This is a solid point JB. That would be a nice little upgrade option. The current BSI is OK and usually it gets my attention, but to have an indicator in the mirror itself would be a cool addition. I mean, the mirror is where we all initially look at when we're ready to change lanes, amirite? On my TSX I've attached a 2" round glass convex mirror for wide angle viewing on my side mirror. I enjoy that little extra security of actually seeing that car beside me. I can't tell you the countless times that little 2" mirror has saved my car from a blind spot accident. I may invest $6.99 for another small one for the RDX...

 

I wonder if it depends on whether you do MOST (Mirror, Over-the-Shoulder, Signal, Turn) or SMOG (Signal, Mirror, Over-the-Shoulder, Go) when changing lanes. I too at first wished for the BSI to be on the mirror itself, but after a while I realized that it's actually a little more convenient for me to have the BSI on the inside because I was taught the SMOG order. With the BSI mounted on the inside, I can see the light out of my peripheral vision, so if there's a car in my blind spot I can avoid unnecessarily putting on the turn signals (and possibly scaring the other driver next to me).

 

I like having the Nav as a rolling map.

If I really need to get somewhere, it is Apple (getting better, I like the traffic light info and Siri has improved. ) or Google (best for routing, IMO) or Waze, for the cops.

But I like having that rolling map up there for no hit to my data, and no need to plug in my phone

 

fiatlux:
Oh, man you're taking me back a million years ago in Drivers Ed (when it was an actual class in high school and with the movie-screened driving machines) LOL but yea - I was taught SMOG. Although this is my first SUV (CUV?) it's a much larger blind spot than my TSX. With the 2" convex on my TSX side mirror it is MOST. So with the RDX it's SMOG because I cannot get a quick visual like I do with the T.

 

I never hear of SMOG until I heard a Bill Engvall bit. His daughter said a minor fender bender he had would have been avoided if he used SMOG. His response was how about this one..SUIT, shut up ignorant teenager!

 

For me, the inside indicators are just not bright enough, as we have bright sunshine almost every day of the year. The Indicators on my wife's 2020 CR-V are fine, but the ones inside the RDX are much dimmer. I dunno....

 

I get the feeling that almost nobody does "over the shoulder." Like whenever I'm driving with someone and I look over my shoulder, people think it's weird. I think that's actually why most people rely on a BSI, although I understand there's some degree of the SUV being higher up than a sedan. I will say that when I had just gotten the RDX I apparently almost collided with a sedan without knowing it, but I think it wasn't my fault. I had checked on an open left lane next to me and signaled and merged, but this retarded guy some distance behind me simultaneously accelerated hard into that lane. I felt bad about that for like a second and then I was like "oh, well, that's your problem. Hope you enjoyed slamming on the brakes."

 

Blind spot light only works with speeds over 20mph? I dont get that. Is should work for all speeds like my previous car.

 

I would have paid $1000 to have a pano roof delete.

 

That's another one. It has a useable tank that is a full 2gal lower than listed in the materials to protect the DI system. It does not impact my daily driving but it's annoying.

 

I would have paid more for a custom colour or limited editon colour or higher end more upscale paint job

 

Well, Acura has an orange RDX just for you!

Good point thought. I wish Acura had branched off of the Honda color palette. Kinda is a let down when your car is the exact same color as that ugly Honda minivan that just pulled up next to you at the stop light, haha.

 

please stop with this hypothetical BS

 

I think we all understand that Acura will never read this thread and make changes, but I personally like to see other owners opinions on what they’d like (or not like) to have in this vehicle. If nothing else, at least it contributes to keeping the forum active.

 

Agree! There was a thread on another forum I frequent titled, "what one thing would you want changed" Or something like that. Very enlightening.

 

Folding mirrors, (already paid plenty for Advance). Should not have to pay extra to get things that work like infotainment. Ditto the hideous and even insulting mode control knob. Console is useless and you have to be a circus level contortionist to use the tiny bin at rear of console. Trade the touchpad for a few well thought out knobs, buttons or switches. Not sure why I paid more for less performance and terrible mileage. I use the same driving style in my 18 MDX and the mileage is about 20% better!!! HUD is fantastic in ADV package. Needs to be across the board. I think it is a true safety asset.

 

How about instead of paying more, it would have been nice to have decent QC when paying the amount of money we did for creaks, rattles, clicks and other interior noise.

 

There's only one logical reason, but I'd probably get banned for saying it out loud.

 

I've test driven and had loaners. It really is a fun modern vehicle but it needs two things:
1) Slightly more powerful engine. Enough to get 0-60 around 6 flat at worse and 5-60, 30-50, and 50-70 metrics at least that of the 2G V6.

2) MUCH MORE SOUND INSULATION. The road noise is TERRIBLE for a "luxury" vehicle.

Had they fixed these I would have EASILY bought a SHAWD Advance. EASILY. I've always liked the 2G RDX.

I bought a 1G TLX at a great discount to tide me through to Genesis GV70 or RDX MMC if they can address these two items.

 

Honestly I would strongly encourage those who have issues with the road noise and high NVH for this "luxury" vehicle to contact Acura Client Relations, management at the local dealer, and any corporate Acura contact.

NOW is the time to contact people with influence, impact, or authority if we want less road noise in the MMC.

 

I wrote 3 letters to Acura corporate looking for a solution to the noisy rear shock issue that was prevalent on the 2013 RDX. They showed no interest in resolving the issue.
That car taught me the importance of taking an extended test drive and not having the distractive yapper salesman come along for the ride.
Gen 3 should have been significantly improved in terms of NVH improvements among other things. Sadly not the case.

 

I sent my entire review to Acura so they know what I like and don't like. Noise was one of the issues.

Features I like:

• Seat comfort.
• Headlight intensity -- illuminates the road very well.
• Quality of materials.
• Interior and exterior design.
• NSX inspired shifter/center console.
• Steering, handling, power.
• Ride comfort.
• Cap-less fuel filler.
• Option to reset trip computer on refuel.

Features that are OK but that could be improved:

• Gauges could be made less busy. No need for km/hr and mph at the same time in a digital speedometer.
• When switching between displays in the center, it would be better if they didn't shrink, then switch back to normal size after a delay. And re-do the information to be less wordy.
• Better ambient lighting. Map lights feel underpowered.
• Change to a touchscreen infotainment. Existing setup is prone to hunting unless you look at the screen and at the touch pad, which means we're not paying attention to the road.
• Better implementation of rear camera. Currently unusable in rain, leave camera on for a few seconds when switching from R to D, more accurate guidelines (lines don't match up with the where the car's wheels are). (Advance trim would help with rain since it has a camera washer.)
• Move the BSI (blind spot indication) from the A pillars to the mirrors.
• Road departure warning is overly sensitive, especially on internal roads.
• Lane keep assist doesn't work very well. It keeps asking for the driver to take control.
• Quality control issues. Several rattles and issues with the audio system.
• Interior could be quieter. I registered 90+ dB on the highway using the Decibel X app on my iPhone. The quietest cars register somewhere in the mid 60's. (Advance trim would help since it has acoustic side glass.)
• MPG. Fortunately gas prices are muted and will likely remain that way as more cars switch to hybrid/electric drivetrains.
• No way to turn the headlights off when the car is moving in the evening.
• The chrome pieces on the steering wheel, but especially on the center stack, can sometimes, depending on how the sun is hitting it, reflect blinding light directly into the driver's eyes. Should be replaced with something non-reflective.
• Rear visibility, especially the sides is very poor.

Problems I have had with the car

• Crackling speakers: Intermittent problem that I noticed since the car was new. Not fixed.
• Squeaky tailgate: Happened around 5000 miles. Fixed under warranty.
• Whistling when engine starts or shuts: Happened around 7000 miles. Fixed under warranty TSB.
• Infotainment will prompt for update even though no update is available. Fixed in D1.2.1.
• Rubber lining near the tailgate lock has a gap. Fixed under warranty by adjusting the lining.
• Ticking sound when starting the engine. Intermittent problem. Fixed under warranty by adjusting the PCM bracket.
• Numerous rattles all over the interior started to appear after about a year. Not fixed.
• When starting on a trip from home the infotainment system booted up and threw an error "Unfortunately, AcuraLauncher has stopped". Did not happen again on the return trip. Not fixed.
• Received recall notice from Acura to replace the fuel pump motor.

 

WOW. This does not sound like a reliable or "luxury" vehicle. I can see why people buy it - it is sporty and fun on an initial test drive, but seems more difficult to live with. Glad I passed. All the reliability issues sound like Audi, except Audi would have better road noise and rattles.

 

Eh, read forums with a grain of salt. I feel bad for people who regret their purchase, but there are 150k RDX owners in the US compared to a handful of folks here that regularly gripe about noise and build quality. I’ve been obsessively researching the RDX and can honestly say the only truly widespread complaints were early infotainment software, which was since fixed with an update, and disappointing fuel efficiency, which appears to be self-inflicted by some drivers, and the stalling issue which is TBD. Everything else, as they say, is “in the noise” or has been adequately addressed via recall/TSB.

My experience researching other cars I’ve cross-shopped is often quite different. Some cars have hordes of owners going online to voice their angst over a car’s major flaws. That’s a true red flag.

Also, German cars are not without their rattles and quirks. We’d all like a perfect car for $45-50k, but they just don’t exist.

 

Yeah, it's irritating to read people's reviews on anything online. If you go to websites to buy things, it'll be like the first 50 reviews will be low ratings and complain about how bad the product is. And then you go "oh, cool, that's helpful to know" and go to the next one ...AND IT'S THE SAME DAMN PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING. There's a certain number of people who are just pains in the asses for companies who complain about everything. And that's too bad because they make it to the point where if they do have a legitimate gripe or point nobody cares because of all the other 5000 times they were just making stupid complaints. I don't know if that makes them feel self-important like "look at what a great product tester I am, someone should pay me money for this!" and they think that everyone else is beating off to their review.

 

BTW, this was a fairly good assessment, although I've had essentially none of the problems listed. The only thing I have is the brake squeal just came back in October once temperatures got cold. The "could be improved" things are true but not really important to me. The interior lighting is pretty useless, although I also don't ever use it and I'm pretty sure nobody is reading maps at night anymore. The "turn off headlights" thing was something I noticed and initially wondered about, but the only people who need to be driving around at night without headlights on are stalkers or cops, so whatever. My backup camera works fine at night, unless it's totally pitch black with no starlight or moonlight. I agree with the poor rear visibility, but I guess that's what all the sensors are for. But, yeah, I've almost collided with people (apparently, according to my sensors).

 

A couple here and there, ok, but I've had over a dozen. And it's not an isolated incident with numerous complaints with a forum without much participation. I don't see more than a handful of contributions, with many new members coming to inquire about issues they have, along with tacking on the interior quality as being subpar. That doesn't include the people who couldn't be bothered to come onto a forum to gripe about build quality.

 

Replace the trackpad with a touch screen or give the option of a touchscreen.

 

I only had RDX as a loaner on 2 occasions. One time we had it for almost a week, while our TL was in service. My biggest gripe with the new RDX is the infotainment and the trackpad. Even after a week it wasn't any easier to use and felt very clunky. I wish the RDX had touch screen instead of that stupid trackpad, the 4-cylinder sounds and the overall acceleration were also a bit of a let down given the HP numbers. Everything else seems mostly OK and acceptable. We had Tech package on both occasions, so cant comment on features that are Advanced specific.

 

I give my RDX 9 of 10. The navigation graphics are primitive and awful. Luckily I use Waze on Carplay with great success.

I would have paid more if I had to (got about 8k under MSRP).

 

Ironically I don't find a lot of issues with the interior, except for certain design notes. I.E., virtually unusable center console, stupid touchpad idea, silly barely accessible bookshelf under what should be a console, virtually no interior storage except under the floor in the rear. The huge knob that one barely uses to select driving modes is but a tiny flush mounted switch in my 18 MDX. My MDX and my turbo S Porsche get about the same mileage.....23-25 on the highway. I get about 20-21 in the RDX. My Porsche weighs about the same as the mdx but has a bit of a performance advantage, getting up to 60 in about 2.5 seconds and topping out at around 215 mph......yet I get much better fuel consumption. (about 640hp and around 600 ft lbs of torque). Go figure. Then again, the Acura is designed in California....maybe that explains it. In truth there is a lot to like about the car and I almost always chose it over the mdx when we need a hauler, groceries, etc. The RDX is actually my wifes car and she is content with it but often says she wished she'd kept her old 17 rdx advance (14k miles). She has no trouble driving the car but is totally intiminated by all of the geez-whiz tech gizmos. I am a bit skeptical of folks who offer opinions on such forums but don't actually own the object upon which they are opining.

 

Have you brought it in for the problem?

I didn't have the problem until they replaced my infotainment unit. That's when it appeared. It happens whenever I drive over rough roads, It’s related to the so-called POST connectors for which there's a TSB.

I brought it in last week for service and the fuel pump recall and I mentioned it. They did the TSB for the POST connectors and it's better but not all better. It still happens sometimes. I'm planning to bring it back again and I've also decided to have them fix the rattle in the dash by the HUD. I thought about living with it rather than tear the dash apart but I decided I can't live with it and I shouldn't have to.

 

I took it in once. They ran their standard set of tests and said everything checked out OK. It's not that bad for me and I don't even use the audio system very much. (I'm the type that prefers silence most of the time.)

I find that I have a pretty high tolerance for living with imperfections with the car. In my 20's and 30's I would have make as many trips to the dealer as needed to get the problem resolved. Now, at almost 50, I bring it up during my scheduled service appointment.

 

TSB 20-031 - Popping/Crackling from the Speakers; Display Blank
Applies To: 2019-20 RDX - ALL - ALL
http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B20-031.PDF
http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/p...nu/B20-031.PDF

 

Thanks. Will bring this up again at my next service appointment.