Otherbmw

I’m in the market for a CPO RDX and I test drove a 2020 Tech Package today. This was the first time I’ve driven an RDX. I’ve read a lot of reviews on the car from the usual car mags (C&D, R&T, etc). A couple initial impressions and questions. However, some background first. This is a car to replace my wife’s 2015 RAV 4 limited. I drive an Infiniti Q50 as a daily and have a 1991 Toyota MR2 turbo and a BMW 335 convertible for summer toys, so I’m not really into SUVs! I’m scouting out a few different cars (Lexus NX, Infiniti QX50) first and she’ll eventually test drive some of them herself and decide. But she’s generally not as picky as I am. We are generally looking for a step up in refinement and luxury compared to the RAV 4, but it still needs to be reliable.

First my negative impressions: I was expecting better acceleration especially compared to the RAV 4. The RDX is suppose to have a mid 6 second 0 to 60 while the RAV 4 is over 8.5 seconds. So I was expecting that they would not feel even close. Maybe it’s the throttle mapping? I had the RDX on Sport but not Sport plus during the test drive and I did not floor it. In any case, is the throttle mapping more conservative for the RDX? I know the “seat of the pants” accelerometer can be deceiving, but still.

The other area of disappointment was the road noise. The car I drove had brand new Yokohama Geolanders and I was surprised that it sounded almost as loud as the RAV4, which is a pretty loud car. None of the reviews I read said anything about cabin noise, in fact, Motortrend, had a comment on how relatively quiet the RDX is (this was a review of a pre-2022). Meanwhile, most of the same car mags ding the RAV 4 for cabin noise. I know the 2022+ has increased sound deadening so apparently it was an issue with the earlier cars.

I was actually happy with the steering and handling (for a heavy car!). And the stereo was nice for a stock unit. The car made good use of space and it comes with a lot of safety features, which is important to us.

Not sure what we are going to do but I’ll probably get the wife to test drive next and see if the things that bothered me bother her.

All in all, it’s a lot of car for the money…

Stu's2004TL

If you want a 2020 and noise is an issue, test drive an advance model. The advance package has the acoustic glass on the front, side, windows which helps the noise a bit. Plus, you get some nice options like HUD, 16 way seats, etc. etc.

jmhumr

Your impressions are pretty typical from the convo around here. The only one I’d push back on is the acceleration - I think it’s about as spirited as it gets for a non-“performance” crossover.

People have their gripes, but the RDX is a fantastic value imo. I feel like I’m gonna wish I’d bought a second one and kept it on the package 10 years from now, haha.

anoop

Noise is common complaint for the pre-refresh model years (2019-2021). MY 2022, 2023 have improved noise isolation which is much more noticeable in the Tech trim (the Advance was good even before the refresh).

Before judging the stereo make sure you have someone in the back seat listen. In the Tech model, the stereo performance for rear seat passengers is pretty bad.

There's a bit of hesitation when accelerating with the RDX and going into sport/sport plus doesn't seem to fix that. If you floor it, you will get the rubberband feel. I think this is just turbo lag.

RDX10

I would say that most of your complaints are pretty standard fare around here. I had an extended test drive or a 2019 A-Spec last summer and honestly I did not find the road noise to be very excessive IMO, but I will say the acceleration is like you said, very lukewarm.

I will add though that a very simple tune and the entire drivetrain really wakes up, and if you test drive an Advance model you might find that the noise is significantly improved. So IMO your problems are relatively easy fixes and I would focus more on things like how you liked the true touch pad, overall styling/ergonomics...etc.

I have not driven an NX (at 6'2 it looked very cramped) and I briefly considered a QX50 but the CVT and the very questionable variable compression turbo wrote that off for me, not to mention the navigation system that looks like it hasn't been updated since 2010.

If you haven't driven a Q5 yet, please do. I drove one for a few hours a couple years back while my brother's Q7 was in for service (it was a very loaded Technik model with the S-line package and the standard 2.0T/7DCT) and it was INCREDIBLE. Very very quick (0.60 is rated at 5.7s and it felt every bit as quick as that) but also incredible fuel economy. I hustled that thing for 3 whole hours and the fuel gauge did not go down! I was all around extremely impressed. But the reason I'm currently looking at an Acura RDX vs the Q5 is a few things, resale value, low cost of maintenance, ease of maintenance/repairs at home, and my perceived long term reliability as the 7DCT stuttered a lot more than I am comfortable with as well.

rdjr74

We have similar tastes. My daily is a Q50 as well and we just bought a 2020 RDX the other week for the wife. So far we like the car. I did mention the noise as well but it's not a deciding factor for us.

Rolaur

Road noise is definitely very noticeable in the 2020 RDX. I purchased an Aspec in May and just traded it in last month for a 2022 CPO Aspec SH-Awd because I couldn't stand it on the highway. HUGE difference in road noise.

Otherbmw

What’s interesting is that I must have read over 5 articles and a a few video reviews of the pre-2022 RDX and not a single one mentions road noise. I was beginning to think I was being too sensitive.

Baldeagle

The RDX is an entry level luxury SUV. To that end, it may fall short in the noise department compared to a luxury SUV. And yes, between slight turbo lag and throttle mapping, it does not have sharp throttle response. But if you floor it, the car is absolutely mid-6 seconds to 60 mph or less. The info system controls are less than ideal, but you get used to them quickly. Also, the SH-AWD cars struggle to get close to the EPA fuel estimates. Aside from those negatives, the car is amazing for the money! Its comfortable and refined. The suspension is sporty and very stable at high speeds. No car is perfect, but Acura makes a very dependable car. What does your wife prioritize in the car. My wife drives ours most of the time and is very happy we purchased it (in the year 2021) instead of a Volvo X40, Lexus NX200 or BMW X3. It’s possible those are used cars you may also consider.

MJ4RDX

I have had my 23 RDX for just a few days and I concur with your assessment whole heartedly 😊
The acceleration is very good and only the slightest turbo lag, but you have to dip into the throttle to get it. I like around town driving in normal and highway cruising in comfort. I don't like the piped in noise in sport, but the handling is very nice, but fortunately most of my younger boy racer days are behind me.
It only took a couple days to customize the infotainment system and master the steering wheel control shortcuts. Overall works fine, but the carplay integration could have been better for the touchpad, but there are ways around this. I have playlists for music and make sure destination addresses are in my calendar or preloaded in maps and minimizes the scrolling around when driving. All in all love the car and feel it is a good value for what you get, but you need to know what the value proposition is before purchase 😎

Otherbmw

She’ll have to test drive it but I think she will really like the RDX. She is use to the RAV4 (and likes it) so, if anything, the RDX will actually be a step up in noise and refinement. She doesn’t care about acceleration though she loves driving our 335 convertible (6 speed manual to boot). But that’s a whole different animal! Lol! It is true the RDX is a lot of car for the money.

The car I test drove was Lunar Silver, which is a color we both like. The only issue is that there is an accident on the carfax with no real description as to the severity. The car is Acura certified, but that doesn’t mean the accident was or wasn’t severe, as far as I know. There is a 2020 Modern Steel Tech available as well, with even fewer miles, and a clean carfax, and good service history, but I’m not sure if the Modern Steel is too dark a grey and a pain to keep clean. We’ll have to see it in person…

subiefanIL83

I have a 2021 Tech. The RDX car may be considered loud for a premium, but outside the engine note, Its the quietest car I've owned. Its a bit quieter than my previous Subaru Legacy, and far quieter than a family member's 2015 Volvo XC60 T6. I find the acceleration quite good. It think its one of those cars that's easier to drive at a more sedate pace, but if I really push into it, it will move quickly. There is a video that has a instrumented 0-60 time of 5.7 sec for it. I wonder if there may have been some tuning updates between for 2021 that may not have been present in 2019-2020. I do wish the fuel economy was better, but I was well aware of what the reality of it when I made the purchase. As nice as the European entries are, they will certainly cost more to maintain and repair in the long term.

ELIN

The on-paper fuel economy b/w a '20 RDX Tech and '15 RAV4 Limited may appear to be quite close but in reality, I expect the RAV4 to meet or exceed EPA estimates (something good from 8 sec, right?) whereas the RDX will struggle with the same.

This you will only find out over ownership and not in a simple test drive!

Texasrdx21

That's the truth. A short test ride does not tell one the real life, day to day exp.

The RDX could use a taller 9th and10th gear, so at USA highway speeds she is at lower revs. Also, a few aero tweaks to the design - to get the drag down would help with highway MPG. City mpg is just below EPA, regardless of how you drive it - its a heavy big turbo 4 cylinder (that's where it could of used a Hybrid to help).

Bonus - beyond MPG - the SHawd is a monster in rain and snow, even with stock all-season tires. My Aspec motored up hills where most 4wd vehicles were left sitting at the bottom waiting for the snow plow - while I just put it in SNOW mode and motored up a steep unplowed road with 18" of snow on it. The RDX is a sporty SUV with good comfort and capabilities. Great road tripper that swallows 600+ miles in a day solo with comfort. It's not a sports car and sits up too high for that.

Otherbmw

5.7 seconds is almost unbelievable. Even 6.5 seconds is fast for a car this heavy (isn’t it like 4000 lbs?) with a little turbo 4 banger. Like I said I didn’t really push it. I think the throttle mapping and the slight turbo lag may be at play. I’m going to test drive one more time with my wife and this time I’ll try a couple of full throttle runs (after it’s properly warmed up, of course).

hand-filer

0-60 in 5.7 is 100% fiction.

subiefanIL83

The video proof is out there.

RDX10

This is a great point and something I neglected to mention. SH-AWD is incredible. It is hands down the best AWD system I have ever had and I've had everything from conventional slip and grip systems to more sophisticated systems like X-Drive, Quattro, 4XMotion...etc. NOTHING comes even close to the handling that SH-AWD provides in slippery conditions.

Interestingly enough there were quite a few publications/independent reviewers who had the RDX pegged at 5.7s 0-60 when it first came out, but for some reason as later reviews came out that number dropped significantly to the mid 6's. It was a trend I noticed really early on but doesn't seem to be mentioned on here all that much. It makes me wonder if Acura juiced the early test vehicles.

Kia had something similar. The 2011 Kia sportage SX with the 2.0T was putting out ~6s 0-60 numbers across the board for 2011 reviews but that dropped drastically to 7.5-8s in reviews published later on that year.

I never timed the RDX I test drove obviously, but it absolutely did NOT feel like a 5.7s 0.60 vehicle whereas the 2019 Q5 absolutely did.

subiefanIL83

You might find this interesting, completely unscientific.

Baldeagle

That 5.7s 0-60 time is highly misleading. He did it at 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Air density increases by about 2% for every 10 degree F change. That implies any IC engine has about 8% more power at 30 degrees than at 70 degrees, or about 20+ more HP in the RDX's case. If that 0-60 time were altitude adjusted, it would increase to the 6-second range to 60 mph. Plus, the launch plays such a major factor in a 0-60 time. The quarter mile trap speed is a far better gauge of on the road power. The RDX traps at 94-95 mph, which is pretty quick, certainly quick enough for most drivers.

ELIN

Reminds me of the time Motortrend said the newest gen MDX was faster than the outgoing despite being heavier and w/the same exact engine!

subiefanIL83

I don't think there is anything misleading about it. Those are the results he got in those conditions and he mentioned the conditions he tested in at his location. I trust information less that has to be corrected for x, y, and z without them providing the raw data. Just provide the information for the conditions the test was done at. I know temp has an effect of engine performance. He was at the launch event for the NX and it was over 100 at that event and it was dog slow there. Its time was over 7 secs, i think close to 7.5. When he got a tester back at home, it was faster, but still slower than the RDX.

fiatlux

He was also the one to run the Type S downhill. He has no credibility at all when no other reputable magazine has reported a number anywhere close to 5.7

If you’re so confident that it’s truly 5.7, get a GPS accelerometer like a Dragy and show us.

Texasrdx21

It's pretty quick - looses steam once past 60mph. All turbos take time to "spool up and build boast". Compare that to a Tesla Model Y Performance with instant torque - that will consistently thrust you to 0-60 in 3.5-3.7 seconds. A night a day difference.

RDX10

Very interesting video and actually quite surprising. I know that the RDX has a very aggressive first gear but I'm very surprised the Q5 with the DCT didn't dust the RDX consistently throughout.

I mean the newer MDX has the 10AT vs the outgoing models horrific ZF9, so this isn't outside of the realm of possibility for me. Currently own a 2014 Jeep GC Limited with the 3.6 V6, 0-60 times are like 7.0-7.3s, im 2013 the Jeep had an older Mercedes 5AT and the same engine and the 0-60 time was like 9-9.5s. The transmission alone can make an enormous impact.

ELIN

Transmission can definitely make a difference. However, Motortrend was the only publication to note that the new gen was faster than the outgoing.

RDX10

Oh fair point then! Yeah that doesn't make a lot of sense then IMO. Isn't it C&D or Motortrend known for having some sort of weird testing algorithm? Like their 0-60 times aren't accurate because they start at 5mph or something like that. I vaguely recall reading something about that a while back.

ELIN

Can't speak for Motortrend but C&D tests each car the same way. I think you may be alluding to the "1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec." on every review. I really don't care what they do as long as they're consistent!

Otherbmw

Did they always have the 0.3 sec rollout or is that just in the last few years? Because if you look at older road test data it’s not mentioned. So either they always did it and did not start mentioning it until recently or they only started doing it recently.

RDX10

Thank you! Yes I think that's what I was thinking about but couldn't remember for the life of me where I read it. Totally agreed that consistency is key!

ELIN

I haven't been reading C&D long. I honestly only started reading reviews after getting the TLX (nearly 3 years ago).
You could be right about the rollout not being present in earlier reviews but I expect guidelines to change w/regime changes (which will be true for a lot of industries!).

0-60 is a easy metric to scrutinize but I've been focusing on 70-0 MPH braking power since I've had a recent run of heavy cars!

fiatlux

https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...hange-rollout/

subiefanIL83

Don't forget this one too. https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...g-for-weather/

Otherbmw

That was the article I was thinking of but couldn’t place. Good find!

Speaking of C&D and 0 to 60, they measured a 0 to 60 of the 2019 RDX of 6.6 sec: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...t-performance/

While for 2022 it was 6.2 sec: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...y-the-numbers/

Is the 2022 actually faster or is it due to the roll out change? Or maybe their 2019 was a pre-production model? They did mention in the article compensating for earlier results to make it more “apples to apples”.

fiatlux

This is why I find 0-60 to be a flawed metric, and 5-60 and trap speed to be superior. The problem with 0-60 is that it’s very dependent on the launch and surface condition. It’s also not particular realistic because it requires abusing the snot out of the car to squeeze out every tenth of a second. Just how many times do actual owners use launch control or torque brake or dump the clutch at 5000RPMs? I would posit that 99% of the time when people accelerate hard from a stop, they do so by simply flooring the accelerator as soon as they let off the brakes. Hence, 5-60 is much more relevant because that’s exactly what that metric is supposed to represent.

In the case with these two tests, you can see that the 5-60 times are within 0.1s (well within the margin of error) and the trap times are within 1mph. So not only are these metrics more representative of the real world use case, but they’re much more reproducible and consistent.

As explained by R&T (C&Ds sister magazine): https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/a30905608/how-0-to-60-tests-work/

Otherbmw

To your point, I own 2 manual transmission cars and I’d never subject the drive train to the “clutch dump” at high rpm these magazines do to get the best 0 to 60!

Otherbmw

A follow up to my original observations on the 2020 I test drove. What I noticed, when I test drove the 2021 RDX, that I ended up buying, was that what I thought was “turbo lag”or “throttle mapping” in the 2020 (read my original post) was virtually non-existent in the 2021. What is interesting, is that this 2021 that I bought, had a VIN that was post 5J8TC2...ML024481, i.e., post the TSB for the infamous “loss of power” and MIL flashing. This was by design, as I was looking for a late model 2021 or 2022, since I was concerned about this potential issue. Reading various posts in the forum about folks who had the issue in their early 2021 or even earlier, who had the TSB performed, which included a software update, noted a better throttle response. So either the 2020 I drove had an issue, or the software update post early 2021 really does help with the throttle response. Potential info for those looking for a used RDX. You may want to look for late VIN 2021 or 2022+…

SilverJ

Good to know. I just purchased a 2023 Aspec Advance...so, I would anticipate this not being an issue.

Otherbmw

For reference, the thread I was referring to: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-rdx-...-053-a-993593/

subiefanIL83

I'll add I just upgraded to a 2023 Tech from a 2021 tech and there were some drivability improvements even from that. The biggest thing I have noticed so far are the shifts from the transmission are consistently smoother and haven't been jerky so far.