JB in AZ

deleted

hans471

Emotions sometimes overrule logic.

JB in AZ

So many insightful comments here! I am so happy to be part of such a great group of people!

It is now just over six months later....we have a possible light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel, a new administration (good or bad), new BEVs, PHEVs and Hybrids in the pipeline, or already in dealerships, and I am still thinking about my next vehicle!. I now have two years in the '19 RDX, and 30,000 miles. My average consumption is 26.45 mpg calculated. My wife's 2020 CR-V Touring is now one year old, and averaging 35 mpg, calculated.

My neighbor/friend called me last week and said they had been at the Ford dealer (they own a 2019 Fusion Hybrid) and saw the new Mach-E on the showroom floor. They were very interested in it. (they also have a 20 year old Vette convertible in excellent condition). He wanted to know my thoughts on the Mach-E, as he knows my interest in cars. As I have mentioned, not a day goes by that I don't think about cars, the ones in my garage, and the ones that are not. LOL I was very tempted to rush down there to see it in person, but instead, it watched a bunch of video reviews such as "Alex on Autos". Seems like a better choice over Tesla. But, not over the RDX! I would miss the tilt function of the driver's seat cushion. From what I have seen, the seat is power, and has memory, but doesn't have as many adjustment angles as the RDX, or even the CR-V! Many Mach-E trims have a standard moonroof, but it doesn't open, and it doesn't have a shade! Nor does it darken! I can't imagine owning a car in the desert without a shade!

I'm still concerned about BEV range, and the time it takes to find a charging station and to charge. I DO want to take road trips. In my research, I came across the VW ID-4 which is now available for order. VW gives free charging for three years. BUT, it is UGLY, inside and out (from the pictures), I generally dislike VWs, and even more so for what they did. Won't go into it now, but most people know. There are many new BEVs and PHEV coming to market. I need a crossover type vehicle. Both Mach-E and ID-4 are eligible for the Federal $7,500 tax credit.

Still, every time I drive our '20 CR-V, I am impressed at the overall package. Great mileage, many upscale features, and almost as quiet as the RDX. The ride is definitely smoother, calmer. Yeah, then I get back in the RDX and remember why I bought it.

One of my expectations of a "Luxury", or "Premium" car was a smooth, quiet ride. Probably just a bit more "comfortable" than the RDX. Lexus RX offers this, but it felt like a boat...and was THOUSNDS more expensive to get somewhat equal equipment.

I rarely keep my vehicles long term...I am always enticed by the new offerings. If I found the right replacement, I would do it now, or no longer than another 12 months, 15,000 more miles. That will put me at 45,000 miles. B2B warranty ends at 50,000 miles. Don't want to own it out of warranty

What vehicle (Crossover) now available or coming soon fits this? --> Take the RDX Advance, offer a smoother "Comfort mode", a little quieter on rough road surfaces, a bit better fuel economy, (10-15% better), an infotainment system that just works without wondering what the next glitch will be, (I am OK with the TruTouch Pad, but I now lean toward preferring a touch screen). I don't need the 0-60 times of the RDX...or that of most EV's. Fuel economy is more important to me that outright acceleration.

.

anoop

^ If Mach-E under consideration, why not the Model Y? It is more efficient (in terms of miles per KWh, probably because it's lighter, and supposedly has more comfortable seats. AoA rates seat comfort 9/10 same as for the RDX. I test drove a Model Y a few weeks ago and thought it drove amazingly well. It reminded me of old BMWs. The RDX is no match in that area. I actually found the seats more comfortable than the RDX because of the way that the seat pan is padded. It felt like it took a lot of the pressure off my lower back. Probably the only SUV in this class with more comfortable seats would be the XC60, but I haven't actually test driven that, just an observation based on a test drive of an S60 sedan a few years ago. The negatives with the Model Y are the glass roof (but many from Phoenix say this is not an issue) and I couldn't adjust the drivers side mirror to get rid of blind spots (a known issue since I found it discussed in several forums).

itsardx

I agree, RX drove like a boat, and it has the round clock on the dash, which to me is an eyesore. The infotainment looked dated and the mouse pad thing is terrible.

The NX had the worst seats by far, I test drove the fsport for 1 hour, and the bolstering on the shoulders was uncomfortable. The interiors were meh, cabin was loud. Drove like all toyotas, boring and slow.

I consider Lexus an overpriced Toyota. Comfy suspension setup, but boring to drive. Toyotas also use weird plastic bits which makes the interior look cheap. The only reason Toyota sell more cars is probably because they do fleet sales. Probably the same with Lexus.

The GLC on the other hand, was screaming luxury, super quiet interior, comfy seats and drove well. The infotainment system was much nicer to look at. The only thing I didn't like about the GLC was the use of perforated cloth like material for the panaromic sunroof shade.

Driving the RDX always puts a smile on my face and a grin while cornering, this I won't get in a CRV or a Lexus.

Madd Dog

I am hearing a lot of not good things about EV-go and other non-tesla chargers.

Tesla has the charging infrastucture, so now, were I getting an EV, it would be Tesla.

we drive from NY to FL every year, so I sketched out a trip: We can go as far on one charge as we usually go before a lunch stop. At the interim bathroom break, we would pull into either a Jersey tpk stop or a Maryland House stop and get what we can for the 15-20 minutes. Lunch is longer, so we would get more juice from a supercharger, enough to get to our hotel. We always stay at either a Hilton or a Marriott on the road, so we could easily find one with a destination charger. Rinse and repeat. Tesla nav tells you where their chargers are, but VW does not.

I can only get level 1 charging in my garage, but there is a supercharger less than a half mile away. Walking distance.

For my needs, the charging infrastructure is mucho importante.

JB in AZ

I guess what got me started on this today, is the April Consumer Reports Issue, and the low rating the RDX was given, both as a purchase choice, and for predicted reliability. It hurts when my pride and joy vehicle, one that I had long hoped to be able to own, and finally did (not the RDX in particular, but a premium/luxury brand that ended up being the RDX) is rated much worse than a Ford Edge, as an example. And many of the "upscale" features I enjoy are now available on vehicles costing thousands less. I don't take CRs word as gospel, but I have to say, the trouble areas they reported for the Gen 3 RDX sure seem accurate.

I guess it is an old story, you aspire to attain something, and when you get there, you realize it is a disappointment. Sometimes the anticipation of something is greater than the thing you are anticipating, I guess. And now there is another fuel pump TSB/recall (whatever!). I won't say I made a big mistake buying the RDX. If I felt I did, it would have been gone a long time ago. I do enjoy it, but it is probably more vehicle than I needed. I don't need the amazing handling, as I rarely drive on roads where I could enjoy it. I don't need the great acceleration, I am mostly a conservative driver these days.

I have now read the April issue of CR front to back, more than once, and honestly, I can't find a "premium" vehicle I would rather have that comes in with an MSRP under $50k. As I mentioned in my earlier post today, I will likely keep this another year, but I am hoping I will find a better fit next time...I may be running out of years to enjoy driving..

Sorry guys! Guess I am a bummer today...Certainly out of character for me. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who has questioned a vehicle purchase, after the fact. Thanks for reading.

Jim7707

I'm thinking about replacing my 2016 RDX and have an appointment to test drive a Model Y a week from Tuesday now that I'm fully vaccinated and can venture out in relative safety. Over the last.year I've had more than enough time to research vehicles. I've come to the conclusion that unless I'm making giant leap in tech there really isn't compelling reason to get rid of my RDX.

The Mach-E is interesting. I think it is better looking than the Model Y and the interior is more conventional which may or may not be a plus depending on the person. I would be a little apprehensive about a first year model especially since this is Ford's first mainstream BEV. The problem I have with the Mach-E and all other BEV's at this point is their charging network. Nothing even comes remotely close to Tesla's Supercharger network in terms of locations, convenience, reliability and high kW chargers (at this time). But with adaption of more and more non-Tesla BEV's it will be forced to grow and improve quickly.

But I'm an almost perfect candidate for a BEV. The vast majority of my trips are local on county and city roads with speeds generally of 35-50 which is ideal for consumption. I seldom do road trips but they are quite doable if needed. I enjoy fast cars with loads of instant torque. And the real kicker for me is my photovoltaics produced about 5500 kWh of excess power last year which I end up selling back the the utility for few pennies per kWh. So I've got enough free power for 2x-3x the amount of driving I do every year.

anoop

Some things actually provide a lot of satisfaction for me. The first car that I bought new (1998 Civic EX, butter smooth manual transmission and simple elegant interior) and second car that I bought new (2003 325i base model, handled like it was on rails) provided immense satisfaction. Both were things that I couldn't afford earlier in my life. The satisfaction wore off with the Civic, but never for the BMW. Subsequent cars (2014 328i, 2015 328i, and RDX) have all been relatively disappointing. I got the RDX because I had a bad back, needed an SUV, and thought Acuras were bullet proof reliable. My expectations were relatively low on the driving pleasure and design front (sort of like what I'd expect from a rental car), so while I'm not disappointed, I'm also not attached to it like I was to my 2003 325i.

fiatlux

The problem with luxury cars today is that historically they've separated themselves from mainstream cars with the feature-set and technology that they pack in. 20 years ago this was totally viable because the gap between luxury and mainstream was so big, but today it's no longer the case when you have Hyundais and Kias that can be equipped with the same features and tech you find on higher-end luxury cars. Anybody who buys a car for the tech and plans to hold onto it for a long time will likely be disappointed in just a few years. So what else separates luxury from mainstream? Performance is one aspect, but only if you go big on power. Qualities like low NVH, refinement, a solid tank-like feeling, and a superior soft-product (customer experience) still separates luxury from mainstream, but unfortunately Acura isn't known for excelling in any of those categories.

Madd Dog

I chased BMWs since the 2002. It was always out of reach. The 2002 was totally out of the question. When I was working and could afford my own car, I got a Toyota Celica. The BMW was 50% more. And so it went. By the time I could afford one in the way I wanted, I was commuting 90 miles a day into the inner city. No way to treat a bimmer.

So when I retired, I bought a 535i through European Delivery, and it and the experience was everything I wanted it to be. This car replaced that one. It would have cost $70K to set up another BMW the way I would have wanted to, and I could not justify that.

Trapped in my own frugality.

JB in AZ

Similar story here. A very close friend, actually a year or two younger, bought a 2002Tii, in '73 or '74, I forget. I was so so jealous, but it was out of reach for me. I also bought a Celica. LOL Over the years, I fell out of love with Bimmers, but having been a mostly Toyota family for many of the following years, I put Lexus on my radar. For years! When the time was right (Dec 2019) I first drove the RX and NX and came away very disappointed. So I guess part of my frustration now with the Gen 3 RDX is that it wasn't really on top of my radar. It was on my list to test drive. It is a very good compromise. I really like the RDX, but I am getting weary of the TSBs, recalls, OTAs that fix some things, but break other things. etc. Granted, I have no idea how other brands are faring in this area, and I am not actively looking yet, just watching some video reviews.

This group is very important to me, and I appreciate all comments, maybe they will help get my thinking back in line!

Thank you Madd Dog! Appreciated!

hans471

JB, don't over think this thing. Car makers keep pushing up on their models to add every feature, needed or not, to please more people. You know that years ago Henry Ford refused to change his Model T because he felt it was the only car that would ever be needed. He once said, "You can have any color you want as long as its black". But he actually had good reasons to make it "standard", and it had everything to do with price and quality goals. He talked about the "5%" group who always wanted more and more vrs. the 95% who just wanted the car and accepted it the way it was. Car makers spend millions of dollars every year convincing us that we really do want and need the new model they just brought out with all these wonderful features.
Read this little article on what Ford said one hundred years ago about this. It has a lot of truth in it still today:

What Henry Ford thought

markAZ

JB & Mdd Dog...Familiar story here. I was into German cars for a long time but could never come close to affording one. In about 1975 I managed to buy a 1970 2002 with an auto transmission, yet. It was great car even with the auto trans. Shortly thereafter my mother bought a used 2002, a 1974 IIRC, with 120k miles on it. I thought she made a huge mistake but it also turned out to be a great car. She put about 50k miles on it and traded it for a new 1976, the last year they were made. It was OK but she had lots of problems with it, mostly with carb. She only kept it a couple years. Then in 1990 or so I acquired a 1968 1600. It was also a great car, I used it for my daily commute for several years. Great cars, I wish I'd kept one.

When we got where we could afford it, we traded our 2008 CR-V for a 2014 RDX and really liked it. We had looked at BMW and Mercedes and others but the RDX always seemed to cme out ahead on price vs. features. We got the new car itch again last fall and started looking again. The BMW and Mercedes were just too expensive for what we wanted. We did test drive a Lexus RX350 but came away disappointed. Nice car but reminded me of the big land yachts of the 70s & 80s plus it was several kilobucks more than the RDX for the seame features. So, the choice was obvious. We could have afforded any of the others but they just didn't see to be worth the extra

Is the RDX a 'luxury' car? Who cares? It's luxurious to us and it's probably lots more car than we need. It has way more do-dads than we'll ever use, the infotainment system is fine altho a bit awkward to use. I don't drive like I used to 30 yr ago but I do appreciate the SH-AWD and others 'performance' stuff so its plenty sporty for me and my wife drives like one of those little old ladies you hate to be behind so none of that matters to her. It may well be our last car but we're happy with it. We bought it in mid-October and just recently hit 1800 miles but hope to do some road trips this summer & fall if the the virus stuff settles down more.

Anyway, my $0.02 worth (if that much)...

acuraada

JB,

Totally understand your thoughts here. I think we had a thread going comparing to Mazda CX-5. It had almost all of the features of RDX for almost 10k less (minus the HP and a little less cargo capacity). On paper, it has all the feature checks I was looking for and top reliability rating from CR. I even test drove it couple of times. The overall feel of the car, everything from driving dynamics to cabins, just aren’t on par with RDX. RDX felt more “luxury” than CX-5 and rightfully so with the extra costs. It’s the same feeling when I compare RDX to its German Competitors that cost similarity extra.

However, you are absolutely right that the desire to drive or enjoy driving might be running out. My two past cars are MB and BMW, I no longer care about number of seconds on 0-60 nor fine Napa leathers since I straddle little ones in the back. When I drive alone, I get to enjoy a bit more and the SH-AWD puts a smile on my face. Could I have been happier with GLC or X5 or Q5? Maybe. Would we be dealing with issues and recalls with them? You bet (although my 10 year old GLK faced less recalls and issues than the RDX). At the end of the day, Acura is a value luxury brand and it’s products truly reflect so. In almost every category, it costs thousands of dollar less than it’s German or Japanese counterparts with the same features.

My next car will be an EV, Tesla MY to be exact. As soon as the federal subsidiary is back, I’m ordering one.

Best of luck!

JB in AZ

Maybe it's the color? I have a white RDX. It's a boring color. My preferred color was red, but none were available when I bought. Perhaps IF my RDX was red, I would be happier with it??? I just saw the picture supafamos posted...beautiful! Even on a dreary, wet day.

JB in AZ

Thanks for the thoughts, acuraada! Sincerely appreciated.

I agree about the CX5. It tries to be in the premium space, and does offer a higher quality "feel" than, oh say the RAV4, which doesn't. The RAV seems to be two classes below the CX5 in fit and finish and overall quality feel. The RAV may be reliable, but don't talk about how it feels to drive! My son recently bought a new CX5, not the Turbo, and it does have a nice tight quality feel to it, but I agree, not RDX level...and it is definitely smaller inside.

I am not a fan of EVs, yet. (When you say Tesla MY, do you mean Model Y?) From what I hear, both in the press and from a friend who owns a Tesla, I suspect I would not be happy with reliability...fit and finish, creaks and rattles...and Musk's oversight in everything. Just me, and just now, but that could change, I suppose. Side note, I don't think I have seen any interesting colors on Teslas. Not to rain on your parade, acuraada, but Teslas all seem to look the same, yes, some taller, some bigger, but they all look like a blob to me. My opinion, and I am truly sorry! The Mach-E may not look like a Mustang, but it does look different!

I like Hybrids, and would embrace a plug-in hybrid. It seems that currently, "Hybrids" and "premium, or luxury" are words that don't play in the same arena, outside of the Toyota/Lexus universe. I guess Lincoln does make a Corsair Hybrid. There are performance Hybrids, which is not my thing. To me, a Hybrid should provide normal acceleration, but better fuel economy than the ICE version. (We previously owned new 2007 and new 2009 Camry Hybrids, that provided both better mpg than the standard ICE 4 cyl Camry, and much better acceleration) I understand the desire for acceleration, but I would lean toward fuel savings over speed. I guess most Premium/Luxury buyers don't care about fuel usage. I do. I keep chasing the elusive 30 mpg as a standard. No idea why, as 27 mpg vs 30 mpg doesn't make a dang bit of difference, and I am not a member of the Sierra Club.

I MAY go have a test drive of the Lincoln Corsair, but with questionable reliability, and a higher price than the RDX, I am doubtful it will make me feel any better.

Another side note: I/we enjoy an opening moonroof, which seem to be none-existent on EVs. Sadly, they may be a disappearing item.

fiatlux

There are plenty of luxury plugin hybrids that aren't performance-oriented. GLC350e, X3 30e, 330e, 530e, X5 45e, Q5 PHEV, etc.

JB in AZ

Heh! Yes! I guess I should have said "excluding the Germans brands"! And I should have mentioned a price target when referring to Hybrids. I will do some more research today.

Thanks for reminding me that there are other possibilities.

fiatlux

For non-German options, the next-gen Lexus NX will be coming out with a plugin hybrid with the same powertrain as the RAV4 Prime. Given that the RAV4 Prime is currently waitlisted with $5000 dealership markups, I expect the NX450h+ to be incredibly hot. My friend bought his for "only" a $3000 markup and he thought he got a hell of a deal.

JB in AZ

Yes, I am anxious to see the new NX, I thought the RX is also up for renewal, it is getting old.

I will never pay above MSRP for a vehicle. Especially a RAV4! (I would hate driving that by the second day of ownership, and would likely have to be committed Madness, I tell you. The dealers probably counter with "you will get a $7,500 tax credit" So what?

fiatlux

MSRP is just an arbitrary value that the automakers place on a car. Ultimately, the market speaks, and if buyers think a car is worth more, then it's worth more. And if they think it's worth less, then it's worth less. In the case of the RAV4 Prime, even with a markup, once you factor in the $7500 federal tax credit and any state incentives (in CA that's $1500 plus another $1000 plus any local incentives) it can end up being cheaper than the regular hybrid. That means either the regular hybrid's MSRP is grossly overpriced for the market, or the plugin hybrid's MSRP is grossly underpriced.

JB in AZ

Yes, I understand this, but I still will not pay over MSRP.
If I have reservations about my RDX, imagine how I would feel about a RAV4! (We did test drive one a year ago before buying our CRV) CRV Hybrids were JUST out and commanding over MSRP at the time...Now 10% off MSRP is being reported.

I walked next door to the the Toyota dealer when I was having the first service on our '20 CR-V last week. RAV4 Hybrids had MSRPs over $40,000! IIRC, I saw one over $41,000. Didn't see any Primes. Eyeballed the new Venza, non-opening moonroof.

fiatlux

That's because the RAV4 Prime is selling before they even hit the lots. The waitlist around here is huge. The reason my friend got a "deal" on his was because he lucked out when the original buyer backed out (backed of a non-refundable deposit no less) on the last day of the month and none of the other buyers at the top of the wait list they called wanted the color or were able to come in with the money before close of business.

anoop

My guess is he got the deposit back. They always say non-refundable to deter frivolous orders but they give it back when the order is cancelled.

JB in AZ

xandr115 said it best: "...the sunroof popping... sigh. Yes... a bit surprised and disappointed at how many odd things have crept in w/ this car. It's saving grace is that it's a blast to drive"

Except, for me, the "blast to drive" has dimmed.

GW208

We keep our cars for a long time and purchased our Advance thinking it would most likely be our last new vehicle. The RDX is perfect in so many ways for us, from the interior room, power, feature set, overall size and a very conveniently located dealer for any service needs. We've also had almost none of the various problems that have been talked about here on the forum other than a few infotainment hiccups and we don't use that enough for it to be an irritation. Our one and only complaint is what to us is the excessive road noise and we've pretty much come to the conclusion that it's not something that we're going to be willing to live with for the next 10-15 years.

What we would like to find is something in the RDX's size range but with a much quieter ride, a bit smoother ride would also be nice. I've been watching some Alex on Auto's videos and he likes the direction Lincoln is going with their Corsair and Nautilus models as far as ride goes so we will be looking at those. The Genesis GV70 will be worth a look also when it comes out. I guess we owe it to ourselves to test drive the Lexus to but damn that grill is hard to get past.

JB in AZ

I don't have a problem with the Lexus RX grill...When I test drove them before settling on the RDX two years ago, I found the touchpad worse than the RDX (they now have a touch screen) and the ride was in fact smoother and quieter, but it felt bigger and ponderous. Not to mention the much higher price comparably equipped to the RDX.

I am also thinking about the Corsair, but CR's projected reliability is not good.

acuraada

Yes, Tesla is not known for changes to their exterior. So their model S remains relatively similar (except for some facelift) through out the years. I’m more into angular shape (current gen X3/RDX) but what sold me was the technology (not just EV but all of it) and driving dynamics of the car. Tesla for me is “don’t judge the book by it’s cover” type so no offense taken there. I had the model Y overnight and almost purchased one when I returned the car... but frugality got to me so now I will wait for that rebate.

anoop

if the rebate happens they might bump up the price of the car with it.

hans471

JB said:
"I don't have a problem with the Lexus RX grill...When I test drove them before settling on the RDX two years ago, I found the touchpad worse than the RDX (they now have a touch screen) and the ride was in fact smoother and quieter, but it felt bigger and ponderous. Not to mention the much higher price comparably equipped to the RDX.
I am also thinking about the Corsair, but CR's projected reliability is not good."

Well, I about barf every time I have to look at the front of the Lexus RX. Its like this big mouth wide open scooping up stuff off the road.
As for the ride, handling and "feel" of the RX, that also is a major turn off for me. I spent a few years of my youth running around those mountain roads in Germany in my Porsche and a upgraded Fiat 124. After that I just could no longer drive a land barge Those Lexus "land barges" will never feel rightto me!
As for the little Ford EV, well the jury is still out on those but they seem to have more than their share of quality issues. Of course, that could change....maybe.....

JB in AZ

I my youth, I also loved to race around mountain roads, and made many "handling" upgrades to my cars here in the US. Bilstein or Koni shocks, rear anti-sway bars, etc. Those cars today would be considered land barges. A 1968 Olds 442, a 1970 Camaro, to just name two. My first "imported" car was a '73 Celica. Twenty some years ago, we bought a new 2000 Toyota Avalon XLS. It was a very quiet car with a very smooth ride, but it floated like a land barge. The RXs I drove prior to buying the RDX were not as bad as that.

Now, perhaps due to all the pandemic stresses and other personal and world affairs, I want a quiet calm place to enjoy when I drive. Sometimes, I will even drive with the audio system off. Everywhere I go, it seems that people are in a huge hurry now. As an example, on a four lane 45 mph road this past weekend, I thought I was "pushing it", and I was going 50 mph. LOL I was being passed by many...who were likely going 55-60 mph. And when I get to the next traffic light, guess who is there? I used to push the speed envelope as far as I could, and sometimes paid for it. Now, I set the ACC at 4 or 5 mph over, and I drive mostly stress free, never having to look for LEOs ahead, or in the mirror.

I'd like something the basic size of the CR-V or the RDX, with the features of the RDX, the smoother road feel of the CR-V, and perhaps, acceleration somewhere in between, although I find the acceleration of the CRV to be fine. It seems to me that our '20 CRV is much quieter than the '18 CRV we traded for the RDX. The '20 has the exact same tires as the RDX, the 19" Continentals, vs the 18" Hankooks on the '18 CRV . As the '20 CRV was a mid-cycle refresh, it is possible that Honda added some more sound insulation. My opinion: while tires do make a difference, it is also the suspension designs that transmit some of that tire noise into the cabin, and the better handling vehicles will have stiffer suspensions/bushings etc. that will transmit more road/tire noise into the cabin. I am not versed in suspension design, so I may be all wet here, but it seems logical.

I can probably count on two hands the times I have used more than half of the accelerator pedal travel in either the RDX or the CRV in the last three years.

I may go out today and test drive the Lincoln Corsair, which is available as a 2.0T, 2.3T, a Hybrid, and I think, a Plug in Hybrid.

I don't think I could get myself to buy a Nissan, but the new Rogue seems to offer many of the upscale features of the RDX, that are missing on the current CRVs. But it is a first year vehicle, and a Nissan. Perhaps the next Gen CRV will have to go a bit more upscale to compete? When is it due?

With this all said, in all honestly, I guess I foresee no changes at this time to the cars in my garage, as I don't really think the vehicle (that I think) I want exists. 26 months ago I choose the RDX for a reason, it was the closet to my needs/wants that existed. I think it probably still is.

markAZ

JB, I'm the same way. I sometimes (but rarely) find myself actually driving a few mph below the speed limit. I think maybe we're just getting old (I'm 72).

GW208

That's too funny hans, my first thought of the front end is always the Darth Vader mask and then maybe the cowcatcher on a train locomotive. I have to believe that most people are buying them in spite of the look and not because they find it attractive.

hans471

Darth Vader mask! Yelp, that one fits too! My Acura dealer told me they had a lot of customers who came in to look as they were so turned off by that awful front end on the Lexus. I have little doubt that many don't like that front end and just tolerate it as they want a Lexus. From what I have read on the Lexus discussion boards that is true. Many of the Lexus fans there put off buying a new RX350 or other Lexus as they couldn't live with that snout.

Nates NJTL

JB, I've had many Honda and Acura products. When the RDX redesign came out in '19, I drove one a few months after the product was available. Something about it didn't feel right, could not put my finger on what it was. Over the years, have seen quality in general drop. Bought a used 2017 instead. I drove the CRV at the same time as I drove gen 3 RDX.and loved it but there was early chatter about oil consumption of the 1.5T engine. At the time, I thought the CRV was nicer than the 2nd gen RDX. Just online the other day looking at CRV again, know what is cool, the sonic gray pearl paint (at least on the hybrid model). I also see that with the hybrid EXL, you get the LED headlights and heated steering wheel (no NAV though). On the regular model, you have to go up to the touring package. I look a lot at the crash test info. CRV gets top ratings from both IIHA and NHSTA. The current RDX doesn't do as well. I am kicking around a 2020 MDX. With the loyalty and additional $5500 discount if you finance (pay off early to avoid int charges) there are some good deals to be had. Its big, does well in crash tests and its a bit dated but a good value if you want a larger vehicle. Certainly not sporty in any way shape or form.

JB in AZ

Thanks for the comments, Nates NJTL! While I do tend to be frugal, I have learned my lesson regarding buying something because it is a "good deal". I have certainly bought items at a county fair, etc. that seemed too good to be true, and they were a waste of money...They ended up in the trash/recycling. No big loss, but can't do that with a $50,000+ vehicle!

I agree with you regarding the CR-V being a nicer car, in many ways, than the Gen 2 RDX. I have had a 2018 CR-V (traded in for the RDX) and now a 2020 CR-V sits next to the RDX in our garage. The MDX is just too big for me. Honestly, most of the time it is just myself and my wife. I still have my eye on a CR-V Hybrid. No ventilated seats, no HUD...I COULD go on and on...LOL Do I need all the "stuff"??? My Advance is a very nice vehicle, and has all the stuff. It just requires more trips to the dealer for TSBs, etc. than almost any other vehicle I have owned.

I don't currently know what I am going to do, but one thing I DO know is will not make an impulsive decision.

JB in AZ

Update...I have done much research, discussing with friends, and thinking, and I have concluded that there isn't a vehicle currently available that meets my needs better than my RDX (as I wrote in post #112 above). And that, my friends (and I mean this sincerely) is why I bought it to begin with. MOST of the issues that I/we are experiencing are most likely more annoying than true reliability issues. Sure we all expect 100% perfection, but that, I think is a pipe dream.

One more point, we each have different tolerances for vehicular issues.

Thank you all!

Madd Dog

For me, the annoying niggles have subsided. My infotainment system has not crapped out on me in months.

My auto stop start hasn’t worked in months either, but I can live with that.

anoop

That's a bummer. I really appreciate having it kick in a long traffic lights.