folks - and believe me segmentation is very thought out with data by the folks at Acura. Can they match everyone, no, but they’ll try to have something for most in the overall target audience for the RDX.
Best explanation yet. Applies to the U.S. market, too.
I guarantee Acura has identified customer “personas” — specific targeted demographics if you will— for each package. This would include price sensitivity based on customer feedback. These groups of customers tend to buy these options together, about this age range, have this much disposable income and buy these types of things on Amazon. I’m being somewhat dramatic, but not too far off actually. Sometimes they miss an item in the bundle, or it’s not clear from customer surveys or data they have, so they’ll let you buy a heated steering wheel a la cart for example. More a la cart from the factory means more complexity to manufacturing, and more cost and potential for quality issues, so there’s a balance to solve by pushing to dealerships to install (and make a nice profit, throwing them a bone too).
One thing is for sure the Elite, for you, it’s not a match of value or how you want your car. The ASpec styling tends toward a younger professional crowd maybe with a young family/maybe not, while Elite appears to be outfitted for an older crowd that halls the occasional adult couple in the back seat to dinner and a movie, they don’t want to step in puddles after the movie, or have a cold arse. They for sure don’t want red seats, prefer a softer ride, 12 speakers is fine, and cooled seats in Canada: they have the “back in my day we didn't need that kind of crap” attitude. You get my point, different strokes for different folks - and believe me segmentation is very thought out with data by the folks at Acura. Can they match everyone, no, but they’ll try to have something for most in the overall target audience for the RDX.
hey great post man! Really like everything you said here and fully agree. It might not make sense to me but I'm sure it makes sense to Acura. The E-P is a whole 5K more than the A-Spec or Elite so you're right, I'm certain they did some surverys and consumer studies to see who is willing to pay how much for what. I guess I am a little salty because the TLX has the A-Spec as an add on package and we were all expecting the RDX to follow suit.
Well let's see what the mid model facelift brings in. Hopefully a little reshuffling of trims and features, mayhe the Type S will be out by then too!
11-05-2018 | 12:46 PM
If that were the case I'd be driving something else.
hey great post man! Really like everything you said here and fully agree. It might not make sense to me but I'm sure it makes sense to Acura. The E-P is a whole 5K more than the A-Spec or Elite so you're right, I'm certain they did some surverys and consumer studies to see who is willing to pay how much for what. I guess I am a little salty because the TLX has the A-Spec as an add on package and we were all expecting the RDX to follow suit.