Thoughts on 2019 RDX Advance Test Drive
 

First time poster and long time viewer. I took a test drive with the Advance model this morning. Very impressive. The first concern I had was the width with mirrors out since I have a pair of single bay 8 foot garage doors that are actually 93 inches due to trim. I measured the RDX width mirror to mirror and it is 86 inches leaving about 3 1/2 inches clearance on each side for my garage opening. My 2004 TL is 82 inches mirror to mirror for comparison. I can confirm that the Advance does not have the power folding feature for the mirror, so that option must be for Canada only. The mirror folds both way manually, so you can easily open the window as you approach the garage and fold the driver's mirror back and buy about 3 inches clearance. Enough of this detail, but I did notice it is a concern to some posters and was one of mine.

The acceleration from a stop in Sport+ mode is very quick. I actually felt a push back into the seat when the salesman had me floor it from a stop. The lane correction feature worked well. I was on the freeway and took my hands off the wheel and the car stayed within the lane lines on a gentle curve. The display of some metrics such as speed on the windshield below driving eye level is a slick feature of the Advance model. The interior is quite plush and the navigation/Apple Play/audio was intuitive, but will take some period of familiarization. I like the cargo space volume in the back with the rear seats down, The button shifting was strange to me, but I am coming from a 2004 TL with the lever. I could go on, but overall the vehicle just knocked my socks off and exceeded my expectations.

Improved AcuraWatch
 

How did the power feel when you floored it? My 1st Gen RDX Turbo power when you floor it start out like a CR-V pulling a 1500lbs trailer and roars to life and puts you back in your seat at around +2000 rpms. Is it a little smoother and linear before/after the turbo kicks in on the 19 RDX.

Response to how did the power feel when floored - The sense of power, acceleration, and sound were all in synch with no lags and and very responsive.. I don't think I would have any hesitation going down a short freeway ramp and merging into heavy 65 mph traffic.

No power folding mirrors on the top trim? Even my Odyssey has them.:toocool:

^ True... but your Odyssey surely doesn't have SH-AWD, panoramic sunroof, 20" wheels, etc...

Reading the comments about lack of certain features reminded my of when I bought a top of the line 1992 Civic EX. It had a lot of good features for its time, but it did not have a locking glovebox or a low fuel indicator light. I never thought to look to see if it had these very basic items before I bought it, since my 1984 Accord had those features. I was annoyed when I realized the Civic did not have them. It also did not come standard with any radio or speakers, but at least it was obvious it did not have those features.

Honda/Acura are really stepping up the features, but it does seem strange when a lower priced Honda has features that a higher priced Acura lacks.

Ok... So would you take the mirrors over the panoramic roof? I'd imagine most would say no. Not all... But most. Assuming price point cannot go up one cent further, I think most people would choose the glass roof. I know a few people with folding mirrors who say they couldn't care less if they had them or not.. they look cool, but they serve no purpose for them.

Me to, although I probably would not use either feature. I have had moon roofs on my cars for years, and rarely use them. I have never had retracting mirrors before, but doubt I would use then, expect for a few times right after I got the car, just to check them out.

My local Acura dealer had eight on the lot. Test drove a white with the espresso interior advance. The espresso was nice but a little too dark for my taste. I would get the parchment. Can not stress enough you need to test drive one. Pics and reviews do not do it justice. It is about the drive. It is just fun to drive. It handles great, quiet and has plenty of pep all in the comfort mode. Had to accelerate rapidly to merge on the interstate and has the power. The panoramic roof is a winner. Drove it at 11 am on a hot day with the shade wide open. No heat and was not overly bright. Must be tinted for heat reduction much more than our Lexus's. Got home at noon and we went out and slid the shade back in my Lexus ES and was overwhelmed with the heat and brightness and shut it immediately. Salesman during the drive said make a u-turn here which I did. Turning radius is incredible. I am 6:4 and had plenty of head and leg room. Alex on Auto in his review stated about the only negative was rear headroom. I sat in the back. Had to move the seat up but had plenty of headroom in the back. Acura hit a 575 foot home run. My only concern is gas mileage. I had 12 miles on trip A which I put 8 on. Half were on the highway. MPG registered 10 mpg. Really want to hear what others are getting!!!

The two features that rear passengers comment on most is the Pano and rear heated seats. I'll always have a Pano. Also love heated wheel for cold weather...never need gloves.
Have pwr folding mirrors...think I've used twice.

My test drive was brief but decisive. I noticed no significant lag. After driving multiple generations of normally aspirated Honda/Acura V6s, I was impressed by the immediate rush of acceleration. No waiting for it to "come on the cam" like old-school peaky Honda engines. Stomp it and GO!

Actually my 18' Odyssey came with 19" wheels just like the top-trim 19' RDX. My point wasn't really about comparing the two vehicles, each with a different set of target audience, and I understand that when it comes to features different people have different priorities. Personally I would take power folding mirrors over a panoramic sunroof any day. While my two-car garage has a single door so getting in is not a problem, folding the passenger side mirror allows a wider walkway between the two cars. Sure it is easy to manually fold the passenger side mirror, but it is a hassle to realize it has not been unfolded after starting to back out of the garage. I know individuals in cold climates who bought a lower trim willing to pay $$$ for the power folding mirror but it is not available as a separate option. As for a panoramic sunroof, it sounds nice but six months out of a year my rear seat passengers would be staring at the crossbars and kayak carriers. For the record, power folding mirrors are standard only on the Elite trim of '18 and '19 Odyssey, which are practically identical in price to the 19' RDX Advance, so I am not saying that the 19' RDX is missing that feature available on another Honda vehicle at a lower price point. However, there are other features standard on lower-priced Honda vehicles being up-sold on the RDX which is allegedly a "luxury" vehicle. For example, "four-door smart entry" is not available on the base (Standard) trim, you have to get at least the Technology package to have it, which is ~$9K more than the lowly Odyssey EX. But at the end of the day, features are worth only as much as one is willing to pay for them. We may replace our CR-V with an RDX at some point, but there is no rush.

I don't even use the normal size sunroof in my TLX. I really don't need such a massive greenhouse in my car in Houston TX. If I get this car I'll probably spend a ton of money tinting that thing.

Test Drive
 

Took an Advanced model for a test drive today.

Highs:
Handling (wow)
Driveline lag (minimal to none)
Looks (A-spec model)
Torque / Acceleration for the size of the engine

Lows:
Backseat headroom
Infotainment
Transmission (so-so)
Looks (Advanced model – Why is there wood in there? It’s not the 90’s)

I was absolutely surprised of how well the Advanced model drove in Sport mode. I don’t think I’ve driven a car that size that can take corners that well short of a few vehicles, namely the BMW X3 and the Porsche Macan. Acura really nailed it here. I had a few times where the transmission wasn’t in the gear I wanted it to be in, but it didn’t take away from the experience.

On the Backseat headroom, I’m 6’1”, and I couldn’t fit unless I tilted my head to the side or slouched down the seat. I’m very surprised at this one and it may be a deal breaker for me.

The infotainment… on the plus size, the visual design looks good. It’s a very sharp screen and looks very modern. Using it, however, is a bit tricky. I’m a user interface designer by trade so I’m critical on this one.

The touchpad works great for the main menu, where each icon is perfectly laid out in two rows. Once you get through the main menu, it gets more difficult. Trying to scan around the map on my test drive to get back to the dealership was a pain. I’m coming from a 3G TL with an easy-to-use touchscreen, so I feel like it’s a step backward. I understand that a screen closer to the windshield is safer, but that is completely negated when you’re focused on aligning custom touchpad finger gestures to what’s on the screen, all while driving. There were many times that I wanted to just pinch and zoom the touchscreen, but instead I had to touchpad swipe over to magnifying glass icons, go to the right one, then hit enter a couple times, which was more complex then it sounds. Still, it wouldn’t be a deal breaker, and any new owner will get used to it after practice.

Overly critical review of the touchpad aside, I was very impressed. There will be plenty of buyers for this one.

It's an attempt, I suspect, to keep the price point from ballooning. There are a lot of new or upgraded features; something had to give.